27 replies to this topic

[melly]

Hello, I am new here and was wondering if anyone has developed PLMD(Periodic Limb Movement Disorder) from taking Cymbalta. I phoned the help line on the package and was told it was a very rare side effect. They said they could not tell me to stop taking cymbalta only my doctor could do that. I have been waking up very sore and tired. My spouse says that my arms and legs jerk around all night. The cymbalta has helped with my fibro but now I have to stop taking it. I am very afraid of the withdrawl. Any help would be appreciated. Mel

[Shelly]

Yes! I forgot to put it in first post, but my husband tells me I flail like crazy. I don't know I'm doing it. I doubt it's a "rare" WD side effect. I'm always sore in the morning, so not sure on that. Maybe a little sorer than usual. I also got restless legs in the morning for a few days. I never had them in the am, always at night. Haven't had RLS in ages either, so that was weird. It's subsided now, thank God! I wake up sweaty too & have to change my top.

I'm decreasing by bead counting, you? Seems like skipping days would be harder on our already wacked out systems! Hope this helps...

[TXcounselor]

I have twitching and involuntary movements (in my mind like twitching only on a bigger scale). I get a restless leg feeling too. I sweat so much at night I ordered a menopause sweat-wicking nightgown and I'm 33! Thankfully they sold some cute ones so I can still look sassy while it wicks the sweat...I'm a newlywed, so these things matter to me! It seems like doctors often deny symptoms if they're not common enough, but some people DO have them and I bet they're underreported by the drug agencies.

Mel, I would wean down slowly even if your doctor says over a week is fine. Mine was wrong and I felt like I was going to die (no exaggeration) after doing 30 mg every other day for a week, then stopping. I had to get back on and this time I'm going to circle the airport for about a month before I land. I don't know if that just prolongs the misery, but I know I can't take the crash landing like I did last week. And maybe you'll be one of the people who doesn't have a hard time coming off...Good luck.

[melly]

Hello, I am on day 3 of weaning off of this drug. I have gone from 60 to 30 and will try this for 2 weeks. I talked to my pharmacist and he advised me to do it slowly over 3 months. I live in Canada and we can not get a dose lower then 30, so I am going to try removing 10 balls a week from the capsules. I am 47 and have been on this for 16 months at 60mg. I once ran out and thought that I was going to die, so I am very afraid. Mel

[melly]

Day 6 of weaning down to 30mg. I had a couple days of dizziness, smells bothered me and headache but it seems to have dissipated. On Sunday I am going to try to move down to 15mg. Hope next week goes as well as last week. I have started taking omega 3/6/9 and have Gravol at hand.Thanks to everyone for for great information and support.

[TXcounselor]

I'm also weaning slower this time, but over the span of a month. So far, I've gone down from 30 to 20 to roughly 15 and thing are going better than the every-other-day strategy with the 30's. I'm still having withdrawal symptoms, but they are mild instead of the "I'm going to die" type I had before (that's one level above "severe"). I started prenatal vitamins because I hope to get pregnant sometime this summer when I'm back to normal and maybe they're helping too. I know they have Omega 3. I feel like if I do OK today and tomorrow (day 3 and 4 after going down to 15) I might make it through this way. Days 3 and 4 got me last time and that seems to be a common experience on here.

Good luck, Mel. Maybe the slower wean will help you.

[melly]

Hello everyone, here I sit at 3:20 am on my 7th day well I guess 8th. I thought I was feeling better but today my stomach hurts and the headache is back. I don't know if I should move down to 15mgs in the morning or not.I was so tired at 10:30 but woke up at 1:30am and here I sit. I hate this drug!!!

[happyzapynot]

Hello everyone, here I sit at 3:20 am on my 7th day well I guess 8th. I thought I was feeling better but today my stomach hurts and the headache is back. I don't know if I should move down to 15mgs in the morning or not.I was so tired at 10:30 but woke up at 1:30am and here I sit. I hate this drug!!!

Oh, how I hate this drug, too! In my opinion, slower is better. Remember, your brain is beating up on your body because it wants its seratonin/norepinephrine fix. Sometimes it's best to give an 800 pound gorrila what it wants for another day or so. Hope tomorrow is a better day for you!

[melly]

Hello everyone, I am on day 4 of 15 mg. Yesterday I had bad stomach cramps and was very dizzy. I had to make sure I moved my body and head very slowly. I take my poison (cymbalta) in the morning and I seem to be pretty good until about 1:00pm then the symptoms hit me. I seem to be on a pattern where I sleep every second night. Last night I took a mussel relaxer at bed time and it seemed to help. I have to work at our Thrift shop today so hopefully I wont be to dizzy. I will keep on updating. Mel

[happyzapynot]

Hello everyone, I am on day 4 of 15 mg. Yesterday I had bad stomach cramps and was very dizzy. I had to make sure I moved my body and head very slowly. I take my poison (cymbalta) in the morning and I seem to be pretty good until about 1:00pm then the symptoms hit me. I seem to be on a pattern where I sleep every second night. Last night I took a mussel relaxer at bed time and it seemed to help. I have to work at our Thrift shop today so hopefully I wont be to dizzy. I will keep on updating. Mel

Interesting. There was an every other day nature to my withdrawal, too: Good day followed by bad day. I would love to know about the science behind what this substance (tempted to use another 's' word!) does to the human brain. Wonder how many other people have had this good day/bad day experience? What would happen if a person were sleep deprived during withdrawal? Why does $ynbalta affect the gut and they eyes? I'll bet the withdrawal symptoms boil down to thyroid, blood pressure changes and liver stress.
Thank God, I'm feeling much better each day. Lots of little zaps but the rage has calmed considerably. Potent poison, indeed.

[melly]

Hello, just thought that I would check in. All in all my drop to 15 mg has not been too bad. Second day was the worst nausea, headache, dizziness and no sleep. Things have gotten better but I have noticed that I am having trouble expressing my thoughts and sometimes things just come out backwards of what I mean to say. Also yesterday I was shopping with my husband and some sort of alarm that beeped kept going off. I had to cover my ears as It was really bothering me but everyone else seemed fine. Tomorrow I start on 7mg. I used my husbands electronic scale that he uses for reloading bullets. It worked so well I did the following week's 3mg up as well. I hope all goes well next week.Good luck to everyone.

[TXcounselor]

When I tried to do every other day wean, every other day was intolerable. Now with the slower daily wean (I'm on 10 mg a day now), I notice after dropping the dosage I get withdrawal symptoms 3 days later like clockwork. I change on Wednesdays so the crap hits on Saturday. It should be shaky until tomorrow, then I'll probably level out by Monday. I'm still debating whether to stop at 10 mg or do 5 mg, then stop. I went to my primary care doc (not prescribing doc) this week for respiratory infection and told him about Cymbalta...he said he hasn't heard about people having trouble getting off, but didn't deny it could exist (he said this is common with Paxil and Effexor). Good thing, because if he told me I was basically making this up like the prescribing neuro did, he too would be fired. He ran blood tests to rule other things out and the only thing it showed was high white cell count because of the infection. My usually low blood pressure is also high and my resting pulse rate is about 120. He prescribed Xanax for the really bad/shaky days...I've only taken one because I had to work with my hands that day and they were shaking really bad. I guess it helped.

Today I'm just pissy and kind of down since I have had headache, nausea, dizziness, diarrhea, and mood swings for a month and I topped it with this respiratory infection. I don't really feel like doing anything but moping and feeling sorry for myself. I'm am happy to hear that things are getting a little better for you two. And in the grand scheme, I am getting through this and will hopefully be Cymbalta free in 5-10 days.

I heard a song that is actually a break-up song, but I guess we're all breaking up with Cymbalta here:
I'm caught in a hurricane
I'm leaving here dead or alive
I know I'd be willing to feel the pain
If it got me to the other side
(Theory of a Deadman)

This is all worth it to get to the other side! I feel a bad 'why did the chicken cross the road' joke coming on here...I'm pretty sure the chicken is in withdrawal and having trouble with brain zaps and mood swings.

[melly]

Hello everyone; I am on day 6 of 7mg and I must say it has been not too bad. I mostly feel like I have a flu bug. On day 4 I did itch something terrible even after taking benedril. All in all it has been pretty good. I must note that I have been drinking loads of Good Earth Sweet & Spicy Tea & Herb Blend. It contains Black tea, natural flavor, rosehips, cinnamon, chamomile, lemongrass, peppermint, papaya leaves, jasmine tea, anise seed, ginger root, orange peel and orange oil. It really seems to help. Well I move onward to 3mg on Sunday. Good luck to everyone and remember there is light at the end of the tunnel.Mel

[melly]

Hello everyone; I am on day 6 of 7mg and I must say it has been not too bad. I mostly feel like I have a flu bug. On day 4 I did itch something terrible even after taking benedril. All in all it has been pretty good. I must note that I have been drinking loads of Good Earth Sweet & Spicy Tea & Herb Blend. It contains Black tea, natural flavor, rosehips, cinnamon, chamomile, lemongrass, peppermint, papaya leaves, jasmine tea, anise seed, ginger root, orange peel and orange oil. It really seems to help. Well I move onward to 3mg on Sunday. Good luck to everyone and remember there is light at the end of the tunnel.Mel

I also forgot to mention that my blood pressure is up and my iron count is low. Mel

[melly]

Hello everyone; today is day 3 of 3mg and I feel terrible. I feel sore all over and like I have a very bad hangover. The nausea has been really bad. Has anyone had headaches so bad that it feels like your head will explode? it hurt to even touch my scalp. Hopefully tomorrow will be better.Mel

[happyzapynot]

Hello everyone; today is day 3 of 3mg and I feel terrible. I feel sore all over and like I have a very bad hangover. The nausea has been really bad. Has anyone had headaches so bad that it feels like your head will explode? it hurt to even touch my scalp. Hopefully tomorrow will be better.Mel

Keeping tabs on your blood pressure and body temperature may be helpful. At one point of the withdrawal nightmare my body temp was amazingly LOW for several days. NOT a good feeling. Earlier in the withdrawal I had a fever on several occasions. Thyroid/liver issues during withdrawal are probably self limiting but WATCH OUT FOR HIGH BP.
Hope your headache goes away ASAP.

[melly]

Hello everyone;well onward I go. Tomorrow will be my first day of no Cynbalta and hopefully all will go well. I had a few bad days last week but am hopeful for the coming week. I have started to actually some light yard work and crafts. It feels good to want to do things. I hope my posts have helped some people with their withdrawal process from this terrible drug. I can see the light!!!

[melly]

I thought I would post an update as here I sit at 1:52 am. Day 3 of no cymbalta has been a rough one. I think that I now know what a brain zap is, I can barely move my head or eyes for fear of them happening. I went to bed early as I feel very tired but woke up 3 hours later with stomach cramps and headache. I took some gravol and tylenol 3 and am sipping on a ginger ale.Hopefully I will feel sleepy again soon. Hoping for a better day tomorrow.

[melly]

A new update, my doctor's office phoned to schedule an appointment. Apparently there are papers to fill out in regards to the problems I have had with Cymbalta. I assume they are from Eli Lilly . My appointment is not until the 14th but I will let everyone know what it is about.

Mel

[TXcounselor]

How are you feeling now, Mel? I'm interested to know what the papers are. I did the FDA report but haven't come across any other paperwork that could help. I talked about the Cymbalta nightmare with my local docs and at the Mayo Clinic last week - they all seemed perplexed and 2 of them said they hear about this with Effexor and Paxil, but not Cymbalta. The final one at Mayo suggested I try Effexor. This is after he said the withdrawal is worse than Cymbalta. He was very helpful and professional, don't get me wrong, but probably has a problem REALLY listening or is far underestimating how bad this withdrawal is. I declined any and all meds...I'm just going to live with the neuropathy for now and/or try some non-medicated routes like accupuncture, myofascial release, biofeedback.

[melly]

How are you feeling now, Mel? I'm interested to know what the papers are. I did the FDA report but haven't come across any other paperwork that could help. I talked about the Cymbalta nightmare with my local docs and at the Mayo Clinic last week - they all seemed perplexed and 2 of them said they hear about this with Effexor and Paxil, but not Cymbalta. The final one at Mayo suggested I try Effexor. This is after he said the withdrawal is worse than Cymbalta. He was very helpful and professional, don't get me wrong, but probably has a problem REALLY listening or is far underestimating how bad this withdrawal is. I declined any and all meds...I'm just going to live with the neuropathy for now and/or try some non-medicated routes like accupuncture, myofascial release, biofeedback.

Hello TXcounselor, it is a struggle. I really did not think that I would feel this bad especially after the slow wean. Yesterdy was very bad nausea, dizziness, whooshing in my head and sore all over. I had to get off facebook because everything was making me cry. The papers are from when I reported my side effect PLMD to Eli Lilly. I have to work at a green trade show tomorrow so I hope I will not be too bad. It seems to get worse in the afternoon into the evening. Wish me luck.
Mel

[melly]

I have a question, I was wondering if anyone has developed bumps sort of like hives on their body after being cymbalta free. The last two days I have been getting them, benedil seems to help.
Mel

[TXcounselor]

Good luck at the trade show. I read about acupressure anti-nausea bracelets in Women's Health...I would try them but I'm past the nausea, thank God. I think they're supposed to help with dizziness and vertigo too. Might be worth a try -there are some on Amazon (with reviews).

[cymbaltavictim1010]

Hello, I am new here and was wondering if anyone has developed PLMD(Periodic Limb Movement Disorder) from taking Cymbalta. I phoned the help line on the package and was told it was a very rare side effect. They said they could not tell me to stop taking cymbalta only my doctor could do that. I have been waking up very sore and tired. My spouse says that my arms and legs jerk around all night. The cymbalta has helped with my fibro but now I have to stop taking it. I am very afraid of the withdrawl. Any help would be appreciated. Mel

Yes. I have. It may be "rare" (as Eli Lilly would say) but, as with everything else, I have now experienced every single bad thing this "medicine" has to offer. This actually explains a serious, serious physiological disorder I had in '09 that led to my losing my job (am now back in work, thank God). Also - just wanted to tell you that every day after the "epiphany" is just so good you want to live another day, well, just to enjoy it! Keep the faith. And there are vastly better treatments for fibro, by the way, that will not cripple you and destroy your life.

[melly]

Hello everyone, I am happy to post that all in all it has been a good week. Had some whooshing and mood swings but nothing too bad. I did a lot of yard work and feel very happy. Hope it continues this way.

Mel

[TXcounselor]

Glad you're feeling better, Mel!

[happyzapynot]

Hello everyone, I am happy to post that all in all it has been a good week. Had some whooshing and mood swings but nothing too bad. I did a lot of yard work and feel very happy. Hope it continues this way.

Mel

Mel, it is good to hear that you had a whole week of 'good'!! Thanks for the encouragement.

[cymbaltavictim1010]

Mel, it is good to hear that you had a whole week of 'good'!! Thanks for the encouragement.

Mel. Amazingly I have found that it DOES come to an end. Eli Lilly wants you to keep taking this rubbish but you really don't need to. I am now on no form of "medication" whatsoever (bar the beta-blockers for the hypertension that came during the time I was on Cymbalta - and some antihistamine to help my sleeping) and am 40 lbs down in weight (skinny again for the first time in five years) and working just fine.