197 replies to this topic

[CathyH]

Thanks for the encouragement, Lori. I can use every bit. It's day 9 (hurray!!!), and I'm still plugging away at it. Zaps are pretty bad, but I'm getting through. I'm going to be successful at this. I refuse to go back.

[Lori]

Good for you, Cathy!! Keep hanging in there!! You will do this, and trust me when I say, it makes all I went through worth it, when you wake up one morning and Cymbalta is in the past. If you are like me, in a couple of months, it will be hard to remember all you went through. That proves right there that it was not us, but the evil drug. What you are going through right now, is not you at all. We look forward to hearing from the real Cathy in a month or so. Please, keep posting and reading posts. There is so much valuable information here. Take on hour at a time.

Lori

[CathyH]

Lori, am suffering terribly right now. It's day 11, almost 12. I'm trying to hang on. It's so hard. I can't wait to be on the other side of this, or even on the downward side ot the hill. Still feel like I'm climbing, as my symptoms seem to be getting worse daily.

[Attorney_Victim]

Cathy,
I just sent you a Personal Message also, but since you are online, I wanted to send you positive thoughts!! Just make it through tonight...one minute at a time!! Don't give up...call for emergency help if you don't have a friend or family member that can come sit with you!! Everyone on here is rooting for you and sending you good vibes! If you can sleep, try to sleep through this bad part...that's the only thing that helped me during the worst of it.

[Lori]

AV is right, Cathy....if you have to sleep, sleep! That is the only way I could manage it. If I stayed awake I made everyone around me, miserable. Make sure someone knows whats going on with you. I am looking forward to hearing from you today. Keep posting and when you do feel some better, read more posts. We are here for you, Cathy. If you ever need to send me an email, I do check that throughout the day but I may only come to the message board one time a day. Hang in there, you will get through to the other side!

Lori

[CathyH]

Thank you for your encouragement and support. I need it badly right now.

I had no clue a human being could be so very miserable emotionally and mentally. There are no words to describe it.

I have had a better day today, thank God. I have been replacing some of my klonopin doses with vicodin (just 3 so far). Some people may shake their heads at that, and that's okay. But it does seem to help. I don't know, but i almost think the klonopin is making it worse. I don't know, its just a feeling. Overmedicated and miserable really suck.

I'm still committed to getting off this f*cker. If I went back now, this would all be for nothing.

I wish I could sleep during the day--it seems I can't anymore. I can at night, tho, and I'm really grateful for that.

Thanks everyone, for being there.....

CathyH

[jeff3298]

Hi Everyone
I wanted to check in with you. I am doing pretty good, actually really good, still have some joint pain but nothing like it was. I looked at my first post on this thread, wow what a long way I have come. I had very little hope in the beginning and in the middle of it all but all of you helped. I could not have done this without the support of every one of you.

For any new folks reading and going through this withdrawal process, let me say you can do it! Yes you can, I have gone through what you are going through and I made it. IT was hell but I made it. Take your time, read as many threads as you can, post as much as you need to, ask as many questions as you want, ask as many dumb stupid silly questions as you want, they are all valid and meaning to you. You are not alone, you are here, it is not you, it is this drug, you are not crazy, and it is this drug!

Thank you all for helping me get my life back and more.

Be Blessed
Jeff

[jeff3298]

Hi Everyone
Just thought I would cehck in. Please be praying for me, things have taken a turn for me, depression has hit hard, really really hard and my joints ache like never before. This has come on about the last 4 or 5 days. I didnt go to work today, called in sick and drove around for 4 hours (not wise with gas at $4.50 a gallon) Came home and took double my pain meds and slept the rest of the day. Feeling very discouraged tonight. I do not want to go back on ANY antidepressants, I have felt so wonderful and then all of a sudden life is ugly, really ugly. Pain inside my body is overwheming, my bad thoughts are invading my rapidly and I feel pretty bad.
Confused, scared, and more, I know some of you understand, nobody else in my life does. My wife says, take the meds, heck take the cymbalta, that the only thing that really worked. They don't understand, I cannot take that drug or any other drug, they don't understand
J

[jeff3298]

Update:
I am doing really well this week. Started taking supplements and it is helping, that along with allot of prayer and I doing well. No drugs, I even cut out the junk food and sugar and caffeine. Last Tuesday I took a couple of anxiety pills and it knocked me out for 14 hours. Last Thursday things turned around and day by day they are improving.
I think that last week was just too much stress at work and home and it got to me. I think taking the supplements and checking in with my support friends will help. I called out to them last Wednesday night, it was either do or die, literally. It has made such a difference having a few people I can email or call and say hey, I am hurting, I need help. Friends on here and at my church, and work, all came to my side when I asked.

Thanks

Jeff

[Attorney_Victim]

Jeff,
I am really glad to hear that you are having a better week! Sounds like your friends really helped you out when you needed them. I wish I could say I cut out the junk food and caffeine in my diet...I am a total junk food junkie...and, I can't survive without a Coca Cola in the morning, ha ha! I need to work on that, but I am just not ready to face that yet...maybe someday. I hope you continue to feel better!

[jeff3298]

Thanks, but you can face it, remember you beat Killbalta! You can do anything! Switch to Iced Tea with lots of sugar, then slow the sugar down and then the tea! I could not go from cola to water! I went from cola to tea to water! I had easy 2 liter a day minimum habit of Coke or Pepsi.

Getting off the junk food is hard, it is a habit, every morning to the fast food drive through, lunch the same thing and usually on the way home. I had at least one liter at my desk a day plus breakfast and lunch and the drive home.

Remember, you beat cymbalta you can do anything now!

Jeff

[Attorney_Victim]

Thanks for the encouragement! You are right...if I can survive Cymbalta then I can do anything I set my mind to! I like the tea idea...I think I will substitute tea for my morning cola and then try to drink water the rest of the day.

[jeff3298]

Greetings from the land of FREEDOM! Free from Cymbalta that is. It has been months since I checked in and wanted to update all you wonderful supportive friends and give encouragement to new folks.
I am doing AWESOME without Cymbalta. There is life after and it just gets better the farther away from Cymbalta you get. I have not taken any anti-depressant since leaving Cymbalta!!!! Life has had its up's and downs but it has been ok.
I am so thankful for this site and the friends that I have met here and helped me out of a hell hole I was in. It was such a bad place it has been hard for me to come back here but it is time, time to say thank you.

If you are new to this site, you have found home. You are not alone in what you are going through, there is hope, there is a way out, there is freedom, and there are others who know EXACTLY what you are struggling with. There is a way to beat this drug that is supposed to help you when in reality is is making you crazy and killing you. I called it "killbalta" I think.

If you are new or struggling, read the post, visit multiple times a day like I did, post, read, post, and read again and then and learn. Listen to your body and make a plan of action. Be kind to your body and take your time. Do not rush it, be sneaky with this drug and figure out how to beat it and get off it. You can do it, I know you can because I did.

I have been on Cymbalta and have been off Cymbalta and life is better off Cymbalta! Much better!

Blessings to all of you and I am praying for each and every one of you, the newbie’s and the old timers.

Jeff

[jeff3298]

Hi everyone,
I am still cymbalta free! Life gets better everyday the farther away from Cymbalta I get.
There is hope for those of you trying to get off cymbalta.
It is not you that is the problem, it is the drug!
If I can do it, you can too!
As Winston Churchhill said during the second world war in a famous speach "Never, Never, Never Give Up!"

The brain zaps stopped, the mood swings stopped, the bazzare brain dysfuction and withdrawls are all gone and I feel great.

Be kind to your brain if you have been on this, be gentle and try not to be a hero and go cold turkey. Listen to your brain and body. Think smarter than the drug and out smart it.

Please please remember, it is not you, it is the drug causeing these side affects and problems.

Read Read read the other winners and believe!



Be blessed
Jeff

[jeff3298]

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year,

There is life after Cymbalta and it is worth the fight to get off this drug! I have not taken any meds since I did my slow tapper off Cymbalta, I have had challenges but life is a challenge and I have made it through each and every one of those days.

If you are new to this board, there is hope, you are not alone and you have found a wonderful place and a safe place. The things you have experienced are not you, it is the drug. Read about other people and the challenges they have had with Cymbalta. Read and absorb the trials and tappers people have used to withdrawals from this drug. Be kind to your brain, it has taken allot of punishment and it is under a tremendous influence of an extremely powerful drug.

You can do it, I did and so can you.
Email me anytime if you have any questions or would like to talk. Email me through this wonderful board

Thanks and have a Merry Christmas and a happy New Year

Jeff

[jeff3298]

Hi Redhead,
Thanks.
For joint pain I had that too, I took heavy doses of omega 3/6/9 tabs and oils for joint and it worked well. I am fianlly able to look at losing weight and joined FA, I peaked at 450 pounds, down to 410 now. Take time, a long time and feed your brain good food, B complex and other "brain" and "Nervous System" foods. Don't rush it, keep on a plan and take it slow.

Blessings
Jeff

[jeff3298]

I too have been taking cymbalta for fibromyolgia and yes the brain zaps sucks.

I been trying to stop the crazy medication for 2 weeks and I do not want to feel crazy anymore.

Hi Marie
Please read the messages here and learn about a slow taper, very slow taper. You can get off this drug if you are careful and patient. I had to take apart each capsule and count the granuels, I had a schedule I did on excel spreadsheet of how many granuels to take out each day. It was very tedious but worth every second of it in the long run.
Be very vareful with this drug, it is extremly powerful and has control of the brain, the most sensitive part of our body and the most unknown part as well. Listien to you body and your brain during this time, take it slow and easy. You can do it, out think the drug and your brain sensors.

You can do it

Best wishes
Jeff

[jeff3298]

Greetings everyone
I just wanted to check in and say hi. Life is good,no life is great! Having gone through the Cymbalta experience and documenting it here on this fantastioc website, I am reminded how bad this drug is.
If you are reading this thread, please be careful and know that you are not alone, you can beat this and you can win in life without this drug!
It is paingful to come back and read some of the post of newbies, but know that you are not alone. You can do it, read read read and do it very carefully. Understand the power this drug has over our brains.

Be blessed
Jeff