12 replies to this topic

[dorag]

26, female, on 60mg a day for chronic pain caused by a car accident years ago.

 

I have never been a big drinker. Occasional social drinks, but the last few months on Cymbalta, I have been getting drunk almost every night. When I'm not drinking, at work for example, it's all I can think about. It's impairing my judgement, and I can't stop at 1 drink, like I always have. I even almost drove drunk last night, then cried myself to sleep. I have seen many websites about this, but can't find any information on alcoholism being an official side effect of Cymbalta.

 

I hate the person I've become. My fiance hates the person I've become. My doctor is so popular, I can't get an appointment, even an emergency appointment, for 6 weeks. I have tried weaning to 60mg every other day, but the side effects are horrendous and are interfering with my work and personal life. The depression and brain zaps, all I can think about is dying to make it stop.

 

I'm at my wits end, I don't know what to do anymore. 

[FiveNotions]

Dorag, see my response to your other post... you're OK, this is all due to the drug ... the drinking compulsion is rare, but a number of us here have experienced it. As soon as you dose down on the drug, you'll find that it "magically" disappears ...

 

Your doc isn't going to know anything about this ... if he/she does, you're blessed beyond measure ... but it's true ... cymbalta causes some people to drink obsessively ... it can also cause some people to shop / spend money obsessively ... it did both to me ... I'd sit at home after work, drink a bottle or two of wine (or 1/2 bottle of vodka), and spend countless hours and $$$$ doing nutty online shopping ...

 

I'm off the drug now, off the alcohol, and still clearing out closets and drawers to give away the goofy crap I bought ...

[fishinghat]

Right FN

 

More info....http://www.fda.gov/d...y/ucm088579.pdf
Page 5 of 6 from FDA

Use of Cymbalta concomitantly with heavy alcohol intake may be associated with severe liver injury. Avoid heavy alcohol use while taking Cymbalta.

The FDA site says that 0.46% of Cymbalta users reported increased alcohol consumption.

[FiveNotions]

Dorag, you are not at the end of your rope ... you're at the beginning ... you've recognized the problem, recognized what this drug is doing to you, and you've already taken the first step towards fixing the problem ... you've arrived here, and there is hope ... just hang in there, get a plan worked out for getting off of the Cymbalta, and embark on it ...

 

We'll do everything we can to help you !  

[dorag]

Thank you so much. My fiance has spent all morning on the phone trying to speak with my pain specialist who put me on Cymbalta. She believes that none of these are Cymbalta side effects, and told me to just stop taking it. He then called my primary care physician to try to get me into him instead.

 

I don't understand how, according to thousands of complaints on this website and many others, my doctor doesn't believe me. It really, really hurts, and I don't want to ruin my life at such a young age because I'm on this awful medicine and can't get off it.

[fishinghat]

You can get off this medicine Dorag,

 

It is a tough battle for many but using the bead counting method it can be done, It must be very slowly tapered and a lot of patience.

 

There are many on this site that have successfully come off.

 

It is a shame that your dr is not up to date on this. After many court battles the manufacturer had to admit there was potentially serious withdrawal and the FDA issued a warding concerning 'Cymbalta discontinuance Syndrome".

[FiveNotions]

You've got a great fiance, Dorag !  

 

Your doc, however, is a jackass (my favorite phrase for docs) ... mine treated me the same ... I gave up, and dealt with getting rid of crapalta on my own, with the help of the wonderful folks here on the forum ... many / most of us here have been let down, belittled, ignored by our doctors ... your anger and hurt are justified ... just set it aside, and move on ... otherwise, it will hold you back from the wonderful life waiting for you  ...

 

Take a deep breath, be at peace, you taken the first major step, as I said above, you've identified what the problem is, and now you're going to deal with it !  BRAVO !  

[Carleeta]

aDorag,

 

Welcome...  You have found the right place to come.  As you see, from above posts, the members here are very supportive and helpful. To this day I still cannot comprehend why doctors are prescribing Cymbalta for pain.  Thank God I had the one of few doctors who explained to me that Cymbalta does not help with pain.  It's an anti depressant and and anti depressant only.  

 

This is in no way your fault, and there is definitely hope for you to get off this medication and focus on other ways to help with your pain issues.  As far as alcohol consumption and cymbalta, it's very possible to obtain others behaviors which were not present prior while taking this med.  It's extremely unhealthy to consume excessive alcohol with cymbalta, as Fishinghat as pointed out.

 

What I would like to ask you are three questions.

     1.  Do you feel you cannot go without a drink for one day?

     2.  Does the alcohol help take the pain away where the cymbalta hasn't helped with the pain?

     3.  Did the cymbalta ever help with the pain?

 

Answering these questions can better help us determine what your true needs, and one being to definitely help you come off cymbalta in a safe and healthy way.  The other would be to help determine how to help with the excessive alcohol consumption.  

 

The wonderful part of your life is your wonderful boyfriend who is definitely and unconditionally there to help you..

 

Keep us posted

[brzghoff]

dorag,

 

i went from 3-4 drinks a week to 3-4 drinks a night - and often even more - when i started taking cymbalta. when i quit cymbalta i didn't drink at all for over 6 months. it was literally an overnight phenom.  i tried a few times (i love a good wine or craft beer) but just a few sips triggered severe anxiety. after 6 months i was able to have an occasional drink every couple of weeks if i had been doing really well with the anxiety. i am now a little over two years off and am able to enjoy a drink in moderation. 

 

i am familiar with the statistic fishinghat quoted that .46% of users "report" such a side effect but i think it is severely under-reported. i told my p-doc my experience when i quit the C and he said he never heard anyone say that before. i told him "that's because your other patients are lying, just as i have for the past 10 years!" his eyes went wide open and he told me i should report it to the fda.i mean, who wants to tell their doctor they're drinking while taking a drug that shouldn't be taken concurrently with alcohol? especially when the compulsion is so strong you can't stop? he believed me. he was a jackass, but he never objected to my decision to quit and didn't deny my withdrawal experience. i fired him 3 months after i quit. in 1996 i got the "for life" lecture and was put on zoloft. from that point on it was one anti-d after another . in 2004 i was put on the C until i quit in 2014.

 

you are not an alcoholic. cymblata doesn't cause alcoholism. it does create a compulsion to drink. we all know how the C makes us feel numb, unfeeling, blah. my theory is that we drink to force us into feeling something. i started smoking a lot of pot during the 10 years i was on the C. not an issue anymore. again, i quit overnight once off the C.

 

believe me, once you quit the C, you start feeling a lot! not necessarily what we want to feel, but we feel. like anxiety, panic, physical pain, emotional pain. lots - of - tears. but we work through it - there are a strategies to help you through it and you will! you've come to the place to get started!

[FiveNotions]

Thanks for that great post, Brz !

 

Dorag, how are you doing ? Please post to let us know !  

[dorag]

Thank you so much for the support, everybody. It truly makes me feel so much better knowing that I'm not alone, and that I'm not going crazy.

 

An update: I saw my primary care physician yesterday, who was appalled that my pain specialist dismissed my symptoms. He prescribed me Lexapro to start immediately, and stop Cymbalta immediately. He said this should combat some withdrawal symptoms, although Lexapro is not useful for chronic pain, so I have low hopes that it will help in that regard. It's only been a day, so far I don't know how it will help coming off Cymbalta, but I will try anything at this point.

 

To Carleeta: 

     1.  Do you feel you cannot go without a drink for one day? - Yes. Absolutely. 

     2.  Does the alcohol help take the pain away where the cymbalta hasn't helped with the pain? - No. It has nothing to do with helping pain, or feeling down and needing a drink, it is simply "I could really use a drink right now" out of nowhere. In my nearly 27 years, even in the "party days", I never once felt like this. I have never been a "drinker", even in my worst times of pain.

     3.  Did the cymbalta ever help with the pain? - Absolutely. I thought it was a miracle medication for the first few months I was taking it. I was so relieved that after chronic pain since I was 19, I could finally get my life back on track. But then the side-effects began, and it just isn't worth it to me.

 

I don't feel extremely hopeful right now. My PCP also suggested I see his lifestyle coach for meditation, nutrition, etc, advise, and that my "internal stress" can be causing my chronic pain. I feel like not many people believe me. However, I feel like my 21 leg and back surgeries (6 of which were to attempt to address my pain levels) should be a good indication that this is not in my head. My xrays should be an indicator as well, considering that the nerves around my bone are totally exposed still, but doctors just don't really believe me.

 

Regardless of all of this, I feel so grateful for this community and that I'm not alone in this. I'm really hoping this Lexapro can help me stop Cymbalta without the horrific withdrawal symptoms.

[fishinghat]

Dorag
The Lexapro is a good choice but the standard method is to do what is called a cross-taper. Usually that goes something like this...
Cut your Cymbalta by 25% for each of 4 weeks and increase the Lexapro by 25% each week at .the same time. Remember, it takes Lexapro typically 4 to 6 weeks to fully kick in. Once you stabilize you can then very slowly taper off the Lexapro. It has a withdrawal as well but not as bad as Cymbalya

[Carleeta]

Dorag,

 

Thank you for the answers.  It definitely appears there is a correlation between  alcohol and cymbalta in your case.   BRZ described  how after cymbalta there was no more urge to drink.  This will hopefully be the same case for you.  Lexapro is a good choice and as Fishinghat has noted it does take time to get into your system.  Using the method he described would be your best choice.

 

Cannot understand why doctors, including your PM doctor dismissing your pain.  If only they were in our shoes.  You might ask him, what he feels you could take to ease your pain; if he/she is even receptive.    

 

Please keep us informed.  Yes, we are happy you have found some peace of mind and support here...