7 replies to this topic

[DustiJoy]

8 years ago my doctor put me on Paxil for Post-pardum depression.
Two weeks later my husband, while working out of state, was life flighted from a ten car pile up and the hospital would not give me info for 3 days.
Four days later my sister Overdosed (intentionally) in my home after dropping off her children for me to watch.
The following Monday a found a Psychatrist to help me.
She took me off Paxil and onto Effexor and Cymbalta.
Four years ago my doctor up and moved to the other side of the country with only a mailed letter saying good-luck! The next docotor I saw quit me cold turkey, saying I did not need these meds. Within three days I was in a psych ward after having completely cut my arms to shreds...with what? I do not know. I cannot remember anything. They put me back on both drugs at their lowest dose and I have been fine since.
A month ago I asked my doctor to be weaned off the drugs. 16 days ago she stopped my Effexor. I was fine all week. Last Thursday she took me off the Cymbalta and I am a WRECK!

I am so dizzy and nautious, the zaps are horrifying. I cannot believe the rage I have...I honestly think if someone was to piss me off to my face I could not control the rage and would become violent. I am not a cryer..never was...but now, look at me funny and I'm bawling! I feel helpless and alone. My husband doesn't say anything but I can read his face and body language and I feel like he hates me. When I try to talk to him he gets angry. My poor daughter's try so hard to help, but they can't. We have a room-mate too, and all we have done is fight all week. I have a lot of strange symptoms that I don't understand. So, I called my doctor with a 10 minute list of problems. When she returned my call she could not explain half my symptoms and her only advice was to "tough it out".
I LOVE to sleep...friends call me a sleep-o-holic! But I have not got more than 2 hours of sleep at a time in 8 days. When I do sleep I have horrifying nightmares that scare me to death! Every night around 8pm I have a case of diarrhea. My vision is severely blurred, to the point I don't dare drive. I'm itchy and have no appetite. I have not heard nor experienced some of these symptoms and they scare me. So I found this site for comfort, support and advice. Has anyone had any of these symptoms...other than the typical zaps and rage? Thank you

[MaureenV]

8 years ago my doctor put me on Paxil for Post-pardum depression.
Two weeks later my husband, while working out of state, was life flighted from a ten car pile up and the hospital would not give me info for 3 days.
Four days later my sister Overdosed (intentionally) in my home after dropping off her children for me to watch.
The following Monday a found a Psychatrist to help me.
She took me off Paxil and onto Effexor and Cymbalta.
Four years ago my doctor up and moved to the other side of the country with only a mailed letter saying good-luck! The next docotor I saw quit me cold turkey, saying I did not need these meds. Within three days I was in a psych ward after having completely cut my arms to shreds...with what? I do not know. I cannot remember anything. They put me back on both drugs at their lowest dose and I have been fine since.
A month ago I asked my doctor to be weaned off the drugs. 16 days ago she stopped my Effexor. I was fine all week. Last Thursday she took me off the Cymbalta and I am a WRECK!

I am so dizzy and nautious, the zaps are horrifying. I cannot believe the rage I have...I honestly think if someone was to piss me off to my face I could not control the rage and would become violent. I am not a cryer..never was...but now, look at me funny and I'm bawling! I feel helpless and alone. My husband doesn't say anything but I can read his face and body language and I feel like he hates me. When I try to talk to him he gets angry. My poor daughter's try so hard to help, but they can't. We have a room-mate too, and all we have done is fight all week. I have a lot of strange symptoms that I don't understand. So, I called my doctor with a 10 minute list of problems. When she returned my call she could not explain half my symptoms and her only advice was to "tough it out".
I LOVE to sleep...friends call me a sleep-o-holic! But I have not got more than 2 hours of sleep at a time in 8 days. When I do sleep I have horrifying nightmares that scare me to death! Every night around 8pm I have a case of diarrhea. My vision is severely blurred, to the point I don't dare drive. I'm itchy and have no appetite. I have not heard nor experienced some of these symptoms and they scare me. So I found this site for comfort, support and advice. Has anyone had any of these symptoms...other than the typical zaps and rage? Thank you

I'm so sorry to hear about what you're going through, because it's so unnecessary.

All of the symptoms you mention are classic Cymbalta withdrawal symptoms.

You say 'last' Thursday - you mean 6th May or the 29th April (it's late Saturday in Australia)??

You say you were on the lowest dose, but that's a fluid definition unfortunately. Many doctors consider 60mg to be the 'lowest therapeutic dose, but lots of people get benefit at 20mg and 30mg: which dose of Cymbalta were you on?

More importantly, do you have any Cymbalta left? The only way to come of some of these drugs is very slowly. You really should go back on Cymbalta and wean off slowly. Some can do it faster (as in weeks), others have to do it really slowly (as in many many months).

The other alternative is to try taking Prozac until you feel o.k., then coming off that. I didn't do it that way, but many have found benefit.

Please keep in touch here with questions etc.


regards, Maureen.

[DustiJoy]

I'm so sorry to hear about what you're going through, because it's so unnecessary.

All of the symptoms you mention are classic Cymbalta withdrawal symptoms.

You say 'last' Thursday - you mean 6th May or the 29th April (it's late Saturday in Australia)??

You say you were on the lowest dose, but that's a fluid definition unfortunately. Many doctors consider 60mg to be the 'lowest therapeutic dose, but lots of people get benefit at 20mg and 30mg: which dose of Cymbalta were you on?

More importantly, do you have any Cymbalta left? The only way to come of some of these drugs is very slowly. You really should go back on Cymbalta and wean off slowly. Some can do it faster (as in weeks), others have to do it really slowly (as in many many months).

The other alternative is to try taking Prozac until you feel o.k., then coming off that. I didn't do it that way, but many have found benefit.

Please keep in touch here with questions etc.


regards, Maureen.

Thank you Maureen, I was worried that no-one would reply.
I stopped the cymbalta April 29th. My dosage was 30mg. Yes I do have approx 20 caplets left. As for Prozac, I do not know very much about it, but wouldn't that be just trading one drug for another? Does it not have withdrawals?

[MaureenV]

Thank you Maureen, I was worried that no-one would reply.
I stopped the cymbalta April 29th. My dosage was 30mg. Yes I do have approx 20 caplets left. As for Prozac, I do not know very much about it, but wouldn't that be just trading one drug for another? Does it not have withdrawals?

Just to let you know, this site is such a rabbit warren that I look up entries by going to 'view new content' which disappears about twice a day. If you want to ask anything and don't get a reply, within a day, just post it again, o.k.?

By caplets, do you mean hard tablet type things? I know there has occasionally been someone who took Cymbalta which wasn't the same as the rest, which is a capsule which contains hundreds of tiny beads, 270 in the case of 30mg.

The first I heard of using Prozac was on this site. Hopefully Junior will see this post and comment - she has a Psychology degree and knows about such stuff, but generally speaking Prozac works differently and tends not to have the same reputation for horrendous withdrawal symptoms.

I'm only talking about dozens of people, but the ones on here who've tried it, have all found it useful, and none have had a problem getting of the prozac pretty quickly.


If, IF, they ARE the capsules you have, you MIGHT just be able to get away with the 20 x 30mg that you have. At any case, doing it this way is going to be a lot, lot better than not doing anything.

Right now (if they're the capsules with the beads), open one and tip half into each side of the capsule, and stuff a bit of bread in each end.

That way you'll be taking 15mg, and after nearly 10 days, that should make you feel a lot better, at a guess.

With Cymbalta, it's important to take SOME dose every day.

You would need to do this for up to a week, which would use up 3 x of your capsules.

Let me know what you decide,


kind regards, Maureen.

[DustiJoy]

Just to let you know, this site is such a rabbit warren that I look up entries by going to 'view new content' which disappears about twice a day. If you want to ask anything and don't get a reply, within a day, just post it again, o.k.?

By caplets, do you mean hard tablet type things? I know there has occasionally been someone who took Cymbalta which wasn't the same as the rest, which is a capsule which contains hundreds of tiny beads, 270 in the case of 30mg.

The first I heard of using Prozac was on this site. Hopefully Junior will see this post and comment - she has a Psychology degree and knows about such stuff, but generally speaking Prozac works differently and tends not to have the same reputation for horrendous withdrawal symptoms.

I'm only talking about dozens of people, but the ones on here who've tried it, have all found it useful, and none have had a problem getting of the prozac pretty quickly.


If, IF, they ARE the capsules you have, you MIGHT just be able to get away with the 20 x 30mg that you have. At any case, doing it this way is going to be a lot, lot better than not doing anything.

Right now (if they're the capsules with the beads), open one and tip half into each side of the capsule, and stuff a bit of bread in each end.

That way you'll be taking 15mg, and after nearly 10 days, that should make you feel a lot better, at a guess.

With Cymbalta, it's important to take SOME dose every day.

You would need to do this for up to a week, which would use up 3 x of your capsules.

Let me know what you decide,


kind regards, Maureen.

Day 23 off Effexor/ Day 14 off Cymbalta
WOW...what a rough ride. I am doing a TON better today. My tummy is a little upset and my vision is a little blurred, but those are my only symptoms left today. I hope it stays this way! Thank you for your support and help!

[MaureenV]

Day 23 off Effexor/ Day 14 off Cymbalta
WOW...what a rough ride. I am doing a TON better today. My tummy is a little upset and my vision is a little blurred, but those are my only symptoms left today. I hope it stays this way! Thank you for your support and help!

hang in there .... )


regards, Maureen.

[Junior]

Hi DustyJoy

So sorry to hear of the rough time you are having. Unfortunately your story is typical of the ignorance about psychotropic meds displayed by so many doctors.

Firstly, Effexor is known to be very hard to get off. And from my own experience with Cymbalta (just 19 days on 60mg, quit c/t and had a hard time with the withdrawal) and from talking to so many on here in the past, it seems Cymbalta is even worse. That is why you are struggling with the withdrawals.

My advice would be to get back on both of them, stabilise, then wean off one at a time. These meds chemically alter the way your brain works and it can take a long time for the brain to heal. The recommended wdl is 10% of your current dose every 3-6 weeks. Let your body dictate. Some people can go faster; some have to go slower. My naturopath even said yesterday that she recommends to wait 6-8 weeks between drops. The bottom line is that you need to get your body used to being without one drug before asking it to go without the other.

Also keep in mind that the healing process can take a lot longer than the initial "getting off" the drug phase. People talk of windows and waves that last for a year or more. ALL recommend a very slow taper over cold turkey.

I am not a medical doctor but what I have learned in the past 9 months is astounding.
Best wishes
Junior

[DustiJoy]

Hi DustyJoy

So sorry to hear of the rough time you are having. Unfortunately your story is typical of the ignorance about psychotropic meds displayed by so many doctors.

Firstly, Effexor is known to be very hard to get off. And from my own experience with Cymbalta (just 19 days on 60mg, quit c/t and had a hard time with the withdrawal) and from talking to so many on here in the past, it seems Cymbalta is even worse. That is why you are struggling with the withdrawals.

My advice would be to get back on both of them, stabilise, then wean off one at a time. These meds chemically alter the way your brain works and it can take a long time for the brain to heal. The recommended wdl is 10% of your current dose every 3-6 weeks. Let your body dictate. Some people can go faster; some have to go slower. My naturopath even said yesterday that she recommends to wait 6-8 weeks between drops. The bottom line is that you need to get your body used to being without one drug before asking it to go without the other.

Also keep in mind that the healing process can take a lot longer than the initial "getting off" the drug phase. People talk of windows and waves that last for a year or more. ALL recommend a very slow taper over cold turkey.

I am not a medical doctor but what I have learned in the past 9 months is astounding.
Best wishes
Junior

Thanks Junior. Honestly, I am on day 25 off Effexor and Day 15 off Cymbalta and although this has been a serious roller coaster ride, I am doing a lot better! I still have the withdrawals, but they come and go and are no where near as intense. No one could pay me to ever take them again...even to help with the symptoms! I have got so much help from your posts as well as other members! I don't know what I would have done without them! I know I have a long road ahead, but I'm happy to get it all over with! Owning my emotions is a plus as well! Thanks again!