13 replies to this topic

[lovexlikewinter7]

Hi, I'm Jasmine, a long time lurker, first time poster. I'm weaning from 60mg. My doctor had me do a gradual cross-taper with Wellbutrin XL.

Anyways, I actually did have success with it. I haven't moved on to bead counting, and instead took 20mg every few days as needed for two weeks. Anyway, now I'm fully off Cymbalta for a week and a half now.

I've been taking 1 tablet of Dramamine daily for dizziness, an Aleve for the aches, Melatonin for sleeplessness, and a multivitamin as a supplement.

Anyways, I'm doing pretty well.
My only complaint is I'm suffering from these terrible migraines and they wont go away. Its not a brain zap, though because I've been getting those too (but they're finally slowing down! yay)

They're making my life hell. I've been thrilled to say that I've made it to work everyday through all of this (which is great because they don't understand at all). Well I work in retail, so the headache starts about 2 hours after I wake up, and all day I'm in pain, working in freezers, interacting with customers, and the lights are killing me.

So, I'm gonna stop rambling. Anyways I just wanna know if anyone had similar headaches and what they did to stop it. I've tried over the counter migraine medicine and Aleve but nothing touches it.

Thanks in advance

[thismoment]

lovexlikewinter7

 

Hi and welcome!

 

Glad to hear you are doing well after a week and a half! Hopefully you will continue to get better and better.

 

I don't know what to say about the migraines. I was a migraine sufferer earlier in life, so I understand how painful and debilitating they are. The only thing I might suggest is that you ensure that you are neither dehydrated nor hypoglycemic throughout the day. 

 

It's possible the migraines are anxiety-related, and while I tread lightly regarding recommending meds-- a benzodiazepine might help.

 

I wish you complete success in your withdrawal!

 

Take care.

[lady2882Nancy]

Hi lovexlikewinter7

 

I also had the worst headaches/migraines when I stopped taking Cymbalta.

 

The only thing that really helped me was L-theanine (make sure it is suntheanine) which can be purchased at most natural health supplement stores or online.  I took 2 100mg caplets first thing in the morning on an empty stomach with a full glass of water and then would take another in the late afternoon if needed again with a full glass of water.

 

This was recommended to me by another member who was already here on the site when I was struggling with withdrawal symptoms and it really helped. It worked better than any of the painkillers and migraine meds I had tried.

 

Hope that helps and  congrats on getting off Cymbalta

 

Take care of you and be well

[hyg]

Hi Jasmine, I suffer migraines too. My doctor prescribes fioricet with no codeine and it works great. No otc medication will touch it- tried them all. Good luck and hope you find relief soon. Hyg

[FiveNotions]

Hyg, did the migraines appear in connection with quitting the Cymbalta, or have you had them for a long time?

[hyg]

InveNtions, I had them before I was put on the cymbalta.

[FiveNotions]

Hi Hyg, thank you for the additional info!

The reason I asked is that Cymbalta / duloxetine has been "pushed" for migraine treatment, but there isn't any strong evidence that it helps ... and it's very likely that this use was / is just another effort by Eli Lilly to expand the market for the drug ...

When I was in hard (cold turkey) withdrawal, I had a couple of horrible migraines, and did a lot of research to find out if it could be due to the drug itself, or the withdrawal ... I found a ton of comments from others who had used Cymbalta indicating that yes, there was a connection ... it's also very possible that the drug makes the migraines worse in those who are chronic sufferers ...

----------
Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) and serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs) for the prevention of migraine in adults (Review) [full text]
http://www.bibliotec...DF/CD002919.pdf

FTA: "Since the last version of this review, the new included studies have not added high quality evidence to support the use of SSRIs or venlafaxine as preventive drugs for migraine. There is no evidence to consider SSRIs or venlafaxine as more effective than placebo or amitriptyline in reducing migraine frequency, intensity, and duration over two to three months of treatment. No reliable information is available at longer-term follow-up. Our conclusion is that the use of SSRIs and SNRIs for migraine prophylaxis is not supported by
evidence."

[lovexlikewinter7]

I believe it. They didn't start till I started weaning and its the only symptom that's been ongoing.

[FiveNotions]

Hi LoveLikeWinter!

 

How slowly are you weaning / tapering? How often are the migraines happening now, and what / how severe are the symptoms?

 

I also had severe optic neuritis ... similar to, but not the same as, migraines ... it's stabbing pain in the eyeballs and optic nerves behind the eyes, not the overwhelming pain in the neck arteries that happens with migraines ... it does include extreme sensitivity to light, however ...

 

Is there any chance that this is what you're suffering? If so, I can give you a list of all the various "remedies" that helped me ...

 

And, I can assure you, that this is temporary, and will gradually fade away ... I still have episodes of the optic neuritis, but each time it happens it's milder and briefer ...

 

Sucks, doesn't it ? !

[hyg]

FiveNotions, Thank you for the link--I will be sure to check it out. I went off cymbalta because I didn't think it helped for migraine pain. I have been off cymbalta for 7 weeks now with no rebound effects ( thanks 2 all who unknowingly helped with their posts).I did a very slow taper and I see a chiropractor regularly. I'm horrified that so many people are having headaches/migraines in association with this drug. Migraines can be debilitating by themselves, without the added horror of withdrawal. I would say (hesitantly) that ppl need to decide on an individual basis if it is worth seeing their doctor for relief. Hyg

[lovexlikewinter7]

I weaned from 60mg to nothing over six weeks. Brain zaps, nausea, mood swings all stopped. But YES right behind the eyes. That might be what it is. The light is just agony when it happens. Feels like a headache behind the eyeballs, then turns to a stabbing pain. With light sensitivity and dizziness. I get them everyday at work (damn fluorescent lights) for hours, and sparingly at home. Maybe every other day, only a couple hours of pain.

[FiveNotions]

That's most likely optic neuritis, not a migraine !

 

I'll find the discussions we've had about this symptom and post the links for you here ...

 

The good news is that this is definitely just another "phase" in the process ... it won't last, and will soon fade / disappear !

[FiveNotions]

I forgot to mention, there's a serotonin connection with optic neuritis ... I'll try to find the research articles ... a couple of SSRIs, not just Cymbalta, have been linked to this condition (side effect of the drugs) ... not only can an excess of serotonin can cause it (serotonin syndrome) ... a deficiency of serotonin can cause it (as when we're in withdrawal) ...

 

What helped me most were: supplements (omega 6, chelated magnesium [be careful, a rare side effect of this is anxiety], and glycine), warm and / or cold compresses (those silicon pea / gel things that can be put in the microwave or freezer, which temp felt best varied from time to time), covering my eyes with a blindfold, wearing sunglasses, keeping room lights low, staying away from the computer screen and tv.

 

And, patience and time ... this is a symptom, it will pass ...

 

Here are links to the forum discussions about optic neuritis / vision problems:

 

Cymbalta withdrawal, eye problems related to serotonin
https://www.cymbalta...onin-deficiency

Blurred Vision
https://www.cymbalta...blurred-vision/

Brain Zaps, Optic Neuritis and Gello [ignore what I said about eating gello ... it's the glycine supplement that helped me ... gello doesn't have enuf glycine in it (but it sure tasted good when I was so sick!)
https://www.cymbalta...optic +neuritis

Cymbalta and eye health
https://www.cymbalta...itis#entry44155

[Angelface]

To those who doubt Cymbalta helps with migraines I am here to tell you it 100% WORKED for me. The problem I found was that after about a year the efficacy seemed to wear off. I also gained a ridiculous amount of weight and my TSH rose. Migraine is actually the reason I started taking Cymbalta   I am currently down to 60mg from 120mg. I wish I didn't have to go off of it but I was starting to get the bad side effects and now I don't know what to do. 

 

my doctor wants me to try to stay at 80 and see if i can get reward without the negatives but I am too scared and just want it out of my body. 

Perhaps I am jumping the gun. I went from 72 hour incapacitating vomiting migraines to 1-2 day manageable ones. Now I am dealing with a 4 day lingerer. It sucks and I don't know how to handle it. Triptans scare the shit out of me.