401 replies to this topic

[xman]

I have been using the bath salts. Although I do not like to waste water it has been a comfort a time or two when leg cramps have been especially bad. In terms of torso and other related cramping, ibuprofen and anything else that you have available may be of help. But yes pain is par for the course. :-( some may be related to fluid on the joints. Another side effect of crapalta.

[xman]

Another Mind, look back at the archives. Legal steps advancing 2014, if memory serves. There IS a law firm that is moving forward on product defect, for lack of a better word- and that is an understatement! Also, depending on your country, report to your drug regulatory agency. In the US it is the FDA. The more documentation the better.

[thismoment]

A conversation with Cymbalta Gaps-

 

FH: "I don't know what to say."

 

TM: "I can't remember what I asked."

[thismoment]

Amybc7

 

"What I'm curious about is the aches and pains that have no explanation.  Have they been there all along and were just masked?  Are they real?  I hate that when each new thing pops up I'm not sure what it is.  What's causing it.  So frustrating!"

 

Yes, frustrating indeed. Many curious symptoms like aches and pains (muscle and joint pain) will come and go-- one day you can't walk up the stairs and the next day you can run up the stairs! There are too many symptoms to list, but the aches, pains, dizziness, vertigo, nausea, headache, itchiness, hot flushes, GI upsets, vision problems, memory gaps, depression, and anxiety are pretty common.

 

Are they real? Yes. Will they last forever? No. 

 

A lot of new things will pop up and there's little you can do about it-- it's like you were walking along the road at the Fair and suddenly found yourself on a Ride on the Midway. BANG! The gates close and the thing starts moving- suddenly you're 30 feet off the ground and rotating. Not much you can do- but you do know it will end. Now you have to decide which state of mind is most beneficial to adopt  in order to survive this unscheduled event.

 

What's causing it?

 

Let's say some mischievous squirrels got under the hood of your car and re-arranged the wiring. The car's not working great so you get rid of the squirrels and hire a couple of ferrets that claim they can restore the wiring to its original condition-- or nearly so. They go to work and you sit down in the driver's seat. Suddenly it gets really hot and you start to sweat! Then suddenly it gets cold! You reach down and touch the radio zzzzzaaapp! You get a shock!

You call under the hood, "Hey what's going on under there?"

The chief ferret says, "Oops sorry, but the wiring is really screwed up and we're having to re-route some wires and borrow circuits and share busses! Some pieces appear to be missing, and there's no blueprint-- we're just trying to get it running! Give us some time to experiment with a few things, and don't be alarmed by strange symptoms that might appear . . . oh, and don't touch anything!"

 

Your brain has been physically altered by the drug and the experience itself. When the drug is removed, your brain goes into repair mode, and seeks to establish equilibrium; it struggles to restore function under the new conditions. This takes time. It will do as the ferrets did-- it will borrow and share as required to self-restore. Some items may be left out, doubled-up, and some new features could appear. After all, it's a repair-- yet it's marvellous how well it does heal.

 

The brain repair (withdrawal) is a slow exercise in trial-and-error, and it takes time. 

[Amybc7]

I have a dislike of ferrets and squirrels even more now.  

 

It just makes so much sense here!  Yesterday it was a lot to go to the basement for one load of laundry.  Today I've done a week's worth - plus all the other household chores and then some.  The husband calls days like yesterday "lazy days" and it's frustrating that I can't explain to him that it's more than that.  

 

It's such a mixed feeling of taking control over the medication - and yet giving up control to the withdrawal. Such a balancing act each new day.

[thismoment]

Amybc7

 

Don't worry- it get's better and better (with a few down days in between).  The withdrawal is the repair; the Cymbalta was gone 5 days after the last bead.

[xman]

AM- and I was just out hand feeding three urban squirrels. They love raw peanuts...
The brain is the most complexed of all our major organs. It'll try to compensate but will ultimately be an exercise in patience as it takes a very long time to heal from brain injuries of any type.
There have been fluid shifts in your body as a result of the crapalta- many of us, if not all, have joint and other pains from fluid in and around joints, bones and in the abdominal region. If I recall correctly you had a limited exposure to this poison ( a year or two?). This is very advantageous. I focus on eating good foods, fresh veggies, no meat. Without trying I lost 10kg.
My wish for you and everyone here is physical and emotional healing. I am past the 4 months CT after 6 to 8 years of high dose crapalta. Tho I stepped down from 120mg the summer before I quit, I wish I had had the good ppl here to guide me thru a bead counting process....the best to you- hang on!!

[AnotherMind]

Sad, demoralised and over it - frightened that there is no way out of this labyrinth.

 

I dont know what's the worst - the demoralising confusion (I got lost trying to get to the local store this morn), the pain; burning sciatica, the sensation of pissing razor blades, hot and cold flushes, back pain, skin rashes, tongue pain or the frustration of sleeplessness or of trying to sleep through pelvic pain that comes on as soon as I lie down.

 

Ive grappled with all these physical things before Cymbalta - but now they are amplified 150%  - PLUS I'm acting like someone with dementia.

 

I dont trust my pysch sufficiently to talk to him about it - he just smiles, says "Dont worry, it's a self-limiting process, it'll be over in 7 days - then we'll start you on....(whatever SSRi)".

 

 

 

I've lost my livelihood, dignity, competance and my patience.

 

Rock bottom - Im sure many of you have been here too.

[ittybittysmitty]

OMG!!! I'm swear I'm having symptoms of dementia...I can't remember anything anymore..what i did yesterday, an hour ago, etc. I already have fibromyalgia brain so this on top of it is crazy.

 

God like, would you please post where we can read these articles...or I can google it. Thanks.

[thismoment]

A. Mind

 

The way out is on the conveyor of time itself. Like the moving sidewalk in the airport. 

 

This is the Siren Song my dear; lash yourself to the mast-- It's all bad at this time in withdrawal.

 

The note about your psych is funny- he sounds coin-operated: you throw in a dollar. . .  click click click. . . "Don't worry, it's a self-limiting process; it'll be over in 7 days- then we'll start you on. . ." And then you kick the mannequin right in the gourd and it starts to stutter. . ." then we'll start you on jelly beans, chocolate mousse, tequila shooters. . . Daisy Daisy. . ."

 

I am so sorry to hear about your struggles with livelihood and self. None of this is fair. If I could take your pain I would carry it through for you; I've been here before and I know the way.

[AnotherMind]

A. Mind

 

The way out is on the conveyor of time itself. Like the moving sidewalk in the airport. 

 

This is the Siren Song my dear; lash yourself to the mast-- It's all bad at this time in withdrawal.

 

The note about your psych is funny- he sounds coin-operated: you throw in a dollar. . .  click click click. . . "Don't worry, it's a self-limiting process; it'll be over in 7 days- then we'll start you on. . ." And then you kick the mannequin right in the gourd and it starts to stutter. . ." then we'll start you on jelly beans, chocolate mousse, tequila shooters. . . Daisy Daisy. . ."

 

I am so sorry to hear about your struggles with livelihood and self. None of this is fair.

 

Run out of likes - I Love it.

[AnotherMind]

here's a little scuplture I made - wishing you all a gentle cradling.

Attached Files

•  cradle copy.jpg   51.82KB   0 downloads

[thismoment]

AM

Loving hands. Nice work.

[Xanazul]

AM
So beautiful. You are a gifted person.

[fishinghat]

OMG!!! I'm swear I'm having symptoms of dementia...I can't remember anything anymore..what i did yesterday, an hour ago, etc. I already have fibromyalgia brain so this on top of it is crazy.

 

God like, would you please post where we can read these articles...or I can google it. Thanks.

IBS. I always post articles on Cymbalta in the News (Don't ask me why). Give me a few minutes and if I don't get interupted they will be there.

 

And P.S. - Please, Strawhat, not God Like. Really don't like that title. I wish the admin could change it.

[FiveNotions]

AM, oh my.....just beautiful,,,,,and so inspiring!

[ittybittysmitty]

okay strawhat...i will try to keep it in my brain unless the withdrawal kicks it on it's butt. lol

 

AM, what a beautiful creation! Thanks for sharing.

[AnotherMind]

Ok - something REALLY scarey happened to me today - I had to drive somewhere (1st time for 2 weeks) and I nearly had a head-on collision because my brain could not discern movement. I would literally see an empty road, pull-out and there would be a car almost up against my vehicle as if it had materialised out of nowhere.

It was like my perception was made up of disconnected stills, no continuity.

 

I was sooo shaken. Ive NEVER had anything like this. Should I be seeing a neurologist?

 

 

 

 

p.s it improved as the day went on, but I had to work very hard at 'seeing' and synthesing information.

[FiveNotions]

Yes, driving can be a real problem...another one of us, NavyWife I think...posted that something very similar had happened to her....maybe two or three months ago.....

If you do t have to drive, don't ..for the first several months or more that you're off the poison....vision problems are so common.....I lost my depth perception for several weeks....right after I'd had a blind spot appear in the lower left quadrant of my right eye...that cleared up, then I lost the depth vision....the CNS goes through a lot of chaos as it starts rebalancing itself and it's own serotonin supply!

[AnotherMind]

Incredible!

Well - that's reassuring - sort of.

x

[Xanazul]

Vision problems are common all right.

I was having problems seen the lines straight (metamorphopsia is the technical name).

Last week found out that I have a hole in the macula of EACH eye (a very rare ocurrence, it usually happens only in one eye).

May be Cymbalta related, may be not, but....

[thismoment]

Cymbalta

 

Cymbalta (latest outcomes from 49,058 users) has active ingredients of duloxetine hydrochloride. It is often used in depression.

Retinal detachment

Retinal detachment (a disorder of the eye in which the retina peels away from its underlying layer of support tissue) (latest reports from 16,426 patients) has been reported by people with osteoporosis, high blood pressure, diabetes, multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis.

On May, 13, 2014: 45,448 people reported to have side effects when taking Cymbalta. Among them, 79 people (0.17%) have Retinal Detachment. They amount to 0.49% of all the 16,253 people who have Retinal Detachment on eHealthMe.

[thismoment]

I was one of that .49% who experienced partial retinal detachment while on Cymbalta. I had forgotten about that!

[ittybittysmitty]

AM, that must have freaked you out...sorry you had to go through that.

 

I had a similar experience a few days ago...it's like I'm not connected to the present moment...i forgot i was driving and reached into the back seat to look at something....there is a bad connection somewhere.

 

LAFM,,,,What are symptoms of retinal detachment?

[thismoment]

If you have new or sudden flashes or floaters, darkness over part of your visual field, or a new loss of vision that does not go away, call your eye doctor or regular doctor right away. Floaters and flashes may be warning signs of retinal detachment. A sudden shower of what appear to be hundreds or thousands of little black dots across the field of vision is a distinctive sign of blood and/or pigment in the vitreous gel and may indicate a retinal detachment. This requires immediate medical attention.

In rare cases, a retinal detachment can occur without warning. The first signs may be:

• A shadow or curtain effect across part of your visual field that does not go away. Because detachments usually affect peripheral (side) vision first, you may not notice a problem until the detachment has gotten bigger.
• New or sudden vision loss. Vision loss caused by retinal detachment tends to get worse over time. Sudden vision loss is a medical emergency.

 

[Xanazul]

TM,
Macular holes affect the part of the retina where image forming is more precise and therefore the symptoms are not exactly the same as those of retinal detachment. However they rarely occur in both eyes and I've not any of the risk factors (other than age) to be affected. So I guess one more of the "anecdotic" symptoms that keep piling up with no one being interested in researching.

[Xanazul]

Macular hole symptoms include:

Decreased ability to see fine details when looking directly at something at any distance;
Vision distortion similar to looking through thick fog or wavy glass.
A dark or blind spot in the center of the field of vision.
Metamorphopsia: An anomaly of visual perception in which objects appear distorted in shape or of different size or in a different location than the actual object.

It is a condition with a good prognosis, the surgery is easy and rapid, but the recovery takes two weeks for each eye (surgery is never performed in both eyes at the same time) laying in bed face down.

I believe I won't be able to take it, not in my actual state of mind, so I figure I will delay the surgery as long as my ophthalmologist will allow me to do.

Take care all you my fellows in this horrendous journey

[xman]

I too have had vision issues. Not to the degree that I believe it involves retinal detachment thank God but nonetheless obvious visual impairment.

[ittybittysmitty]

I've noticed more floaters affecting my vision...What seemed to be a milky spot in my field of vision turns out to be part of a floater...

 

btw...Today, I'm likening my brain zaps to my brain being in a snow globe and shaken vigorously...I thought that put a bit of heaven in your hell today. 

[ittybittysmitty]

AM,

 

I understand what you're going through...I also feel at rock bottom..scheduling social plans is tenuous because who knows how i'll feel that day?...

 

My world is so small. Do you know what I mean?

 

it's just not fair for all of us to lose so much and feel little control over our lives.  But I know that God is good and I pray that He will help us find a faster way out of this...