i find many people on this forum who speak about how long they've been cymbalta free and the withdrawal symptoms they still experience. many others speak about how they weaned off cymbalta and ramped up onto another drug, often an ssnri or ssri. anyone gone through it and have now exited to "the other side" altogether?
i have been cymbalta free for over 4 weeks after going through an every other day withdrawl technique for several months prior. i didn't/dont have the financial resources to have a 90 day supply with which to do the bead counting method. the shear terror/fear phase seems to have abated, however general anxiety remains. i went to see my therapist for the first time in almost two years just for a "refresher" and that was very helpful in allowing me to recognize the irrational thought patterns and take control with what i am telling myself about a specific triggering event. however the paresthesia, joint and muscle pain, fatigue, weakness, headaches and irritability remain. the symptoms manifest a handful at a time in a cyclical pattern. its rare i don't feel any of them. physical excercise helps, but my weakness and joint pain is growing and starting to limit that.
i understand that people who went on cymbalta to deal with physical pain such as fibromyalgia and are now in withdrawal exprience psychological symptoms that they did not have before they took the drug. is the opposite also true? other than mild arthritis, i never had any chronic physical pain or medical issues. i realize its possble that my arthritis may have gotten worse while i was on cymbalta and that it was only when i withdrew that i realized how the conditions may have been "masked" but i didn't think cymbalta was anti-imflammatory. however, i've never suffered through anything such as generalized aching joints and muscles, similar to how symptoms of fibromyalgia are described.
any thoughts or insight?
thank you