8 replies to this topic

[jmmyluvlisa]

I have been taking Cymbalta for about a year and a half. I began taking it when my previous doctor had increased my seizure meds so much that it caused a chemical inbalance and I was suffering from severe depression. Cymbalta worked wonderfully, I have to admit that. I think, all of us here can admit that.
I am a little over a week into the "weening" stage and I feel absolutrly HORRIBLE. I get anxious, jittery, sad, and lost in waves throughout the day. Originally, I was taking 60mg for the entire time, then my doctor suggested taking one every other day. I had started to feel so bad doing that, I started looking online to see if my doctor was giving me bad advice.
Apparently, this is just how they try to get most of us off of it. I have now started removing a small amount of the "beads" from my pills each day. That has seemed to be a little easier then the "every other day" thing. I worry though for when that is over.
I have just began a new job, and it was truly embarressing to explain to my boss why I seem to be "lost" in thought here and there. I'm ALWAYS thirsty, rarely hungry, and get the feeling of electrical zaps or buzzes or something out of no where. Those don't last long, none of the symptoms do really. The problem is, is that they come and go all day and all night. I truly hope this does not last long.....

[MaureenV]

I have been taking Cymbalta for about a year and a half. I began taking it when my previous doctor had increased my seizure meds so much that it caused a chemical inbalance and I was suffering from severe depression. Cymbalta worked wonderfully, I have to admit that. I think, all of us here can admit that.
I am a little over a week into the "weening" stage and I feel absolutrly HORRIBLE. I get anxious, jittery, sad, and lost in waves throughout the day. Originally, I was taking 60mg for the entire time, then my doctor suggested taking one every other day. I had started to feel so bad doing that, I started looking online to see if my doctor was giving me bad advice.
Apparently, this is just how they try to get most of us off of it. I have now started removing a small amount of the "beads" from my pills each day. That has seemed to be a little easier then the "every other day" thing. I worry though for when that is over.
I have just began a new job, and it was truly embarressing to explain to my boss why I seem to be "lost" in thought here and there. I'm ALWAYS thirsty, rarely hungry, and get the feeling of electrical zaps or buzzes or something out of no where. Those don't last long, none of the symptoms do really. The problem is, is that they come and go all day and all night. I truly hope this does not last long.....

Actually lots of people come off Cymbalta because they felt worse on it than off. Others have, like you, found it to be wonderful and the only thing that worked well for them.

For that reason, I have never been one to advocate it being removed from the market. Eli Lilly just need to have some social responsibility and advise doctors of the truth. If they did that, far fewer doctors would prescribe it though, so of course they don't do it.

The every second day thing is useless for anyone who's going to have any significant withdrawal problems. All you're doing is withdrawing one day and feeding the habit the next, making zero progress. Cymbalta has a very short half life, so the best way is to take SOME every day - scaling down no more than 10% at a time, and waiting for all withdrawal symptoms to disappear before tapering again.

You may find taking 30mg every single day until you feel better a much better option.

You can do this with 60mg capsules - just tip half of the beads into each half of the capsule and stuff the ends with a piece of bread or somesuch.


regards, Maureen.

[cookie]

Dear Jmmyluvlisa:
I am so sorry to hear what you are going through, specially at your new job. If sometimes our doctors or families, do not understand what we are going through even though they try, imagine how hard it is for our bosses to understand. It´s so difficult for us because we "should always" show an image of perfection, perseverance and control to our bosses (which is so difficult to have during withdrawal)

This topic, really upsets me, because actually I lost my 7 year job due to my severe depression. Since I knew my boss so well, she was like a friend to me, and my performance had been above average for 7 years, I told her exactly what was happening to me (symptoms, etc). At the beginning she was so supportive, but her support lasted a month. Then she change completely and at the end I had to quit my job.

This is why I decided not to work until I quit cymbalta and overcome withdrawal symptoms. So I admire those who are suffering and at the same time, they have to be productive. It must be so hard.

Symptoms last different from person to person.
Concerning dosage and weaning I agree with Maureen

Regards
Cookie

[MaureenV]

Dear Jmmyluvlisa:
I am so sorry to hear what you are going through, specially at your new job. If sometimes our doctors or families, do not understand what we are going through even though they try, imagine how hard it is for our bosses to understand. It´s so difficult for us because we "should always" show an image of perfection, perseverance and control to our bosses (which is so difficult to have during withdrawal)

This topic, really upsets me, because actually I lost my 7 year job due to my severe depression. Since I knew my boss so well, she was like a friend to me, and my performance had been above average for 7 years, I told her exactly what was happening to me (symptoms, etc). At the beginning she was so supportive, but her support lasted a month. Then she change completely and at the end I had to quit my job.

This is why I decided not to work until I quit cymbalta and overcome withdrawal symptoms. So I admire those who are suffering and at the same time, they have to be productive. It must be so hard.

Symptoms last different from person to person.
Concerning dosage and weaning I agree with Maureen

Regards
Cookie

Agree completely about working with withdrawal. Being self employed, the brain fog was the first symptom which drove me back to weaning from 10mg - that was even before the zaps had started.


cheers, Maureen.

[jmmyluvlisa]

Dear Jmmyluvlisa:
I am so sorry to hear what you are going through, specially at your new job. If sometimes our doctors or families, do not understand what we are going through even though they try, imagine how hard it is for our bosses to understand. It´s so difficult for us because we "should always" show an image of perfection, perseverance and control to our bosses (which is so difficult to have during withdrawal)

This topic, really upsets me, because actually I lost my 7 year job due to my severe depression. Since I knew my boss so well, she was like a friend to me, and my performance had been above average for 7 years, I told her exactly what was happening to me (symptoms, etc). At the beginning she was so supportive, but her support lasted a month. Then she change completely and at the end I had to quit my job.

This is why I decided not to work until I quit cymbalta and overcome withdrawal symptoms. So I admire those who are suffering and at the same time, they have to be productive. It must be so hard.

Symptoms last different from person to person.
Concerning dosage and weaning I agree with Maureen

Regards
Cookie

Since my last post, it has only gotten worse. I had to sit down and have the "talk" with my boss after she saw me completely "space out" while talking.... Working in the legal feild is very high stress and extremely fast paced. I hope I can make it through without losing work. I'm still doing the little bit a day thing. But, yesterday I spent most of the day just angry without reason, and this morning I spent a good hour continuously shedding tears for no dam reason at all. I hope my husband understands what's happening and doesn't start to think he married a complete nut job.
I am determined to kick this though. I hope everyone who writes here and visits this site fully understands how helpful it is.
My love to you all.

[cookie]

Dear Jmmyluvlisa:
Difficult days will come ahead, but you have to stay strong. There is light at the end of the tunnel.
What did your boss say when you talked to him???.....It is important that he understands that this is only a period, and the symptoms should go away.
Good that you are doing the "little bit a day thing".
I have also had the withdrawal symptoms you mentioned: angry, crying.

Keep me updated!
hugs
Cookie

[MaureenV]

Since my last post, it has only gotten worse. I had to sit down and have the "talk" with my boss after she saw me completely "space out" while talking.... Working in the legal feild is very high stress and extremely fast paced. I hope I can make it through without losing work. I'm still doing the little bit a day thing. But, yesterday I spent most of the day just angry without reason, and this morning I spent a good hour continuously shedding tears for no dam reason at all. I hope my husband understands what's happening and doesn't start to think he married a complete nut job.
I am determined to kick this though. I hope everyone who writes here and visits this site fully understands how helpful it is.
My love to you all.

Like me, you're having to keep your work performance up at the same time as withdrawing (I'm self employed). I think under other circumstances I'd have stopped completely at 10mg, but had to go back to it and keep tapering down to 1mg just so I could function normally.

Remember, if your work's your priority, make being off Cymbalta quickly a much lower priority. The objective is to get to the finish line, not break records getting there.

Some people have taken 12 months to taper off cymbalta, so if you're feeling terrible, slow down, go back up a dose if necessary, and keep telling yourself how great it is that you're getting off Cymbalta.

Too many of us here (and I was guilty of it) berate ourselves for not being able to go faster, but there are no prizes for speed.

kind regards, Maureen.

[jmmyluvlisa]

Dear Jmmyluvlisa:
Difficult days will come ahead, but you have to stay strong. There is light at the end of the tunnel.
What did your boss say when you talked to him???.....It is important that he understands that this is only a period, and the symptoms should go away.
Good that you are doing the "little bit a day thing".
I have also had the withdrawal symptoms you mentioned: angry, crying.

Keep me updated!
hugs
Cookie

Being aware of my epilepsy, my boss seemed more concerned with the possibilty of an in office seizure then what I was actually trying to get at. I believe she, like most others, does not fully understand what all of the withdrawl symptoms entail. I emailed her this site after our conversation, and while we were talking I tried to make it as clear as possible that this is nothing permanent and that I will miss as few days as possible.

My worries this evening are more of work performance. Not quality of, but if I go onto one of those weird crying jags, I will have to excuse myself to the bathroom until it's over. Getting angry will have to be warded with going on quick walks to let my "normality" return, and hopefully when I start getting nausea, I can make it to the bathroom in time.

Also, my family (mom, sister, husband) is now starting to be what I call "over concerned". Any movement, slowness, aggitation, anything is bombarded with the: are you okay? what's wrong? what do you feel? I mean they all know what's happening, please, if you are reading this and have family going through it, don't over load them with questions. We hurt, and are on a roller coaster of feelings and physical symptoms. Sometimes, we might not even be able to describe it, just be there. That's all we need.

[cookie]

Dear Jmmyluvlisa:

Please try not to worry, the worry will make things worse.
At the end, throughout my life I´ve seen a woman crying at work inside the bathroom because her boyfriend broke up the relationship with her. I´ve also seen pregnant women at work going to the bathroom because of the nausea. And I´ve seen guys getting angry at work, not because they are withdrawing from cymbalta but because they have bad temper or they are stressed.
So please do not worry.

It is curious because I´ve had 2 bouts of Depression in my life. The first one, I didn´t tell anything to my boss (suffered my symptoms in silence) and even got promoted at work. 4 years later I had another bout of Depression, this time I told my boss (same boss and company as before). Some period of time later she talked to me saying that my performance was not good, and I ended up quitting. I tell you this story because it is a matter of PERCEPTION not reality. I could have the best performance but at the end, I was a person with a mental illness. There is so much stigma about mental health issues, that bosses sometimes are not objective, they could have some prejudices. During my Depression I didn´t miss one day of work. There was another co-worker who always missed days of work because having the flu. But at the end it was the flu, not a mental disorder.

In relation to family support. I know that you feel uncomfortable with them being over concerned. But that shows that they do love and care for you so much. Living the –opposite- is worse, having a family that never asks how you are.
If all their questions bother you. You could talk to them, and explain them that you really appreciate their love but if they really want to help and give you suppor you they should do this or that.
(tell them what you would like them to do).

Hope this helps
Hugs
Cookie