7 replies to this topic

[snozcumber]

Hi,

I've just joined the other forum that is a spin off from this one but it is dead over there and I could rweally do with some support right now...

To give you a bit of background info...I have been suffering with depression for a while now and after not responding to the basic antidepressants they put me on Venlafaxine (evil stuff) and then Cymbalta (uber evil stuff.)

I have been on Cybalta for a year now and sadly am not new to withdrawal. I was on Venlafaxine before this an when withdrawing I felt like I was dying, I think started the Cymbalta and thought 'wow' as it stopped the Venlafaxine withdrawal.Didn't have a clue how much worse this stuff was.

I am absolutely furious that my stuipd stupid psych dr put me on these evil tablets, especially since she knew the issues I had on venlafaxine.
I live in the UK and am so glad I I never had to pay the horrific prices that the US have to pay. I pay £7.40 for two months worth of 60mg a day and if i'm honest I think that's too much for a drug that ruins your life. I can't imagone having to pay hundreds of dollars for something that effectively ruins your life.

I stopped taking Cymbalta cold turkey last week. I had forgotten to take it a couple fo times and realised that my mood was fine, it was just the withdrawal that was awful. I am now on day 6 of no tablets and the withdrawal is getting worse......
The brain zaps are becoming worse and worse, they are now making shocks go through my body and the zap noise is getting louder. I am losing my fine motor skills and keep misprounouncing things, falling over, dropping things etc. I have horrible stomach ache and feel sick. Think i'm losing my mind completely as just feel like I am losing control of my body.

I am still going into work -I am a high school teacher- but I don't know if I can keep going in while like this. My boss is quite good but no one can undertsand this unless they are going through it. I had to leave work early today as was feeling so ill. It got to the point that I was considering locking myself in my cupboard to sleep and I realised that I shouldn't be in work if I felt so bad. I went to see my general doctor who was lovely but she is not a specialist and was very apologetic but didn't know what to do to help me besides suggesting that I start gtaking cymbalta again which is not something I am prepared to do. I then phoned my case worker (in the UK we are given community psych nurses who deal with our support, weekly meetings etc etc) who was lovely but couldn't offer medical advice but at leats she is coming out to see me tomorroew. She then go the Psych consultant to phone me which was better, he basically said that not everyone goes through this when withdrawing but that I have 3 options, 1: go back onto cymbalta, 2: try taking venlafaxine again (they will not give me prozac or anything similar) 3: ride out the withdrawal and try to to shoot myself.

My psych dr is coming out to see me on Wednesday afetr i left her a message today saying i've stopped my tablets. She doesn't have much of a clue about withdrawl or side effects and I just feel like I am getting no support from anywhere. My partner is amazing but he just doesn't understamnd what I am going through. There is a hilarious video on youtube abpout Brain Zaps that I ahve beeen showing everyone as at least it puts a hiumorous spin on things and so people are more likely to listen (type in 'brain zaps' and look for the one byt someone called Daren Streblow)
I am feeling totally awful but also numb at the same time. Its scary as i feel totally mental and like I have lost control. nCan't cope with the simplest if things and feel like jumping off a cliff might be liberating, in a wreird way.

Can't even tyoe as my hands won't work properly! This is driving me insane! I am an intellegent professional with a Masters Degree and I can'tr even function like a basic himan beoing!

I've bought myself every single vitamin/mineral going that is su[pposed to help with depression/mood stabalising etc etc in the hope that something will help me.

Can anyone offer any advice on what I can do to try to save myself from this? I feel lost and alone and lkike I am going insane and it scares me.

[cookie]

Hi,

I've just joined the other forum that is a spin off from this one but it is dead over there and I could rweally do with some support right now...

To give you a bit of background info...I have been suffering with depression for a while now and after not responding to the basic antidepressants they put me on Venlafaxine (evil stuff) and then Cymbalta (uber evil stuff.)

I have been on Cybalta for a year now and sadly am not new to withdrawal. I was on Venlafaxine before this an when withdrawing I felt like I was dying, I think started the Cymbalta and thought 'wow' as it stopped the Venlafaxine withdrawal.Didn't have a clue how much worse this stuff was.

I am absolutely furious that my stuipd stupid psych dr put me on these evil tablets, especially since she knew the issues I had on venlafaxine.
I live in the UK and am so glad I I never had to pay the horrific prices that the US have to pay. I pay £7.40 for two months worth of 60mg a day and if i'm honest I think that's too much for a drug that ruins your life. I can't imagone having to pay hundreds of dollars for something that effectively ruins your life.

I stopped taking Cymbalta cold turkey last week. I had forgotten to take it a couple fo times and realised that my mood was fine, it was just the withdrawal that was awful. I am now on day 6 of no tablets and the withdrawal is getting worse......
The brain zaps are becoming worse and worse, they are now making shocks go through my body and the zap noise is getting louder. I am losing my fine motor skills and keep misprounouncing things, falling over, dropping things etc. I have horrible stomach ache and feel sick. Think i'm losing my mind completely as just feel like I am losing control of my body.

I am still going into work -I am a high school teacher- but I don't know if I can keep going in while like this. My boss is quite good but no one can undertsand this unless they are going through it. I had to leave work early today as was feeling so ill. It got to the point that I was considering locking myself in my cupboard to sleep and I realised that I shouldn't be in work if I felt so bad. I went to see my general doctor who was lovely but she is not a specialist and was very apologetic but didn't know what to do to help me besides suggesting that I start gtaking cymbalta again which is not something I am prepared to do. I then phoned my case worker (in the UK we are given community psych nurses who deal with our support, weekly meetings etc etc) who was lovely but couldn't offer medical advice but at leats she is coming out to see me tomorroew. She then go the Psych consultant to phone me which was better, he basically said that not everyone goes through this when withdrawing but that I have 3 options, 1: go back onto cymbalta, 2: try taking venlafaxine again (they will not give me prozac or anything similar) 3: ride out the withdrawal and try to to shoot myself.

My psych dr is coming out to see me on Wednesday afetr i left her a message today saying i've stopped my tablets. She doesn't have much of a clue about withdrawl or side effects and I just feel like I am getting no support from anywhere. My partner is amazing but he just doesn't understamnd what I am going through. There is a hilarious video on youtube abpout Brain Zaps that I ahve beeen showing everyone as at least it puts a hiumorous spin on things and so people are more likely to listen (type in 'brain zaps' and look for the one byt someone called Daren Streblow)
I am feeling totally awful but also numb at the same time. Its scary as i feel totally mental and like I have lost control. nCan't cope with the simplest if things and feel like jumping off a cliff might be liberating, in a wreird way.

Can't even tyoe as my hands won't work properly! This is driving me insane! I am an intellegent professional with a Masters Degree and I can'tr even function like a basic himan beoing!

I've bought myself every single vitamin/mineral going that is su[pposed to help with depression/mood stabalising etc etc in the hope that something will help me.

Can anyone offer any advice on what I can do to try to save myself from this? I feel lost and alone and lkike I am going insane and it scares me.

Dear Snozcumber:
From what I´ve learned on this site, stopping cymbalta cold turkey is very hard, so there are some of us to prefer to wean slowly.

I could deduce it´s going to be very hard after quitting cold turkey, to bear withdrawal symptoms at work. It´s good that your boss is a good person.

From the 3 options that you mentioned. Here are my thoughts. I don´t think is such a good idea to go back to venlafaxine (since you dealt with it´s withdrawal already). The option of going back to cymbalta doesn´t mean that you have to take the same dosage forever. You can go back to same dosage, or a little bit lower and start to wean from there. That doesn´t mean that you are going backwards, it just means that you are going to quit the drug little by little. Since cold turkey has been such a nightmare.
I´ve read on this site people that have done the Prozac route for weaning (I haven´t) but it sounds like a good option.

For me this site has been a lot of support to understand what is happening and what to expect.
I´m so glad that your partner is amazing, for people that do not suffer from depression and haven´t taken antidepressants it´s hard to understand.

Yes, just yesterday I saw the Daren Streblow video on brain zaps. It´s kind of funny, although the real brain zaps are not funny at all!

Vitamins and minerals are good. Take care of your nutrition too.


Keep me posted on your decision
Hugs
Cookie

[snozcumber]

Thanks for your reply Cookie.

It's now Friday and i've been off Cymbalta since last Wednesday I think - totally lost track of time and don't remember!

Had to be off work all week as witrhdrawal is not nice- as you all know! Saw my psych worker on Wed who was very supportive and really listened to what I had to say. She was really impressed when I showed her all my research etc (I'm a bit of a geek and reserach and read everything I can inc medical journals etc) and has agreed that when better I need to send my reserach to the Mental health council in our area so that they can understand what these drugs actually do to you.
The thing that made me really mad was finding out that 5 people killed themselves during the cymbalta trials, I feel partly responsible in a weird way for having taken these drugs, stupid I know but it made me sooooo angry when I read that one of the girls who died had no previous history of illness but when they swapped her cymbalta for a placebo (without telling her) she then killed herself due to withdrawal.

Anyway, back to me. I have kind of lost sense of reality a bit today, feeling very weirded out and like i am on drugs or drunk or something. Slept a lot today as brain zaps too severe, also can't really walk around as veryunsteady on my feet and keep fallig into things etc and can't do normal things without dropping stiuff and can't tyoe either!Stomach is still terrible and can't eat without it going straight through me. At least sense of taste is back and for the first time in ages I am enjoying food!

Yesterday was interesting....i'm going to be polite and just say that since being on Cymbalta I have had no ummm 'desire' at all and that has now come back.....looking forward to feeling well enough to act on it!

I am feeling very emotional today. I am not feeling depressed or low, just like I wasnt to cry at the stupidest of things - it's like my brain is rewiring itself or something as I am feeling emotions for things that I previously didn't...a song will come on tv and i will want to cry - it's crazy as I am a easy cryer when it comes to stress etc but have never been when it comes to anything else!

I do feel like I am lodsing my mind a bit,the constant brain zaps aren't helping....they are intense and I am getting several a minute and for some reason they come in 2's or 3's, anyone find that? Another factor which isn't helping is hpow vivid and real my dreams have become...to the poinbt where I am ensure what ois real or not, it's freaking me out a bit as my reality is so distorted as I cannot figure things out from dreasm, also the emotions fgrom my dreams are runnig into my life....for example, had a dream today that my wedding was on the same day as another family member (stems from her chosing the date we had picked so we have to change now) and the whole dream was nuts running backwards and forards between two venues and so my wedding went to ruin while hers diddn't etc. Feeling really sad and like my wedding is ruined etc npow whoch is nuts as we haven't even started to plan it really yet!

Sorry for the rambling....I can't really be honest with those around me about how I feel as to normal people I probably sound totally nuts!

Anyonew else had these side effcst/experimces? Any idea on when they might pass? I want ot go back to work on Monday.

Snozcumber

[MaureenV]

Thanks for your reply Cookie.

It's now Friday and i've been off Cymbalta since last Wednesday I think - totally lost track of time and don't remember!

Had to be off work all week as witrhdrawal is not nice- as you all know! Saw my psych worker on Wed who was very supportive and really listened to what I had to say. She was really impressed when I showed her all my research etc (I'm a bit of a geek and reserach and read everything I can inc medical journals etc) and has agreed that when better I need to send my reserach to the Mental health council in our area so that they can understand what these drugs actually do to you.
The thing that made me really mad was finding out that 5 people killed themselves during the cymbalta trials, I feel partly responsible in a weird way for having taken these drugs, stupid I know but it made me sooooo angry when I read that one of the girls who died had no previous history of illness but when they swapped her cymbalta for a placebo (without telling her) she then killed herself due to withdrawal.

Anyway, back to me. I have kind of lost sense of reality a bit today, feeling very weirded out and like i am on drugs or drunk or something. Slept a lot today as brain zaps too severe, also can't really walk around as veryunsteady on my feet and keep fallig into things etc and can't do normal things without dropping stiuff and can't tyoe either!Stomach is still terrible and can't eat without it going straight through me. At least sense of taste is back and for the first time in ages I am enjoying food!

Yesterday was interesting....i'm going to be polite and just say that since being on Cymbalta I have had no ummm 'desire' at all and that has now come back.....looking forward to feeling well enough to act on it!

I am feeling very emotional today. I am not feeling depressed or low, just like I wasnt to cry at the stupidest of things - it's like my brain is rewiring itself or something as I am feeling emotions for things that I previously didn't...a song will come on tv and i will want to cry - it's crazy as I am a easy cryer when it comes to stress etc but have never been when it comes to anything else!

I do feel like I am lodsing my mind a bit,the constant brain zaps aren't helping....they are intense and I am getting several a minute and for some reason they come in 2's or 3's, anyone find that? Another factor which isn't helping is hpow vivid and real my dreams have become...to the poinbt where I am ensure what ois real or not, it's freaking me out a bit as my reality is so distorted as I cannot figure things out from dreasm, also the emotions fgrom my dreams are runnig into my life....for example, had a dream today that my wedding was on the same day as another family member (stems from her chosing the date we had picked so we have to change now) and the whole dream was nuts running backwards and forards between two venues and so my wedding went to ruin while hers diddn't etc. Feeling really sad and like my wedding is ruined etc npow whoch is nuts as we haven't even started to plan it really yet!

Sorry for the rambling....I can't really be honest with those around me about how I feel as to normal people I probably sound totally nuts!

Anyonew else had these side effcst/experimces? Any idea on when they might pass? I want ot go back to work on Monday.

Snozcumber

Hi Snozcumber,

EVERYTHING you are experiencing is typical of Cymbalta withdrawal.

'Brain Fog' is the term we use for the weird, disconnected feeling.


regards, maureen.

[MaureenV]

Maureen/ EVERYONE HERE:However when you're taking this med for Fibromyalgia you cannot tell whether it's the drug or your fibro
getting worse. American doctors are not anymore knowledgeable than foreign ones.
I've spent $40k on visits, RX, Xrays, MRI, CT Scan; etc.
I honestly went to the doctor for back pain after an epidural & now I can't work!
I worked 2 jobs with a newborn now 4 years later completely bedridden.
The drugs that allowed me to function they deny I need. That's fine if they hurt me but I'll take OC withdrawl
or any true narcotic withdrawl over Cymbalta anyday. They swtched my meds again.
I also lost motor skill & I've withdrawn for several weeks. The pain is fading off/on.. All the symptoms of Fibromyaligia have been 10x hightened due to Cymbalta.
I pray it stops. My baby needs his mom.
I have 3 college degrees. I'm newly 30. The last 2 years I've been BEDRIDDENthanks to
the US FDA approving a drug that made me sicker!
I'm incoherent & ramble often. I have a programming degree but unable to type or see the screen or make sense out of
daily tasks I once did flawlessly. I don't feel as "crazy" as I did.
I'm just accepting that I'll live this way. My fiancée works 50+ hours on minimum wage...
It's very hard to live this way. No one will help & he can't do it all. I'm lucky my son is very well behavved and that
his little smile and "hope I get my life back" is what I cling to everyday as I swallow the pills
I tried stopping. I get sicker... They say you're hypersenstive....WTF is that? Yes I smell, hear, see, taste, and touch better than most
not to mention I'm critized for being psychic (although I have proof) I keep it to myself b/c
people do not care unless they are in your shoes!!!!
Plain and simple. If I can find a doctor who has the ability to see me as an individual & stop looking at statistics &
assume they "know it all" I almost bet a cure for WTF or a better treatment plan would at least evolve from
that ... Hasn't happened yet.
I live in my body. I know how I feel & what's happened to me & what works ... I'm overly intuitive, of course I regret now not
following the childhood dream of becoming a physician. Perhaps I could fix myself. The physicians take offense to it --- ones I've dealt with.
I'm somehow telling them to do their job by saying hey "I'm feeling worse & YOUR LIABLE"
but they aren't. The FDA controls them. Who controls the FDA? It's not people; I'll tell you that much. It's soul-less greedy people with
no problems.. Money is quite the root of all that is evil!

Watch Food Inc.
We are ALL sick for a VERY good reason! I promise you!
I educate myself EVERYDAY & yeah I do know more then the average person & half the doctors I see.
I maybe sick but as long as my mind & senses work I'm fighting from bed with everyone on any healthcare issue
adidas4680 is my YAH00 name & I use messenger alot add me & be cool we can talk.

Sorry I didn't know where to post this... The withdrawls do cause me to appear ADD... I don't understand how that happened either.
I know I've never been depressed or sad for more than 2-3 days .... This seems to be a result of medication in general.
My anxiety has gotten so bad if I hear negative things I often get a panic attack ; never done that until the meds came in... Like I said doctors often do not
know what they're giving you. They go by FDA standards... Which constantly change. (they KNOW ; the govt KNOWS they fucked up with pesticides & Now they're rushing to
make us better.... There was no ADD ADHD FMS LUPUS MS ETC until the usage of harsh hormones / chemicals in our food... And YES farmers STILL use them: mainly in CHICKEN! --- I live right by Tyson & Walmart Home office -- I worked in the Pharmaceutical dept at WAlmart Corp... It's ALL about Money!!)
crazy or truth? I think for myself, I question others.

Don't worry about where to post things - there are so many (too many) threads on this board that it's impossible for someone like me to go through them all the time, so I just go to 'new comments' a couple of times a day.

I agree regarding the fibro issue. It's bad enough for those of us NOT on Cymbalta for pain, because withdrawal seems to target every spot in your body which has ever hurt. I had pain in spots I'd forgotten I'd injured decades ago. So if you're taking C for fibro and wondering about the pain during withdrawals it must be very difficult.

I agree too about the problems with food additives, although many of these conditions were given other names in the past. Read any fiction based a few centuries ago and there are numerous cases of people 'taking to their beds' with unknown problems. Asperger's was certainly around: as it typically affects men more than women, on the edges of society there were always loner men who didn't socialize, lived alone - often in the house they grew up in etc. Sometimes modern 'diseases' are at least names for things people suffered from in the past without knowing what was wrong. Again though, I fully agree about the incidences: in Australia we have one of the highest childhood asthma rates in the world.


regards, Maureen.

[Doob]

hi.
my name is nicole , im fourteen years old and i live in niagara falls.
one year ago i decided to ask my doctor for an anti-depressant, he gave me cymboltia.
i now regret doing this, but its to late now. one year later, i decided to get off the pills, cold turkey.
my doctor and parents agreed- my dad did alot of research and he said cold turkey is the best way.
it is now day three and i feel very dizzy, almost as if im high or drunk.
yesterday i felt sick to my stomach- but didnt puke.
i've been fighting the symptons with all the strength i have, but i read what you've been saying and i must admit it scared me... the girl who killed her self made me cry, just thinking about it.
i've been very tipsy and i feel like im a bit dumb, its werid.
but i truely am scared now that i have read your posts.
i want to know if it will be like this for more then a week? i have exams and im moving , i cant deal with the side effects ! my biggest regret is taking these pills, i was so stupid. but i know that i can fight it.
i am getting the brain buzz thing too, its werid and extremely scary.
i want to know if i have a bigger chance at failing because im so young.
please get back to me if you know anything, and i hope that you are getting better

Oh Nicole,
My name is Doob and I stopped taking Cymbalta about 70 days ago. A lot of pain and emotion. Cold Turkey is not the solution. Try and work with your doctor or parents and come up with a good weening program. It will save alot of pain and allow you to be productive.
Good Luck and be strong. I had very severe withdrawl symptoms but am a better person now that I am cymbalta free.
Peace
Doob

[MaureenV]

hi.
my name is nicole , im fourteen years old and i live in niagara falls.
one year ago i decided to ask my doctor for an anti-depressant, he gave me cymboltia.
i now regret doing this, but its to late now. one year later, i decided to get off the pills, cold turkey.
my doctor and parents agreed- my dad did alot of research and he said cold turkey is the best way.
it is now day three and i feel very dizzy, almost as if im high or drunk.
yesterday i felt sick to my stomach- but didnt puke.
i've been fighting the symptons with all the strength i have, but i read what you've been saying and i must admit it scared me... the girl who killed her self made me cry, just thinking about it.
i've been very tipsy and i feel like im a bit dumb, its werid.
but i truely am scared now that i have read your posts.
i want to know if it will be like this for more then a week? i have exams and im moving , i cant deal with the side effects ! my biggest regret is taking these pills, i was so stupid. but i know that i can fight it.
i am getting the brain buzz thing too, its werid and extremely scary.
i want to know if i have a bigger chance at failing because im so young.
please get back to me if you know anything, and i hope that you are getting better

Hi Nicole,


I'm absolutely amazed that any research showed cold turkey is the way to go with this drug - all the evidence says otherwise.

It is the WORST way to come off Cymbalta.

You really need to be back on it - how much you need now to feel o.k. depends on how long you've been off it - and wean off slowly. Even the information which comes with the drug says that.

Your doctor may also say every second day - DON"T!

The only way to get off relatively easily for those who have problems withdrawing is to slowly reduce the dose - taking SOME CYmbalta every single day.

Let us know what dose you were on, and how long since you've taken it.


regards, Maureen.

[cookie]

Dear Snozcumber:
I was away because I didn´t have access to internet for a few weeks.
It´s good that you showed you psych worker all the research that you had done. (I am a geek too!).
It´s good that you are enjoying food again! (In my case I have to be careful because I gained too much weight when I started cymbalta).
I agree when you say that "it´s like my brain is rewiring itself...as I am feeling emotions for things".
hugs
cookie