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My Life And Cymbalta


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#1 Brock

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Posted 20 November 2013 - 12:26 AM

Hello fellow Cymbalta users. My name is Brock. This post is going to be about my experiences going through Cymbalta withdrawal, and generally about my life with anxiety. 

 

I began taking Cymbalta after trying a few other medications when I was 17 years old (I am now 20). It was meant to treat my "generalized anxiety disorder." I now regret this; I wish I had taken a more mentally therapeutic route. I did not have my first panic attack until I had been taking Cymbalta for about a year and a half, and since then I have had many severe panic attacks and worst anxiety. I only take 30mg of Cymbalta, though my doctor (a different doctor than the one that originally prescribed the drug to me) says that 60mg is the norm for treating anxiety. 

 

Anyway, starting this summer I have been trying to get off of Cymbalta. Sadly I wasn't in contact with any doctors, and didn't seek medical advice on the matter. The first time I tried to go off cold turkey. I lasted about a week before the withdrawal symptoms got so bad that I couldn't go on. Then I tried (again without professional medical advice) opening the pills and slowly reducing the dosage that way. I took about two weeks to taper down to nothing, but the withdrawal symptoms were still unbearable. So I went back on, but decided to take only 15mg; I would empty out half of the beads from my 30mg capsules. The symptom commonly referred to as "brain fog" was a constant part of my life during the three-or-so weeks that I used this method; I also began to experience increasingly worst panic attacks, which eventually became daily. So I finally decided to seek medical advice. 

 

The doctor I am now seeing (who I think is great) recommended that I go back up to 30mg to see how I felt, since according to her 15mg wouldn't even really do anything therapeutically. I did so. The panic attacks did not lighten up, but the brain fog did go away. I went to the ER one day last week because of a severe panic attack, and they recommended that I start taking .5 mg of Lorazepam in the morning to preemptively stop the panic attacks from happening. This helped quite a bit; if I take the half milligram of lorazepam in the morning, I generally have a good day. The panic attacks became much more intermittent. After that I visited my doctor again, voiced that I want to be off of Cymbalta, and she prescribed me fluoxetine. I have heard that this can greatly help with Cymbalta withdrawal, so I accepted this. 

 

Today was the first day I took Cymbalta and Fluoxetine together. I attempted for the first time in a week to not take Lorazepam in the morning, and I had another severe anxiety attack. I really need to work on my breathing and meditative techniques. Does anyone here have experiences taking Cymbalta and Fluoxetine? I have read about Seratonin syndrome, and that sounds very scary; how rare is it? I am very tired of living life with panic attacks. Thank you for reading this. 


#2 ZappAlta

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Posted 20 November 2013 - 04:17 AM

I quit posting on this board as only 1 person ever replied to me -but you are an exception .You must slow down and nurture yourself through this process-I can promise you will get through coiming off this med. I was on only 20 mg for approx 2years and went through the withdrawal everyone describes here.It is now 6 weeks post stopping this med and minus still having equilibrium issues the harsh other symptoms are gone.  I would say under the guidance of your Dr and some posters here start again reducing by 3 to 5 beads daily --decrease a few more beads as the weeks go on etc while the prozac kicks in and dont worry about the tiny ativan dose you need for now -when you stabilize after the Cymb is out of your system you will be in better control of the panic (a huge mistake for Drs perscribing these short life anti-dep drugs to panic sufferer's as they mimic anxiety if not taken at the same time every day and eventually having to quit them) Brock coimg off this med is a slow and horrible experience but believe me I was where you are now and offer you assurance and support. each day that you go through withdrawal 'its another day on the road to recovery' 


#3 Brock

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Posted 20 November 2013 - 09:43 AM

Thank you for your reply ZappaAlta. My doctor has instructed me to take both Cymbalta and Fluoxetine for a month while the fluoxetine gets into my system, and then to stop cymbalta. She said withdrawal souldn't even really happen at that point. Thank you for your support.


#4 thismoment

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Posted 20 November 2013 - 10:25 AM

ZappAlta- I'm sorry you had a poor experience here as your posts are very insightful indeed.  

 

I went through what you went through, and was on 30 mg for 2 years- I've been off more than a year now.

 

You are 6 weeks out after tapering off- congratulations!! It's a rough road, but an incredible journey. I found the 'remnant' symptoms continued for a number of months, but eventually they went away.

 

In the beginning, I would have benefited more from some light sedation and early professional human guidance. Unfortunately it took many weeks to see a psychologist, and by then I was a Cymbalta zombie.

 

I know you will continue to improve, and your equilibrium issues will diminish. Best wishes.


#5 thismoment

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Posted 20 November 2013 - 10:34 AM

Brock- I went on Cymbalta for the same reason as you. I experienced the anxiety too, and came to realize that I would take depression any day over an anxiety attack. The Lorazepam has a short half-life so you have to take it at the same time each day.

 

For me, I would have to deal with the anxiety first because I found it most destabilizing. 

 

There is much good advice on this forum and others like it, and when combined with guidance from your physician and support from loved ones, you will get through. Go slow and steady. Best wishes.


#6 ZappAlta

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Posted 22 November 2013 - 05:28 AM

Thank you for your reply ZappaAlta. My doctor has instructed me to take both Cymbalta and Fluoxetine for a month while the fluoxetine gets into my system, and then to stop cymbalta. She said withdrawal souldn't even really happen at that point. Thank you for your support.

Keep us posted and hugs of support


#7 ZappAlta

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Posted 22 November 2013 - 05:43 AM

ZappAlta- I'm sorry you had a poor experience here as your posts are very insightful indeed.  

 

I went through what you went through, and was on 30 mg for 2 years- I've been off more than a year now.

 

You are 6 weeks out after tapering off- congratulations!! It's a rough road, but an incredible journey. I found the 'remnant' symptoms continued for a number of months, but eventually they went away.

 

In the beginning, I would have benefited more from some light sedation and early professional human guidance. Unfortunately it took many weeks to see a psychologist, and by then I was a Cymbalta zombie.

 

I know you will continue to improve, and your equilibrium issues will diminish. Best wishes.

Thank you Moment :)   I now pace myself in a slower mode to cope with the imbalance .Btw I reported this medication 'to bad drug .com' and Eli Lilly have mailed me a copy of my report and want me to send them 'my medical records'  .I think because I had 2 falls (no injury just skinned knees)  It  was at the worst days of withdrawal that I fell and I should have known better and stayed home I did not drive however .  Rewards now my bladder and GI function are back to normal


#8 thismoment

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Posted 22 November 2013 - 10:47 AM

What do you think their motive is for requesting medical records? They requested mine too when I emailed them and asked if they had developed a discontinuation protocol for safe withdrawal from Cymbalta. I posted the gist of their response on this site. Essentially they said NO to cold turkey, YES to slowly tapering off and YES to levelling off the dosage for a while when withdrawal symptoms get rough.

 

I am not convinced that the fundamental interest of Eli Lilly is the health and well-being of you and me. However, if they had developed a discontinuation protocol for the product, they would have my attention. I would be totally on board and would buy the stock if they developed an effective and safe antidote for Cymbalta- that would be a huge moneymaker! 


#9 fishinghat

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Posted 22 November 2013 - 12:34 PM

In past lawsuits against Eli Lilly they use the patients medical records to show a history of psychiatric problems prior to taking cymbalta and just relate any withdrawal or post withdrawal symptoms to reoccurance of the old issues. IF the patient has no prior history of psych probems they then look for any indication of stress in life (recent divorces, severe medical issues, death in the family, lost job, etc.) and attribute your symptoms to that. This has been a very successful technique for their insurance lawyers. Even your medical test results can be used against you. High blood pressure, low wbc, complaints to the dr about difficulty sleeping, tremors, and many many more symptoms are used to indicate the patient had stress long before cymbalta.


#10 thismoment

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Posted 22 November 2013 - 01:17 PM

Does it surprise me that Eli Lilly would use my suffering against me in a court of law? Not really.


#11 fishinghat

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Posted 22 November 2013 - 02:09 PM

Thismoment. In the time of my 30 years of work I have been involved with probably a couple dozen cases related to injuries, illnesses and psychiatric problems. I have seen insurance companies even call in ex-wives to testify. And in civil cases they can even call in your wife to testify. I have seen these people spend 1 to 2 days each being deposed or testifying with the insurance company just waiting to grab ahold of anything and twist it. I have seen a lot of good men and women break down on the stand and cry from the pressure. In the state of Missouri, where I am from, the average medical court case lasts longer than the average murder case. I absolutely hate our court systems and how the people in these cases are treated. It is disgusting.


#12 equuswoman

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    In the future want 2B off Cymbalta! The physicians are no help. Looking for understanding, support & encouragement as I know this is a difficult process. Want 2 be of help 2 others who will find this site looking for same things as I.

Posted 22 November 2013 - 02:32 PM

JMO but it's all about the $$$$$, at least a very large part of it anyways! :angry:

I have never had depression and was put on  Cymbalta for pain of osteoarthritis of my lower back.

It is so sad how ppl are mistreated so much of the time on the stand in court...

In my case this drug's SE are not worth the "possibility" of the help it "might" give me for my chronic pain. I have a SCS implanted (spinal cord stimulator) and will undergo evaluation in the future for subQ leads for treatment of the LBP. I would like very much to be OFF the pain medication as well. 

All of these meds can be harmful 2 my liver...ah well...One day @ a time....down the road I go. :rolleyes:  Glad that my friends here on this forum are w/me every step of the way! May God bless and keep us all....TheEquusWoman :hug:


#13 equuswoman

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Posted 22 November 2013 - 02:47 PM

Hello fellow Cymbalta users. My name is Brock. This post is going to be about my experiences going through Cymbalta withdrawal, and generally about my life with anxiety. 

 

I began taking Cymbalta after trying a few other medications when I was 17 years old (I am now 20). It was meant to treat my "generalized anxiety disorder." I now regret this; I wish I had taken a more mentally therapeutic route. I did not have my first panic attack until I had been taking Cymbalta for about a year and a half, and since then I have had many severe panic attacks and worst anxiety. I only take 30mg of Cymbalta, though my doctor (a different doctor than the one that originally prescribed the drug to me) says that 60mg is the norm for treating anxiety. 

 

Anyway, starting this summer I have been trying to get off of Cymbalta. Sadly I wasn't in contact with any doctors, and didn't seek medical advice on the matter. The first time I tried to go off cold turkey. I lasted about a week before the withdrawal symptoms got so bad that I couldn't go on. Then I tried (again without professional medical advice) opening the pills and slowly reducing the dosage that way. I took about two weeks to taper down to nothing, but the withdrawal symptoms were still unbearable. So I went back on, but decided to take only 15mg; I would empty out half of the beads from my 30mg capsules. The symptom commonly referred to as "brain fog" was a constant part of my life during the three-or-so weeks that I used this method; I also began to experience increasingly worst panic attacks, which eventually became daily. So I finally decided to seek medical advice. 

 

The doctor I am now seeing (who I think is great) recommended that I go back up to 30mg to see how I felt, since according to her 15mg wouldn't even really do anything therapeutically. I did so. The panic attacks did not lighten up, but the brain fog did go away. I went to the ER one day last week because of a severe panic attack, and they recommended that I start taking .5 mg of Lorazepam in the morning to preemptively stop the panic attacks from happening. This helped quite a bit; if I take the half milligram of lorazepam in the morning, I generally have a good day. The panic attacks became much more intermittent. After that I visited my doctor again, voiced that I want to be off of Cymbalta, and she prescribed me fluoxetine. I have heard that this can greatly help with Cymbalta withdrawal, so I accepted this. 

 

Today was the first day I took Cymbalta and Fluoxetine together. I attempted for the first time in a week to not take Lorazepam in the morning, and I had another severe anxiety attack. I really need to work on my breathing and meditative techniques. Does anyone here have experiences taking Cymbalta and Fluoxetine? I have read about Seratonin syndrome, and that sounds very scary; how rare is it? I am very tired of living life with panic attacks. Thank you for reading this. 

 

Brock support and prayers for you. There are ppl here who have gone thru what you are experiencing now. I have not had panic attacks nor depression or anxiety but was put on this drug for an entirely different purpose. Hang in there, stay strong, do what you need to do. TheEquuswoman :hug:


#14 thatstheoldme

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Posted 22 November 2013 - 06:07 PM

..


#15 fishinghat

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Posted 22 November 2013 - 06:21 PM

Well one thing about it Nattsie, seratonin syndrome is easy to spot. One of the first symptoms is a fever which is often 104 F or higher.  Also, when you combine medications, like you mentioned, the seratonin syndrome almost always starts in the first 24 hours. In addition, watch out for it when you increase dose on one of the meds.


#16 thatstheoldme

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Posted 22 November 2013 - 10:19 PM

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#17 equuswoman

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Posted 22 November 2013 - 11:10 PM

I actually haven't been taking them, we decided not to take the pills together. 

Prayers sweet lady. Luv TheEquusWoman :hug:


#18 Brock

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Posted 23 November 2013 - 12:19 AM

Thanks for all the support, everyone! 

Well, today was my third week of being back on Cymbalta (30 mg), and I woke up without brain fog! I didn't even really notice until I had been awake for a few hours, and I realized that I was thinking quite clearly and able to concentrate. It is a huge relief. Perhaps I'll give Cymbalta another shot; it's been too long since I took it as recommended (which was a huge mistake). We'll see how I feel in the next few days. I've had small bits of anxiety today but nothing resembling a panic attack. Thanks again, everyone.


#19 thismoment

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Posted 23 November 2013 - 12:45 AM

Brock- That is good news that you are feeling well; you sound positive! Best wishes!!


#20 ZappAlta

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Posted 23 November 2013 - 02:36 AM

Thismoment. In the time of my 30 years of work I have been involved with probably a couple dozen cases related to injuries, illnesses and psychiatric problems. I have seen insurance companies even call in ex-wives to testify. And in civil cases they can even call in your wife to testify. I have seen these people spend 1 to 2 days each being deposed or testifying with the insurance company just waiting to grab ahold of anything and twist it. I have seen a lot of good men and women break down on the stand and cry from the pressure. In the state of Missouri, where I am from, the average medical court case lasts longer than the average murder case. I absolutely hate our court systems and how the people in these cases are treated. It is disgusting.

I was perscribed it for severe gastric reflux  to shut down the valve going into my upper intestine and admit it did work well for that .I have replied to the mail they sent me 'asking the need for my medical records'.    I made no reference to litigation -just filled out the report papers on 'bad drug' website -it takes about an hour to do  and is not a user friendly web site.                                             


#21 equuswoman

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Posted 24 November 2013 - 12:30 AM

I was perscribed it for severe gastric reflux  to shut down the valve going into my upper intestine and admit it did work well for that .I have replied to the mail they sent me 'asking the need for my medical records'.    I made no reference to litigation -just filled out the report papers on 'bad drug' website -it takes about an hour to do  and is not a user friendly web site.                                             

I may look into this as well. I'd like to file a 'bad drug' report for Cymbalta.... :rolleyes:  :(  :angry:





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