12 replies to this topic

[CatLeeJones]

I have Fibromyalgia and Seasonal Affect Disorder.  I stopped taking it because it wasn't working anymore.  I didn't see the point in continuing taking these drugs.  They're expensive and became ineffective.  No one said, like my DOCtOR,  that withdrawal would be most unpleasant.  I feel I was manipulated by my legal drug pusher.  There has to be a better way.  I believe Im on the right path with the natural healing methods.

I am curious as to how many Fibromyalgia people stopped taking Cymbalta because it wasn't working.... or your symptoms worsened.

[thismoment]

CatLeeJones

 

Glad to hear you're coming along in your withdrawal. Once you are through the discontinuation syndrome and you are feeling 'normal' again, it would be nice to hear a review of your natural healing methods- what worked, what didn't- what you'd do differently if you had to do it again etc.

 

Surely there is more than one way to skin an orange. (Sorry, I love cats!)

 

Regarding the physicians- I don't think they are innocent, I don't think they are guilty, but they are ignorant of the facts. And why is that? I'm sure the answer is as varied as the reasons they pursued medicine as a career.

[CatLeeJones]

Day 6 of total abstaining from Cymbalta.

 

Even though I am not finished the 'withdrawal', amazingly I do feel improvements.  You don't know what you missed from being on these drugs until you re-experience them.  One is, faster thinking, even through the brain zaps.  (Gad I hate those brain zaps).  With Fibro, just touching me would send pain but I am finding large areas of my body that when you touch, .... no frick'n pain.  The inside elbows would be SOOO painful, hip area, face, jaw, the same but even without tylenol, ya know...? .... it aint so bad.  Im excited about these changes.

Yesterday, I blubbered like a baby.  I haven't cried that easily in years.  I was numb; my emotions were clouded in the drugs.  Its OK to cry.  Its a great release to 'let go'.

Presently, Im still kinda cranky, sound and light sensitivity and those arful brain zaps.  I have dropped my trazodone from 150 mg to 100 mg, 2 nights ago and yesterday I care not to repeat.  This morning, fuzzy in the head, ears kinda ringing, sound/light but it is better than what I experience a day ago.  Going to stay on the 100 mg trazodone for a few more weeks, then drop this some more.  I wish to get past this Cymbalta journey first.

My 'old' saying was, 'Give me 24 to 48 hours and maybe I'll remember'... , or you'd go looking for something and then stop.... and forget what the hell you were looking for or do.   Sometimes I wouldn't remember what I was looking or about to do for hours.  Frustrating.  Now?  Ya, it is still happening BUT, now, it takes a few seconds and the 'eureka' would  happen and continue to what I was going to do.  I haven't done that in 20 years.

My train of thought in speaking is difficult.  Sometimes my ability to talk becomes so compromised, I can't talk at all.  English speaking would be in the toilet but my limited spanish sounded beautiful.  (I learned some spanish after my car crash) The brain is a funky thing.  I'd just point and grunt. Brain to speaking was slow. My thoughts were lost in a fog.   Im finding improvement in this area, I found myself yammering to my realtor with concise quick fluent speech the other day.  Snippets of whats to come is extremely cool.

Its the beginning and Im thrilled.  

This is what Im doing in conjunction of NOT taking Cymbalta and going through withdrawal.

https://www.cymbalta...nd-ashwagandha/

 

[gail]

Hello Cat, trazodone might me helping you with the withdrawal. Piggy back, they call it.

 

I'm not so sure it is a good idea to lower it at the moment, thismoment or fishinghat might spring in and explain it better than I.

 

It is wonderful to see that you are optimistic about the withdrawal, this will help. Love your blue posts, easy to read.

[thismoment]

Hi Cat

I agree with Gail. Keep the Trazodone up for now and address it after Cymbalta. Your progress has been steady even over this short time, and your spirit is strong!

Best wishes!

[GonnaMakeIt]

I have Fibromyalgia and Seasonal Affect Disorder.  I stopped taking it because it wasn't working anymore.  I didn't see the point in continuing taking these drugs.  They're expensive and became ineffective.  No one said, like my DOCtOR,  that withdrawal would be most unpleasant.  I feel I was manipulated by my legal drug pusher.  There has to be a better way.  I believe Im on the right path with the natural healing methods.

I am curious as to how many Fibromyalgia people stopped taking Cymbalta because it wasn't working.... or your symptoms worsened.

Hi CLJ.  I also found that Cymbalta was not working for fibromyalgia and one of the reasons I decided to quit cold turkey but I also wonder if my fibromyalgia symptoms were actually caused by Cymbalta in the first place as they seemed to develop a little over a year after I started taking Cymbalta and now that it is coming out of my system, I don't really have those pains anymore.  It could be that the acupuncture is working but I still wonder ....

[CatLeeJones]

Dear GonnaMakeit,

 

Im  figure I've had Fibro for a long long time.  After my car crash and incomplete and misdiagnosis (according to me... DR's won't admit it)... I believe all the meds did was numb me emotionally, and the pain which compromised my decision making.  The med's didn't address the causation.   As one ages, your immune system can becomes more compromised by the poison in your body.   Clean, clear thinking and decision making errors are made.  We trust our doctors aren't intentionally doing us harm and the underlying score is, you are in a mess and 'Big Pharma' is richer..  

I don't know of any studies that lead to the train of thought that Cymbalta causes Fibro.   I am leading to the thought that our bodies starts to rebell, by taking the medication,   This is certainly my situation and yours.

Proper diet, holistic healing with herbs, sound therapy is doing me great wonders.  This morning, (still detoxing, day 7) I got up and had this wonderful very short moment of no noise in my head or those dizzy zapping rushes.  I don't ever remember having my head like this.  I was fully 'plugged in and working correctly' for a short time.  I liked it... a lot.   It is a promise of what is to come.  

[thismoment]

Hi CLJ

 

I don't know of any studies that lead to the train of thought that Cymbalta causes Fibro.

 

I don't know about this either, but I do know that withdrawal from Cymbalta (and other antidepressants) can produce symptoms that mimic Fibro pretty well, and this can go on for weeks and even months. During this withdrawal phase, many patients are mis-diagnosed with a primary condition (like Fibromyalgia) and re-started on an antidepressant. 

 

Withdrawal takes a long time and it produces a plethora of symptoms, and too often these symptoms are mistaken as the primary condition- now you are trapped in a kind of Cycle of Antidepressants Syndrome. 

[CatLeeJones]

Yesterday.... ooooo.... bad day.  I had a bitch on like no other.  Wow, this withdrawal can knock you on your pants one moment and the next....   Its like a unpredictable psycho  thats taken over your mind and body never knowing when it is going to attack.

Still going to hang tough.  I am not going to, (so she says at this moment.... how can we trust our own selves with this poison in our body) go back to taking it.

Gunna stay positive, it was just one day.  Today will be better. 

[thismoment]

CLJ

I love your personification of withdrawal as "an unpredictable psycho that's taken over your mind"-- yes, but that's only part of it. It's psychopathic to be sure, but it is totally predictable: it will do and say anything to get you back on the drug.

It will generate terrifying symptoms that compel the sufferer to flee to the doctor. The doctor will fail to identify the symptoms as withdrawal, and he will send you off to see a specialist, put you on an antidepressant, or both.

And now the patient is trapped within a cycle: symptom-diagnosis-antidepressant-attempt to withdraw-symptom-diagnosis-antidepressant-attemp to withdraw-symptom-diagnosis-antidepressant-attempt to withdraw-symptom-diagnosis-antidepressant. . .

Do as Ulysses did (metaphorically, of course), and tie yourself to the mast until you have sailed past the Siren Song of the withdrawal symptoms. Might take 4 or 5 months, maybe less, maybe more.

[CatLeeJones]

Today went much better.  Phew!!!  Thank you 'thismoment'.  Got a lot done today to my amazement.  Brain zaps weren't as amplified but its that mood that has you grow horns on your head and grab a pitchfork was no picnic at the park. Lock your doors and throw away the key.... Cat's in a rage.  

Glad that subsided.

[carlydaydream]

These posts are fantastic! I also have fibromyalgia so i feel your pain Hun. Hope you are ok x

[CatLeeJones]

It is now June 9, 2014.   I'm totally off the Cymbalta and Trazodone.  I do get the odd very faint brain zap, hardly worth mentioning.  All the other symptoms of withdrawal have dissipated to nothing.  Along with my other ways of addressing depression with isochronic tones. The pain from my fibromyalgia needed to be addressed.  Then I came across what is called 'Oil Pulling'.  Basically what oil pulling is, is to take a tablespoon of oil, my choice is organic sesame seed oil,  and gently swish it in your mouth for about 20 minutes and then spit out.  This is absolutely AMAZING.

 

I just started this yesterday doing 3 sessions.  Nothing has ever released pain ever like this process.  Yes, it will take a bit to get used to and one time I did gag but boy oh boy,.... what a gift of something sooo simple can do so much good.  Yesterday morning I was in some pain, couldn't put the dogs water dish down properly spilling it all over the place.  After my first session of oil pulling, I could attend that water dish without a problem.  It is like a miracle.

 

Read up on Oil Pulling.  There are SO many benefits from this process.

 

http://www.relfe.com...almost-no-cost/