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#91 cookie

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Posted 30 December 2010 - 10:20 PM

I am so glad that you have your MD support. I wish you and your wife a Happy New Year, full of health, hope and happiness.

#92 watchdog

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Posted 02 January 2011 - 11:21 AM

I am so glad that you have your MD support. I wish you and your wife a Happy New Year, full of health, hope and happiness.



Cookie-

Thank you very much. I hope the new year brings you and yours prosperity and freedom from this ordeal!

Watchdog

#93 watchdog

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Posted 05 January 2011 - 03:38 PM

1/5/11

An interesting day today. Took my wife to the MD today to follow up on misc. tests. All tests to date have come back negative. Just about every test that can be done within reason has been done. All have come back negative! Do ya think cymbalta might have something to do with this??? My MD is now convinced that this is the case. Depending on the reason cymbalta is prescribed in the first place, several chemical issues can come in to play. When one tries to "treat" the negative symptoms, a "toxic" cocktail can exist, causing more harm than good. By finally getting off the cymbalta completely, and removing other meds as can be tolerated, my wife has slowly started to respond. Today is the first day she has not had to take any pain meds whatsoever. She stated that this is the best day she has had in months! Maybe she has finally started to turn the corner. The Doc said he is optimistic, but that full recovery could take up to a year. As long as we are moving forward and the pain continues to drop, this is possible..... not acceptable, but do able. All aforementioned symptoms are still present, but seem to be less severe. Maybe, just maybe. Eli Lily needs to own up to this debacle.........

Hang in there....

Watchdog

#94 watchdog

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Posted 06 January 2011 - 10:25 AM

1/6

Starting the day off........ no pain pills this AM! Could there be progress? A little achy, but manageable.

Hope your days goes as well.......

Watchdog

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Posted 06 January 2011 - 06:09 PM

Dear Watchdog:
It seems things are getting better for your wife.
The best to you

#96 watchdog

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Posted 08 January 2011 - 11:27 AM

1/8

It has now been three days w/o any pain meds whatsoever. This is an incredible turn of events given the past two years. My wife is still having intermittent bouts with nausea, but having the pain go from a constant 7-8 out of 10, to a 1-2 is outstanding! She is now sleeping better, and has more energy. A side note..... she is losing weight again. Not sure if this is because of thyroid stabilization, or the cymbalta effect is dissipating. At any rate, this has made her quite happy...... good to see this! Perhaps this is on the way out, and life can return to normal.

There is hope

Watchdog

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Posted 08 January 2011 - 05:50 PM

1/8

It has now been three days w/o any pain meds whatsoever. This is an incredible turn of events given the past two years. My wife is still having intermittent bouts with nausea, but having the pain go from a constant 7-8 out of 10, to a 1-2 is outstanding! She is now sleeping better, and has more energy. A side note..... she is losing weight again. Not sure if this is because of thyroid stabilization, or the cymbalta effect is dissipating. At any rate, this has made her quite happy...... good to see this! Perhaps this is on the way out, and life can return to normal.

There is hope

Watchdog



Dear Watchdog:
I am happy that your wife is doing so much better and that she hasn´t used any pain meds the last days. Refresh my memory......Did she have thyroid problems during cymbalta intake????? what did the thyroid numbers show? was thyroid working under or over it should have?
I am ok in general. However new symptoms keep on showing. I am having ankle joint pain, crazy dreams. And old symptoms are coming back: needles sensations, itchiness, brain zaps.
wish you the best

#98 watchdog

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Posted 10 January 2011 - 10:59 AM

Dear Watchdog:
I am happy that your wife is doing so much better and that she Hans´t used any pain meds the last days. Refresh my memory......Did she have thyroid problems during cymbalta intake????? what did the thyroid numbers show? was thyroid working under or over it should have?
I am ok in general. However new symptoms keep on showing. I am having ankle joint pain, crazy dreams. And old symptoms are coming back: needles sensations, itchiness, brain zaps.
wish you the best



Cookie-

My wife had no symptoms, aches, or pains prior to taking cymbalta. She was "diagnosed" with post traumatic stress disorder having to do with an event that occurred early in her life. Whether or not this is/was the case, this was a determination by her "therapist". I use this term loosely, as I have no confidence in the psychiatric "proffession". At any rate, not long after starting cymbalta, she had weight gain, etc., etc., so she went to an MD, who referred her to a ENT specialist. It was determined that her thyroid levels were low, and there was a lump in her throat. She had surgery to remove the lump, and has recovered nicely. Amazingly enough, here we are now two years later, and her thyroid levels are low (again). Our new MD (whom I trust) found this and prescribed a thyroid med. This resulted in weight gain in the short term, but has since stabilized, and the weight is now coming back off. A note of interest, and you might want to check into this....... our new MD has a theory that possibly due to the cymbalta (seritonin levels and all that), that her muscle/joint pain may have been caused by the cymbalta, and accentuated by any pain meds, and/or anti-inflammatory meds because of a possible reverse effect! This may bear out, as my wife has gone off all her meds, she has responded and is markedly better! As you know, this may not be the case for all...... this is just what is occurring with her, and her responses to meds.... I can only hope this helps some of you.


Another day off the meds.......

Watchdog

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Posted 10 January 2011 - 07:28 PM

Dear Watchdog:

It is sad that we are beginning not to have confidence in psychiatric proffession, diagnosis or treatments. I have gone to many psychiatrists, psychologists, therapists in my life, and it is curious that all of them gave me a different diagnosis and severity of my illness. I heard from, having a chronic illness that would need to be medicated for life, to a therapist that told me that I was healthy and I didn´t have anything. So I guess everything summarizes in a person/doctor point of view. The danger is when people are given medications when there is no real health disfunction. Because then the medication can have real side effects on people´s health. And then would need other medications to treat the side effects.

If your doctor relates cymb with your wife hypothyroidism, then it is curious. Because cymb is designed to treat depression and hypothyroidism mimics the symptoms of depression

I am glad that your wife recovered from the lump surgery.

It seems that your wife is responding very well, and that her body and brain are going back into balance. There is hope!

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#100 watchdog

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Posted 16 January 2011 - 07:29 PM

01/16

Hi all-

Nothing new to report....... I guess this is a good thing. My wife seems to have stabilized for the time being. She seems to be returning to a more or less "normal" sleep/work schedule. She still works 3-11 at the hospital, gets home at midnight, sleeps until 9 o'clock or so, then starts the daily routine. Used to be work, and sleep..... no anything else period. So...... I am thankful for the 'normalcy' during this time. Hope all is going well with those of you who are going through the cymbalta debacle. There is hope, I have seen it!


Take care

Watchdog

#101 watchdog

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Posted 21 January 2011 - 08:36 PM

01/21

Hi all-

Still in a holding pattern here. Aches and pains are still with us (joint/muscle pain) especially in the legs and arms. Some days it takes low levels of pain pills to function, some are OK. For a drug that is prescribed to "alleviate" joint pain, it would seem that it is the cause of joint pain, most notably those who did not suffer from pain in the first place. Occasional bad dreams, although not so vivid as before. She is having a tough go at dealing with all the "feelings and emotions" that cymbalta deadens. The day to day rigors can be a bit much at times, but it is that way for all of us. She sometimes wishes she was back in a semi-zombie state so she would not have to deal with things. Unfortunately, this is life and we must make the best of it. We have had our setbacks, but remain optimistic for full recovery. Would really like to see Eli Lily held accountable for this horrible drug. Until then, keep going, there is hope for all!

Watchdog

#102 Lexy

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Posted 25 January 2011 - 08:38 AM

Hi watchdog,

Hope your wife doing well, thanks for keeping a journal about her cymbalta detox.
I can really relate to her as I withdrawing the same drug for several weeks now. Currently on a very low dose - 10 beads.
I have each and every symptoms written in a book, the most disturbing ones, body aches, itching, rebound anxiety etc.
I can hardly cope in everyday's life but I try.
She sometimes wishes she was back in a semi-zombie state so she would not have to deal with things. Unfortunately, this is life and we must make the best of it. We have had our setbacks, but remain optimistic for full recovery. .

God bless,
Lexy

#103 watchdog

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Posted 26 January 2011 - 03:14 PM

Hi watchdog,

Hope your wife doing well, thanks for keeping a journal about her cymbalta detox.
I can really relate to her as I withdrawing the same drug for several weeks now. Currently on a very low dose - 10 beads.
I have each and every symptoms written in a book, the most disturbing ones, body aches, itching, rebound anxiety etc.
I can hardly cope in everyday's life but I try.
She sometimes wishes she was back in a semi-zombie state so she would not have to deal with things. Unfortunately, this is life and we must make the best of it. We have had our setbacks, but remain optimistic for full recovery. .

God bless,
Lexy




Lexy-

What you are going through is way too common during cymbalta detox to be of any type "coincidence". The thing of utmost importance to keep in mind, is that this WILL end. The last two days have been amazing with the low level of pain/anxiety my wife typically suffers from. She is almost "giddy" with excitement when she has days like this. They seem to be happening more often as the cymbalta effects dissipate. It really gives one hope!

Take care-

Watchdog

#104 watchdog

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Posted 31 January 2011 - 11:51 AM

Jan 31

Here we are, two months without cymbalta. My wife has now gone a week with no pain meds whatsoever. This is not to say she is pain free, but it has now dropped to a level she can function at w/o meds. It is definitely on the decrease. Body sweats, night sweats have been steadily dropping. They still occur, but now maybe every two or three days instead of hourly. I have not noticed the mood swings as of late, the nightmares/vivid dreams have become sporadic instead of nightly. Her memory and "alertness" have pretty much returned. I get rebuked now for "simplifying" statements, or repeating myself now...... what can I say, after two years of the "zombie" it became habit! Visited our MD the other day, he is quite pleased with her progress. Removing her from virtually all meds proved to be the right call in this case. It appears that the "reverse" affect of trying to treat the numerous side effects of cymbalta was in fact true. She has responded well to the lack of meds. In fact, the only thing she is on now other than b/p medication, is an occasional Valium for those "down" days. Have been looking at the light at the end of the tunnel for quite some time, now it looks like the end of the tunnel might be near!


Keep the faith......

Watchdog

#105 Emma

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    I am desperate. I have been taking this medicine for five months now after a series of traumatic events that sparked high anxiety. My symptoms have grown worse. I have electric shocks in my head and spine and a feeling of terrible chemical burning in my back and spine. The doctors say it is me (even though I do everything to help myself) I reduced the dose from 60g to 30g around 8 days ago. I feel flu like and the burning sensation is constant. I am losing all hope of ever getting better. I need some help and advice.

Posted 05 February 2011 - 12:41 PM

Dear Watchdog

I have read all of your posts and am so happy that things are going better for your wife. I have just joined this forum and wanted to ask about the burning feeling your wife had. I feel a 'chemical' type burning all over my back, spine and neck. Now I have reduced the dose it is constant. I try to do some normal household jobs, but by 10.30 the electric shock senstation starts in my head. Then I feel as if I can't go on and I break down and cry. I eat something, cry like crazy and then the pain receded from a 10 to an 8. I also find my legs jump now and again involuntarily when I have been upset. Was the burning your wife had anything like this. I don't want to sound mean, but if it was, then this gives me hope, as you have helped your wife and now it seems she is much better. What was this burning sensation like? Am I right in thinking she got the symptoms while 'still taking' the medicine? Thanks for any advice you can give.

ps your wife is so lucky to have someone so supportive and I wish you both well, even though I do not know you.

#106 Emma

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    I am desperate. I have been taking this medicine for five months now after a series of traumatic events that sparked high anxiety. My symptoms have grown worse. I have electric shocks in my head and spine and a feeling of terrible chemical burning in my back and spine. The doctors say it is me (even though I do everything to help myself) I reduced the dose from 60g to 30g around 8 days ago. I feel flu like and the burning sensation is constant. I am losing all hope of ever getting better. I need some help and advice.

Posted 05 February 2011 - 06:05 PM

Dear Emma:
I totally agree with you. I really admire watchdog, for taking good care of her wife.

How many miligrams did you decrease???? When one reduces the dose making big drops or too quick one tends to have the symptoms –all the time-. I have weaned slowly for several months and I do not reduce dosage until symptoms on actual dosage subside.
The electric shock sensation that you describe, I had it when I reduced from 90mg to 60mg. Now at lower dosages I haven´t had that electric sensation anymore. I do not know what I am doing different from other users, but electric sensations are not as frequent.
What I have had at lower dosages is the crying like crazy that you describe. I do not really cry, but I get this horrible sensation out of nowhere to cry uncontrollably.


I decreased from 60g to 30g around 8 days ago.This was because I was beginning to get electric shock feelings in my head at 60g. (One day in the middle I was in so much pain and desperate to take my next dose, that I took the 60g by mistake and so went back up again for one day....the day I reduced to 30g again I was in agony) I am pretty much in agony all the time at the moment. When I read things about anxiety it says to ignore the pain and become absorbed in other tasks, but I feel this is more than just anxiety....I feel it is the medicine. I am worried that I have damaged my brain permanently, from the initial worrying, to now worrying I am not going to get better.

#107 watchdog

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Posted 07 February 2011 - 11:13 AM

Emma-

I am sorry I have not been on the site in a few days. My father has been taken seriously ill, and I have been dealing with that. In answer to your question on the "burning" sensation; my wife was still on cymbalta at the time, and was in the process of reducing her dosage. She was driving down the road when the "attack" occurred. She called me on her cell phone to tell me she was literally on fire. She felt like she was going to "spontaneously combust"!
I had her stop the car and wait for me to pick her up. My daughter and I found her and proceeded to the hospital, as she was virtually freaking out. In route, we were able to calm her down. Once she was calmed down, the burning symptoms started to subside. We ended up taking her home and putting her to bed. My take on the situation is this; During this period of time, she had not been getting QUALITY sleep/rest. This is CRUCIAL to recovering . Lack of sleep, coupled with any sort of anxiety attack tends to magnify symptoms. Since being completely off cymbalta, my wife has had no recurrence of any sort of burning sensations. It would appear that no one knows what this drug does to the brain. The problem with detoxing from this drug, is no two people are identical. My wife was able to drop 10mg every two weeks (approx) until she got to the 20mg level (the lowest cymbalta dose), and then quit completely. I did not recommend this, but you don't TELL my wife anything. With LOTS of rest, and an understanding MD, she appears to have gotten through it. She still has flare ups of joint/muscle pain on occasion, but for the most part, has returned to "normal". She is off all meds, with the exception of blood pressure meds, and an occasional Valium for those "rough" days. This is do able. Use EXTREME caution when treating symptoms during detox. We found with the help of our MD, that several of the meds previously prescribed for problems, actually had a "reverse" effect, and compounded the problems! This drug is truly evil. Very hard to deal with, but it can be done! Find a good MD that will attack this with an open mind, and listen to what your body tells you. You can get through this.

I hope this helps......

Watchdog

#108 pamela

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Posted 08 February 2011 - 06:45 AM

Hi this was very interesting to read because i am only a few days off Cymbalta. Iwas on 60 mg for 5 years for a few months up to 90 mgs. I just got tired of being fatigued and in a medicine induced fatigue all the time with the Cymbalta. I determined I was going to go off of it and went to my doctor. I was given 30 mgs of cymbalta for three weeks and then told to go off it. I have been totally off it for only 3 days and I have never felt so bad physically. I have horrible headaches, nausea, lightheadedness, dizziness, pressure behind my eyes. I keep poppong the ibuprofen throughout the day. I thought I would have emotional crying jags for awhile or feel really depressed but I never even discussed any physical withdrawal symptoms. I wish my doctor had warned me. I never even thought it would effect me physically only emotionally. I just keep praying that I will be able to endure this.



Your situation sounds exactly like mine. Same dosage and time frame too. My Dr. told me the same weaning plan and it just didn't work for me. I had to lower my dosages more slowly. 60 to 50 to 40 etc..... When I got to 20mg I started lowering by 1mg at a time and added in Prozac. I still had some withdrawal symptoms that you describe but it wasn't debilitating and I was eventually able to get off completely. You might want to talk to your Dr about a slower wean.

#109 watchdog

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Posted 09 February 2011 - 10:29 AM

Hi this was very interesting to read because i am only a few days off Cymbalta. Iwas on 60 mg for 5 years for a few months up to 90 mgs. I just got tired of being fatigued and in a medicine induced fatigue all the time with the Cymbalta. I determined I was going to go off of it and went to my doctor. I was given 30 mgs of cymbalta for three weeks and then told to go off it. I have been totally off it for only 3 days and I have never felt so bad physically. I have horrible headaches, nausea, lightheadedness, dizziness, pressure behind my eyes. I keep poppong the ibuprofen throughout the day. I thought I would have emotional crying jags for awhile or feel really depressed but I never even discussed any physical withdrawal symptoms. I wish my doctor had warned me. I never even thought it would effect me physically only emotionally. I just keep praying that I will be able to endure this.


alone;

Your situation is not unusual. Most doctors do not understand the complexities of cymbalta detox. For that matter most of the pharmacists don't either. Read some of the other threads where people have made rapid drops like you have. Most cannot tolerate the large decrease of cymbalta over such a short time. You may have to increase your dosage back to a level where you feel somewhat "normal" again, and then as gradually as you can, slowly back off the dosage. This usually tends to mimize the w/d effects. Not to say you won't have any, but odds are they will be less severe, and easier to deal with.



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