21 replies to this topic

[autimom4ever]

Are you still having symptoms?

If so, what are YOUR symptoms

[jmim]

6 days off. Still having brain zaps and feel like I have the flu. A little weepy but it bearable, right now. Went really, really slowly though, over 6 months.

[irnwmn05]

I have been clean since September 27th. I am still having cold sweats, electrical like currents throughout my entire body(subtle)but still can feel them. I am very angry and anxious most of the time. Feel tightness and discomfort in my chest often. And despite getting back into my training 6 days/week my weight has creeped up about 5# since I quit taking the poison. Can't think of any other lingering symptoms at this time. Like that isn't enough after this much elapsed time! I can't wait until this whole nightmare is totally behind me forever.

Are you still having symptoms?

If so, what are YOUR symptoms

[TinyTimmyTom]

I still have symptoms. I feel dizzy, nauseous, bloated, chest tightness, and most importantly brain fog.

[drugfree]

I thought I was developing early onset Alzheimers. I could not remember what I went to the basement for so many times it got so I would chant my objective as I walked there. I phased out driving so many times I started to take a cab or bus because I was scared I would kill myself or get into some really ugly road rage. All this has faded and calmed now at day 25. Yes I have night sweats and still have brain zaps, but I know they are diminishing in frequency and intensity. I am still very fragile emotionally, alternating between wanting to cry and wanting to hurt somebody. But I know I am getting better. I will be "normal" again, whatever the hell that means.

[jmim]

so, less than a week after i got myself off of this ridiculous drug, my father passed away on sunday morning. i'm hanging in there, but man....

[drugfree]

so, less than a week after i got myself off of this ridiculous drug, my father passed away on sunday morning. i'm hanging in there, but man....

Aw jmim, that is so rough. Continue to hang in; you will be glad you did. Meanwhile lean on friends and family and go for a walk in a park if you can. I find that being outside takes my mind away from my own crap. And the road to recovery is a bumpy one. After two days with no brain zaps, they were back with a vengeance (and a migraine) this morning but I'm OK again this afternoon.

[starlit20]

I have been off Cymbalta for a week, i just felt like it wasn't working for me. My doctor stopped me COLD Turkey and had me start my new medication the next day. This is honestly the worst i have ever felt. I have about 100 plus brain zaps per day, migraines, nausea, shakes and to top that off mood swings like never before, a lady bug could set me off! I don't know how to handle this, part of me really wants to take the cymbalta to make it stop but i also just want my new meds to kick in so i can be "normal". This is frustrating for me and my family, i just want it to Stop!

[madbookworm]

I thought I had gotten off relatively lightly. I stopped cold turkey, never had brain zaps (not sure what they are but I don't think I had them), no mood swings, but I do feel very light-headed and the thing that is driving me absolutely crazy, is a feeling of EXHAUSTION like I'm going to keel over and die within a few hours. I have felt this way for about a week. I even bore myself - I can't stay awake long enough to read, watch TV, or a movie, and last week I fell asleep while watching cartoons with my 3-year-old granddaughter. When I woke up, she was handing out dry cat food crunchies to the cats and having the occasional nibble herself.

I can maybe have a piece of toast for breakfast and put the plate in the dishwasher, but then I'm ready for a nap again. This is beyond bizarre and I am SICK of it. Could somebody please let me know if they have experienced similar exhaustion? I have never experienced anything like this in my life before. Thank you for your help.

[Blackapple]

On Day 7 of withdrawal, I stopped cold turkey. I definitely have brain zaps, dizziness, nausea , and hot flashes. I started taking fish oil 3 days ago and I think it has helped calm the brain zaps and dizziness, they are about half as bad now. I think its getting better day by day, but very slowly. I have a feeling this is going to last a lot longer than I ever anticipated.

[itsnotinyourhead]

Ive been off 30mg dose for ten days now. although I have not cried in a few days theres been some moments where I could have. I get really anxious and hot/cold sweats. I have dreams that I want to wake up from but so tired that I cant! frustrating... My armpits sweat profusely! My skin is a disaster, breaking out all over my neck and chest, something that was never so severe before. Have been taking Magnesium it has made a huge difference for me along w/ B-complex and vitamin D. I get really thirsty and if I dont eat small meals often I feel weak & nauseous. Taking it one day at a time and pacing myself w/ work. REALLY aggitated,minute Im singing, the next lashing out at my loved ones. Still not myself but thank God I got off this awful medication before I took it for longer than nine weeks. You feel like a zombie while on it and the devil when coming off! My husband is really understanding. He has had to put up w/ alot! I had to explain to my little boys that Mommy is not herself but when I am I will be the best mom ever. My four year old is too young to really understand and keeps giving me a kiss and saying I love you mama! Such a sweetheart, but I think my older son has actually been scared of me and for me. I asked him to pray for me and I know he does. I would have never taken this crap in the first place if I knew it would make me act like this.Its such a dissapointment because for a few weeks I felt great, then I got horrible moodswings and almost suicidal. I feel worse now than I did before I took it. Its bad enough having to live with fibromyalgia, and withdrawing now is horrible. I get twitches in my muscles, tremors, aches and my whole body feels like its being dragged around. Sometimes I see tracers like you get on an acid trip, a very bad one...Im so tired and hope I can get better. One day at a time.

[itsnotinyourhead]

so, less than a week after i got myself off of this ridiculous drug, my father passed away on sunday morning. i'm hanging in there, but man....

Sorry to hear that, stay strong. I cannot imagine what youre going through but hang in there and take it one day at a time. At least you got off of it and you can eventually flush it out of your body. Take care of yourself. Make sure that you do.

[distill]

Ive been off for five months now, but the first two weeks were the most extreme thing I can imagine. I still suffer from brain zaps and chronic PTSD anxiety because of a self inflicted gunshot caused by this drug. I can't say it ruined my life because since I survived after dying twice I have a new found respect and happiness for life, but it damn sure changed it in the worst ways possible.

[jmim]

just wanted to say that it's been almost 3 months and i'm still doing ok... still sad about my dad passing of course, and my emotions are closer to the surface than they were when i was medicated, but i HAVE emotions again, which is lovely. i posted a link to a clip below from a video / performance i did (i'm an artist) about my experience with meds. the full video is 9 hours and 41 minutes, the time it took me to count the 36,835 psychiatric pills i took over the 17 years i was on them. the day after i did this, i stopped altogether after months of tapering. IT CAN BE DONE. i was medicated from 19-36. i'm not anymore. i feel like me.

[Amber0401]

Day 12 and still feeling like death lol ... However I will say the worst was days 3-6 for me.

[Pixi]

Update: 8 months after my7 month wean and I still get the odd brain zap. I am now having quite serious short term memory loss and just been found to have lost 50% of my hearing. I had hoped some emotion would return by now, but no, I'm grey, just like this evil med made me. I feel completely damaged by Cymbalta. It's not the being on it that's tough - it's the getting clean from it. Don't touch it in the first place! That's all for now. Take care everyone.

[Waiting4it2getbetter]

After 7 years of being on cymbalta (between 60mg and 180mg), I have been completely off of cymbalta For 8 weeks now, but I still am experiences wide-spread pain that I did not have before. The pain is completely debilitating at times. I frequently am woken by the pain and can't sleep. I'm up at 3:30am writing this because of the pain. I have missed so many days at work that I am in danger of losing my job, and I am only 27.

[Amber0401]

Hey waiting I'm on day 23 clean and feel MUCH better than week one. However ido have a deep widespread joint/bone pain as well. It's a constant deep ache that at times can be extremely painful. However I am seeing myself getting better so hopefully it will go away.

[Waiting4it2getbetter]

Definitely update your progress Ambere0401. I want to know if your pain and aches get better!

[kasee]

Day 6 of no medication. Went for 90 mg to zero cold turkey. It wasn't by choice but after being here, even with the withdraw I am glad I won't ever take it again. It is the devil in disguise!!!!



I am having the brain zaps constantly, the rages are frightening, everything I eat goes through me like water, I feel like I got hit by a mack truck, I am disabled with COPD and feel like my breath is coming to an end at times. I can't sleep either..I hope it ends soon...

[Waiting4it2getbetter]

I'm so sorry. Minus the COPD, I went through the exact same thing. I thought I had a stomach virus that just coincidentally started the same time I went off cymbalta, but when it lasted 11 days, I realized it wasn't. I hope the brain zaps get better for you. Those are the worst part!

[cinderella]

try the fish oil capsules i found they helped with the brain zaps