12 replies to this topic

[Amanda]

The topic pretty much sums it up. I've been looking over posts for the past several hours: I'm continually on the verge of tears.

Same old song and dance: generalized anxiety and panic attacks; put on Cymbalta, Klonopin, and Ambien. I just graduated from college, and until health care reform kicks in, I'm without my parent's prescription drug coverage. Even when it does go into effect, I'm on my own now, and as a 23 year old fresh from school, I can't afford $120+ /month in prescriptions and doctors appointments. I figured this was as good a time as any to kick my psycho-pharmaceutical habit.

Three weeks ago, I cut my dosage to the bad stuff from 90mg to 60mg. Everything seemed okay; no real problems. Three days ago, I decreased again to 30mg. For the first 2.5 days, I seemed alright. I thought I was doing A.O.K. This evening, I felt fidgety and nauseous. I was hit with a nasty panic attack, and my throat literally felt like it was choking off my air supply. Within a 4 hour time span, I've developed a general malaise, coupled with the more problematic feeling of suffocation. I'm anxious, on edge, and restless. It pains me to admit this, but I've been through Cymbalta withdrawal twice before (one complete, one for 2 weeks before I caved). I went back on, both times, for a variety of reasons: none which were adequate. I say this because I'm teetering on the brink of a nasty, long, drawn-out withdrawal process...and I am acutely aware of it.

When I think about the physical and mental hell before me, I want to implode into myself. I don't know how I'm going to do it. Again.

The horrifying part is that I'm feeling these symptoms at 30mg. In the past, I've made it to 0 before I began to feel ill. I expect the brain zaps to begin any day, now. Any advice would be immeasurably appreciated.


Fun side story: I tried to talk to my psychiatrist about my previous withdrawal experiences. She flat out told me everything was in my head (which...I suppose it is, in a sense), and I was worrying and bringing the symptoms on myself. I noticed that several of her desk pens and sticky-notes were branded with Cymbalta's emblem. Yay!

[MaureenV]

The topic pretty much sums it up. I've been looking over posts for the past several hours: I'm continually on the verge of tears.

Same old song and dance: generalized anxiety and panic attacks; put on Cymbalta, Klonopin, and Ambien. I just graduated from college, and until health care reform kicks in, I'm without my parent's prescription drug coverage. Even when it does go into effect, I'm on my own now, and as a 23 year old fresh from school, I can't afford $120+ /month in prescriptions and doctors appointments. I figured this was as good a time as any to kick my psycho-pharmaceutical habit.

Three weeks ago, I cut my dosage to the bad stuff from 90mg to 60mg. Everything seemed okay; no real problems. Three days ago, I decreased again to 30mg. For the first 2.5 days, I seemed alright. I thought I was doing A.O.K. This evening, I felt fidgety and nauseous. I was hit with a nasty panic attack, and my throat literally felt like it was choking off my air supply. Within a 4 hour time span, I've developed a general malaise, coupled with the more problematic feeling of suffocation. I'm anxious, on edge, and restless. It pains me to admit this, but I've been through Cymbalta withdrawal twice before (one complete, one for 2 weeks before I caved). I went back on, both times, for a variety of reasons: none which were adequate. I say this because I'm teetering on the brink of a nasty, long, drawn-out withdrawal process...and I am acutely aware of it.

When I think about the physical and mental hell before me, I want to implode into myself. I don't know how I'm going to do it. Again.

The horrifying part is that I'm feeling these symptoms at 30mg. In the past, I've made it to 0 before I began to feel ill. I expect the brain zaps to begin any day, now. Any advice would be immeasurably appreciated.


Fun side story: I tried to talk to my psychiatrist about my previous withdrawal experiences. She flat out told me everything was in my head (which...I suppose it is, in a sense), and I was worrying and bringing the symptoms on myself. I noticed that several of her desk pens and sticky-notes were branded with Cymbalta's emblem. Yay!

Yay indeed.


Firstly, your doctor is WRONG, but don't blame her, blame the drug companies who keep the doctors in the dark. It would appear many people don't have too many problems coming off Cymbalta, but those who do, it's a nightmare.

Trust yourself. Your doctor should be there to help you, not just tell you what to do.


As you've found before, some can get down to 30mg without too many problems. Lots can't. Don't stress about it, just respond to it.

My suggestion would be to start taking 45mg - if you've read some posts you'll know all about this.

Get back to us if you don't.

regards, Maureen.

[Ms_M]

Double yay... You have already made a first good step - post/read here! Lots of great folks ready to offer help! My favorite tip - take Dramamine for the nausea. It saved me quite often!

Keep us posted here! Good luck!

[cookie]

Triple yay!
If you could go down to zero the other time, you´ll be able to do it this time.
I´ve read on this site, that the best way to quit cymbalta is to wean real slowly. From what you mentioned it seems that you went from 60mg straight to 30mg??? Am I right? if this is the case, you went too fast.
I agree with Maureen, take 45mg and start weaning from there.

Please watch your nutrition and exercise, this has helped me with anxiety and other symptoms.

Hugs
Cookie

[Amanda]

Update time: I'm in full withdrawal.

I know I should have taken the advice to taper ever so slowly, but the stubborn mule in me kicked back at common sense like you wouldn't believe. Within the course of several days, I went from 30mg to 20mg to 15mg. I seemed to be keeping the withdrawal symptoms at bay, and I (incorrectly) assumed I could tough it out and kick my intake.

Today (Saturday), was complete and absolute hell. My last mini dosage was on Wednesday evening. That puts me at the three day mark of no Cymbalta. I wish I could say everything was bearable. I wish I could say I went about this the proper way. I went down WAY too fast, but I figure taking even a small amount would just push my progress back. Therefore, I suffer.

On to the good (awful?) stuff:

I feel incredibly, immeasurably ill. Thursday I had a minor case of intermittent spins. I felt a little off mentally, but it was more akin to being slightly drunk. Friday I began to notice real unpleasantness. I was dizzy, my head hurt, my heart hurt, my body ached, and if I moved my eyes to quickly I would get the spins.

Fast forward to today- the entire day was a nightmare. I am so dizzy and lightheaded...I don't trust myself to drive. I have short bursts of hunger, followed by intense nausea. I vomited once in the afternoon. The mental fog I'm experiencing is dense. My throat feels constricted and sore. The brain zaps have reared their ugly head, and I feel worst when I move my head or eyes. I'm also amazingly clumsy (more so than normal). I dropped and knocked over a number of things today. I'm chalking this up to the dizziness. I'm constantly on the verge of tears. My sister came over today, and she and my fiance made me laugh so hard, I was out of breath. I put my head on the table (because of the dizziness), and suddenly started crying. Crazy much? The only thing keeping me above water are the 0.5mg tablets of Klonopin I am prescribed. They are the one thing that takes the slightest bit of this razor sharp edge off.

I know that I was not smart about cutting my intake so abruptly. I'm impatient, and I want things NOW. I feel like I'm in the middle of the storm, and to take even a little Cymbalta would negate the physical and mental hell I've endured so far.

My major question is this: are there any withdrawal issues (other than feeling royally crappy) I should be worried about? I hate feeling the way I'm feeling, but if I can weather it, I will. I'm afraid I could suffer some serious complication (cardiac arrest, seizure, etc...). If anyone has any info on this, I would greatly appreciate the guidance.

Thanks to all, and I will check in again soon.

[cookie]

Hello Amanda:
Some of us prefer slow weaning and others prefer cold turkey or fast quitting.
I am still at 22,5mg of cymbalta, so I don´t know what risks there are on quitting fast.
However I found this site, it might be helpful:
http://prozactruth.com/cymbalta.htm

hugs
cookie

[Amanda]

Hey everyone, update:

today was so much better than yesterday. I'm clearly not out of the woods yet (not by a long shot), but my withdrawal symptoms were far more manageable today.

It has been exceedingly hot (94 degrees, well into the evening) where I live, and the heat seems to only exacerbate withdrawal unpleasantness.

I had a terrible turn with insomnia last night, and was up until 7am. In addition to the insomnia, I still have the symptoms as I have described them before (see above). While I experienced bouts of dizziness and nausea today, it was no where near as bad as it was yesterday. I'm still experiencing the dreaded 'zaps,' but again, so much better today. I'm not 100% sure this is related, but it seems to fall in line with the GI upset I've felt since going off the bad stuff: I had bad tummy troubles today. Being a lady, I cannot explicitly divulge this issue, but let's just say I am in no need of fiber supplements.

I've been doing my best to stay hydrated, as I've read that proper fluid intake is essential in the withdrawal process. I picked up a case of plain seltzer water, and it seems to settle my nausea.

Cookie- thank you for your kind words, it's so comforting to know that someone else out there a.) is reading what I write, and b.) knows how badly this process can hurt.

I really hope to continue improving, but I know I can expect some bad days on the road ahead.

All the best,
Amanda

[cookie]

Hey everyone, update:

today was so much better than yesterday. I'm clearly not out of the woods yet (not by a long shot), but my withdrawal symptoms were far more manageable today.

It has been exceedingly hot (94 degrees, well into the evening) where I live, and the heat seems to only exacerbate withdrawal unpleasantness.

I had a terrible turn with insomnia last night, and was up until 7am. In addition to the insomnia, I still have the symptoms as I have described them before (see above). While I experienced bouts of dizziness and nausea today, it was no where near as bad as it was yesterday. I'm still experiencing the dreaded 'zaps,' but again, so much better today. I'm not 100% sure this is related, but it seems to fall in line with the GI upset I've felt since going off the bad stuff: I had bad tummy troubles today. Being a lady, I cannot explicitly divulge this issue, but let's just say I am in no need of fiber supplements.

I've been doing my best to stay hydrated, as I've read that proper fluid intake is essential in the withdrawal process. I picked up a case of plain seltzer water, and it seems to settle my nausea.

Cookie- thank you for your kind words, it's so comforting to know that someone else out there a.) is reading what I write, and b.) knows how badly this process can hurt.

I really hope to continue improving, but I know I can expect some bad days on the road ahead.

All the best,
Amanda

Amanda:
Since you sticked to your plan to remaining off med, you must be strong and persevere to bear the withdrawal symptoms you are having. Glad to hear that today was better for you. You mentioned that you just graduated from college. That means that you are not working right now??? I ask you this to know if you can take some time off to deal with withdrawals?.
hugs
Cookie

[Amanda]

Update: 6 days since my last dose- a retrospect.

Withdrawal has definitely been one of the hardest things I've ever put my body through. To recap: I had/have: extreme dizziness, nausea, vomiting, 'brain zaps,' headaches, tightness in my chest and throat, vivid nightmares (when I finally could sleep at 7am!), <--- insomnia, terrible mood swings, etc. It literally felt like I had the worst flu, coupled with a gnarly hangover, mixed with dehydration, and of course the requisite crying and extreme mood swings. I told a relative about all of my symptoms, including my cold night sweats, and she (having gone through NA for years) was like, 'Those are CLASSIC withdrawal symptoms!' Good to know some medications are on par with illegal narcotics when it comes to withdrawal.

So yeah. Things are still bad, and I know I'm not out of the woods yet, but I think Saturday was the worst. I seem to be feeling better (and if not better, at least not worse) each day. I've been trying to stay super hydrated. That seems to affect my mental fog/clarity. It's really really hard, though. Excuse me if this is too much info, but yeah: I've been experiencing awful gastrointestinal problems. Nausea out the ying yang, I've vomited several times, and (here's the scary one): I've 'passed' blood twice. Not like, 'Oh I pooped and there was a little blood, gross!' I mean, 'Wow, that's almost entirely blood.'

I find it INSANE that Eli Lilly (or any major pharma) could put drugs like this out. A quick Google search of 'Cymbalta withdrawal' reveals a ton of websites with patients detailing (word for word, often times) the physical and mental hell they go through when they stop taking this drug. While our symptoms are officially brushed aside as unlikely side effects, we are here...experiencing the same things. We're not the random outliers health care professionals and drug companies would have us believe.

From EL's website, they suggest that dizziness and nausea and "other side effects" might be experienced when going off of this medication. Patients are encouraged to speak with their health care professional to avoid this symptoms (paraphrasing). Oh, big pharma and your tendency to downplay horrific side effects...it would be funny if it weren't so terrifying. I feel angry with this company and with this drug. The side effects were never fully discussed with me (how could they be...the manufacturer wouldn't even admit there was a problem...) when I was put on the medication. By the time I realized how serious this stuff was, it was too late and my brain was hooked.

Despite all of this nastiness, I'm so happy to have gotten off this poison. I was prescribed 90mg, and they only make a 60mg and 30mg tablet. It got to the point that I just couldn't afford $120+ in prescription drug costs a month. My parents are very worried, and keep trying to convince me to go back on, at least just a little bit. I'm like, "I don't think you understand...being this sick is not my depression: this is withdrawal from the drug. If I go back on the drug (in any capacity), I'll just have to go through these symptoms again at some point." I don't want to be shackled to this (or any!) drug for the rest of my life. I'm so lucky that I have the time now (just graduated, no job) to set aside and deal (suffer?) with these withdrawal symptoms.

I'll keep updating to this site. Hopefully it will be of help to someone.

All the best,
Amanda

[Ms_M]

Very well put, Amanda. I get on my "Cymbalta soap box" and carry on about it at least twice a week. It will be about a month before I see my doc, and I'm going to educate him.

[Psychgrad1]

I completely understand. My idiot doctor said, "just stop taking it". When I asked him if he was out of his (expletive) mind he said, "well, you are on 60MG so I'll give you a bottle of 7 30MG and take them every other day." Now I don't consider myself irrational or uneducated, but this man is a complete moron. Anyone who has ever taken Cymbalta (I took it for fibromyalgia) and tried to ween off of it has had these AWFUL hellish side effects. I am in the same boat as you are and between the nausea and dizziness, I don't know what to do. Please know that you are not alone in this awful nightmare!!!! I am completely off of the stuff for a week now. When does this nonsense stop?????

[cookie]

I completely understand. My idiot doctor said, "just stop taking it". When I asked him if he was out of his (expletive) mind he said, "well, you are on 60MG so I'll give you a bottle of 7 30MG and take them every other day." Now I don't consider myself irrational or uneducated, but this man is a complete moron. Anyone who has ever taken Cymbalta (I took it for fibromyalgia) and tried to ween off of it has had these AWFUL hellish side effects. I am in the same boat as you are and between the nausea and dizziness, I don't know what to do. Please know that you are not alone in this awful nightmare!!!! I am completely off of the stuff for a week now. When does this nonsense stop?????

Dear Psychgrad1:
I also took 60mg, and was lucky to find this site before quitting cymbalta. I have weaned very slowly (it has taken me 7 weeks to go down from 60mg to 22,5mg) doing small decreases weekly and still I´ve had several symptoms. I can´t imagine what would´ve been like to drop so fast. I am not the right person to give you advice because I am still at 22,5mg
I hope you feel better.
Hugs
Cookie

[MaureenV]

I completely understand. My idiot doctor said, "just stop taking it". When I asked him if he was out of his (expletive) mind he said, "well, you are on 60MG so I'll give you a bottle of 7 30MG and take them every other day." Now I don't consider myself irrational or uneducated, but this man is a complete moron. Anyone who has ever taken Cymbalta (I took it for fibromyalgia) and tried to ween off of it has had these AWFUL hellish side effects. I am in the same boat as you are and between the nausea and dizziness, I don't know what to do. Please know that you are not alone in this awful nightmare!!!! I am completely off of the stuff for a week now. When does this nonsense stop?????

It's not really the doctor's fault - it's the drug company's. Your doctor is only going by the protocol Eli Lilly suggest.

Unfortunately for us, many people CAN withdraw from Cymbalta with few withdrawal effects. Sometimes we're the first they've come across to have this level of problems, so it's up to us to educate them, calmly and with the facts up our sleeves. If we approach them as though they're idiots, they're hardly likely to come around to our point of view, and it's important for those following us that these doctors understand what CAN happen.


regards, Maureen.