6 replies to this topic

[Loosingit]

Holy Crap! I just found this website/forum and I don't know whether to be relieved, angry, or more depressed! I've been on Cymbalta for about 7 years for Fibromyalgia and arthritis pain. Like others here, I was given Cymbalta to help with the pain, not because I was depressed, because I wasn't. I originally started at 30mg a day, then tried to go up to the 60mg a day the Doctor was recommending, but started getting kind of Manic (no, I'm not bi-polar), so I went back to the 30mg a day and stayed with that until recently. Cymbalta seemed to quit helping with the pain about 2 years ago, but because of my husband's job we've moved twice during that time, meaning new Docs and they all seemed to feel that Cymbalta was the "drug of choice" so I stayed on it, til mid March when my new Neurologist started me on Savella. She told me to wean myself off the cymbalta by first skipping a day for a couple of days, then reducing to half a capsule every other day and quitting over a two week period, but that I shouldn't have any problems coming off of it because the Savella was also a Seratonin Norepinephrine re-uptake inhibitor, so my brain would still be getting the chemicals it needed, just in a different proportion (more norepinephrine). So, I followed the weaning protocol she reccomended. I had some headaches and some buzzy feeling in the head and weird dreams, but figured it was short term and I could deal with it.

At the same time that I was going completely off of the Cymbalta, I was suppose to increase my dose of Savella. It was then that i started having these constant crying episodes at the drop of the hat. The Savella was definitely helping with the fibro pain and I had more energy to do stuff than I'd had in a long time. But the abject emotional misery that I have been experiencing was making me consider going off the Savella. I'm currently at the point where I can't go out in public because I can't talk to people about anything except the weather without breaking into tears. Last night I almost choked when I broke out into tears while trying to brush my teeth! And the weird dreams and even bizarre images I see when I close my eyes, and yes...fleeting thoughts of ending it all, have had me seriously thinking about committing myself. Last night as I was trying not to wake up my husband with my sobbing, it occurred to me that maybe it wasn't the Savella, that maybe I was still going thru the Cymbalta withdrawal...so, I Googled Cymbalta withdrawal and found this forum and a few others. I can't believe Eli Lilly is acting like this isn't a problem when there are posts online going back to 2007 about Cymbalta problems! I spoke with another friend of mine that was on Cymbalta and she said it took her several months to get off of it, and she had to use a compounding pharmacy to reduce the dosages down...but her insurance wouldn't pay for the compounding and it cost her over $600 a month. I called my Doc who said, well, just go back on the Cymbalta in addition to the Savella. So......are my choices to be "hooked" on this drug for life or fight disabling depression..? I did go back on the Cymbalta today, just because I can't stand myself crying all the time, but I'm livid! I feel like some back street pusher has made me an addict! I have studiously resisted the painkillers offered to me, like Vicodin Oxycontin and Ultracet because I didn't WANT to have to deal with addiction. I do think the drug needs to be reclassified and Eli Lilly should have to pay for compounding if that is the only safe way to get off of this drug.

[kzap]

Hi Loosingit

So Sorry to hear how you are struggling with not only Fibromyalgia but the Cymbalta withdrawal. I also have Fibromyalgia since 1996. In 2008 my neurologist changed me from Prozac to Cymbalta and I started going down hill from there. Unfortunately, it took 4 years to realize I was suffering from SERATONIN SYNDROME (please Google it and read about it) That is why I'm getting off of the Cymbalta now. I'm presently on day21 w/o cymbalta and have been on the same physical and emotional roller coaster ride everyone else talks about. It Has not been easy but I believe it will be worth it in the end. I have found this Forum to be extremely helpful and encouraging during this very difficult process.. If you decide to get off of the cymbalta , maybe a slower withdrawal by opening up the caps and decreasing the beads might be less traumatic to your body. Look back in this forum at a post by Zazzed,( in the last 2 weeks) She listed a formula for decreasing the balls that somebody figured out. I did not have the patience to count the balls. I just opened up a 30mg, licked my finger and put the balls in my mouth. I just tried to take less everyday til I decided to just stop it and tuff it out the rest of the way. Patience is not really one of my virtues, Anyway, I'm off of cymbalta now for 21 days. In day 16,17, 18, I felt a lot better. I could think clearly, drove my car again and went to church last Sunday. Tues and Wed were pretty bad again. All of the w/d symptoms seem to come back but yesterday and today only my shoulders hurt. Otherwise I'm OK.

[Loosingit]

Thanks KZAP, I do want to get off of it and think that I will look for that post about counting balls....patience isn't my virtue either, we'll see. This whole episode with the Cymbalta has already got me questioning what the downside of Savella is. I just turned 60 and am really not pleased with the thought of having to be on a bunch of medications for the rest of my life. I've heard that sometimes Fibromyalgia symptoms fade as you age, but it sure hasn't happened to me yet...then again, sometimes I have to stop and figure out if its Fibro or arthritis that I'm feeling at at the time. For awhile I was seeing an excellent Osteopath who had me on a bunch of different vitamins and minerals that were really helping and the plan was to eventually get off of the Cymbalta with him, but now he's in Sacrmento, Ca and I'm in Caliente Nevada, so I don't see him anymore. I pray and meditate and have moments of calm and peace, but if I actually try to function, I crumble. I don't think most doctor's have a clue how horrible withdrawal from Cymbalta can be. I did look up Seratonin Syndrome when I first went on the Savella, because the patient information flyer mentioned it, cautioning that being on Savella with other SNRIs could cause it. But my issues really seemed to get worse with the cessation of the Cymbalta. I will admit that while I was on Cymbalta I did experience that flatness, apathy and memory issues listed in the symptom list at the beginning of the forum, but I never cried. For awhile I even thought that maybe I had just saved up so much crying all those years of being on the Cymbalta, when I was virtually numb, that I just had to get it out of my system, but after 11 weeks, I really think that my reliance on the Cymbalta caused my system to quit producting what ever neurochemicals my brain needs, so it may be that I have to continue to supplement. Well, tomorrow is another day. Thanks again for your welcome to the forum

[becki]

"loosingit", so sorry to hear what a rough time you are having. I have been on cymbalta for over 5 years for fibro as well, and am slowing weaning off of it, counting out the beads. Actually, my husband counts them out for me every week. It's still hard, but doesn't seem to be as bad as I hear from the people that did not do it slowly like that. I am down to 31mg, and have lowered my dose by 4 mg every week. Its a long process and I can't wait to be done. I haven't cried in years, and last weekend I laid in bed and cried. This is crazy!!
I don't think the cymbalta was helping my fibro anymore, but now I"m wondering if the fatigue and pain I was feeling while on it, were actually from the meds and not the fibro.
I'm going to try really hard to control my fibro with clean eating, and natural things. I have NO desire to put another pill into my body ever again!
Good luck on your journey, and please keep posting, it helps knowing other people are going through the same thing, as hard as it is.

Thanks KZAP, I do want to get off of it and think that I will look for that post about counting balls....patience isn't my virtue either, we'll see. This whole episode with the Cymbalta has already got me questioning what the downside of Savella is. I just turned 60 and am really not pleased with the thought of having to be on a bunch of medications for the rest of my life. I've heard that sometimes Fibromyalgia symptoms fade as you age, but it sure hasn't happened to me yet...then again, sometimes I have to stop and figure out if its Fibro or arthritis that I'm feeling at at the time. For awhile I was seeing an excellent Osteopath who had me on a bunch of different vitamins and minerals that were really helping and the plan was to eventually get off of the Cymbalta with him, but now he's in Sacrmento, Ca and I'm in Caliente Nevada, so I don't see him anymore. I pray and meditate and have moments of calm and peace, but if I actually try to function, I crumble. I don't think most doctor's have a clue how horrible withdrawal from Cymbalta can be. I did look up Seratonin Syndrome when I first went on the Savella, because the patient information flyer mentioned it, cautioning that being on Savella with other SNRIs could cause it. But my issues really seemed to get worse with the cessation of the Cymbalta. I will admit that while I was on Cymbalta I did experience that flatness, apathy and memory issues listed in the symptom list at the beginning of the forum, but I never cried. For awhile I even thought that maybe I had just saved up so much crying all those years of being on the Cymbalta, when I was virtually numb, that I just had to get it out of my system, but after 11 weeks, I really think that my reliance on the Cymbalta caused my system to quit producting what ever neurochemicals my brain needs, so it may be that I have to continue to supplement. Well, tomorrow is another day. Thanks again for your welcome to the forum

[HollyBerry]

ONLY TODAY DID I REALIZE THAT I AM NOT ALONE. I AM ONLY ON DAY 2 AND FEAR THE LONG ROAD AHEAD.

I am a graduate student in Dallas majoring in Cognitive Neuroscience. I have learned so much in the past six months about how antidepressants are only affective in 6-10% of the population. Anyone familiar with how powerful the pharmaceutical companies are in this country understands why the continued high rate of prescriptions.

This affected me personally, as I have been taking Cymbalta for years. I decided it was time to desist in taking the meds, but was totally not prepared for the withdrawal experiences. The doctors--and certainly not the pharmaceutical company--do not reveal the horrible, life-stalemating affects one will have to go through in order to wean off of Cymbalta.

I cannot go anywhere or even do anything around the house. I am plagued with fatigue. I am nauseated and sometimes cannot keep food down. I make constant trips to the bathroom. I am hyper-sensitive to sounds. I have these “flashes” that I have now discovered are common in others, and they call them “brain zaps”. It feels like electric pulses that zap through my head and cause this disturbing dizziness.

Distraught with sickness, I looked online to see if I could find information. I found was an entire forum based on providing support for those coming off of Cymbalta. This is when I learned that I am not alone. Why has this information been kept from people who are on Cymbalta or who may consider beginning the drug?

This is what needs to change. People have a right to know how a drug they willingly take may affect them. With the proper information, people can then make a conscious decision if they want to introduce this drug to their body or avoid the potential dangers.

[freefrom11]

I agree! All these drugs are the same and you just get handed a script for another to get off the other!!

[flowers]

I am on day 20 of no cymbalta. I was on 40mg for 4 years.Other meds for 10 years. I did a slow ween by counting balls. It is a long process. I took 7 balls away every 7 days. Each capsule had about 180 balls. It took almost a year. I am now 20 days free. The only side effects I had during this proccess were slight dizziness and a little moodiness.On day 14 of no cymbalta I thought I was home free. But then the crying started. I have cried for 4 days straight. Opened the bottle 4 or 5 times to take one. I stuck it out with the help of my husband. Now I only cry once a day. So I am hoping each new day will get better. I asked my doctor when she prescribed it in the beggining if there were withdrawl problems and she said no. Now 4 years later when I told her I was crying 24hrs a day she says "Oh you are going through withdrawl". I really believe the doctors DON'T know any of the side effects and long term use of these meds. We have to be so aware of every med our doc orders. I am in this for the long hall this time. I am never going back on meds. To all of you out there hang in there and we will get through this. It is helpful to know that others are going through too.