4 replies to this topic

[mahpiohazi]

I had no idea this site existed. I sure wish it was here two years ago. I was on Cymbalta about 2 to 3 years ago...I no longer can recall the exact year, months, etc. I was on Cymbalta for 6 months, but due to my lack of tolerance, I had to begin weaning. I went through Cymbalta withdrawal -- during that time, it was not as known as it is now. I experienced it all -- just like the rest of you....feeling of mind not connected to body, utter confusion, panic attacks, shadow people, night terrors, and the very most common and most scary -- BRAIN ZAPS.

It's about 2 years now after the fact of Cymbalta withdrawal, which lasted a total of 9 months although I was only on the drug for 6 months. I weaned all the way down to where I was having to fill my own caplets because the makers of Cymbalta only go down to a certain mg then you're on your own. I used to belong to a forum back then, since then the forum has been shut down due to a suicide of a person who was in Cymbalta withdrawal. A few minutes ago I visited Rate A Drug, which I have discovered that the hundreds of Cymbalta comments have since been removed.

As I was saying...it's now 2 years after the fact of Cymbalta withdrawal. To this day, I STILL experience brain zaps. I have NEVER had these before until I went through Paxil withdrawal, and then Cymbalta withdrawal. Is there ANYONE out there who is still experiencing these zaps even though it's been such a long time after the fact of withdrawal?

Thanks in advance.

Shannon

[mahpiohazi]

Thanks all...

Yes, it's been more than two years for me. Upon looking at the calendar, it's going on three years since the END of my actual withdrawal from Cymbalta -- which lasted 9 months. But to this day, I still experience the brain zaps. Granted as I said, they aren't as numerous as they were during the horrid withdrawal, but I still receive those little shocks...you all know what I'm talking about. Some can be slight -- some can be big -- all are very scary.

I'm glad you visited Rate A Drug, which as I said, 2 - 3 years ago there were HUNDREDS of comments and complaints from people about Cymbalta. I was surprised when I visited that site today (to inquire about these zaps), I noticed there were ZERO comments and ratings, which means they were removed. I went ahead and sent a comment to Rate A Drug today, prior to finding this forum....and apparently my comment was removed as you were just at the site and you saw nothing.

As far as what I am taking now -- I am still on 6.0 mg Xanax per day. I have just been put back on Seroquel before bed because of my re-occurring night terrors. My body is intolerant to any other stabilizers, SSRI's, as I've been on most of them and they all hurt me.

When I was put on Cymbalta, I was still going through Paxil withdrawal, which as you all know is the same as Cymbalta withdrawal. I went through Paxil withdrawal for 4 months. During that 4 months, I was put on Cymbalta. Within 6 months, I had to be weaned from the cymbalta -- overall weaning time and withdrawal period lasted a year and a half. I was still going through Paxil withdrawal when I began Cymbalta withdrawal. Paxil withdrawal too as you know creates the brain zaps as well.

I'm hoping someone can come on here soon and hopefully tell me that they too are still receiving zaps so long after the point of the withdrawal technically ending. I'm wondering if this is going to be a permanent thing. I'm also wondering if possibly I am going to die. When they happen, it creates panic as you all know, and I fear I am dying.

[agrace]

Shannon,

I keep coming here every few days to read new posts and see if I can find anything on anyone who has experienced a long withdrawal so THANK YOU so much for posting! My husband's whole story is in the "How to Find Support" forum under "weird symptoms - my husband - help" so I won't go into much detail, except to say that it's been almost four months of withdrawal (almost 3 months since he was done weaning) from Cymbalta 60 mg and Wellbutrin 300 mg. He went through all the usual stuff - brain zaps, tremors, stomach problems, bloody nightmares, profuse sweating, fatigue etc, then he had two weeks of feeling pretty good/normal, and then the real fun started - he began to have episodes of slurred speech, blurred vision, altered perception, drastic emotional outbursts (rage and/or crying), disequilibrium, motor skill problems, after which he would crash for several hours and wake up with little to no memory of decent chunks of it. Like a severe drunk without the alcohol!

This has been going on for almost three months. When it first started, it happened at all hours of the day for two weeks straight. Then it shifted to just evenings and nights, like when he was overtired or stressed or hadn't eaten, and thankfully the emotional quotient all but went away. Still no break though, happened just about every day for a month. Then it was several days on, one day off for several weeks, then it flipped to one day on, three or so days off, which made us think it was getting better. Such relief! But then last week it happened again EVERY DAY - six days straight, til finally last night he was "normal" all day - except for several hours of unexplainable profuse sweating (that still happens here and there) - and he was "with me" until after 11 pm.

Then today was really bad again - VERY low mood this morning, and by mid-afternoon, out came the slurred speech, altered perception, crying, tingling in hands (oh, he also has perpetual numbness in his toes - hasn't felt them 100% for weeks and weeks), extreme fatigue, blurred vision, sharp pain in temples (that's a new one that's been cropping up lately), after which he slept for about 90 min, then got up, was foggy for a while, coherent for about an hour, as fine as he'd been all day, then he got REALLY bad, REALLY fast at around 9 pm, so bad that he couldn't pick up french fries at dinner (yes we ate way too late today - no doubt a factor), couldn't speak clearly, would literally roll his whole head in my direction to look at me, felt so whacked that he didn't think he could get upstairs by himself. Once he did and collapsed on the bed, he cried again, said things that didn't make any sense, eventually went to sleep.

I am so frustrated and scared! And he has to get up tomorrow and drive 8 hrs - after being unemployed all summer (which turns out to have been a blessing as he dealt with all this stuff) he recently accepted a job two states away (we'll move asap) for which he has to travel quite a bit, and tomorrow he's heading to his new office for a few days after spending all week last week working from home. And I'm just sick about him going.

When you say nine months - what kind of withdrawal were you dealing with for that long? What were your persistent symptoms? I have yet to find any anecdotal stories from people online that match what my husband is going through. This is just horrible! And there's not much we can do about it but wait it out. I don't know if the supplements he's been taking are actually doing anything, but I'm making him take them anyway. And we have some essential oils too. I just keep thinking, ok, each day is one more day removed from the drugs and one more day closer to "fine." But in all honesty, when I watch him go through this and help him with getting around, it's hard not to imagine that there's some permanent damage on some level. And he was only on Cymbalta for 2 1/2 months! The Wellbutrin was a couple years, plus a few other things in recent months, but that's all in my original post.

It's also hard not to get just ripping mad and sue somebody.

[mahpiohazi]

Hi agrace...

I'm very sorry to hear about all these horrible things happening to your husband. I will agree...it is utter hell what he is going through, and for you too. Since he's in his 4th month of 'without'...and his withdrawal symptoms are still as intense as ever, then he might have a few more months to go of this. As I said, for me it was 9 months, after the fact of being 'without'. Now, today, I'm going on my 3rd year of being without, and I still receive the terrifying brain zaps...not as numerous as mentioned on my post, but they most definitely still happen and sometimes it will be several at one time...like maybe 5 in 20 seconds time.

As far as what I was going through for those 9 months in comparison to your husband...yes I had the confusion, I had the rage, I had the inability to do common tasks -- sometimes I couldn't drive, I drove right into our tractor with my car -- nothing major -- but just the fact that it happened. The night terrors were horrid. Though I already suffer from terrors, but the withdrawal did add to them. Audio hallucinations such as voices, whispers, screams, yells. Visual hallucinations such as what I call 'shadow people'. I never collapsed such as what is happening with your husband. Nor did I ever give the "rolling head when turning to look at something" effect. Blurry vision -- yes. Slurred speech -- sometimes, especially during a "mind not connected to body" episode. I will emphasize the brain zaps. They are very terrifying and will create much panic and fear. I specifically remember counting a "set" of my brain zaps one night, during that 9 month withdrawal (after the fact of already being off the med)....I counted 21 brain zaps in 60 seconds. They were strong, they were and still are scary.....VERY scary. Your husband is going through the same thing.

I would pay attention to his collapsing and him rolling his head and slurred speech. If you have to, if your gut tells you to, take him to ER. Though you may have a very difficult time explaining to the staff what your husband is going through (cymbalta / wellbutrin) withdrawal unless it is better known in the ER's now -- I don't know. As far as wellbutrin withdrawal, I have never experienced that. I am intolerant to wellbutrin -- I had an immediate reaction to wellbutrin on the very first dose -- as though I had taken LSD and was having seizure like feelings. Same thing happened with Abilify.

I hope something I have typed here gives you a little peace of mind. Knowing now that yes, you have finally found someone who went through a very long withdrawal period, and nearly 3 years later -- is still suffering some aspects of it (zaps). I am a firm believer it has caused permanent damage. Though I know what I say here is not good, but I hope it gives some comfort to know that there is someone else who has experienced the very long withdrawal.

I will say something that I DO remember while I was in withdrawal -- was learning that it IS possible for withdrawal to last as long as a year. Some people have short withdrawals -- some people have long withdrawals -- some people have no withdrawals. As far as I'm concerned....I think "some people have forever withdrawals" needs to be added to that list.

[Merriweather]

Hi All,
I have been off of Cymbalta for over two years. At the time I didn't realize I was sick from missing my Cymbalta does, I didn't know what was causing the sickness-the xanax, suboxone, Cymbalta, or the combination of the three-so I stopped everything cold turkey. At the time I just thought that I had damaged my liver beyond its ability to filter these chemicals out of my body. It was hell for about a month. I experienced everything listed in this forum, plus no sleep for about three weeks because I was dependent on the xanax. I have never taken any perscriptions again. I am scared to death of them! Now I won't even eat any processed foods, sodas, sugars, alcohol, gluten...and I feel great. I think you may be right in that Cymbalta causes permanent damage and we just have to be super careful now with our bodies. I worry about the supplements being taken so close to (or in withdrawal), do you think the body can properly metabolize these if it hasn't reached its own equalibrium? Have you checked your B12 level? Low B12 can cause a host of problems and is very common (and easy to fix with injections from the doctor).