13 replies to this topic

[Tali]

Hi,
I'm new on here. After my pharmacy failed to mail my cymbalta to me a few days before Memorial Day weekend, I began going through withdrawal symptoms. Of course they were closed for Memorial Day and I kept leaving messages but by the time I finally got my presciption I had been off of cymbalta cold turkey for a week. Yeah, and going through HELL I might add. The withdrawals were so bad, when I did get the medication I decided to just tough it out for the next two weeks to get off of it because I did't want to take it anymore after experiencing the withdrawals and I knew if I began taking it again I would have to go through the withdrawals again to get off of it.
During the first week, I felt like I was on some kind of high energy drug...very nervous and restless (that was the first day or so) then I began experiencing headaches and brain zaps (had brain zaps off and on the whole time I took cymbalta and thought it was a Multiple Sclerosis symptom, Dr.s didn't seem to know what it was either). Five days off of it I was having cold chills, muscle spasms, extreme shaking, crazy emotional swings, headaches, brain zaps, and after chills extreme feelings of heat like standing next to a bon fire way too close, and nausea and sweating.
The symptoms started to lessen after about a week and a half I'd say but they were still there, especially the headaches and brain zaps and feeling like I could bounce off the walls with nervous energy. If they could've tapped into my brain during that time, I think I could've provided electricity to the whole USA. At least that is how it felt.
Now, I've been off of it for three weeks and for the past week or so I've been getting really frustrated and angry for no reason. I thought I was losing my mind...I'm normally very calm and laid back. I rarely get angry about anything but I've been getting so mad I've broken things. My family asked what has caused me to have such a bad attitude lately. I thought this stuff was supposed to be out of your body by three weeks??? After getting really upset and angry over stupid stuff this evening I decided to look up the symptoms of withdrawal again and I found this forum...
I really have no support at all. I've told my family and some friends who are professional counselors and therapists but they don't seem to get it either. I think they believed I would be over the withdrawals sooner and so did I.
How long does it take to recover from this stuff? This is one very bad drug. I had no idea it would do anything like this to me when I had to get off of it or I would have never taken it. Also, the fact that it is what has been causing the brain zaps all along just blows my mind. If I had known it would make me feel that way I would have never started taking it. I've had the brain zaps so badly that I've thought about going to the emergency room and I've even banged my head against the wall to try to get some relief!!!!! How in the world could the FDA ever approve something like this?
Please if anyone has any suggestions on what I can do to make this easier or make it get out of my system faster, please please let me know.
Thank you for your time,
Tali

[MaureenV]

Hi,
I'm new on here. After my pharmacy failed to mail my cymbalta to me a few days before Memorial Day weekend, I began going through withdrawal symptoms. Of course they were closed for Memorial Day and I kept leaving messages but by the time I finally got my presciption I had been off of cymbalta cold turkey for a week. Yeah, and going through HELL I might add. The withdrawals were so bad, when I did get the medication I decided to just tough it out for the next two weeks to get off of it because I did't want to take it anymore after experiencing the withdrawals and I knew if I began taking it again I would have to go through the withdrawals again to get off of it.
During the first week, I felt like I was on some kind of high energy drug...very nervous and restless (that was the first day or so) then I began experiencing headaches and brain zaps (had brain zaps off and on the whole time I took cymbalta and thought it was a Multiple Sclerosis symptom, Dr.s didn't seem to know what it was either). Five days off of it I was having cold chills, muscle spasms, extreme shaking, crazy emotional swings, headaches, brain zaps, and after chills extreme feelings of heat like standing next to a bon fire way too close, and nausea and sweating.
The symptoms started to lessen after about a week and a half I'd say but they were still there, especially the headaches and brain zaps and feeling like I could bounce off the walls with nervous energy. If they could've tapped into my brain during that time, I think I could've provided electricity to the whole USA. At least that is how it felt.
Now, I've been off of it for three weeks and for the past week or so I've been getting really frustrated and angry for no reason. I thought I was losing my mind...I'm normally very calm and laid back. I rarely get angry about anything but I've been getting so mad I've broken things. My family asked what has caused me to have such a bad attitude lately. I thought this stuff was supposed to be out of your body by three weeks??? After getting really upset and angry over stupid stuff this evening I decided to look up the symptoms of withdrawal again and I found this forum...
I really have no support at all. I've told my family and some friends who are professional counselors and therapists but they don't seem to get it either. I think they believed I would be over the withdrawals sooner and so did I.
How long does it take to recover from this stuff? This is one very bad drug. I had no idea it would do anything like this to me when I had to get off of it or I would have never taken it. Also, the fact that it is what has been causing the brain zaps all along just blows my mind. If I had known it would make me feel that way I would have never started taking it. I've had the brain zaps so badly that I've thought about going to the emergency room and I've even banged my head against the wall to try to get some relief!!!!! How in the world could the FDA ever approve something like this?
Please if anyone has any suggestions on what I can do to make this easier or make it get out of my system faster, please please let me know.
Thank you for your time,
Tali

The Cymbalta has been out of your system for a long time - soon after the first symptoms appeared. Anti depressants like this work by changing your brain chemistry. If you want/need to stop taking them, you should do this slowly so that your brain has time to readjust. Some people have more difficulty than others.

Read Doob;s and Mike's diary - both recent posters to give you an idea of what it's like, and how long it might take.

Some feel o.k. after a few weeks, but most who go cold turkey and suffer find it takes more than a month to start feeling well on a consistent basis.

regards, maureen.

[QtKira]

Hey Tali,

Wow! This sounds terrible what is happening to you. I can most definitley relate. About a week and half ago, my Cymbalta (60mg) ran out and I did not have the $20 co-payment to go see the doc to write me another script (yeah he does not do refills so I have to go every 30 days to see him), or the $45 co-payment to actually have the scrip filled at the CVS. So here I am without it. I was hoping -like you to "tough it out". I mean, I have been wanting to get off of this suff for the past year - but everyone said it was keeping me stable (and out of the hospital). Anyway, from what you are saying, I may still have some more time before I feel "normal" again. I am going to pray for all of us that we get through this!

Take care.

[cookie]

Dear Tali:
I totally agree with you, if I had known the withdrawal symptoms I would never had taken this medicine.

All that you mentioned are withdrawal symptoms: (Restlessness, headaches, brain zaps, cold chills and feelings of heat, crazy emotional swings, nausea, extreme anger for no reason).

It is so difficult for family members and friends to understand what we are going through. It is even hard for therapists. Remember you can find support on this site.

Quitting cold turkey is too hard. It is your decision stick with the cold turkey approach, or to take a minimum dose of cymbalta and start to wean slowly from there.

It has taken me 6 weeks to go from 60mg to 25mg. And it will take me 3 months to go down to zero.

It is very important that you watch your diet (it must be very healthy), and do exercise (yoga is excellent), vitamins and minerals

Hugs
Cookie

[mcclain]

wow sounds like exactly what i am going through. i never knew what to call the sensation in my head but brain zaps sounds pretty accurate. lol i was on 90 mg of cymbalta for almost 2 years and i went to 60 in 2 days, then 30 for another few days, then nothing. i had no idea the withdrawals would be this bad. i can't eat because im so dizzy and nauseous and i've been having crazy bouts with anger and anxiety, which is so unlike me. it has only been 2 weeks since i started going off of this medication, and im really not encouraged about things getting better anytime soon judging from what others have said on this site. i really need the support though because its driving me CRAZY feeling like this. i just got out of the hospital not even a full week ago and now dealing with this is making things so much harder. im so grateful i stumbled across this website. if anyone has any tips on how to make these symptoms better or shorter lasting, PLEASE let me know i will try to give advice too where i can. i have been drinking a lot of water and lying down when i feel dizzy. closing my eyes and listening to some calming music is nice too but i still haven't gotten the results i would like. i just want to feel normal again

[cookie]

wow sounds like exactly what i am going through. i never knew what to call the sensation in my head but brain zaps sounds pretty accurate. lol i was on 90 mg of cymbalta for almost 2 years and i went to 60 in 2 days, then 30 for another few days, then nothing. i had no idea the withdrawals would be this bad. i can't eat because im so dizzy and nauseous and i've been having crazy bouts with anger and anxiety, which is so unlike me. it has only been 2 weeks since i started going off of this medication, and im really not encouraged about things getting better anytime soon judging from what others have said on this site. i really need the support though because its driving me CRAZY feeling like this. i just got out of the hospital not even a full week ago and now dealing with this is making things so much harder. im so grateful i stumbled across this website. if anyone has any tips on how to make these symptoms better or shorter lasting, PLEASE let me know i will try to give advice too where i can. i have been drinking a lot of water and lying down when i feel dizzy. closing my eyes and listening to some calming music is nice too but i still haven't gotten the results i would like. i just want to feel normal again

Dear McLain:
It sounds like you quit cymbalta cold turkey or in a extremely short period.
You were on a high dosage of cymbalta (90mg) and for a long time (2 years).
You have to give your brain time to adjust, and you went too quick quitting.

I have been on cymbalta for 5 years. This year my doctor increased it to 90mg for a month, then decreased it to 60mg and I stayed at that dosage for a few months.
It has taken me 6 weeks to go from 60mg to 25mg making really small drops.
(7mg drops at the beginning and then 2,5mg drops).

Now that you already quit cymbalta you are the one who has to decide, wether to stick with cero cymbalta on your system, or to diminish symptoms go back to a certain dose of cymbalta (60mg for example) and start weaning slowly from there. There are lots of posts explaining how to do it. Basically you have to determine how long (month´s, weeks, days) will it take you to wean off of cymbalta and how many milligrams you will drop each time. I´ve learned through this site that one can open capsule and count beads to adjust to certain wanted mg.

Keep us posted on your decision and progress
hugs
Cookie

[kimspa]

Hi,
I'm new on here. After my pharmacy failed to mail my cymbalta to me a few days before Memorial Day weekend, I began going through withdrawal symptoms. Of course they were closed for Memorial Day and I kept leaving messages but by the time I finally got my presciption I had been off of cymbalta cold turkey for a week. Yeah, and going through HELL I might add. The withdrawals were so bad, when I did get the medication I decided to just tough it out for the next two weeks to get off of it because I did't want to take it anymore after experiencing the withdrawals and I knew if I began taking it again I would have to go through the withdrawals again to get off of it.
During the first week, I felt like I was on some kind of high energy drug...very nervous and restless (that was the first day or so) then I began experiencing headaches and brain zaps (had brain zaps off and on the whole time I took cymbalta and thought it was a Multiple Sclerosis symptom, Dr.s didn't seem to know what it was either). Five days off of it I was having cold chills, muscle spasms, extreme shaking, crazy emotional swings, headaches, brain zaps, and after chills extreme feelings of heat like standing next to a bon fire way too close, and nausea and sweating.
The symptoms started to lessen after about a week and a half I'd say but they were still there, especially the headaches and brain zaps and feeling like I could bounce off the walls with nervous energy. If they could've tapped into my brain during that time, I think I could've provided electricity to the whole USA. At least that is how it felt.
Now, I've been off of it for three weeks and for the past week or so I've been getting really frustrated and angry for no reason. I thought I was losing my mind...I'm normally very calm and laid back. I rarely get angry about anything but I've been getting so mad I've broken things. My family asked what has caused me to have such a bad attitude lately. I thought this stuff was supposed to be out of your body by three weeks??? After getting really upset and angry over stupid stuff this evening I decided to look up the symptoms of withdrawal again and I found this forum...
I really have no support at all. I've told my family and some friends who are professional counselors and therapists but they don't seem to get it either. I think they believed I would be over the withdrawals sooner and so did I.
How long does it take to recover from this stuff? This is one very bad drug. I had no idea it would do anything like this to me when I had to get off of it or I would have never taken it. Also, the fact that it is what has been causing the brain zaps all along just blows my mind. If I had known it would make me feel that way I would have never started taking it. I've had the brain zaps so badly that I've thought about going to the emergency room and I've even banged my head against the wall to try to get some relief!!!!! How in the world could the FDA ever approve something like this?
Please if anyone has any suggestions on what I can do to make this easier or make it get out of my system faster, please please let me know.
Thank you for your time,
Tali

[kimspa]

Hi Tali -
You are not alone and I do not have any answers either. I can tell you that this morning I kicked my boyfriend to the curb, threw a magazine and cell phone at the wall and drove off the side of the road when hit by the Zaps!

Hang in there!
Kim

[emiller]

Hi,
I'm new on here. After my pharmacy failed to mail my cymbalta to me a few days before Memorial Day weekend, I began going through withdrawal symptoms. Of course they were closed for Memorial Day and I kept leaving messages but by the time I finally got my presciption I had been off of cymbalta cold turkey for a week. Yeah, and going through HELL I might add. The withdrawals were so bad, when I did get the medication I decided to just tough it out for the next two weeks to get off of it because I did't want to take it anymore after experiencing the withdrawals and I knew if I began taking it again I would have to go through the withdrawals again to get off of it.
During the first week, I felt like I was on some kind of high energy drug...very nervous and restless (that was the first day or so) then I began experiencing headaches and brain zaps (had brain zaps off and on the whole time I took cymbalta and thought it was a Multiple Sclerosis symptom, Dr.s didn't seem to know what it was either). Five days off of it I was having cold chills, muscle spasms, extreme shaking, crazy emotional swings, headaches, brain zaps, and after chills extreme feelings of heat like standing next to a bon fire way too close, and nausea and sweating.
The symptoms started to lessen after about a week and a half I'd say but they were still there, especially the headaches and brain zaps and feeling like I could bounce off the walls with nervous energy. If they could've tapped into my brain during that time, I think I could've provided electricity to the whole USA. At least that is how it felt.
Now, I've been off of it for three weeks and for the past week or so I've been getting really frustrated and angry for no reason. I thought I was losing my mind...I'm normally very calm and laid back. I rarely get angry about anything but I've been getting so mad I've broken things. My family asked what has caused me to have such a bad attitude lately. I thought this stuff was supposed to be out of your body by three weeks??? After getting really upset and angry over stupid stuff this evening I decided to look up the symptoms of withdrawal again and I found this forum...
I really have no support at all. I've told my family and some friends who are professional counselors and therapists but they don't seem to get it either. I think they believed I would be over the withdrawals sooner and so did I.
How long does it take to recover from this stuff? This is one very bad drug. I had no idea it would do anything like this to me when I had to get off of it or I would have never taken it. Also, the fact that it is what has been causing the brain zaps all along just blows my mind. If I had known it would make me feel that way I would have never started taking it. I've had the brain zaps so badly that I've thought about going to the emergency room and I've even banged my head against the wall to try to get some relief!!!!! How in the world could the FDA ever approve something like this?
Please if anyone has any suggestions on what I can do to make this easier or make it get out of my system faster, please please let me know.
Thank you for your time,
Tali

[emiller]

I have been off Cymbalta for three weeks now and WOW! No energy at all,terrible anxiety and fear, brain zaps,
feeling bitter and trying to blame everone in my family. Extreme needles and numbness in legs feet arms and hands,
unable to sleep due to legs being restless. Unclear thinking and memory.
Tried buspar for anxiety and tramadol for pain and it is back next day.
I am so tired of being tired since January. Started out with Lexapro for 30 days 30mg.and went to 60 for 3 days and thought I was dead.
Went on Cymbalta in Feb. for 30 days 30mg and then to 60 for about 8 weeks and 120 for 4 days. Psychiatrist weaned me off in less than 2 weeks. I have decided no more depression meds and am going to health foods and supplements.
They will never get another antidepressant in my mouth. Had I know all of this with almost no results I would not have started it.
Being on this was worse than the depression even though it did help the anxiety attacks.
I would consider signing a petition to start legal proceedings against Eli Lily. This is absolutely unfair to all users not knowing the side effects up front.
Ed Miller

[QtKira]

I have been off Cymbalta for three weeks now and WOW! No energy at all,terrible anxiety and fear, brain zaps,
feeling bitter and trying to blame everone in my family. Extreme needles and numbness in legs feet arms and hands,
unable to sleep due to legs being restless. Unclear thinking and memory.
Tried buspar for anxiety and tramadol for pain and it is back next day.
I am so tired of being tired since January. Started out with Lexapro for 30 days 30mg.and went to 60 for 3 days and thought I was dead.
Went on Cymbalta in Feb. for 30 days 30mg and then to 60 for about 8 weeks and 120 for 4 days. Psychiatrist weaned me off in less than 2 weeks. I have decided no more depression meds and am going to health foods and supplements.
They will never get another antidepressant in my mouth. Had I know all of this with almost no results I would not have started it.
Being on this was worse than the depression even though it did help the anxiety attacks.
I would consider signing a petition to start legal proceedings against Eli Lily. This is absolutely unfair to all users not knowing the side effects up front.
Ed Miller

[QtKira]

Hi Ed,

I agree with you Eli Lilly should be held accountable for this drug. I feel like a junkie comming off a illegal substance. Got hit so hard with nausea today, I couldn't even go to work - and this is my 3rd week off Cymbalta. Never again with the antidepressants! I would be happy to sign a petition against them.

[shesacharmer]

Hi Ed,

I agree with you Eli Lilly should be held accountable for this drug. I feel like a junkie comming off a illegal substance. Got hit so hard with nausea today, I couldn't even go to work - and this is my 3rd week off Cymbalta. Never again with the antidepressants! I would be happy to sign a petition against them.

So this is where the unexplained nausea is coming from?! I've been getting sick, out of the blue, and had no idea why. I tapered from 90 mg. over the course of two months but decided after a month at 30 mg to quit rather than try the alternating day program. I'm experiencing a good deal of joint pain, mood swings, including extreme sadness, jaw clenching and difficulty sleeping but I intend to tough it out...coming up on three weeks without Cymbalta now.

[cookie]

So this is where the unexplained nausea is coming from?! I've been getting sick, out of the blue, and had no idea why. I tapered from 90 mg. over the course of two months but decided after a month at 30 mg to quit rather than try the alternating day program. I'm experiencing a good deal of joint pain, mood swings, including extreme sadness, jaw clenching and difficulty sleeping but I intend to tough it out...coming up on three weeks without Cymbalta now.

Dear Shesacharmer:
That´s the good thing about this site, that we find that these weird symptoms we are having out of the blue, have a reason and are being experienced by other cymbalta users. For example I just realized that the "jaw clenching" is cymbalta related. I´ve never had this symptom but now that you mention it I realize that has to do with quitting cymbalta.