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When Will I Be Able To Breathe Again?


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#1 sadiesmom

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Posted 23 May 2014 - 02:37 PM

I am 5 weeks post last dose. My worse symptoms at this time are nausea, heartburn and being winded with a cough. GI doc says my lungs are clear and 3 days ago prescribed Dexilent. He said it may take up to a week to take effect. I started The Road Back program 2 days ago and the supplements are keeping anxiety at bay. I am so tired. I am sleeping 6 hours...I cannot sleep more. I've worked through the vertigo, headaches, diarrhea, anger, rage, back pain (epson salt baths worked wonders), and a myriad of other symptoms. Now if I could just breathe and not cough, I think I would be doing so much better. Anyone else experiencing difficulty breathing. Mine started about a week post last dose.

#2 FiveNotions

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Posted 23 May 2014 - 03:05 PM

Hello sadiesmom, welcome!

This is one of the few symptoms I didn't have.....but others here will be chiming in soon, and we'll see what they know/have experienced....

In the meantime, I searched the forum archives and found some earlier discussion threads on this topic...here are links.....

https://www.cymbalta...tory#entry33477

https://www.cymbalta...tory#entry21241

https://www.cymbalta...ough#entry20236

https://www.cymbalta...ough#entry20445

Remember, cymbalta plays havoc with your CNS....so, when we get off it, chaos ensues until our brains and bodies can stabilize.....anything controlled by the CNS, including the respiratory system, is "fair game" for the cymbalta withdrawal monster !

You can do this, and you will get through this! We'll do everything we can to help you, keep us posted!

#3 sadiesmom

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Posted 23 May 2014 - 03:48 PM

Thanks FiveNotions. Makes me feel a little better that I am not alone re this breathing thing. This experience has been horrendous.

#4 FiveNotions

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Posted 23 May 2014 - 04:38 PM

Sadiesmom, did you quit cold turkey? What dose, how long? For what condition (fibro, depression, etc).... The reason I ask is that each of these factors can make a difference in how you experience the withdrawals.....

That's what I did, and yep, it's the hard way to go.....at 5 weeks off you are right in the midst of the very hardest time.....don't give up...keep going....I can assure you that it does and will get better.....you've made it past the 4 week mark....that, at least for me, was a turning point....weeks 5-8 were bad, but nothing like the first 4 weeks....

I'm 6 months off now....and I have my life back...and all the suffering was worth it ....I feel alive again.....you will be so glad you did this!

Remember, all this is the result of your brain and body beginning to heal and function without the crapalta....the poison itself is out of your system, what you've got now is your body shaking off the poison....go easy, be gentle with yourself, and stay here with us....we care!

#5 Wagtail

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Posted 23 May 2014 - 06:00 PM

Sadiesmum welcome , I don't relate to the cough but I relate to all the other symptoms of withdrawal . If my memory serves me correctly @ 5 weeks I was @ my worst & suffering greatly . The support you will get from here is so important & helpful , many great people full of empathy & knowledge that goes way beyond anything a doctor will tell you .
May I ask what the " The Road Back program " is & what supplement you are using to keep the anxiety @ bay .. ?.

Anxiety & fear seem to have made me their best friend & I want them to get the hell out of my life ...

Log on here when ever you feel the need for support , I guarantee you will find it .
Good Luck & stay strong ..:-)

#6 Xanazul

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    Fnding cues for what I am feeling. Hopefuly giving others cues about this distressful state of mind and body we are all going through.

Posted 23 May 2014 - 06:20 PM

I did have breath shortness (in fact still have though much less ende after almos 12 weeks). They were bronchospasms, that can be documented with a spirometry (no great disturbance, but there you have at least another sign that can be measured)
You will breath again

#7 sadiesmom

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Posted 23 May 2014 - 06:43 PM

I was put on this probably a decade ago for fibro by my pain doc. It worked wonders for me. But when I started on the generic in January, things weren't so pleasant anymore, which is why in late march I decided I need to do something different. I tapered for 3 weeks and by then I felt so bad I just quit the tapering. After all, I felt so bad, how could it get any worse? Wrong! However, I persevered, though a few times I was tempted to go back on the crap, but I didn't. My pcp hasn't been much help other than being sorry I feel bad. I had blood work, UA and CT scan at the two week mark (cymbalta free) because no one put two and two together that this was withdrawl. Of course, everything was normal, but now I have $750 medical bill. I tried a number of supplements to help me through this (rhodiola, omega 3, b12, b complex, 5htp which I ended up switching to dopa mucena which was a godsend, slippery elm, primrose oil, vita c, vita e). A friend sent me a link to The Road Back program. I was encouraged by their history and decided to drop my haphazard program for their structured version. Wish I had known about them BEFORE I quit. I started this on Wednesday afternoon. Body Calm from neuro genetics is the big one for keeping anxiety at bay. I was doing ok on the dopa which I had only started 3 days before the body calm. But it is ok to take body calm every two hours and that helps a lot. Plus there is a nighttime version. Dopa is not supposed to be taken that often. Right now I feel if I could breathe easy, all other side effects would seem so minor now that I am this far out and anxiety is under control and irritability is much improved. I've lost 10 pounds because my appetite is poor and I'm nauseous in the am thru afternoon, but after a decade of cymbalta, I need to lose 40 pounds, so I'm 25% of the way towards that goal. That is one positive! My best friend says I sound like a different person the further out I get. That is encouraging too. I am so looking forward to having my life back. Thank you for your kind and encouraging words!

#8 Wagtail

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Posted 23 May 2014 - 08:10 PM

Sadiesmum , thank you I will check out the body calm & see if I can get it here in Australia.

Wow you sound like you are doing great considering you were taking Cymbalta for 10 yrs approx . This is possible for some people & you might just be one of the lucky ones . I am very happy for you , I can relate to being told that "you sound like a different person " since stopping the CRAPALTA, people have mentioned that to me also .

I guess our recovery has so many individual variables to consider ... Personally I think that for the people taking it for depressive issues or anxiety / panic issues , the return of these symptoms are what we fear the most when we withdraw the drug.
For me this is a huge issue & causes me to be hyper vigilant ... A BIG NO NO I know but very hard to combat .
Thanks to the combined knowledge of this God given group , they are keeping me going .. I sometimes or if I can be truthful " most of the time " have one foot on very thin ice ...

#9 sadiesmom

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Posted 26 May 2014 - 01:23 PM

The body calm is not working as well, the longer I am on it. I may either add dopa mucona or switch. I am waiting to hear from the road back consultant. Unfortunately, my 3 day report fell on Saturday of a 3 day weekend. Monday being a holiday has not been a good thing. On top of that, we lost our air conditioning on Saturday and it is in the nineties. I am very lethargic and have a headache. I feel like I am about to lose it.

#10 thismoment

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Posted 26 May 2014 - 01:38 PM

sadiesmom

 

I hate headaches, especially when it's hot! 

 

Supplements certainly help with the withdrawal, but the main element is Time. If it's possible (often it's difficult) to find distractions and interests that can draw your thoughts away from your discomfort, that will help the time pass.


#11 FiveNotions

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Posted 26 May 2014 - 03:38 PM

Sadiesmom, yuck....no a/c, hot weather and withdrawal.....yup, I'd be feeling like I was going to lose it!

How about a cool bath or shower...or an ice pack?

During the hardest part of my withdrawal I relied on those pea bag thingys...the kind you can heat up or put in the fridge...I would put several of them, cold, all over me...around my head for the headaches and zaps, also on my sternum and wrists....just because it felt good there...and the cold somehow took my mind off the withdrawal pains....

#12 houseofmiro

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Posted 29 September 2014 - 05:02 AM

sadiesmom

 

I hate headaches, especially when it's hot! 

 

Supplements certainly help with the withdrawal, but the main element is Time. If it's possible (often it's difficult) to find distractions and interests that can draw your thoughts away from your discomfort, that will help the time pass.

Thank you for this Thismoment.  Giving me something to hang onto atm.





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