7 replies to this topic

[Tbird]

Hello.  I am new on this forum.  As everyone else, I am going through withdrawals from Cymbalta.  I quit cold turkey.  Let me explain why.  Maybe someone else is having the same problem...not sure because there are too many responses to read.

Anyhoo, I was working at American Water.  So I had insurance.  Good insurance.  Customer service is just not for me.  I am too high strung.  I have anxiety attacks, depression was high, and my back is constantly pain because any stress I experience goes straight to my neck and upper back. Believe me you, dealing with customer's complaints 8+ hours is a havoc on one's nerves.  I stayed in physical therapy trying to get a handle on this problem.  I was experiencing migraines galore!  I was on FMLA more than I was at work.  So, I decided to stop working on 10/4/2013 because I actually believe I am not able to do so (Social security thinks otherwise...hmmmm).

I had to apply for foodstamps and Medicaid.  Due to my husband making, $1250 a month (before taxes), he and I were not eligible for Medicaid.  We are what they consider, Medically Needy, with a share of cost of $451 (or whatever they want to put us at).  The share of cost seems to keep rising everytime you look around. 

See my dilemma so far?  Well, I have no money.  We are surviving off one income.  I can not afford my meds.  Now I do take other medications that I see websites for that allows you to apply to receive them at a very low price or for nothing at all.  Well Cymbalta is not one of those meds.  So unless I can meet the SOC for $451 (REMEMBER I have no money), then I am screwed.  So I really didn't have much of a choice but to go cold turkey because I have no medication!  The doctors I was seeing when I worked at American Water and had good insurance, do not accept Medically Needy or Medicaid once the SOC is met.  I called and asked.  These individuals have my medical history.  Yet, they are so against this type of insurance that they will not touch me.

Example:  I called my primary physician, left a message asking if I needed to go to the ER due to dizziness, slight temperature, and tingling in lips and around lips.  All is took was for them to call and advise me, but they never did.

Any other over the counter medications or at home remedies to help me with the dizziness and tingly feeling?

[Lundeliz]

Welcome, Tbird.  I'm so sorry for the situation you are in.  I never had the dizziness, but some

 

people have found that Dramamine can help.  Other supplements that might help with the

 

tingles would be magnesium and fish oil.  Hang in there, cold turkey can be rough, but it

 

really will get better.  You might want to take a look around the site, there's lots of good

 

information here.  Good luck and let us know how it's going.

[xman]

TBird,  I am sorry about your predicament--it is to me a great shame on our country to not provide for health-care. I can only imagine the stress of taking calls from p/o'd ppl. I think the job description should read," must have Teflon coat".

 

Since it sounds like your former doctor and office staff are not of help, try searching your state and city for un-insured/ underinsured healthcare. Fortunately there are gov. funds that are available to clinics, docs, hospitals for this very situation. They are not always easy to find and you have to use your resources.  Use the "Duckduckgo" search engine, as it does not keep your information (i.e. anonymous) and prioritizes the good websites.

 

I am fortunate and am able to afford health insurance with a good rx rider, although it is not by any means cheap.  But millions of others, like yourself, find themselves in a hard place...to say the least. I hesitate to say that perhaps it may be a good thing to get off the "Crapalta"--albeit cold turkey and extremely difficult, you already know the meaning of high stress. It takes years, in many cases, to get back to feeling like your "old" self. The less time spent ingesting this drug the better opportunity for good outcome sooner rather than later!

 

The best to you! Godspeed.

[Wagtail]

Hi TBird , welcome .. Yes the tingling around the lips & tongue is a withdrawal side effect ..I've been off Cymbalta for 5 months & that is one s/e that still effects me.
So sorry that you can't stay on the Cymbalta & do the bead counting method of withdrawal . Cold turkey can be harrowing so buckle up & be prepared for anything & everything.

As you go through the withdrawal , it helps to always remember that the s/e's are just that ....SIDE EFFECTS!!!
The feelings can be dreadful but FEELINGS can't kill you .... Be prepared to be mostly housebound while you recover, do whatever it takes to feel safe.. Tell your husband that you are going to need his support.
Good luck & log in as much as possible for re-assurance .
We're here for you .

[Carleeta]

Hi TBird , welcome .. Yes the tingling around the lips & tongue is a withdrawal side effect ..I've been off Cymbalta for 5 months & that is one s/e that still effects me.
So sorry that you can't stay on the Cymbalta & do the bead counting method of withdrawal . Cold turkey can be harrowing so buckle up & be prepared for anything & everything.
As you go through the withdrawal , it helps to always remember that the s/e's are just that ....SIDE EFFECTS!!!
The feelings can be dreadful but FEELINGS can't kill you .... Be prepared to be mostly housebound while you recover, do whatever it takes to feel safe.. Tell your husband that you are going to need his support.
Good luck & log in as much as possible for re-assurance .
We're here for you .

Wagtail. .As always; Great advice!

[TryinginFL]

Welcome, TBird...

 

You have already met some of our wonderful, kind and supportive ppl!  You will also meet some very knowledgeable folks who have been with this forum for longer periods of time.

 

 I was so happy when I found this forum - I was 2 weeks into cold turkey and didn't have a clue what was going on w/me except that I felt that I was going to die.  I had the headache from hell for 2 weeks and would wake up crying because the pain was so great.  I have restless leg syndrome and found myself taking double my prescription for relief.  I did not experience extreme nausea or dizziness but there was plenty else to take their place!  I found myself weeping almost the whole time I had the headache and still get a touch of weepiness every once in a while, but am better able to control it at this point.  Thankfully, I had Alprazolam and was taking 2 mg/day which helped immensely.

 

Since we are all different, we don't all have the same symptoms but some seem to run rampant with us all.

 

Please feel free to come here to ask, comment, learn and even to vent if you need to!  We all have and we are here for you!

 

Again, welcome...

 

Wishing you better days and much support,

Liz

[thismoment]

Tbird

 

Welcome. When was your last dose of Cymbalta before quitting cold turkey?

[FiveNotions]

Hi Tbird, you've come to the right place! As for your decision to get off cymbalta....even if it was an intended consequence, Bravo! Life without it is wonderful!

First, in response to your immediate question.... You might want to try NyQuil and/ or DayQuil....Early on in my withdrawal, while I was still coming to grips with the whole lack of insurance and how to find a new doc, I found that they seemed to help me quite a bit...others here have used Benadryl, but I'm overly sensitive to it so didn't use it.... All these have some sort of ingredient that takes the edge of the dizziness and other things you describe....just don't overdose on them....take as per label instructions....

Before we can offer you more specific suggestions, we need a bit more information about your meds...cymbalta and the others....

As ThisMoment asked, when did you take your last dose of crapalta? Also, what dosage were you on, and for how long? And, what condition was it prescribed for -- depression, fibromyalgia, anxiety, etc.?

What are your withdrawal symptoms -- brain zaps? Flu-like feeling? Nausea / vertigo? Etc....

What other conditions are you dealing with and what meds are/were you taking?

Are you in withdrawal from others?

A lot of questions, I know....but your answers will help us help you!

And, as an aside and without going into too much detail, I can assure you that your current situation and the circumstances leading up to you quitting cymbalta are very very similar to mine..... As it's a bit off topic for here, if you'd like to send me a PM I can share what I've learned about dealing with the other life issues that you're facing...including some thoughts on where to go to get medical care, how to get your med records from your former docs, etc.....