9 replies to this topic

[Manny]

First off, I'm very weak right now so I don't have the strength to fully put what I'm going through into words.

On Sunday the 31st, I took a 60mg capsule of cymbalta, which was prescribed to me by regular doctor months ago for my long time GAD, fibromyalgia, and depression. The GAD I've had for several years now, the fibro is less than year old to me, and the depression has been off and on but really hit me the past year after losing my job, losing a couple of family members, and the fibro coming at me full force. I had gone back and forth about taking it because of the pill anxiety I have, I can't swallow anything larger than a tic tac without gagging. Just a few weeks back, my friend bought this pill cup for me to help me finally take the pills, which I was excited about because I figured I'd finally be able to take the cymbalta and be on the road to recovery. I really wish the pill cup hadn't worked for me cause I would have never been able to swallow the cymbalta and wouldn't be in the hell I am now. Going back to what actually happened. . I took the pill on an empty stomach along with .05mg of alprazolam around 10am, within a few hours I was beyond drowsy and my stomach was really raw. I passed out for about an hour. After waking up I felt light headed, weak, nauseous, and weird. I don't know how to explain it but it was just a weird slightly zombie like sensation. As time past by, I just kept feeling worse and worse, but I figured it would pass seeing as I had taken it on an empty stomach. Around 6pm is when I finally felt like I had to lie down on my friends bed. Minutes later, I was sweating like crazy, and then the this cold electrically like surging sensation kept going up and down my body. It was like nothing I had felt before, and scared the hell out of me, not to mention it threw my anxiety into full drive. It kept coming every few minutes, and at times would leave my body cold for several minutes at a time. My friend tried comforting me before she left for school, I told her I would just try and ride it out. After 30 minutes or so, I called my friend to tell her that I couldn't take this anymore and was worried this was something life threatening. She called the ambulance and I was off to the ER. The doctor there told me that these were common side effects of cymbalta, not to worry, they would pass. After a few hours of being pumped with an IV while shivering, feeling the surging sensation, palpitations, nausea, migraine, and and a few other pains, he let me go telling me to stop taking the cymbalta and to see my doc in a few days. Although I felt like I had been hit by a train, I figured I'd be much better in the morning. . Ever since then, it's been pure hell. These are the worst symptoms I've ever felt. Brain zap, migraines, violent heaving from the nausea, sore stomach and intestines, back pain, chest pain, shortness of breath, severe leg pain, my anxiety level being amplified ten fold, depression, congestion around my face and head, facial pain, a pinching pain on the left center of my collarbone, and so many other pains. Every day I wake up soaked in sweat, and two days ago, I started waking up like at 7am with my heart beating 10-20 beats higher than my normal resting rate that doesn't come done to close to my heart rate till like 2am. I've been spending most of my days laying on the ground crying, and pleading for this to end. When I get up to do something simple as going to the bathroom, my heart starts pounding out of my chest and scares the shit out of me, so I haven't done anything but lay on the floor. I've barely been eating because of zero appetite, and just today my mom made me a soup and blended it. After taking a few sips, my blood pressure felt like it went through the roof, at least that's what it felt like. Needless to say, it scared the hell out of me. I'm afraid to walk around, eat, or do anything but lay on the floor. Even crying brings me pain. As I'm typing this my chest is in pain, it feels cold in the center and I'm getting hot flashes and starting to sweat. I'm scared out of my mind every minute of the day. Just the other day I went to the ER again thinking I was having a stroke or heart attack. They did a couple of EKGs and kept monitoring my heart. At the beginning it was beating at 150 and up. I kept asking if they were sure I wasn't having a heart attack and they kept reassuring me I wasn't. They gave some ativan which calmed my heart rate down to almost normal, and told me that it was just my anxiety and not anything serious. Even though it's been only 5 days since I took the one pill, it has changed my life completely. I'm in a living hell, and every little pain makes me think I'm going to die. I'm starting to lose hope and thoughts of ending it have crossed my mind. Had I known anything like this was going to happen after a single dosage of cymbalta, I would have told the doctor to shove them you know where. I remember asking what the side effects where to which the only response I heard was slight drowsiness and nausea. I even asked if they could start me off on a lower dosage, and they said no, you'll be fine, don't worry. I really need some HELP. How can I lessen the symptoms, and is this going to kill me?? I feel like I'm having a heart attack as I write this because of how raw my chest feels, but I'm trying to keep myself calm. Someone help me, let me know there's hope, tell me I'm not the only one and that I shouldn't give up. I'm seriously in hell right now

[MaureenV]

First off, I'm very weak right now so I don't have the strength to fully put what I'm going through into words.

On Sunday the 31st, I took a 60mg capsule of cymbalta, which was prescribed to me by regular doctor months ago for my long time GAD, fibromyalgia, and depression. The GAD I've had for several years now, the fibro is less than year old to me, and the depression has been off and on but really hit me the past year after losing my job, losing a couple of family members, and the fibro coming at me full force. I had gone back and forth about taking it because of the pill anxiety I have, I can't swallow anything larger than a tic tac without gagging. Just a few weeks back, my friend bought this pill cup for me to help me finally take the pills, which I was excited about because I figured I'd finally be able to take the cymbalta and be on the road to recovery. I really wish the pill cup hadn't worked for me cause I would have never been able to swallow the cymbalta and wouldn't be in the hell I am now. Going back to what actually happened. . I took the pill on an empty stomach along with .05mg of alprazolam around 10am, within a few hours I was beyond drowsy and my stomach was really raw. I passed out for about an hour. After waking up I felt light headed, weak, nauseous, and weird. I don't know how to explain it but it was just a weird slightly zombie like sensation. As time past by, I just kept feeling worse and worse, but I figured it would pass seeing as I had taken it on an empty stomach. Around 6pm is when I finally felt like I had to lie down on my friends bed. Minutes later, I was sweating like crazy, and then the this cold electrically like surging sensation kept going up and down my body. It was like nothing I had felt before, and scared the hell out of me, not to mention it threw my anxiety into full drive. It kept coming every few minutes, and at times would leave my body cold for several minutes at a time. My friend tried comforting me before she left for school, I told her I would just try and ride it out. After 30 minutes or so, I called my friend to tell her that I couldn't take this anymore and was worried this was something life threatening. She called the ambulance and I was off to the ER. The doctor there told me that these were common side effects of cymbalta, not to worry, they would pass. After a few hours of being pumped with an IV while shivering, feeling the surging sensation, palpitations, nausea, migraine, and and a few other pains, he let me go telling me to stop taking the cymbalta and to see my doc in a few days. Although I felt like I had been hit by a train, I figured I'd be much better in the morning. . Ever since then, it's been pure hell. These are the worst symptoms I've ever felt. Brain zap, migraines, violent heaving from the nausea, sore stomach and intestines, back pain, chest pain, shortness of breath, severe leg pain, my anxiety level being amplified ten fold, depression, congestion around my face and head, facial pain, a pinching pain on the left center of my collarbone, and so many other pains. Every day I wake up soaked in sweat, and two days ago, I started waking up like at 7am with my heart beating 10-20 beats higher than my normal resting rate that doesn't come done to close to my heart rate till like 2am. I've been spending most of my days laying on the ground crying, and pleading for this to end. When I get up to do something simple as going to the bathroom, my heart starts pounding out of my chest and scares the shit out of me, so I haven't done anything but lay on the floor. I've barely been eating because of zero appetite, and just today my mom made me a soup and blended it. After taking a few sips, my blood pressure felt like it went through the roof, at least that's what it felt like. Needless to say, it scared the hell out of me. I'm afraid to walk around, eat, or do anything but lay on the floor. Even crying brings me pain. As I'm typing this my chest is in pain, it feels cold in the center and I'm getting hot flashes and starting to sweat. I'm scared out of my mind every minute of the day. Just the other day I went to the ER again thinking I was having a stroke or heart attack. They did a couple of EKGs and kept monitoring my heart. At the beginning it was beating at 150 and up. I kept asking if they were sure I wasn't having a heart attack and they kept reassuring me I wasn't. They gave some ativan which calmed my heart rate down to almost normal, and told me that it was just my anxiety and not anything serious. Even though it's been only 5 days since I took the one pill, it has changed my life completely. I'm in a living hell, and every little pain makes me think I'm going to die. I'm starting to lose hope and thoughts of ending it have crossed my mind. Had I known anything like this was going to happen after a single dosage of cymbalta, I would have told the doctor to shove them you know where. I remember asking what the side effects where to which the only response I heard was slight drowsiness and nausea. I even asked if they could start me off on a lower dosage, and they said no, you'll be fine, don't worry. I really need some HELP. How can I lessen the symptoms, and is this going to kill me?? I feel like I'm having a heart attack as I write this because of how raw my chest feels, but I'm trying to keep myself calm. Someone help me, let me know there's hope, tell me I'm not the only one and that I shouldn't give up. I'm seriously in hell right now

first of all you have to tell me what a pill cup is. I'm wondering why you;ve got the worst side effect symtpoms I've ever heard of on this site with Cymbalta, even after days or weeks on the drug, much less one dose.

How did you actually take the Cymbalta?


Maureen.

[Manny]

first of all you have to tell me what a pill cup is. I'm wondering why you;ve got the worst side effect symtpoms I've ever heard of on this site with Cymbalta, even after days or weeks on the drug, much less one dose.

How did you actually take the Cymbalta?


Maureen.

Ugh, reading your comment just made my anxiety go up The cup is called the oralflo (or something like that), it's like a sippy cup designed to help you take pills. I took the pill on an empty stomach. Ever since the fibro, my bodies level of sensitivity increased a lot, so whenever I'm sick I feel the pains horribly intensified. There was a point where I couldn't get out of bed, needed help just walking to the bathroom, and pretty much couldn't do anything. Btw, I'm 26yrs old, 5'5.5" tall, weigh about 180 (I've gained a lot of weight since the fibro, I haven't been anywhere as physically active as I use to be). Also, I don't know if I mentioned, but I've barely been eating. For example, the other day I had 1/2 a banana, 4 crackers, and late at night, forced myself to eat 3 bites of salmon and rice. I'm hoping that maybe my sensitivity level is playing a major roll in this. It just freaks me out to think my symptoms are uncommon and maybe something really bad is going to happen to me. All of these symptoms were brought on after taking the cymbalta, so I'm pretty sure it's not just in my head. I'm really hoping someone will tell me that there's hope for me Ugh, now I'm really worried. . .

[MaureenV]

Ugh, reading your comment just made my anxiety go up The cup is called the oralflo (or something like that), it's like a sippy cup designed to help you take pills. I took the pill on an empty stomach. Ever since the fibro, my bodies level of sensitivity increased a lot, so whenever I'm sick I feel the pains horribly intensified. There was a point where I couldn't get out of bed, needed help just walking to the bathroom, and pretty much couldn't do anything. Btw, I'm 26yrs old, 5'5.5" tall, weigh about 180 (I've gained a lot of weight since the fibro, I haven't been anywhere as physically active as I use to be). Also, I don't know if I mentioned, but I've barely been eating. For example, the other day I had 1/2 a banana, 4 crackers, and late at night, forced myself to eat 3 bites of salmon and rice. I'm hoping that maybe my sensitivity level is playing a major roll in this. It just freaks me out to think my symptoms are uncommon and maybe something really bad is going to happen to me. All of these symptoms were brought on after taking the cymbalta, so I'm pretty sure it's not just in my head. I'm really hoping someone will tell me that there's hope for me Ugh, now I'm really worried. . .

Sorry, sorry, sorry ...

I guess what I wanted to know is whether or not you took the capsule WHOLE, or whether this oralflo system involved dissolving the contents in 'something'. It sounds like you took it whole.

The reason I ask is because the gel capsule itself dissolves in your stomach within a few minutes - it's no issue taking the inner beads on their own.

BUT, the inner beads ARE slow release, so if you'd somehow dissolved them in something, THAT may have been a contributing factor.

Otherwise, I've been trying to help others on here since I came off Cymbalta in August - November last year and I read almost all posts. The reason I think it's important to point out the truth - that your symptoms are severe - is that there's no point in saying otherwise.

FWIW you could try ringing Eli Lilly. Start off on a positive note and you're likely to get more help. If you tell them what you've said here, that you were actually looking forward to taking this drug to help with your problems but you think you've had a severe reaction - can they put you on to anybody who may be able to tell you more about severe reactions ....

Remember some people even respond very badly to paracetamol or peanuts. There may be one individual ingredient in Cymbalta that's causing the problem FOR YOU. It's important to find out what it is so you can avoid it in the future.

I found this info on WebMD which appears to be reputable:

http://www.webmd.com...al&pagenumber=6


The list includes 'rare' side effects from severe down. Have a look and see if any of those fit your symptoms.


And keep in touch and let us know what's happening,


kind regards, Maureen.

[Manny]

Yea, I took it whole. Some of my symptoms have mostly gone away, like the brain zaps, surging sensation up and down my body, and the dry heaving. So may be there is hope for me and I'm not dying or something like that? I just want a little reassurance that I'm going to be ok, especially since I spend most of the day alone and my thoughts runaway from me. Do you think there's hope for me, or am I screwed. . Or worse, dying Sorry for bugging so much, but I've been constantly anxious and hearing something positive from someone who's been through this would really help.

[MaureenV]

Yea, I took it whole. Some of my symptoms have mostly gone away, like the brain zaps, surging sensation up and down my body, and the dry heaving. So may be there is hope for me and I'm not dying or something like that? I just want a little reassurance that I'm going to be ok, especially since I spend most of the day alone and my thoughts runaway from me. Do you think there's hope for me, or am I screwed. . Or worse, dying Sorry for bugging so much, but I've been constantly anxious and hearing something positive from someone who's been through this would really help.

I'm really sorry i can't be more help. After checking this site about three times a day just to give others feedback for the last 8 months I think I can say I've seen quite a few variations of experiences. Remember though, that this is mainly a site for CYmbalta withdrawal, rather than side effects. People experiencing your symptoms may not even think to log in here, so it doesn't mean your situation is not common, just that they're unlikely to be on here. And after all, if there;s a list of severe side effects which include all sorts of problems, there must have been others experiencing severe problems.

I don't understand how these drugs work, so I'm not even going to hazard a guess as to why your body reacted so badly, but the fact that you've started to feel better is great. I AM prepared to stick my neck out and say you're NOT dying, that you're just at one end of the spectrum of side effects / withdrawals, and some people posting here who've only been only Cymbalta for 10 days have suffered for weeks (I'm not suggesting you will) so it gives you an idea of the power of Cymbalta. I was only on 30/60 for about six weeks and spent much, much longer than that weaning off so that withdrawal symptoms were manageable. We've all survived, but too many people have had to have exhaustive tests, only to find there was nothing actually causing the problems and the only conclusion which could be drawn was that it was Cymbalta withdrawal.

If you want some positive stories, try reading Doob's diary. There are lots of cold turkey diaries on here. Like you (but it usually takes much longer than several days) they eventually start to feel better.

regards, Maureen.

[Doob]

Yea, I took it whole. Some of my symptoms have mostly gone away, like the brain zaps, surging sensation up and down my body, and the dry heaving. So may be there is hope for me and I'm not dying or something like that? I just want a little reassurance that I'm going to be ok, especially since I spend most of the day alone and my thoughts runaway from me. Do you think there's hope for me, or am I screwed. . Or worse, dying Sorry for bugging so much, but I've been constantly anxious and hearing something positive from someone who's been through this would really help.

Hey Manny,
I have been off cymbalta for about 60 days or so. Man only took it once? I think there was another post where somone had only taken one dose and had symptoms of intense withdrawl. Brother it does get better. I am totally better since I stopping. It was about 3.5 wks of intense pain both physically and emotionally. My fall from middle class was swift and steep. But I am in a better mind and a better person since stopping.
Let us know how you feel. One of my problems was that I really couldn't speak about what was happening to me without breaking down. Alot of crying. Posting and emailing helped me through. Hopefully you will not suffer more. I read and post alot. It still helps.
Share this site with the people who you count on to support you. It takes time.
Wow one dose? This is a nasty drug.
Peace
Doob

[Erinlove]

Well half of that happened to me too and so much more. And the second half is because you are getting yourself SO WORKED UP about it. Recovery has to be partly you as well and doing your part to think positive thoughts is very important. If you thought it was normal and you wouldn't die, your heart would be slower and the anxiety would have been at least half!!

-I bruised my teeth, including hurting a new $1000 dental crown from clenching.
-I did this thing I could only describe as a yawn-gag, repeatedly and when talking to people lol.
-I got so dizzy I almost fell..

To name a few, what I didn't do is PANIC. Please take a few deep breaths and try to think pleasant thoughts. Even if you WERE going to die (you wont lol), do you think it is better to go out in heart racing panic? You think it helps? Keeping a clear head will help let you know when a hospital is truly necessary. And that's a skill us people with anxiety need lol
Just my thoughts about this.

[Manny]

Thanks everyone, I got a little teary eyed after reading the positive responses. I went to the ER again last night, but i'm to weak to type what happened. Once I feel a little better I'll post more Thank you so much, it means a lot to me that anyone would take the time out to make me feel better.

[Junior]

Hi Manny

I have only just read this thread so I apologise for the late response.
It sounds like you have had an adverse reaction. I must admit, I haven't heard of people suffering so much from just one dose but if you are already very sensitive to drugs, that could explain it. These drugs alter brain function and it takes time for that to happen so it is unusual to see such a bad reaction so quickly.

In addition, Cymbalta can mess with the GI tract. It's one of the reasons I stopped taking it. And I made the mistake of going cold turkey from 60mg thinking I'd only been ON it for 19 days, therefore I should be able to come off it quickly. WRONG. I had severe upper abdo pain and struggled to eat due to horrible regurgitation. My symptoms didn't start until Day 4 but they were severe enough for my DR to think I might have gallstones! It took 2 weeks before I was able to eat normally again.

Have you been back to your Dr yet?

One thing you could try is to see a naturopath and get a liver tonic. These drugs are metabolised by the liver and can mess up liver function. Might be worth a try?

Let us know how you go
Junior