6 replies to this topic

[rebeccaf508]

I just got off of Cymbalta about 2 weeks ago and I've been having withdrawals so horribly that I want to go back on it! But I know that I'm stronger than that; I have to keep reminding myself that... I feel like I'm addicted to heroine or some crazy drug and my body is craving it. EVERYTIME i move my eyes or if I blink too hard and even moving my head from side to side I get the eletro-shock that everyone is talking about. When I stand up I get dizzy. I've been having diarrhea and horrible cramps. I feel like I'm going to vomit almost all day. I cannot sleep at night... I will lie down in bed for 8 or 9 hours and TRY to go to sleep but I end up dosing off for about 2 hours. This one I haven't heard yet - but my lips and around my chin in numb! It was tingling yesterday and now I can barely feel it. I gained 10 pounds while taking the medicne [which I knew ahead of time so I'm not so angry about that, I can afford the weight]. I have always been an emotional person but this is absolutely outrageous! I can watch a camercial with someone holding someone else's hand and the waterworks start. I'm short with people now and the dumbest things make me angry. I now have road rage by the way! Oh and I'm 20 years old and my cholesterol is 282!! If I didn't have a family history of high LDL and HDL I wouldn't have had it checked and God only knows how high it could have gotten. [I only recently found out that the cholesterol and the following are symptoms of Cymbalta withdrawal.] I have a canker sore in the back of my mouth and one on my cheek that kill me. On my left arm I have what my doctor called "localized eczema." I just found out that that too is a symptom. If something is loud is peirces my ears! Oh and the day I stopped weaning myself off this so called "helpful drug" [yeah right!] I got so sick with flu-like symptoms that I was out of work for a week. I'm scared that my emotions are going to get the best of me... by the way I'm fighting and swallowing back tears right now... I cannot believe that a drug that does this to people was actually passed by the FDA! There should be stricter enforcements if Cymbalta passes for okay. My doctor told me that I should take benedryl for my sleeping problems because I was taking Tylonel PM and it was doing NOTHING. Well I tried the benedryl for the first time and praise the Lord I got 4 hours of sleep! This is crazy!

Does anyone know if it is okay to take benedryl while trying to overcome withdrawal? I read a lot of studies that say you are not suppose to take certain things or do certain things because it can spark your nervous system which can reverse all progress that you've made. And, is there anything, non-medical, that I can do that may help with the withdrawal?

Thanks for listening,
Rebecca

[Sarah J]

rebeccaf508 - sorry that you are having such a hard time with this. It really sucks.

Omega 3 (fish oil) is said to help with some of the brain zapping. Do purchase a good one (re - more expensive one). Due to my Cymbalta Withdrawal Empty Wallet Syndrome, I bought a cheap one last week and it sucks compared to the Nordic Naturals one I was taking.

That is really odd that the Tylenol PM did nothing to help you because it is acetominephen and diphenhydramine. Diphenhydramine is Benadryl? But if it helped you sleep, then that is all that matters. I have never seen anywhere where Benadryl will hurt you in withdrawal, unless you take way more than prescribed. You are really to far out into the withdrawal to go back - because you will just end up going through this again when you come off. Is your doctor a General Practitioner or Psychiatrist? Did they offer to give you a real sleep aid or anti anxiety to help?

You poor thing, the emotional stuff of this is not pleasant. How long did you take Cymbalta? Have you ever taken any other antidepressants before?

Let us all know how you are doing - glad you found this site, sorry that you are having this experience.

[rebeccaf508]

Well - the reason I was told that the PM wasn't working was because it was only 25mg [while taking 2] and benedryl has 25mg in one and I was told to take 3 [so I had 75mg at first and then I'll take 2 later... and then hopefully I can sleep on my own!

Actually, before I first started Cymbalta I had sleeping trouble and I was perscribed Ambien and had a HORRIBLE adverse reaction to it. About a week into everything, I was sitting in my den and looked up at one of my roommates and she had 6 eyes... i tried to stand up and fell and after that I don't remember anything until the next day. I woke up in my bed and had no idea how I got there! Sooo after that I'm scared to take anything for sleeping... haha [Actually, this whole experience has pushed me away from the percription side of health.]

My Internist has monitered the last half of my Cymbalta treatment. [I have only been on it for about 10 months or so... maybe 9?] Oh and I was on Lexipro for a while [I think is the name of it...] before I was on Cymbalta and had no trouble switching! Only if Cymbalta was that easy!!

I'm scared that my newly developed noncontrolable emotions are going to get in the way of my relationship with my fiance. He's very understanding but there's only so much you can understand when you have not gone through it yourself. I know that I would be weary to buy into this if it wasn't happening to me personally.

But on a positive note my Mom is being very helpful!

I did learn how to breathe "correctly" if anyone reading needs help trying to put themselves to sleep. I also do it when I feel like I'm going to get upset or if I'm overwhelmed. I'll try to explain. When you breathe you can lift your abdomen, expand your ribs, or lift your chest... This uses all three in one breath. First inhale through your stomach for like 2 seconds, then your ribs, and lastly your chest until you can't breathe in anymore. After that exhale through your chest and then your ribs and squeeze out all your breathe through your stomach... Sort of like up your body and then down your body. It helps me calm myself so much; I find myself doing it now several times a day.

Well, back to work!
Thanks so much for helping... and just listening! It helps to vent.

-Rebecca

[schmb01]

Rebecca, to quote Jeff, "it is not you, it is the drug". It is so hard at the beginning because those emotions are at huge extremes. It takes some time for them to level off, and you seriously have to keep reminding yourself that you are not losing it, it is your brain getting back to being healthy.

I don't think there are negative effects taking Benedryl, and you may want to consider dramimine for the stomach issues. Also, check out the nutrition section on this site, as it outlines many foods and supplements that will help you. Sarah is right about the Omega 3, it DOES help alot, and though pricey, Nordic Naturals is one of the best around. I take 1000 mg of it a day. Also, the nutrition section lists foods that are high in Omega 3s, so it helps to use them too.

Just know that we have all been where you are, and are here to help you get through this rough time. You can do it, and it is so worth it at the end of the journey.

Take some time to read others posts and stories, and feel free to ask as many questions as you need to. This is such a wonderful group of supportive people, and you will make it.

[Lori]

Yes, there is a section on family support, and there are alot of posts there that may be of interest to you. I agree, you have come too far to go back now. It DOES GET EASIER!! The early stages of the withdrawal are brutal but it can be done and I know you will get past all of this. Keep reading and posting and Welcome Aboard!!!

[Sarah J]

Well - the reason I was told that the PM wasn't working was because it was only 25mg [while taking 2] and benedryl has 25mg in one and I was told to take 3 [so I had 75mg at first and then I'll take 2 later... and then hopefully I can sleep on my own!

Actually, before I first started Cymbalta I had sleeping trouble and I was perscribed Ambien and had a HORRIBLE adverse reaction to it. About a week into everything, I was sitting in my den and looked up at one of my roommates and she had 6 eyes... i tried to stand up and fell and after that I don't remember anything until the next day. I woke up in my bed and had no idea how I got there! Sooo after that I'm scared to take anything for sleeping... haha [Actually, this whole experience has pushed me away from the percription side of health.]

My Internist has monitered the last half of my Cymbalta treatment. [I have only been on it for about 10 months or so... maybe 9?] Oh and I was on Lexipro for a while [I think is the name of it...] before I was on Cymbalta and had no trouble switching! Only if Cymbalta was that easy!!

I'm scared that my newly developed noncontrolable emotions are going to get in the way of my relationship with my fiance. He's very understanding but there's only so much you can understand when you have not gone through it yourself. I know that I would be weary to buy into this if it wasn't happening to me personally.

Breathing is really good. I take Pilates classes and that is how I sometimes make myself sleep, but I was an enigma with Cymbalta in that I actually did finally sleep well off of it (slept horrible while on it).

Ambien and those sorts of things don't work well for me either, but they seem to help lots of other people. My old shrink gave me Rozerm (you know the Abe Lincoln misses you in your dreams commercial) - well, when I took that one night at 11:30 it was 6:30 am before I got to sleep, those things don't work for me either.

But taking an anti-anxiety might help, they gave me Klonpin, which I took very sparingly and it would help with some of the stress part.

You mentioned Lexapro and it being easier to get over. You might want to consider taking it and weaning off of that. I have told my story so many times, sorry to keep repeating it, but I know when you are new to this site that it can be hard to find information. So here's my Cymbalta withdrawal:
January 13 - stopped cold turkey from my old doctors advice
I functioned about 50/50, which is not an acceptable way to live, my old doctor kept telling me to wait, I would feel better
45 long days of Cold Turkey, the physical symptoms were stopping, but the emotional was really getting frightening
February 28 - after about two weeks of crying my eyes out all day long, I had enough and found a new doctor
New doctor gave me the lowest dose of Celexa (SSRI) - felt better immediately and was back to functioning
Weaned off of the Celexa for about 5 weeks
April 7 - last dose of Celexa (very minimal withdrawal from that 2000% easier than Cymbalta)
53 days antidepressant free as of today.

If emotionally, you are seeing a regression instead of progress you might want to consider jumping on the Lexapro and weaning down. I was falling apart and not seeing progress like the other people on this site (there are many success stories here but hard to find some of them smattered through all of the posts). The Cymbalta withdrawal me was nothing like the pre-Cymbalta me. I never want to feel that way again, ever.

Please, if emotionally you are suffering horribly, don't rule out going on something you have an experience of coming off of with no problems to get over this. It really saved my life. And the drug Celexa is an older version of Lexapro and lots cheaper. When the patent on Celexa wore out, they changed part of the formula and renamed it Lexapro.

We all have different brain chemistry, you might feel better right now, 2 hours from now or tomorrow. Because our brains are all so different, that is why there is no real answer to tell you how long this might go on. Your reaction is going to be yours and it is your body to live in. I waited in agony to get better and only regret that I did not find a new doctor a couple of weeks sooner than I did.

If you can spare yourself some agony, please don't hesitate to get help soon and start living your life again. You can be antidepressant free.

Just saw your post under the nutritional stuff - very good information. Hope you are feeling better by the time you read this.

[Sarah J]

I do think that going "natural" is the best way to get off of this drug. But I just wanted to put it out there that even though I am antidepressant free now, that it is an option, especially if the emotional stuff gets really heavy. And I do consider myself strong person, hell, I went 45 days pretty much being in turmoil before I went to get real help.

I will never have any idea if at 45 days, I was ready to turn the corner to being better on my own. But I was running the risk of my sanity and losing my business of 11 years. This was just not an option for me, I was terrified and kept being told that what I felt wasn't real.

Just an option for the "bait and switch" with an SSRI method. Lots of people get through by weaning, or on their own. If I can help one person not suffer as I did...I have no idea why it was really easy to come off of Celexa and a nightmare trying to bounce back from Cymbalta.