163 replies to this topic

[Michelle Hinton]

Michelle.. Please get off of antidepressants !! You dont need them. They are bad. Espicially Zoloft. Not as bad coming off as the crack we call Cymbalta, but you will become emotionless. I was on it for 3 months many years ago for pmdd. I could not have an orgasm,I could not cry and the worst was I could walk in a room of dead bodies and walk right over them. NO EMOTION !! I now have a positive energy coach. AMAZING

hi there.. and thankyou so much for your concern! yes it was my intention to never take another AD again. but i just couldn't handle the withdrawals from cymbalta anymore SO SEVERE!!
the zoloft has definetly helped me, however i am going to weam off in a few months as i would like to see if i can cope without anything. i have been on AD for 14 years, i'd like to not be on them!!

[Cat]

Psych. call everything a disorder and talk to you for 15 min and then give you a drug from the pharmaceutical company that is paying him to push it. There are still close to 200 clinical trials being done on all these drugs...www.clinicaltrials.gov.
Doctors treat disease, and its usually based upon a lab test or an exam. What kind of test did a psych. do to determine your disorder? And how do these psychiatrists know which disorder to give you, esp when there are so many disorders out there that to match all the new drugs coming out.
I got thru to Erin Brockovich that has Cymbalta on her site and needs people to email her and under Cymbalta tell her your experience, and I also had a phone consult with the FDA. Takes perserverance.

I am in active withdrawal Discontinuation Syndrome from Cymbalta. My interest is removing this "pharmaceutical from the market, as symptoms are not taken as serious.
Prescribed for me 36 months ago by a well meaning Psych for an anxiety disorder or "panic attacks after a close family member died suddenly. Three months ago I wanted to wean off and tying desperately to do so under Physician's care.

Presently, Klonopin is the only relief from the multi symptom casserole. "BrainZaps", nausea , irritability, labile emotions (bursting into tears), burning sensation s in legs arms, and back, & ringing in the ears are a few of them. I worry I may get addicted to the Klonopin.


No one should endure such agony from a legal drug.

I have read your experiences here and on other sites and it is indeed frightening.In my opinion it is a bad drug. My family is indeed fed up strongly will try to pursue steps to convince the Pharmaceutical Co to remove it

[wolfmoon2682]

ya i feel i need legal representation as no one warned me not even to date! I believe eli-lilly is going to be sued and i full heartidly hope they are! I am not a sue happy individual but this is rediculous!!!!!!!

[Iwannagetbetter]

Hello I would like to give you my story about Cymbalta> I have been on it now for a little over two months if I could show you what it has physically done to me you would cry. It made me more suicidal, i began tearing out my hair self harming myself, i took a knife and carved words into my body I don't even remember doing. i had NEVER EVER had these problems before taking cymbalta. I can hardly sleep, I hardly eat yet i have gained weight. I have such horrible night mares when i do sleep that i actually wake up screaming. This is only from two months. when i told my dr. he told me to just stop taking the pills we will try something else. I am now scarred all over my legs from cutting, i am so messed up I don't know half the time where I am or whats going on. Cymbalta is the worst drug I have ever been on and I believe it should be taken off the market completly!

[Crissa]

Of course, nearly no medicine works for everyone. Brain chemistry is different for everyone - much like everyone has a different blood type - and what's wrong differs with each person, and so what medicine will work for you (or what effects you'll have) differs for each person. I wish we had better diagnostic tools, but as is, playing with the brain is very profitable but filled with pitfalls of chemicals we're not allowed to study.

For me, Cymbalta worked very well. But it has taken me more than a year in a place that I'm safe, to get anywhere near ending my dosage. It would be best, I think, if there was a study on how to get off the drug effectively without side-effects - how else are we to practice evidence based medicine without evidence? - but there is no profit-motive there. If you do sue, please think about the people this drug has helped for many problems; and so they should be encouraged to create a safe (and possibly provide this free) way to discontinue when you no longer need the medicine!

For me, building a house in the redwoods is what I needed. Really, I think any sort of gardening of my own would have done; outside seems to be what I need to let the steam from the city's suburbs, which seem to keep me from beating my depression (among other things in my life). However, Cymbalta was the crutch I needed to get out of the dark hole I was in, to get where I am today. But the path off the drug was not so clear once I was in a safe place and no longer needed this crutch.

Don't forget that it wouldn't be on the market if it didn't work for someone else, even if it didn't work for you. Please make sure we have a safe path!
(Heck, Prozac nearly sent me into a comatose state. Turns out I was allergic. But that's me.)

-Crissa

[RickWC]

I've been off Cymbalta since January but was reading this thread and thought I would tell my story. I don't even remember when I started taking Cymbalta but it seems like it was in 2004 or 2005. I am a diabetic and I kept telling my endo that I was suffering from a strange pressure under my right breast. He asked me some questions and then, without any tests, decided that it was diabetic neuropathy and that Cymbalta would fix everything. No discussion about side effects or withdrawal symptoms. Just fill this RX and take 60mg per day.

I was lucky with most of the side effects that some suffer. The only thing that bothered me was that Cymbalta KILLED my sex drive but my doctor said he wanted me to stay on it for the time being. He said that my sex drive would improve in time but one of his nurses actually told me that for some people taking these anti depressants, it never gets better.

I did improve a bit over time but could barely perform. But by then, Cymbalta was changing the way I thought and I didn't really care about sex anymore. It started out with a physical problem and turned out to be an emotional one. Anyway, I continued to take the drug for years and one Christmas in 2008, I took my last 60 Mg dose on a Thursday. I tried to refill on Friday but my RX had expred and due to a long holiday weekend, I couldn't get it refilled until the following Monday. I won't bother going through all the symptoms I had over the next 3 days because we all know what they are. I didn't even know what was making me feel so bad until Sunday when I started looking online that I finally put things together. All I know is that by Monday when I went to the pharmacy, I was screaming for a dose of Cymbalta, just like a damn junkie. And just like an addict, the symptoms dissapeared within an hour after getting my fix.

I chewed my doctor out good the next time I saw him but even then he denied that Cymbalta was addictive and that what I had was some mild symptoms because my body had built up a tolerance. The symptoms were not mild and if my body had a tolerance then Cymbalta is addictive. Anyway, that experience scared me bad and I never tried to quite again for some time.

In the fall of 2010, my insurance company declared some changes. I was getting all my prescriptions online mail order with a 3 months supply. The copay was usually small. The insurance company was changing it's pricing structure and Cymbalta would now cost me $160 for a 3 months supply starting in 2011. I started thinking about how much I really needed this drug. It had ruined my sex life, as I've already said. And although I wasn't taking it for depression, I seemed to be constantly depressed anyway. And most of all, I just felt numb and uncaring about almost everything.

To make things short, through Nov 2010 and Jan 2011, I weaned off this drug and my doctor even tried to help by giving me Prozac and setting up a weaning schedule. It was far better then the cold turkey route but I was always sad, anxious, angry, and just never felt good. Then I hurt my back and was prescibed some pain pills that lessened the Cymbalta withdrawal but made my mind fuzzy and made me feel sick. Between the pain pills, Cymbalta withdrawal, and hurt back I missed too much time from work and was fired in late January. I was very angry.

Angry with my employer who never tried to understand what I was going through, angry with my doctors for prescibing drugs to get addicted to, and angry with myself for letting msyelf get to the point I was in. My anger has faded over the months but I still feel like I have been wronged. I lost a job that I had held for almost 20 years which has basically ruined my life. Even if I can never be compensated for what I have lost, I hope that something can be done to help others from going through what I, and thousands of others, have gone through.

[omg1234]

You people make me sick. Cymbalta has probably helped you cope with a very difficult time in your life. Now, all you can think about is how to sue Eli Lilly for providing the medication you needed when yoy needed it. Lets make some money off of this company. They can afford to pay. So what if there are withdrawal symptoms. Big deal. That's gratitude for you and that's the American way.

I've been on Cymbalta for 5 1/2 years and yes it did help me though alot of problems. I am not stating that I want to sue the company because that would not be ethical. I would like to see that patients that have to go on Cymbalta know what they would be experiencing if they come off the drug. Until you have the withdrawal symptoms you could never imagine how strong and annoying they are. They take away from your life. I believe that before we start on a new medication we need to know all the effects of them (before, during and after) taking the drug. I do not plan to sue but if that was the only way to help other people I would do what I had to. I took paxil while I was pregnant and my daughter had to go through open-heart surgery a couple of years ago. If I had been informed before taking the paxil, I would have never got on it. I can't say I would not have gotten pregnant because I was already pregnant before I started taking the Paxil.

The medications need more study before they are mass produced. People do not realize what they are going to be hit with because of side effects, withdrawels or what their children are going to be put through. I am sure the FDA would have never allowed Paxil to be given to pregnant people if it was going to cause open-heart surgeries to their unborn children. So from a person that has been addicted to anti-depressants forever now, this needs some major attention and study.

So don't knock what we are doing or saying because you do not know anything about us or our lives. Just like we don't know you. So yes this is in a way a "Big Deal". Have some sympathy for people - that is the "American Way"

[ExCymbaltaUser]

i tried filling out those forms and kept getting sent round and round in a loop

maybe it was because i was in withdrawal and couldn't function mentally.

i think cymbalta is like nuclear power ... while the benefit may be good (for some) NO BENEFIT is worth the risk of the negative effects
and for those people it may be helping, at what cost is it helping?

if Eli Lilly and the doctors don't even want to admit that there are addictive properties and withdrawal effects, what the hell do we know abt what it is doing to our bodies when we are on it?

i now have very bad arthritic pain in my joints since coming off the cymbalta. this is due to lyme disease.

i would rather have the pain that be on cymbalta.

Eli Lilly has been COMPLETELY irresponsible with this drug (and how many others!?) I lost my job and seriously damaged my professional career because of the way i acted while in withdrawal. I don't want money from Eli Lilly, but it's WRONG that they are responsible for this happening in my life, and no one warned me before i put that first pill in my mouth that my life could become such a shambles because of my taking this medication.

I want cymbalta off the market, and i want Eli Lilly held accountable for the ruin they have caused in peoples lives. maybe the only thing they understand is money, maybe they need to have THEIR reputation drug through the mud

BIG PHARMA is all about the bottom line, that's the only place that can be attacked for them to react. maybe we should just make all of them take it daily at 120mg a day for 5 years or so and then make them go off it cold turkey. if it's such a wonderful harmless drug they should have no problem having all their VPs do this.

and YES I am VERY angry about this situation. i'll email erin brokovich and hope for the best.

[ExCymbaltaUser]

btw ...

the reason people want it off the market has nothing to do with whether or not it "worked"

and has everything to do with how horrible and dangerous the withdrawal effects are.

no matter what the positive benefit may be, it pales in comparison to the negative effects

this drug is dangerous. and NO ONE HAS BEEN APPRISED OF THE DANGER WHEN FIRST PRESCRIBED THIS DRUG!

anyone who does not see this has obviously not felt the hell that is cymbalta withdrawal, which btw is what this forum is about
not cymbalta efficacy or the lack thereof. it's abt withdrawal from it. and how.much.it.sucks.


idk why some people feel the need to argue abt stuff that obviously has nothing to do with them and abt which they are seriously uninformed
~scratches head and wanders off~

[Danwall]

I am interested why so many people are trying to get off Cymbalta? It worked for me 2years ago for SADs, I am getting off it because I live in Ireland and it's expensive, I am only having slight withdrawal symptom but I was only on 30mg. After all I was getting withdrawals years ago on at week-ends from coffee because we had a percolator in our office and I was constantly drinking coffee during the week. So what can you expect from a powerfull drug.
By the way, my doctor was not even aware Cymbalta had withdrawal symptoms

[ExCymbaltaUser]

I am interested why so many people are trying to get off Cymbalta? It worked for me 2years ago for SADs, I am getting off it because I live in Ireland and it's expensive, I am only having slight withdrawal symptom but I was only on 30mg. After all I was getting withdrawals years ago on at week-ends from coffee because we had a percolator in our office and I was constantly drinking coffee during the week. So what can you expect from a powerfull drug.
By the way, my doctor was not even aware Cymbalta had withdrawal symptoms

you might want to start a new thread for this specifically. your question would probably get better visibility that way rather than buried in a thread on a different topic.

[Bjd]

I just filled out the FDA form for withdrawal from CYMbalta. I have been off of this for a few months now and am still having sudden recurrence of the symptoms. Will it ever stop? When went to my doc he wanted to put me on the same kind of medicine! I am so darn frustrated! I just want the symptoms to go away! Any ideas?

[NEVRAGAIN]

I just know that something has to happen!!! I was on Cymbalta for depression and fibromyalgia. I have never been so sick in trying to get off this med !!I only expected to be bitchy and a bit out of sorts for a week or two.I knew I might also have "brain zaps" since that always was the first thing I felt if I missed a day. Fortunately I was off work the first 2 weeks of withdrawal. My stomache was so tore up and painful,I couldn't eat.These were my symptoms: severe stomach pain, alot of vomiting(mostly in the middle of the night), brain zaps, all over body pain, itching all over, mood swinds, bouts of rage, severe motion sickness (couldn't even open my eyes sometimes without feeling sick), insomnia,upsetting vivid dreams, intestinal pain, unrelenting fatigue and I was just sick all over.I felt very betrayed that my doc would put me on a med that would do this to me, as if the regular side effects werent bad enough; no sex drive, extreme sweating, migrains, can't think or remember, could care less for my personal relationships, completely emotionall unavailable for my daughter, husband, best friend and my famly.

It's now 3 weeks since Ive had Cymbalta and I still have brain zaps, still can't sleep well, fatigue, body pain and a little bitchy.The motion sickness is finally gone and I can finally eat!I recall noticing so many beautiful things and I really thought my vision had improved. I was suddenly aware aware that all things were so much more interesting and much more enriched. Its as if I have been an emotionless flat board for the last 5 years. I finally feel like I'm gonna make it through this.I don't think its over and I don't know how long this adjustment is going to take, but, I WILL NEVER BE ON AN ANDIDEPRESSANT EVER AGAIN!!!!!

[JAMIE1975]

I've been on Cymbalta for 7yrs. I tried to get off and with the help of prozac did. Problem was that after 9mo. without it I realized I was unable to cope without it. I tried other meds during this time off Cymbalta. I gave in and went back on Cymbalta 60mg pr dy. I hate it but can't function without it. I know it's killing my liver and kidneys. I believe it damages our nervous systems. I now have leg jerking even when awake. I jerk all over in my sleep. I sweat bullets, don't hear well, don't feel it works for me like it did in the beginning. Have nausea, cry alot, have night sweats, can't remember or lose concentration. I have no desire for life and go from ok to a rage, screaming at my kids. My fingers, hands, and right arm are numb. All three husbands have given up and divorced me. I pray to just get my kids old enough to fen for themselves as adults before I completely give up! This is no kind of life. I'd rather go back to having depression not on meds!

[pelycosaurus]

If we dont get in this companies face and get a little verbal they will continue to suck in new people and destroy more lives.

[RickWC]

I was in my doctors office a few weeks back and happened to see a Cymbalta advertisement in one of the magazines. The ad had 4 pages of side effect warnings, most of which was too dry to bother reading. I did scan through it until I found the subject about dependence. It did not mention withdrawal but simply made a one sentence statement claming that rats given Cymbalta did not appear to develop any type of dependence. I realize that the word dependence is often understood as the body growing used to a drug and needing more to get the same affects. I did not find this the case for me but have heard others on this forum say that after time they no longer got the help of the drug as they did before. I just know that when I quit Cymbalta, I went though many of the horrible symptoms that the rest of you did. That tells me that my body was dependent on this drug regardless of what the company states.

I really do believe that the drug companies have a responsiblity to educate patients much better then they do. When my doctor put me on Cymbalta he never mentioned one word about side effects and withdrawal symptoms. I don't believe he even knew the truth back then.

[EdT]

My Name is Ed, I have been only on this Cymbalta for almost 30 days and I am about to take my own life. I have lost the desire to anything in life. The only thing I hope for is death. I have been previously on Zoloft and Wellbutron for several years. But due to some changes in my life recently, I got more depressed. I was admitted to a hospital for severe stress and depression.

The So Called doctor agreed to change my current Zoloft to the "DAM" Cymbalat and stared from 30 to 60 to 90 mg within 3 days after being admitted to the hospital. Soon after, I became more depressed and start to sleep almost 16-20 hours and lost my appetite and there has been some days when I slept 26 hours (Yes 26 hours). I have no energy nor will to do simple tasks. I need help and I need to protect others from going thru the same mess.

Please call me if you can help 571-344-8611

[EdT]

I've been on Cymbalta for 7yrs. I tried to get off and with the help of prozac did. Problem was that after 9mo. without it I realized I was unable to cope without it. I tried other meds during this time off Cymbalta. I gave in and went back on Cymbalta 60mg pr dy. I hate it but can't function without it. I know it's killing my liver and kidneys. I believe it damages our nervous systems. I now have leg jerking even when awake. I jerk all over in my sleep. I sweat bullets, don't hear well, don't feel it works for me like it did in the beginning. Have nausea, cry alot, have night sweats, can't remember or lose concentration. I have no desire for life and go from ok to a rage, screaming at my kids. My fingers, hands, and right arm are numb. All three husbands have given up and divorced me. I pray to just get my kids old enough to fen for themselves as adults before I completely give up! This is no kind of life. I'd rather go back to having depression not on meds!

Dear friend, I agree with you. I m in the same boat, how can we do something to stop those companies of playing with our lives.

[pelycosaurus]

Dear friend, I agree with you. I m in the same boat, how can we do something to stop those companies of playing with our lives.

Sue them and use the money to fund awareness and anti cymbalta campaign.

[Meli]

Hi....I am terrified at all the stories I have read on this website !!! I live in Melbourne Australia

I was put on cymbalta (told it was a miracle drug for persistent/chronic pain) when I had a really acute episode in March. After a few weeks on Cymbalta 60mg, Lyrica, Valium, Oxcycodone and mersyndol.....I made my doctor take me off everything, as I was so disorientated and could not think straight, as you can imagine. Nevermind i kept driving my two young children to school, eventhough I had to pull over one day because I could not remember where I was....scary!!!

My GP prescribed something else (cannot remember, have terrible cognition issues oh it was tramal), within a week I was in Emergency, with the worst headache I have ever had, I wanted to die then and there...absolute agony !!!!

I have been wondering what these horrible headspins are, now I know...having them as I type !!! I was then taken off Tramal and put on digesic, back to emergency with irrregular heartbeats and faint. They thought it was the digesic.

I was feeling pretty depressed, having had pain since 14 years a car accident, now I am 36, and not been able to work had to defer studying, could barely function, so decided together with pyschologist and pain specialist to go back on cymbalta......OMG !!!! Helped with depression but have been trying to cut down, so took one dose, skipped the next. I skipped one too mlany and I am staring to pay the price!!!

I have had terrible head spins, everytime I move my head or even eyes..., I have been in a revolting mood, slept at mum last night for the first time in my ten year marriage, feel like an aggressive monster.......My weight has also steadily increased 5kgs in 3 months, 2kg in the last week, with excessive fluid retention.


I am a professional, have a university degree, I feel like I am a zombie.... I can relate to so many of the side effects and withdrawl symptoms described on this site!!


I just CANNOT BELIEVE NOTHING HAS BEEN DONE YET TO PUBLISCISE AND EDUCATE PROFESSIONA;S AND PATIENTS !!!!! I AM GOING TO TELL EVERY PROFESSIONAL I AM IN CONTACT WITH !!!!!

Iam still an outpatient program in a pain program....


IS there anyone in Australia out there and do you know what cjhannels we have to go through ??? O will join any fight to raise awareness about this very complex and troubling drug.

Also any suggestions on ongoing withdrawl ???????//

Many thanks

[RhondaKDelgado]

I have a Biology degree and I worked in a microbiology lab quality control lab testing pharmaceuticals and I eventually sold pharmaceuticals a veterinary distributor. I am currently a nurse and I use to work in the cardiac ICU until I became ill. One of my neurologist placed me on Cymbalta. I did not fill initally that it worked for me, but my case was complex and the doctors insisted it be one medication I continue to take. That has been a year ago. I was actually better a year ago than I am now. I decided to wean off the cymbalta but I had no idea the hell I was getting into. It has been the worst expereince.
I do not believe in sueing, but I am interested in pursuiing a class action law suit against ELI Lilly. Lilly had to know the withdrawal effects from this drug in the patients it studied and did not disclose these withdrawl side effects. While they are not legally obligated to disclose these, ethically and morally they shoould have felt compelled to (I know that is a joke). I think all patients have to take an active role in their healthcare. I choose to take cymbalta. I educated myself about the drug from the research literature and PDR. I did not read anything about these horrible withdrawal side effects and was not told by my physicians about them. This lack of disclosure of important information by Eli lilly is the reason I feel they really need to be sued. If the pharmaceutical companies are going to continue to have no concsious then the legal system is going to have to keep them in check. A large fine and order to disclose these withdrawal side effects clearly needs to be put in place by the leagal system. Otherwise Eli Lilly is going to do nothing to correct the problem. I don't however believe in pulling drugs off the market. There may be those few people that desperately need this drug and it may be there last resort and the only thing that works for them. I believe the drug should be available for that person. It may be the drug that saves a persons life and they should have the choice to take that drug. However all information about the drug and withdrawal and long term side effects should be disclosed. Then it is up to us as individuals to make our own informed decisions. Are this drug's risks and withdrawal symptoms worth the benefits I gane from it. In my case the answer was hell no. You couldn"t pay me a million dollars to go back on that drug. But I know each of us are facing different medical issues and some person out there may feel the benefit is worth the risk. So I think for that person the drug should be available, but all the facts need to be avaiable for the patient to make an educated informed decision about taking Cymbalta.
Just remeber all drugs are approved by the FDA based on safety and side effects while the patient is taking the drug. The withdrawal side effects in many drugs are not the criteria by which a drug is approved. This is something that is just now being addressed in many drugs. After the drug has been in the mass population and problems become apparent.
.

I totally agree with your post!!! It is not so much that I am angry about being prescribed a medication that has truly helped with the chronic pain I experience after falling and damaging the peroneal nerve in my left leg. I am more angry that not only was I unaware of the horrible side effects that I have experienced after having no money to pay for my prescriptions but, my psychiatrist was not aware of them either at least not the severity of the withdraw. The sad part is that even wheening off the medication does not really help lower the withdraw effects. At least if I had been better informed, I could have made a CHOICE as to whether or not I wanted to risk the withdraw effects or not. I will be out of Cymbalta in approximately 15 days and after two separate hospitalizations from not having the Cymbalta I am absolutely terrified. Unless I get approved for Medicaid in the next 15 days (yeah right) I will have no choice but to quit cold turkey. I do think we need to do something/anything to spread awareness and if that means a law suit, then that is what it takes.

Thank you for your post!

[Bizbrooke]

Why are we all still working independently???? Why are WE not the class action lawsuit? I have posted on here asking for names, stories and contact infor so we can actually DO something. We need to get the withdrawal studied and get a protocal written for people like us. Right now they say we are only 1-3% of people who have trouble getting off the drug. Do you think that is true? My doctor thinks I am crazy. Does yours? They know nothing about this either. My name is Pam Ward, pamward36@hotmail.com, phone 513-254-6584. I have sent many letters but I will be ignore until I have hundreds of names who will speak out when contacted.

I want in. Here is my video to Eli Lilly showing them the horrificness this drug is causing me.

[vanilla]

Hello Bizbrooke
Your pain is very real,I know because I too have suffered the following:
brain zaps, dizziness, nausea, vomitting, confusion, sweats, vertigo, muscle aches, problems with digestion and making decisions, and list goes on. I tried to get off of this poison in the summer from 60 to 30 this past summer and I almost lost my life. Once in the emergency room, the doctor there put me back on the 30 mgs in order to stop the withdrawal and tld me to see a psychiatrist to slowly wean the drug off. I have been compounding the drug from 15 mgs to 10 and now at 10, am at home away from work, suicidal at times,and the withdrawal symptoms are there. I am very sorry that you hav suffered as well. Please contact me about the law suit, no one deserves to live this way.

Take care,

Vanila

[stopthecraziness]

Christie....
I want to thank you for creating your video on YouTube. Also, your video touched me so much I cried all the way through it!!!! I believed the commercials for Cymbalta (evil drug) and wanted to try it to reduce my pain from Fibromyalgia and Ankylosing Spondylitis. I was a fool to believe the evil drug would help and I had NO idea what I was in for after stopping it. Its been a month since I stopped taking the evil drug and I have noticed I have changed for the worse. I have hatred toward everyone in my life, uncontrollable crying spells, suicidal thoughts, and the list goes on & on.
My goal is to beat the withdrawl effects and have this drug removed from the nationwide market!!!!!
If you have any information on how to fight the manufacturer, FDA or who ever it may be... PLEASE send information to my personal email address. It is:

Tazzigal@yahoo.com

Thank you again for creating your video and fighting to "stopthecraziness."

Laura Baker
Des Moines, Iowa.

[cymbaltadeath]

I thank you all for your letters to this page, I am now on day three of cutting back again I started at 60 went to 50 then to 4o and thirty now between 30 and 20 this is day three of that, will be on 20 next weeek sense it was the Christmas weekend I didn't want to be too freaked out. So I am taking it really slow.
I have felt the needles in my skin at first I thought it was hormorne related but reading hear I think it is withdrawals and the sweats. My brain floats in my head and makes me dizzy. I feel like I don't belong on this earth, as in I am an alien, I was in a meeting last night and was watching the other women and was sure I was invisible, or I was giving off the wrong pherhomes because it was like I had an invisible sheild around me. Can't explain that one. The sweats really kill me though I will be fine then I will be a river of water pouring off. Not being able to do anything, my house is very cluttered and needs slome TLC but I just cannot do it. Later in the afternoons I can do a little but it very little, then my brain says it can wait.
I used to keep a very clean house so people have made comments about it. And I tell them I just can't do anything and they look at me like I am nuts, yea well I am.
Headache something terrible I don't get headaches, so far tylonal helps that but the floating brain nothing helps, I get surges of blank thooughts and my mind throbbing in very slow motion doesn't hurt but it is very disorienting. every once in a while I can't remember how to do things without thinking about it for a few seconds. Just look at what I am doing and wonder OK what am I doing? then go on. I can't sleep at night but I can't get up in the morning, I have to wait for what ever it is that has to be level in my system, I can't make myself say OK I want to be up at 6 and get up at 6, I havee to wait till something levels out what ever time that is about 9:30 to 1PM So it is hard to make plans.
I am in fear of this getting worse and I know it will from all your stories. I am on Triliptal also so I hope it helps with some of the withdrawals. I was on the two together. I really did good for a year and a half before it started not working for me but when that happened it really started not working for me. and that was 7 months ago. So I have been messing with the dosage ever sense trying to get it right. Well my DR. and I.
So Day three and it has just started, I got out of bed a hour ago. Thank you all I am going to need all the support I can get, I am telling everyone around me what the DR and I are doing.
So here I go out to start my day and see what it brings with fear in my heart and Tomorrow I will be back. Klancee

[ke7kin]

I just found this topic. Any chance I could jump on the band wagon and sue this company?

[Sonnet]

I'm in with whomever whants to take action against Lilly. I have filled out an FDA form & also emailed Erin Brocovich. What is the next step?

I've only been taking Cymbalta for two years & started weaning off it about a month ago. It is ruining my relationships & made it almost impossible to go to work & live a normal life. This has to stop. I work in pharmaceuticals (retail) & cannot believe Lilly can get away with not warning patients of problems with discontinuation. As I am typing, my hands are having muscle spasms making it difficult. I am having to take breaks in between thoughts here as I am loosing concentration. Enough is enough!

On a personal note, my boyfriend is about to leave due to the bouts of rage I will get for little insignificant reasons. I have no sex drive, have brain zaps constantly, shivers or tremors occasionally, constant aches in my muscles & joints that my doctor insisted was RA. After multiple visits to a rheumatoligist, hundreds of dollars spent & seemingly gallons of blood drawn, it turns out that is not the case. I'm so glad I found this website & hope something good can come out of all of this pain & suffering.

[SamuelEvan]

I'm going to contact Erin Brockovich asap. This needs off the market NOW. My doctor didn't even warn me. Actually, 2 doctors put me on this bullcrap so you mean to tell me that not one of them could warn me about this?

I'm trying to fill out that FDA form but it's utter bullocks. It keeps making me check boxes that don't apply to why I'm contacting them (like death.. last I checked I'm still alive). I swear they make that ass backwards just so people don't report things. I hate the FDA.

[SamuelEvan]

On a personal note, my boyfriend is about to leave due to the bouts of rage I will get for little insignificant reasons. I have no sex drive, have brain zaps constantly, shivers or tremors occasionally, constant aches in my muscles & joints that my doctor insisted was RA. After multiple visits to a rheumatoligist, hundreds of dollars spent & seemingly gallons of blood drawn, it turns out that is not the case. I'm so glad I found this website & hope something good can come out of all of this pain & suffering.

GET A NEW DOCTOR! THAT IS NOT RA! You can get a SIMPLE drug test that will tell you if you RA. In short, your doctor is a complete QUACK and IDIOT. Ugh, I'm sorry. I just read things like that and I get so angry at the amount of MORONS practicing medicine. It makes me sick.

As for your bf, he needs to understand that this IS NOT your fault. If he can't stand by your side in your time of need, then drop him to the curb. My gf has been nothing but supportive and there for me no matter what. Hang in there.

[Amber0401]

Try this link it worked well for me

https://www.accessda...atch-online.htm