5 replies to this topic

[kathyl]

I finally saw the doctor after weaning off Cymbalta for four weeks.
I was taking it for depression and PSTD from a workman's comp injury.
It was covered for 3 years court ordered. Then I had to pay for it. $356 a month, I couldn't pay that!
Lilly Co. denied me patient assistance because I have Medicare.
The withdrawals have been so bad, My Psych Dr. Called for me to go to the hospital inpatient. I went to emergency and was there all day without being seen. I vomited and can no longer control the brain zaps. I kept asking when would I be seen. They kept telling me they were busy.
It was then that I realized that I was being flagged due to my Psych meds and was put at the end of the list to be seen because I have Psych problems. Even though the Psych hospital was holding my bed there after I was seen by a medical doctor.
I ended up walking out of the emergency after 12 hours of waiting. I went home and took some benadryl, went to bed a cried myself to sleep.
Now, I can't sleep, my brain is tired from zapping, I am sick to my stomach, vertigo, diareah, can't hardly think, and now I walk like a drunk. Not getting any better, only worse. Today I will try again to get help

[mojo]

I finally saw the doctor after weaning off Cymbalta for four weeks.
I was taking it for depression and PSTD from a workman's comp injury.
It was covered for 3 years court ordered. Then I had to pay for it. $356 a month, I couldn't pay that!
Lilly Co. denied me patient assistance because I have Medicare.
The withdrawals have been so bad, My Psych Dr. Called for me to go to the hospital inpatient. I went to emergency and was there all day without being seen. I vomited and can no longer control the brain zaps. I kept asking when would I be seen. They kept telling me they were busy.
It was then that I realized that I was being flagged due to my Psych meds and was put at the end of the list to be seen because I have Psych problems. Even though the Psych hospital was holding my bed there after I was seen by a medical doctor.
I ended up walking out of the emergency after 12 hours of waiting. I went home and took some benadryl, went to bed a cried myself to sleep.
Now, I can't sleep, my brain is tired from zapping, I am sick to my stomach, vertigo, diareah, can't hardly think, and now I walk like a drunk. Not getting any better, only worse. Today I will try again to get help

[mojo]

Hi, I feel for you. I know how hard it is. Did you have to stop cold turkey? That makes the withdrawal so much worse. Be careful though if you do got to the psych hospital. I checked myself in there when I was trying to get off Cymbalta, and they just ended up putting me right back on it, along with a mix of other drugs. I ended up being even worse off and ended up back there twice again after two suicide attempts. Unless you can find a really understanding doctor, I think they can do more harm than good. They totally didn't believe I was having problems from withdrawal. They just thought I had severe depression and anxiety. Good luck finding help. Keep in touch on here, at least here you will find people who understand because they have been there. Do you have any family support?

[kathyl]

Hi, I feel for you. I know how hard it is. Did you have to stop cold turkey? That makes the withdrawal so much worse. Be careful though if you do got to the psych hospital. I checked myself in there when I was trying to get off Cymbalta, and they just ended up putting me right back on it, along with a mix of other drugs. I ended up being even worse off and ended up back there twice again after two suicide attempts. Unless you can find a really understanding doctor, I think they can do more harm than good. They totally didn't believe I was having problems from withdrawal. They just thought I had severe depression and anxiety. Good luck finding help. Keep in touch on here, at least here you will find people who understand because they have been there. Do you have any family support?

That's what I am afraid of, going back on this horrible drug. I told my dr. I will not go back on. I tried weaning and then cold turkey. I still can't get into the hospital like my Psych Dr. wants me to. I tried to get my reg. Dr. and Psych dr. to work together on this, but my reg Dr.'s nurse wouldn't even let me talk to her after I explained my withdrawals.
It's like once they find out your on psych meds, they automatically turn their heads.

My husband is my big support. He is so good about everything. He gets me out of the house and makes me laugh when I want to vomit. I love him so much. He tells me to believe and I do. Someday, I will feel better. He is my rock. Sometimes, he actually gets my sysmptoms, like he is trying to take the pain away from me.

[mojo]

That is so good that your husband is such a support. Do you have kids? I know how hard it can be on them to see their mom feeling so bad. If you want to read my story it is on this same page under almost died from Cymbalta. If you read it you can understand why I don't like psych hospitals. They are there to prescribe drugs. I don't know how you can find a good understanding doctor. They just never seem to believe that the withdrawal can be so bad. I understand about the money too. That was one reason I wanted to get off two years ago was because this drug cost a fortune! The liver warnings also scared me. Someone read my story and recommended a program called Pointofreturn. I looked it up and am thinking about it but it is really expensive too. I talked to my husband about it and he is going to look at it to see if he thinks it is any good. They also have a book that is on Amazon. I have tapered from 60 mgs to 40 in the last 3 weeks and I feel like hell. To me before the really bad symptoms began when I was completely off it. That really scares me to feel so bad now and I'm so worried what I am in store for. I came so close to losing my life before and that just scares me so much. That's why I feel trapped on this drug. NOw I'm having really bad gastrointestinal problems though and wondering if that could be part of it. So I am tapering real slowly this time, but still feel awful.
Anyway, keep in touch and hang onto your hubby alot. He sounds like a gem.
Maureen

[kathyl]

That is so good that your husband is such a support. Do you have kids? I know how hard it can be on them to see their mom feeling so bad. If you want to read my story it is on this same page under almost died from Cymbalta. If you read it you can understand why I don't like psych hospitals. They are there to prescribe drugs. I don't know how you can find a good understanding doctor. They just never seem to believe that the withdrawal can be so bad. I understand about the money too. That was one reason I wanted to get off two years ago was because this drug cost a fortune! The liver warnings also scared me. Someone read my story and recommended a program called Pointofreturn. I looked it up and am thinking about it but it is really expensive too. I talked to my husband about it and he is going to look at it to see if he thinks it is any good. They also have a book that is on Amazon. I have tapered from 60 mgs to 40 in the last 3 weeks and I feel like hell. To me before the really bad symptoms began when I was completely off it. That really scares me to feel so bad now and I'm so worried what I am in store for. I came so close to losing my life before and that just scares me so much. That's why I feel trapped on this drug. NOw I'm having really bad gastrointestinal problems though and wondering if that could be part of it. So I am tapering real slowly this time, but still feel awful.
Anyway, keep in touch and hang onto your hubby alot. He sounds like a gem.
Maureen

My children are grown and I'm still young! I can't believe that I can still smile being so sick. My daughter is a nurse in the mental health field.
She has no advice for me that is useful. My friend that has been working in the mental health system for 35 years gave me good advise. Plenty of fluids, breath through the brain Zaps, take long baths ( it helps the toxins out of the body), omega 3, vitamin E.
He also said that the brain zaps are actually split second seziures. That the brain is trying to adjust to not having Cymbalta attatched to it. He said to keep an eye on the zaps.
Trust me, I am never going to give up hope. I will be healthy again and so will you. I have PTSD and depression from a work injury and worked tooo hard to overcome my fears to give up now.

We will make it! Kathy