26 replies to this topic

[BelaLugosisDad]

I ended up in the emergency room today. It fell on deaf ears that electric shocks are cited in the Cymbalta product information sheet under "discontinuing Cymbalta".

I feel utterly defeated and broken. Here is an extract from my discharge sheet from the hospital.

-------------------------------

Clinical findings including treatment and relevant test results:

The patient self presented to accident and emergency shooting pain which is like electric shocks all over his body, those symptoms started after stopping Duloxetine and Pregabalin he was taking for depression early February.

The patient was seen by Dr Ming (neurologist) who thinks unlikely to be any structural or biochemical case of his symptoms, debatable if all those symptoms are related to withdrawal of Duloxetine or Pregabalain ? Related to mental health or combination.

The patient will need to discuss with the GP to get urgent referral to psychiatrist.

[fishinghat]

What idiots.

[BelaLugosisDad]

What idiots.

Indeed, if find it appalling that symptoms that were not present before, are not cited anywhere in DSM V are suddenly considered to be symptoms of my mental illness. It is degrading but impossible to argue with a doctor who must puts things down to your "mental illness"

[FiveNotions]

They are G-- D--- jackasses!

You are not broken, nor are you defeated! It's the med folks who are broken....and the industry that must be defeated......

Lesson to all of us that we need to carry copies of key journal articles to present to them at ERs, doc offices, etc.....

How are you feeling now, BLD? And what was happening wrt the shocks that caused you to go to the ER?

[BelaLugosisDad]

I am pretty darn awful FN but you have made me smile.

I have electric shocks that are like being hit on my funny bone along every nerve path. They are like a constant hum with accentuated electrical feeling pain that travels not unlike an orgasm through out my body every couple of seconds.

I went to ER because I was feeling suicidal, the poison is THAT bad.

At least I left ER fueled by anger not to be beaten by this drug.

[FiveNotions]

Yes, the poison is that bad.....and yes, you can and will make it through this....I'm going to see what I can find on the electric shock thing...both discussions from here and research etc....

Fishinghat, do you have anything that might help BLD work through this?

[FiveNotions]

Discussions from here....

https://www.cymbalta...ng/?hl=electric

https://www.cymbalta...ocks#entry33294

https://www.cymbalta...in/?hl=electric

https://www.cymbalta...tric#entry31433

https://www.cymbalta...ocks#entry23300

https://www.cymbalta...ocks#entry22083

[Wagtail]

BLD , hang in there mate . The feelings you have are real & certainly from the withdrawal , just remember every time you feel them that this is a side effect .
Fight back & go with them .
Good luck my friend .

[fishinghat]

Wow, tough search but found two.

 

 

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3733524/

 

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2564489/pdf/405.pdf

pg 408

[fishinghat]

HAHA I found 3 more...

 

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23930231

http://www.bmj.com/content/331/7520/824

http://pb.rcpsych.org/content/29/6/219

[FiveNotions]

Another thought, BLD.... In addition to omega-3, magnesium may help a bit with the electric shocks....early on in withdrawal I was having horrid muscle aches...and leg "tingles" .... Maybe a mild version of what you've got? Anyway, I bought Epsom salts (magnesium) and dumped it in hot baths...and soaked myself pruney....felt great....

Are you still having thoughts of hurting yourself? Do you have anyone there with you? Family? Favorite furry critter?

[FiveNotions]

FH....great research!

The atomoxetine (sp?) acts on serotonin and norepinephrine ...like cymbalta ....

So, food and supplements that augment both those should help with the body shocks and brain zaps....yes?

[thismoment]

BLD

 

Sorry to hear about your trip to the uninformed ER; there are amateurs everywhere, even among the professionals. 

[fishinghat]

FH....great research!

The atomoxetine (sp?) acts on serotonin and norepinephrine ...like cymbalta ....

So, food and supplements that augment both those should help with the body shocks and brain zaps....yes?

 

Theoretically but without knowing if there is a difference in their mechinism I can't be sure.

[fishinghat]

Big differences in mechanisms.

 

Atomoxetine (brand name: Strattera) is a drug approved for the treatment of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).^[ It is a selective norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor (NRI),^[ not to be confused with serotonin norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs) or selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), both of which are currently the most prescribed form of antidepressants.

Atomoxetine inhibits NET, SERT and DAT with respective K_i values of 5, 77 and 1451 nM. In microdialysis studies it increased NE and DA levels by 3 fold in the prefrontal cortices but did not alter DA levels in the striatum or nucleus accumbens.  Atomoxetine also acts as an NMDA-receptor antagonist at clinically relevant doses. The role of NMDA-receptor antagonism in atomoxetine's therapeutic profile remains to be further elucidated, but recent literature has further implicated glutaminergic dysfunction as central in ADHD pathophysiology and etiology.

The antidepressant properties of duloxetine are due to blocking the reuptake of serotonin and possibly also noradrenalin within the central nervous system.  Major depressive disorder is believed to be due in part to an increase in pro-inflammatory cytokines within the central nervous system. Antidepressants including ones with a similar mechanism of action as duloxetine, i.e. serotonin metabolism inhibition, cause a decrease in proinflammatory cytokine activity and an increase in anti-inflammatory cytokines; this mechanism may apply to duloxetine in its effect on depression but research on cytokines specific to duloxetine therapy is lacking. The analgesic properties of duloxetine in the treatment of diabetic neuropathy and central pain syndromes such as fibromyalgia are believed to be due to sodium ion channel blockade.

[thismoment]

BLD

 

Did they do anything in the ER to help you?

[BelaLugosisDad]

Thank you all for your feedback and research. It appears that the body shocks are less frequent than other symptoms. I am wondering if they are are result of poly pharmacy.

 

Both Cymbalta and Lyrica have been licensed for neuropathic pain. In fact they are the two front line medicines in the UK. it seems to me highly suspicious that having come off 2 drugs that are used for neuropathic pain I am experiencing severe and strange pains and feelings throughout my nervous system.

 

If it walks like a duck, swims like a duck and quacks like a duck - it probably is a duck.

 

Adam x

[BelaLugosisDad]

BLD

 

Did they do anything in the ER to help you?

Absolutely nothing, apart from suggest that depressed people often experience inexplicable pains - therefore I was probably depressed and should resume taking the Cymbalta.

 

I nearly did as I was very scared and in complete agony. I am so proud of myself that I didn't.

[FiveNotions]

I've said it in another thread here...and I'll say it again..... There is a very special place in Hell reserved for these medical "professionals".....

[thismoment]

Adam

Hi again.

They said, "Depressed people often experience inexplicable pains. . . therefore you're depressed and should resume taking Cymbalta."

This proves that some clever chickens are able to walk, swim, and quack like ducks-- and medical personnel are regularly fooled by these feathered tricksters! This event is re-played countless times every day: withdrawal symptoms are regularity mis-diagnosed as depression, and antidepressant drugs are quickly prescribed.

The patient struggling to withdraw goes away feeling confused, defeated, and newly-drugged; the doctor goes away feeling satisfied that he or she just alleviated a patient's pain-- another satisfied customer!

During withdrawal it helped me to view the whole thing like this-- It's the same bottom line whether the King Pin drug dealer operates out of a crude lab in a garage, or a bright high-tech complex inside a Fortune 500 company-- it's ONLY about profit, cash. The neo-psychiatrist is the main pusher, with ordinary physicians as regular street-corner dime-baggers.

The drug itself is designed to alter your body so profoundly that it's impossible (or nearly so) to escape. The drug company controls all research, propaganda, and data; it provides valuable incentives to its network of distributors and pushers.

The drug is designed to make you think you are going crazy when you stop taking it. It's designed to fool ordinary physicians into writing prescriptions for withdrawal symptoms that have been pre-engineered.

In the US, there are 30 million prescriptions annually for antidepressants. At $300 a month each, that's $9 billion per year, and the numbers are growing fast with children vigorously targeted. Sales grew 400% between 1995 and 2005.

As FN says, there's a special place in hell being prepared for these people.

While hyperbole is well-represented in my perspective, it kept me tied to the Ulysses Withdrawal Mast, and it kept me AWAY from physicians for a year- and I truly believe that helped me escape. I stayed mad and indignant and fully prepared to go quietly into that good night should my spirit- my life- not return.

This forum serves to keep folks tied to the mast and aware of what is likely to happen when you go to the doctor with depression-like withdrawal symptoms.

Drug Sellers aren't your friends; except for oases like this forum, you are on your own; some ducks are really chickens; and you CAN beat the bastards and get free of this pathetic for-profit designer drug.

[FiveNotions]

Like a thousand times over, ThisMoment!!!!

[BelaLugosisDad]

Thanks thisismoment for that.it is a good way to look at things.

I am rally suffering now. I am at the point of telling myself that if I die tonight then great. Any improvement on that is a bonus. I found an interesting paper by the Dutch organisation for monitoring psycoactive drugs on the electrical body shocks that I am experiencing. -could someone please ping me an IM reminding me to post the link when I get it together?

The bad news is that all the candidates they documented had to go back on Cymbalta.

I would rather die than give another penny to these fuckers.

[thismoment]

Adam

Hang in there.

[FiveNotions]

"I would rather die than give another penny to these fuckers. "

Same here.....

[thismoment]

Ditto!

[BelaLugosisDad]

Thanks so much for the support yesterday, it was awful and you all were invaluable

Today was better, not good at all, but better which is encoiraging

[Wagtail]

You can do this BLD ADAM .. if I can do it than you can too .. Stay strong my friend .. If we go down, we will go down fighting !..:-)