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#1 OlaMa

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Posted 21 January 2017 - 09:13 PM

Hi Everyone ,
SO i have been on cymbalta for just 4 weeks..The first week was ok but I had side effects. .no sleep, nasuea, slight depression, dizziness. Guys i know its not safe doing that but i went cold turkey on this medication it gave me suicidal thoghts , severe depression and i was scared to drive my car or even be alone in my house at night because the thoughts felt so real as i never experienced them before cuz i was prescribed this for my panic attacks. I am only a week off it and i still feel terrible..mood swings and i still have depression episodes like one minute ill feel ok and within minutes ill start being sad and the stupid thoughts about just end in my life!!! Is this withdrawal symptoms?????? Cuz i only took it for a month so i keep thinking it cant be that cuz it hasnt even settled in my system yet so why am i having these awful feelings??? Please someone help me or maybe im going crazy ?!

#2 TryinginFL

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Posted 21 January 2017 - 09:38 PM

Welcome Olama!  You have come to the right place!

 

Unfortunately you were on this horrible drug long enough for it to have ramped up in your system.  Since you have already been off a week, I would like to say that you have a couple of choices here...

If things are tolerable you can continue the cold turkey - I did that 3 yrs ago and had a year of hell, but we are all different and age plays a part here as well as your dosage.

 

What was the dosage for those 4 weeks?  Was it the name brand or generic? 

 

If you are unable to tolerate the withdrawal, you might try what we call "bead counting". Others here can help you with this since I did not use this method, but wish I had!

 

Please come back with your answers and any questions you may have - we are always here for you!

 

Liz


#3 OlaMa

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Posted 21 January 2017 - 10:12 PM

Thanks for your reply . The dosege was 30 and it was duloxetine
I just dont wanna take it anymore because everytime i took the pill it gave me anxiety and sad thoughts :(

#4 gail

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Posted 22 January 2017 - 06:07 AM

Olama,

Tough this out! Get yourself some Benadryl or a benzo to help you through.

I had the same reaction on it, it was scary. It was given to me for anxiety, it only worsened it. I don't think that after only one month, that you will have long time symptoms.

As Liz said, it's a cold turkey situation here. Go girl, you can do this. The see effects are way too bad to continue or bead count.

Come back anytime!

#5 fishinghat

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Posted 22 January 2017 - 08:57 AM

Welcome Olama

 

Not only is Benadryl or a benzo a good idea (although the benzos are addictive and have there own withdrawal if you lean on them too much) but you could contact your dr for a prescription to either clonidine and/or hydroxyzine. Neither have a withdrawal and help for most people.

 

You can also take one of your remaining capsules, take out most of the beads (leave about 5% of the beads in the capsule) and take that whenever the symptoms get too bad. That low dosage should help take the edge off the withdrawal and not be strong enough to bring on the side effects.


#6 fishinghat

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Posted 22 January 2017 - 08:59 AM

P.S. - By the way, Cymbalta takes about 4 weeks to reach full strength in the body.


#7 OlaMa

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Posted 22 January 2017 - 10:46 AM

My doctor gave me ativan because he doesnt want to give me any other anti depressants due to the side effects so he is sending me to a psychiatrist :( guys, i am really new to anti depressants and i want to think its the withdeawal symptoms but sometimes i think that this depression wont go away that it will stay and i wont get my life back...i was a pretty happy person little things made me happy and now thats gone i feel detahed from people i feel like I have no emotions spmetimes :(:(:( its really getting to me..i use to love music i still do but even now doesnt seem to calm me down ...is this drug really doing that to me or is it me :(

#8 fishinghat

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Posted 22 January 2017 - 11:58 AM

This drug is quite capable of giving you those symptoms. The Ativan should help but it is one of the most addictive of the benzos. How long you been on Ativan and what is the dosage? Do you feel like it helps?

 

The feeling that these symptoms won't fade is a classic symptom of Cymbalta withdrawal. BUT it WILL go away with time. This is a tough hard process and you will need to stay strong and patient. This is a chemical process going on in your brain. It no longer has the Cymbalta to control your neuroreceptors and it must learn to control them on its own again. That takes time. I must say that with you being on it for only 4 weeks I don't see you being one of those that takes 1 or 2 years to fully recover. Odds are that in 4 to 8 weeks you should see occasional improvement which will increase with time. There are a lot of ups and downs with this withdrawal so don't be surprised if you eventually feel good one day and terrible the next. With time it does get better.


#9 gail

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Posted 22 January 2017 - 03:01 PM

My doctor gave me ativan because he doesnt want to give me any other anti depressants due to the side effects so he is sending me to a psychiatrist :( guys, i am really new to anti depressants and i want to think its the withdeawal symptoms but sometimes i think that this depression wont go away that it will stay and i wont get my life back...i was a pretty happy person little things made me happy and now thats gone i feel detahed from people i feel like I have no emotions spmetimes :(:(:( its really getting to me..i use to love music i still do but even now doesnt seem to calm me down ...is this drug really doing that to me or is it me :(


That is the withdrawal talking. You will be back to your old self in no time.

#10 OlaMa

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Posted 22 January 2017 - 03:31 PM

Thank you i keep reading your replies and i hope to God i will go back to being myself soon..i have things to Look forward to but just Cant seem to get happy about them..i have 2 kids and my niece who is 5months i love her so much but now im scared to be with her alone cuz I have thoughts that i will do something bad to her..like honestly WTF ?! I wish I didnt take this drug :(:(:(can anyone tell me how will u till i can start feeling better or how long untill the meds leave my system

#11 fishinghat

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Posted 22 January 2017 - 05:00 PM

An educated guess...3 to 8 weeks to feel better and the medicine is out of your system in about 4 days. The medicine being in your system is not the problem but being out of the system is what causes the withdrawal as the nerves no longer have the medicine to depend on so they have to learn to adapt all over again. That takes time.


#12 OlaMa

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Posted 22 January 2017 - 06:17 PM

Fishingtag - my doctor prescribed 1mg 3 times daily if needed but I only take it before going to bed..at least i can sleep but dont wanna take it more then that.

#13 fishinghat

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Posted 22 January 2017 - 06:58 PM

Sounds good. Hang in there. You are not alone.


#14 OlaMa

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Posted 23 January 2017 - 10:41 AM

Thank you , no one understands better then those who have been thru it . Yes i do have days when im like yes i think my old self is coming back and then bam i get depressed and sad and tell myself this is going to be forever. Do you guys think that i might have developed depression while on this drug even tho i didnt have one before and now it might stay? And one more since i cant really talk to anyone else:( do yoy think i should go on meds again? I have not had a panic attack in over a month but im afraid once it all goes away it might come back :( did anyone just stopped having them after taking anti depressants for a short time

#15 gail

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Posted 23 January 2017 - 03:45 PM

Olama,

You didn't have depression before so it's temporary. What a nasty drug!

As for panic attacks, if they come too often and affect your quality of life, then I believe that medication is necessary. Between losing my mind and taking meds, I will opt for the meds. Gosh, don't we hate being dependant of meds, but C'est la vie! We do what we have to do to survive.

#16 fishinghat

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Posted 23 January 2017 - 04:45 PM

Got to agree with Gail on this. Temporary depression.

 

You may not need to take an antidepressant though. Many who suffer from panic attacks have good luck with Clonidine and it has a lot fewer side effects. Something to think about.


#17 OlaMa

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Posted 23 January 2017 - 05:09 PM

I really hope it is temporary. I asked my doctor if he could give me something other then anti depressants and He told me thats the only way to treat it ..so great ...the panic attacks stopped for now but now I got depression... i have a feeling like the psychatrist will most likely make me go on them and i dont want to :( but not taking ativan i feel better i think its really helping me cope tosay i took it in day time for first time and i feel relax ed have not felt like this in quite a bit

#18 GettingGimpy

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Posted 23 January 2017 - 06:06 PM

I'm on day 5 of 30mg to zero (with one week of 60 to 40 and four days of 40 to 30). Most of the buzzing/zaps are over, unless I move my eyes too far in any direction. Depression is creeping more now, though, along with confusion and extreme stress of not knowing what to do to get better. You're not alone and you're not crazy.

 

Also: I was on 60mg for a year. At one point it was causing suicidal thoughts and that's when I said no more. I was prescribed for generalized anxiety disorder, but it actually caused a stronger diagnosis of GAD. I also cannot drive (and missed the first day of school). Thanks Eli Lilly.

 

I've edited this post about 4 times now, but wanted to say that because you've only taken it for a short amount of time, your recovery should be much faster than mine. I know what you mean by when you said you think it's getting better, but then it gets worse (and repeats). Sometimes I will get an idea of something to do, and it sounds genius, but once I get up I'm like "dang, I don't want to do that anymore" and then sit back down to mope. 


#19 OlaMa

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Posted 23 January 2017 - 07:00 PM

Getting gimpy - yes thats exactly how i feel ...ill start feeling like my old self and i get sooo happy i wanna go and run do things i loved doing before all this hell started...and then its like a devil comes out of now here and tells me no ur not suppose to be happy and i get depressed again. The worst is i cant be in my own house...when i think about being there myself im starting to hate my own house i feel the most of depression when im inside my house i dont know if its due to the fact that when my panic attacks were happening i was scared to stay by myself and im a single parent so i wad always terrified that if somehing happens what will my kids do ... But i love my house i have so many memories there like why the fu** am i feeling this ? This isnt normal to me has any one ever felt like this im sorry i keep posting and asking questions but I am really concert ed about all that im feeling and scared cuz I never experienced this before

#20 fishinghat

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Posted 23 January 2017 - 07:00 PM

Ola Ma

 

Your dr can not 'make' you go on antidepressants. That is your choice. He/she can only make suggestions. I know these drs love ADs but I know many many people who take clonidine or hydroxyzine for panic attacks. That includes me. It is possible they may not work for you but it is possible any of the ADs may not work either. Unluckily there is no way for a dr to tell ahead of time if a med will work. You just try one and if it is not successful then you have to change to another.

 

And I repeat, the depression is temporary. Those who took Cymbalta for pain often go through major depression and/or anxiety during withdrawal even they have never had a mental illness in their life.


#21 fishinghat

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Posted 23 January 2017 - 07:08 PM

I just read your last post Ola Ma.  I remember those days. Even though I have had GAD for a long time it was nothing compared to the Cymbalta withdrawal. It can be overwhelming. I have stayed on this site for 4 years now just so I can reassure people that this is a normal occurrence during Cymbalta withdrawal because it seems so unreal. With time it does slowly pass, and as GG said, with you having not been on it long your time frame should be shorter. During this time it is important to be kind to yourself. You must not put additional stress or worry on yourself or things will be even worse. This is the time to get extra rest, enjoy your favorite hobbies, eat chocolate, etc. This is a chemical reaction happening in your body and it just has to run its course. Remember these drugs controlled your emotions. Now without the drug your emotions are out of control BUT will recover with time.


#22 OlaMa

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Posted 24 January 2017 - 12:05 PM

You guys are so help ful, im glad i found this site. Yes you are right about my brain being confused because of the drgs not being in my system anymore but what i dont understand is that i have felt xact same way when i was on them ..They didnt help me to feel better so why is it now that my brain doesnt receive them anymore and i feel what i feel ..i will never understand how this stupid medicine works!

#23 fishinghat

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Posted 24 January 2017 - 01:35 PM

Unluckily for a small percentage an antidepressant will not only work but confuse the neurotransmitters 9n the brain even more. That means their side effects are nearly the same as withdrawal effects although the intensity may be worse. It is very common for a patient to go through 2 or 3 meds before finding one that works AND has acceptable side effects. There has been several pieces of research that has been done to try to find out why ADs work for one person but not another but so far they can not find a link. It is still just a matter of guess work. How sad.


#24 OlaMa

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Posted 26 January 2017 - 12:07 PM

I am scared to try anything else :( but at the same time i just want my life back:( i feel different like not myself and its been 2 weeks..i have no physical withdrawal symptoms just runny nose and now im sick but I feel like I complete ly lost my feelings :( nothing can make me happy i just feel so cold inside :(:(:( its really getting to me and I have no one to talk to :(:( nobody understands:(

#25 TryinginFL

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Posted 26 January 2017 - 01:44 PM

Olama,

 

Your brain is trying to repair irself - it takes time.  I'm sorry I can't tell you how long but it will pass...

 

Hang in there - you can do this!


#26 fishinghat

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Posted 26 January 2017 - 02:50 PM

Liz is right. Nerves heal slowly. It may take 2 more weeks or two months. No one can tell. I would say this, you are showing a lot less symptoms after 2 weeks than most so I would be hopeful if I were you. Try not to worry about this or to fight it, it only makes things worse. It will pass.


#27 OlaMa

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Posted 26 January 2017 - 04:53 PM

Thanks guys:) i talked to a few people and they are telling me that the meds are no longer affecting me because there out of my system by now etc i think I just spent too much time searching and reading reviews online and the worst is that the only withdrawal symptoms i see people say they have is brain zaps, nasuea, shaking and well i didnt get any of those like at all :( that is why im freaking out why it affect ed my personality so much:(



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