Withdraw symptoms after only 10 days of use?

I only started Cymbalta a few weeks ago. Before taking it I read about the side effects and did not want to take it. My doctor said if I read the side effects of any other drug I probably would not take those either. So I started the Cymbalta.

Before the Cymbalta I was on Prozac for a few months at the 20 mg dose. I did not think it was helping so my doctor bumped it to 40 mg per day. I did not like it so I asked for an alternative. Unfortunately I think the doctors give out drugs based on how hard the drug reps try to sell to them.

So I started on the samples the doctor gave me. 1 week at 30 mg then only a few days at 60 mg. I could not stand this stuff. It made the muscles in my face twitch so bad and I was getting headaches. So I stopped cold turkey only after about 10 days of use. But the twitching has not stopped completely and I still have daily headaches and feel like there is a fog in my brain. I actually have pain in my forehead above my eyebrow when I press on it.

Should I be going through this much withdraw after only such a short period of time using this drug? What can I take to help mitigate these symptoms.

I used to see stories like yours and think - how in the world could it have such a hold in such a short amount of time? Sorry you had to go through that and hope that your headaches subside soon. It does sound like you have joined the ranks of those of us who can't tolerate Cymbalta.

Jumping up from 30 to 60 so quick. I still do not understand the doctors that don't wait to see how you are doing at the 30, especially since it takes up to 6 weeks to do it's job? I just would not at this point take any more Cymbalta since you haven't had one for 10 days, that is probably not the answer.

Check with your doctor, if you still have bad problems, twitching and headaches, and the prozac was not lethal to you in the same way, ask your doc if maybe one dose of the Prozac might stop the headaches. Many docs will prescribe just one dose of Prozac to get over withdrawal symptoms.

Here's a link about the one single dose of Prozac just one time to help with withdrawal for you to consider that might help your symptoms go away:
http://depression.ab.../withdrawal.htm

Omega 3 fatty acids help some, not knowing why you did not like the Prozac, if your head is still killing you talk to your doc about your alternatives.

Cymbalta is some really strong stuff. It is out of your system now from a chemical standpoint, but it might still be having a hold on your brain chemistry. Best of luck to you. Let us know how you are doing and how you resolved this.

I took Cymbalta for only four days before I decided to stop taking it because of the way it made me feel. Only four days and at 30mg a day and I have been on major withdrawal symptoms ever since (they started immediately and this is my 7th day without the drug)!!! I feel like raging and yelling at people on the street, I’ve thrown plates and chairs at the wall, I keep yelling at the TV and then a minute later crying about some random commercial, I have brain zaps constantly, now I have a fever and other cold-like symptoms, I keep sweating like crazy yet I feel cold at the same time, I feel so surreal it’s like I’m a zombie from a different world when I’m out in public, if fact I took me untill this afternoon to realise that it's Sunday not Saturday. Yesterday I slashed my wrists because I was in such a rage/anxiety driven stage of mind and when I went to the ER the doctors wanted me to start taking the drug because it would releave my withdrawal symptoms!!!! How insane is that??!!! This drug is way worse than Effexor, which I took for a year and when I stopped taking it the withdrawal symptoms were similar but way less severe. I was on Zoloft before this Cymbalta experience and I have never experienced any withdrawal symptoms from that even though I have sometimes been off it for a week at the time. I am now back on Zoloft (halleluja!) which doesn’t really help with my depression ( or so I thought… hard to tell now) but which doesn’t give me any negative side effects either. I’m also now taking high doses of oxazepam to deal with these Cymbalta problems. Thank you so much for not warning us about this poison Eli Lilly! Sorry for the long rant... :roll:

I have the exact same thing going on! It really helps me feel like I'm not "crazy". I was also on prozac 20 mg., but for almost 5 years and it stopped being effective for me. My doctor has been trying all sorts of new stuff on me, and the latest was Cymbalta. Right away, I had found some scare stuff about the withdrawals, and even called her and warned her, but she said her patients have never had any such problems either being on it or getting off of it. She even kind of insinuated that if I read all this bad stuff, i will begin to feel it (how crazy is that statement??!!). So I said, well, I trust your experience, so let's try it. Now it's been 10 days later and I hated it, so I got off of it about 5-7 days ago, and I still feel like crap. Dizziness, bad, bad mood swings, brain buzzing. My forehead feels weird and "heavy". I took the advice of greybeard and went out bought vitamin b12, Omega fatty acids - so hopefully a little natural healing will help. I might even take one dose of Prozac again just to see if it helps. I'm at my wits end with feeling like this. I even had to leave work early because of the dizziness, and then driving home was great with it, too. I can't believe this stuff is available. I guess I don't any advice for you, but just know you are not alone. Diane

I agree with GB. I went looking for help AFTER I had my first meltdown, and thought I was losing my mind! Coming here didn't "suggest" symptoms to me, it made me feel much better knowing it was drug withdrawal. I was so scared that I was having a nervous breakdown, or that I was going to die from the anxiety alone. The brian zaps were so bad I was sure it was a stroke or something, as were the nightmares. This site saved my sanity.

Thank you for your kind words and encouracegement GB, it's so important that sites like this exist. I'm still on heavy symptoms but taking benzos help a bit, at least with the rage, not so much with the emotional rollercoaster stuff... Yesterday I was watching Lost and cried because somehow the soundtrac - yes the same one they alwatys use - was something awesomely touching to me :roll: I have to say that at this point I'm mostly mad at my doctor for recommending this drug to me. I trusted her, she's been my therapist/psychiatrist for 4 years now and she knows how I reacted to Effexox a few years ago when I tried to get off that thing (ended up in a hospital). She suggested Cymbalta because apparently it effects some noradrenaline agent in your brain which is supposed to help with your energy levels etc. I was really sceptical at first because I have tried pretty much every antidepressant in the market in the last 6 years, and I did even check on it before I took it and even I could tell that it was really similar with Effexor (bad bad sign). I did mention this to my doc but she said that Cymbalta is so well tolerated and none of her patiens have had ANY problems with it. I did cave in because I just thought what the heck do I have to lose by just trying - a lot apparently! Now I'm so mad and confused that I seriously don't know if I can keep seeing my doc after this. I have another psychiatrist who is responsible for my meds, I was the one who suggested CYmbalta to her after what my therapist/doc had told me about it, and this doc even made a comment to suggest that it was weird for me to try Cymbalta after having such adverse affect on Effexor! WHy did I not listen????

ANyways, this post is just getting too confusing now even for me...

Yes, I'm finally back to my old self - the way I was before taking Cymbalta - I went back to Zoloft, which I was taking before Cymbalta and after only one day on Zoloft the brain zaps were totally gone, and now I'm on my fourth day on Zoloft and all the other Cymbalta withdrawals are gone too!

Actually I started feeling a lot better almost immediately after taking Zoloft, but now I'm definitely back to where I was before, YAY !!

Before I started taking Cymbalta I was just about to start a new dream job and then I went and tried Cymbalta ( why did I do that, whyyy?? )and we all know what happened then. I was so obsessed with death and so hopeless that I didn't think I could ever work again, let alone keep on living, but now that I'm back to my old self I'm definitely going to except that job offer

I write comedy for a living so I've even been able to find some great material from all those feelings I experienced while on Cymbalta withdrawals

I don't know what else to say, but hang in there people!!

PS. I definitely recommend starting your previous meds again to deal with the withdrawals, or going on Prozac (fluoxetine) for a while - it's supposed to really help with the withdrawals almost immediately, or so I have read).

:mrgreen: Bad Pony

You have come along way, Bad Pony....keep up the good work!!