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The Fight Continues.


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#1 fishinghat

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Posted 02 September 2015 - 01:34 PM

Well it has been a long time since I updated. For those who are new, well, when I went through Cymbalta withdrawal I had my hell as well (2013), I fought it for 3 months after being completely off the stuff but I still suffered from over whelming fear. I didn't want to go back on a ssri or snri so the dr jacked me up to 2 1/2 clonidine a day, 200 mg hydroxyzine a day, one atenolol a day and I did fair during the day but the nights were still full of fear with me having to sleep on some blankets on the floor and suffer constant fear. One last effort was to go on 6 mg Ativan (lorazepam) per day. Nothing from the lorazepam at all. Matter of fact one night my fear was so bad that I went to the ER. They gave me 4 mg of lorazepam by injection on top the 6 mg I had taken that day. I settled down a little but still had fear. I had no choice but to start on Zoloft. The good thing is Zoloft is weaker than Cymbalta and has less withdrawal. In the last 2 years I have been doing pretty well. I am totally off the atenolol, down to 1 tablet of clonidine a day and only 75 mg of hydroxyzine per day.

 

this is my fourth time to come off the lorazepam. The manufacturer warns not to go back on lorazepam within 2 years of coming off. Well I was desperate and went on it anyway during the withdrawal. I can tell you that the manufacturer is correct. If restarted within 2 years it is ineffective and has a much worse withdrawal. when I came off the lorazepam before I could drop around 5% a month with little or no withdrawal. This time I am dropping 0.5% a month. Any more and I get symptoms. That's slow!! I am currently down about 57% so I am getting there. The last few days I have had a very minor but constant layer of anxiety so I will probably have to slow down my drop rate on the lorazepam soon. It will take me about another few years to finish coming off the lorazepam but once that is done I will work on the Zoloft.

 

Slow but steady. time and patience.


#2 FiveNotions

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Posted 02 September 2015 - 04:10 PM

You are my hero, FH !!

#3 lady2882Nancy

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Posted 02 September 2015 - 04:24 PM

Ah yes what stories we can tell about this circus of getting off Cymbalta. Or should I say Crapalta?

 

My Benzos withdrawal was with Temazepam which had me too hot and sweating for a full year. I was on the maximum dose for two months and you are only supposed to be on it for 14 days tops. It quits working at the 14 day mark so I didn't appreciate tapering off it or the withdrawals that put me through although it wasn't as bad as what I went through with Cymbalta but maybe that was because I was already on Zoloft.

Yes I too tried Zoloft but while it did wonders for my anxiety it caused me to become very irritable and angry. I was stabilized on Tegretol but then had the liver reaction so had to go off that.

Next came Epival in the Valproic Acid form which cause me no end of IBS issues and finally I am on Epival but the Divalproex form but have to take Risperdal to keep the anxiety at a tolerable level.

 

. I have been unable to work but can't get a disability pension either so we are trying to live on my Hubbie's salary. We make it but there is nothing left for extras.

 

My blood pressure has never been the same and now I have to watch it and my sugar levels. I have come to accept that I will never be the same.

 

Sorry fishinghat for using your Update to vent but I really didn't realize that I needed to until I started typing.

 

This has been a long haul for both of us. You helped me through so much back in March and April of 2013. Funny but it seems like so much longer that I have been struggling with all of this.

 

Take care of you and be well.

 

Your friend always Nancy :hug:


#4 fishinghat

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Posted 02 September 2015 - 05:21 PM

Oh Nancy, My heart bleeds for you. I remember all those trials and tribulations with the different meds and different diagnosis. What and Ordeal we have all had. I would say 'stay strong' but I know you. you are one of the strongest persons I know.

 

Time and patience my friend.

 

God bless. :D

 

By the way, it just dawned on me why the light anxiety and fatigue right now. I went back on the Vitamin C. I started on 1000 mg/day and felt great the first week or two before the symptoms hit. I came off it until I felt good again. I recently went back on at 500 mg every other day. Now I am beginning to have the same symptoms but much lighter. I will back off again and go to around 100 mg/day. Each time I start it back up I feel really great I just need to find the right dose.


#5 brzghoff

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Posted 03 September 2015 - 11:09 AM

Well it has been a long time since I updated. For those who are new, well, when I went through Cymbalta withdrawal I had my hell as well (2013), I fought it for 3 months after being completely off the stuff but I still suffered from over whelming fear. I didn't want to go back on a ssri or snri so the dr jacked me up to 2 1/2 clonidine a day, 200 mg hydroxyzine a day, one atenolol a day and I did fair during the day but the nights were still full of fear with me having to sleep on some blankets on the floor and suffer constant fear. One last effort was to go on 6 mg Ativan (lorazepam) per day. Nothing from the lorazepam at all. Matter of fact one night my fear was so bad that I went to the ER. They gave me 4 mg of lorazepam by injection on top the 6 mg I had taken that day. I settled down a little but still had fear. I had no choice but to start on Zoloft. The good thing is Zoloft is weaker than Cymbalta and has less withdrawal. In the last 2 years I have been doing pretty well. I am totally off the atenolol, down to 1 tablet of clonidine a day and only 75 mg of hydroxyzine per day.

 

this is my fourth time to come off the lorazepam. The manufacturer warns not to go back on lorazepam within 2 years of coming off. Well I was desperate and went on it anyway during the withdrawal. I can tell you that the manufacturer is correct. If restarted within 2 years it is ineffective and has a much worse withdrawal. when I came off the lorazepam before I could drop around 5% a month with little or no withdrawal. This time I am dropping 0.5% a month. Any more and I get symptoms. That's slow!! I am currently down about 57% so I am getting there. The last few days I have had a very minor but constant layer of anxiety so I will probably have to slow down my drop rate on the lorazepam soon. It will take me about another few years to finish coming off the lorazepam but once that is done I will work on the Zoloft.

 

Slow but steady. time and patience.

 

 

"Dr" Hat,

 

its hard to tell what a struggle you've been through given all the self-less help you give others on this board. it also sounds like you have come a long way and that is very encouraging to forum members. 

 

lady nancy,

 

i knew somewhat of the struggle you've fought as well, but didn't know how much trial and error you've had to deal with. i recall that you had anti-depressant induced mania that triggered a full blown bipolar disorder. my heart goes out to you.

 

not long after my p-doc put me on effexor - i had a manic episode. never happened with previous 'scrips for zoloft and wellbutrin. my p-doc insisted that meant i was bipolar - even though an anti-d can induce mania in anybody. he refused to take me off effexor, instead adding depakote - which is the brand-name for divalproex in the US. i was exhausted all the time, could sleep "on command". without an alarm i would sleep through the night at 12 hours or more. i fell asleep on the phone on hold more than once. at least 20 of the 40 pounds (30 % of my original body weight) that i gained on psychoactive meds were due to the depakote/valproic acid. 2 years later when my doc switched me to lamictal/lamotrigine (and switched me from effexor to cymbalta) i dropped 20 pounds in about 3 months. I lost the rest and even more after quitting the C. cymbalta kept me sleepy, but not near as much as the depakote. there is no weight gain with lamictal and actually some weight loss for some. also no fatigue. since quitting the C, i am rarely tired during the day and sleep 7-8 hours a night without an alarm. 

 

i know you have said that your bipolar is permanent and for that i am truly sorry. i hope that you are able to get approved for disability eventually, is there an appeals process? i suspect my dx of bipolar was wrong. my p-doc just liked to keep his patients on the newest meds, not generic - when one goes to generic he switches to a new brand name (makes the drug reps happy) however, my insurance now requires generic and won't cover any brand name drugs - i must take the closest generic to any recommended brand name.

 

i plan to wean off the lamictal within this year. i never felt any side effects from lamictal of which i was aware while i was also on cymbalta. however, i recently discovered that anxiety is a side effect of lamictal. i never felt anxiety prior to any anti-d's (depression yes, anxiety no). since coming off cymbalta of course i suffered extreme anxiety for several months straight, as is common for most folks weaning off. since then it ebbs and flows. i am now wondering if its the lamictal that is causing the lingering anxiety and that i didn't feel it before i quit the C is because cymbalta is also an anti anxiety med. i will soon find out when i start to taper off lamictal. my goal is no drugs, but if i have to, i have to. only way to find out is to eventually take the plunge.

 

do i understand that your current mood stabilizer, epival/divalproex, is causing anxiety hence the addition of risperdal? does the divalproex cause weight gain and fatigue for you? i did have to take blood tests while on it. while the primary intent is to make sure the right level of the drug is in your bloodstream, its also good for making sure your liver function isn't being damaged by the drug - mine was always normal. 

 

I wish you nothing but the best as you continue on your journey. 


#6 Carleeta

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Posted 04 September 2015 - 07:13 PM

Fishinghat, I'm overjoyed you shared your progress with us all. There are many times we all rely on you to answer the new members, along with the older,  with  your knowledge and experience. It's also  true, that I myself,  will tend to forget you are still on your own road to success in getting of the lorazepam, even after coming off the Cymbalta.  You had quite a journey and it was most likely a horrific one at that.  You will succeed for two reasons, and there isn't a doubt in my mind, due to you are one who actually listens to what your body is telling you and you are determined. 

 

Thank you for sharing your road with all of us.  I'm very proud of you, and want to thank you for giving your love and support to all those who need to hear your expertise, your experiences, and lending the ear we all so desperately need. 

 

You are more than amazing.  Here is a special "Yipeeeeeeeeeeeeeee" for someone so special.


#7 lady2882Nancy

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Posted 05 September 2015 - 12:39 AM

Hey brzghoff

 

No the Epival/divalproex wasn't causing the anxiety  but I can fall asleep if I want about2 1/2 to 3 hours after each dose lol.

The anxiety was but one of the symptoms that returned of my Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) which flared back to full life after a neighbor shot over (Yeah right) my dogs heads to chase them away and managed to shoot my male dog right in the chest. Don't worry the dog survived but it was touch and go as to whether the neighbor would for awhile until my husband calmed me down. I still won't talk to the man.

The whole thing had me afraid to go anywhere just like when I was withdrawing from Cymbalta and that coupled with the bipolar had me seeing things too so Risperdal was added and was a life saver.

I can't say that I am thrilled about my dx or about being on meds, in fact some days I can get quite angry about it but I won't risk going back to where I was when I first got here to this site or the months that followed.

Oh and my Psych doc says I am not to take any more SSRI or SNRI antidepressants due to the effect they have on my brain and emotions. When needed we go old school with something like a low dose of Amitriptyline. I definitely agree with her there.

 

It has been a long haul and I read every new post on the site although more often than not I don't post a comment of my own unless I feel I can contribute something useful. I will probably always stay on the fringes here as it was such a life altering experience for me.

At one point I asked my Psych doc if there was hope that I would recover from all of this and she said that since I had gone into several full mixed episodes that the chances of me not being bipolar were very poor but that if I could get stable for a period of time that she would be happy to help me taper off the meds to see if I could live balanced without them. So far there is no chance of doing that as I rapid cycle when under stress and have mini mixed episodes.

 

Wow who knew I had all that to say today. I hope I didn't upset anyone with my need to let all this out. If I did I'm sorry but this is my continuing story or my AC (after Cymbalta) as opposed to who I was BC (before Cymbalta)


#8 Carleeta

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Posted 05 September 2015 - 09:51 AM

Nancy, you too have gone through a series of up and downs with changing meds while trying to get off of Cymbalta. It's sad to try different medications in hopes they may work and have then turn around causing other issues no one bargained for.  You have come to terms with knowing exactly what you are left with to deal with.  Unfortunately getting some sort of disability for the conditions you have been left with (all due to Cymbalta) haven't gotten you anywhere.  This is sad due to the fact no one (med companies, or doctors) will take responsibility for the negative effects you are left to deal with.  My prayers go out to you my friend. 


#9 TryinginFL

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Posted 14 September 2015 - 11:44 AM

FH,

 

How are things going for you at this time?  I have noticed that you are not online too often lately and hope that you are not having more health problems.

 

Thank you for sharing your current status.

 

God Bless,

 

Liz


#10 fishinghat

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Posted 14 September 2015 - 12:06 PM

I am doing fine Liz, thanks for asking. I am actually on line just as much but just haven't had much to say for some reason. The strong silent type I guess. lol   I have been weaning off the lorazepam as you know and am now trying to wean a little faster to see if I can get away with it. We will see.


#11 TryinginFL

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Posted 14 September 2015 - 12:09 PM

Good luck, FH!

 

I was worried and happy that things are moving along! :)

 

See you later - have to get myself and my "boys" ready to go to the Vet!





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