52 replies to this topic

[fishinghat]

I know how you feel about this site. It really makes a difference.

Good luck with the doctor. Just remember, doctors help but it is you who is responsible for you health. Hang tough.

[GreenMachine]

I wasn't aware that Cymbalta could lower testosterone levels, beyond what I've seen other SSRIs do, but I never really thought about it either.  For years I struggled with borderline low T which the medical community ignored and told me my past symptoms were all in my head.  I tried every supplement to raise my testosterone naturally, none of which worked leading to a few years of steroid abuse.  But, stayed clean off those for a couple years to let my levels come back to where they would be naturally, and turns out my T was still low, actually way below normal, and now prescribed testosterone injections which have been working wonders for me.  After all that though, I'm not really sure how much SSRIs including Cymbalta lower testosterone levels, if the effect is profound enough to make a considerable difference.  If I recall correctly Fishinghat, you're over 40...?  If so, and if you're testosterone levels are indeed found to be below normal, I would suggest to find a good endocrinologist to help you with TRT.  For years I had chronic anxiety as well as panic attacks and a host of other psychiatric "diagnoses" and now I do not.  I doubt Cymbalta *cured* those conditions which plagued me for years, so that only leaves one thing in my opinion.  Also, with testosterone, make sure to get thyroid levels checked as well because hypothyroidism has many of the same symptoms as hypogonadism.

[CymbaltaCrap]

Hi Guys!

Fishinghat I hope you find some answers to your other issues asap! I too am sooo thankful for this site! I really don't know what I would have done without it!!

 

 

Want2BFree2013 Cymbalta does 'dull' emotional pain doesn't it!? Could you try a vitamin B complex to try and give yourself a natural 'lift'? I've started on Vit B while weaning and will stay on it until I have to...

 

I never realised that Cymbalta was used for so many different ailments! I was on zoloft then weaned off that (my reason for low libido) then started on Cymbalta. But I"m just amazed that Cymbalta is used for pain also!

 

Have a good day (or night) all and yes hang in there! We are winning the battle!

[fishinghat]

I rreeaaalllyyy appreciate the info. Low testosterone is very common for men taking ssris. For my age (60, yes, I am an old goat) free testosterone should run from 120 to 400 and my testosterone BEFORE cymbalta was 400. I developed not only low T (a reading of 68!!!) but high estrogen and prolastin with breast pain. Both my primary care doctor (an endocrinologist) and my psychologist (and the medical journals I have read) say this is common for men on ssris and esp cymbalta. They say it takes 6 to 8 weeks for natural testosterone production to rebound. They have both seen male patients that had is so bad they actually lactated. I don't think there is any need for me to lactate!! lol

 

My doctor does not beleive in taking any medicine if possible (my kind of doc). He wants me to stay off the supplements and testosterone cream until he sees where my natural production levels off at.  I sure am wearing down with this constant panic and fear.

 

I just can't say enough about how much I really appreciate every one on this site. You all are the best and have made a difference for me.

[lady2882Nancy]

Your not so old fishinghat - same age as my hubbie.

I need to find a dr like yours but in this one doctor area I don't really have a choice so I will just have to resist filling those Rxs he loves to write. He is kind of old school in his belief that there is a drug to cure everything.

I am the kind of person that there are few drugs that I don't react badly to so his solution is to just keep trying different drugs or add another drug to deal with the side effects of the drug he wants me to take. This has to stop for my own sanity and health.

 

Crapalta sure seems to be an all purpose drug for messing up peoples' lives no matter what their affliction.

 

Well I'm off to the drs now. Sure hope that MRI shows something useful.

 

Take care of you to all

[fishinghat]

Well, I just got an email from my doctor. He said it is possible that the testosterone can cause my constant feelings of panic/fear BUt it is unusual. He has ordered a blood test for me tomorrow. He said it will not only answer the question of my issue with fear/panic but also how well my body is bouncing back from being off cymbalta for a month. He doesn't expect my testosterone to be completely normal but it should definitely be better.I will know the results in a couple days. This cymbalta is ___________. You can all feel free to fill in the blank. lol

[fishinghat]

Hey GreenMachine.  I was just looking at my medical records and because of he cymbalta my doctor was testing my testosterone each year. Last May it was 400 (Normal 110 to 575), in December when I started having problems my test came back at 62!! Bummer But I mention this to show my drs concern for me taking cymbalta.

[GreenMachine]

Wow! All of those readings are for total testosterone, or free testosterone?  Last May you were not on Cymbalta, I take it?  Like I said in my previous post, I knew some of the older SSRIs can lower testosterone levels but the literature I had previously seen on showed around a 100 point difference (which is debatable on how much effect that would really have on an individual but I believe the study wasn't conclusive if the SSRI caused the drop in T or if the low T was already present [chicken or the egg]).  But a ~350 point drop in testosterone and the only change being the addition of Cymbalta?!?!?! That's horrifying.  So glad I'm off that chit now...

[fishinghat]

I have been on ssris for 10 years (ooops, I should have said 'I had been...'lol) and on cymbalta for around 4 years. The doc has always monitored by testosterone while on these meds. They say that it usually takes 2 or 3 years for the drop in testosterone to show. Each time it shows they switch to a different ssri in hopes it goes away for a while. This is the secomd time I have developed this problem and might I add the last. My psychiatrist has stated that she wants me to start on another ssri as soon as I get over the cymbalta. She has a suprise coming!!!! Cold day in hades!!!One way or another I stay off this crap.

 

By hte way those readings were for bioavailable T. My free testosterone was 35 with normal being 46 to 225.

 

I hope you are hanging in there!

[GreenMachine]

Are you vowing to be antidepressant free completely, or just SSRI/SNRI?  Have you looked into MTHFR gene mutation at all?

 

Has anyone here looked into the MTHFR gene mutation for that matter?

[lady2882Nancy]

Good morning all.

Well day 8 for me and headache is a little worse than it has been and a little shaky this morning. A little nauseated too but that could be from the headache. Weather is changing again as well so will wait and see how I feel this afternoon before I make any adjustments.

 

And oh my goodness, I didn't get another Rx at the drs. He actually wants me off the crapalta completely then will re-evaluate how I am for now.

I'm to take X-strength Advil 3 times a day to deal with the pain and if it gets to be too much to call him. Also to treat the headaches as I would my migraines.

 

He did think that I should be able to just go off the crapalta within the week but I told him that on the crapalta site it says that up to 20% of patients have side effects, some serious when discontinuing and these patients should be tapered off gradually. I also told him that the pharmacist was assisting me in tapering off. He said that I should continue bead counting and come see him when I was off it. Also that if I had any problems along the way to call him.

 

I spent 45 min with him so I'm sure his receptionist was not impressed nor the other patients that were waiting. lol

[fishinghat]

GreenMachine - I finally got free of the benzos about 3 years ago. Now it is time to be free of the ssri/snris for good. Once I get my head on straight I can focus on my other meds. You know what they say....eat that elephant one bite at a time.

 

MTHFR gene mutation? That is a new one for me. I will do a little reading on it!!! What can you tell us about it?

 

Lady2882Nancy - Sounds like your doctor isn't to bad. You got a ways to go and hopefully those headaches will eventually let up. When will you be down to zero on the cymbalta?

[lady2882Nancy]

That really depends on how bad the withdrawals get. If I can stay at the same rate of reducing beads it will be another 20 days.

If I get bad anywhere along the way I will stay at the same dose for a few days til things level off so could be longer

[fishinghat]

GreenMachine - That gene used to be called the NADPH gene. It is one of 6 major genes (There may be more now, but 6 last time I looked.)that can mutate and contribute signicantly to anxiety and depression. It is highly underdiagnosed as are the other genetic contributers. Most doctors will do a test for several things when a patient comes to them with anxiety for example. This should include the b vit  and folic acid. Folic acid is sometimes low if the mthfr gene mutation is present. The patient with the mthfr gene mutation may be clumsy when they walk and also be a late bloomer mentally. But many people show no symptoms. From what I remember the treatments were sort of hit or miss in their effectiveness. I think I will spend a little time on the medical research websites and see if anything has changed in the last few years. I will let you know what I find.

[fishinghat]

A lot has changed in the last ten years!! There has now been nearly 40 mutations identified for this gene. Each type of variation causes its own special effects, mostly physical (heart problems and muscular control issues). But a few of these variations have been clearly linked to depression (but little indication of a link to anxiety). Many, but not all, if severe enough will show low serum blood levels of folic acid. The best type of blood test  is for homocysteine which is elevate in the two most common types of mthfr mutations.This blood test costs around $150.  I saw a lot of ongoing studies on this issue but not a lot of indication of therapies for most of these gene mutations. Are you familiar with treatments for this GreenMachine? Have you had a genetic profile done to see if you have one of these mutations? I am going to do some more reading and I will let you know if I find anything interesting.

[GreenMachine]

The reason I brought it up is my mom was found to be heterozygous for the mutation (1 copy of the mutation) and heard before about the huge correlation between the mutation and depression.  I also read the treatment to be hit or miss for some people so that also tells me someone may have it and be diagnosed with it, but if the treatment won't make any difference it's a rabbit hole I don't want to travel down (I've been down a few! lol).  I may be wrong about that, but I just haven't bought into it yet...

[fishinghat]

Well, you are on the right track for sure. With 40 or so different mutations treatment is going to work for some and not work for a lot of others. You are also right about the strong link to depression. The enzyme produced by this gene is the primary compound that regulates production of SAMe which controls production of seratonin, dopamine and several other neurotransmitters. If this enzyme is generate by one of the mutant genes then it will not function or function very poorly in the production of SAMe. The outcome of this severe form of mthfr gene mutation could be devastating. But for sure treatment of it could certainly be hit or miss at this point. So many of these gene mutations are at his stage now. We have the technology to determine what genes you have are mutations but the research on what to do about it is in their infancy. 50 years from now will be a lot different but that won't do us much good now.

[GreenMachine]

Glad you agree about that part...wasn't sure if I was just being too skeptical/negative about it or not.

 

By the way, I was also hooked on benzos for years...detox off those was bad but Cymbalta detox was worse for me and is lasting longer...argh.

[fishinghat]

Lasting longer than benzos? WOW It took me a year to get off the three benzos I was on. The cymbalta withdrawal is nothing compared to what I went through with them which goes to prove there is alot of difference between how people react with this crap.

[GreenMachine]

Xanax withdrawal for me only lasted a few days...it was rough (seizures, etc.), but I wasn't vomiting with flu-symptoms like with Cymbalta...

[CymbaltaCrap]

lady2882Nancy your doctor does sound very supportive, that's great! It's very hard to predict when we'll be off this drug isn't it!? I was hoping by mid April I'd be off but I'm not going to plan now. I'm just going to see how I go. I started off at taking 5 out each day, then I jumped up to 10 because I was feeling fine and I was getting impatient! I've not stalled at 50. I was up to 65 but I was VERY irritable and quite down. I couldn't keep going like that, it was for a few days as it was. So I've been taking 50 out for a few days and I do seem to be less irritable. I'll probably start taking the 5 out each day some time this week.

I also started to get this pain I used to get while pregnant up the top of my stomach. When I was pregnant it was like stretching pain, and this pain I had been getting last week was exactly the same! But I'm definitely not pregnant nor over weight so I really don't know how to explain it! I haven't had it for 2 days now I think so it must have something to do with the Cymbalta Crap withdrawal as our youngest is 3.5 and as I said the last time I had it was when I was pregnant! Very strange!

 

So we just have to keep plodding along don't we?  Every time I come onto this site and read everyones posts, I do think to myself 'wow, all of these horrible symptoms people are having!" But at the same time I think "I am SO glad that there is this site to share with other people, even if they're going through a really rough time!"

[lady2882Nancy]

CymbaltaCrap good to hear from you. I had that same kind of pain for a few days sort of my stomach and ribs. Couldn't figure out what I had done lol, didn't think of the crapalta. Probably what it was as I haven't been prego since 1982 lol. I also get a pain in my neck off and on and there are others who have that too.

What a wonderful drug. makes you sick when you start taking it and worse when you try to get off it.

 

I bet you are at least warm. This morning it was -26Celcius and high for today is -18C (for the conversion that is about -15F and -4F)

[CymbaltaCrap]

Oh wow! It was a lovely 25C here today! Just perfect! lol But oh snow would be so nice sometimes! That's pretty cold thought oh my goodness!! haha It's going to be warming up later in the week to about 33C much to my eldest daughters disgust lol
 

I  haven't had that stomach pain again so I don't know... Who knows if it's got anything to do with the Cymbalta... But I'm definitely feeling better now that I'm going slower again, thank goodness! It's hard to be patient, but when you get horrible withdrawal symptoms there's not a whole lot of other choices are there?

 

Must remember "slow and steady, wins the race"