42 replies to this topic

[brainslosh35]

nursedeborah,

i have been on it for years, i guess, i was on 60 mg steady then i had gastric bypass and noticed the meds werent working right. seems they arent absorbed bc of the time release. so i was kinda getting withdraw symptoms - it was weird. then i told my dr who put me on 2 30 mg tablets but since they are still time released i felt the same. plus i was not able to consistently take or keep the pills down since my surgery my new belly is quie sensitive to ALL. so i figured i would take this time to quit. i mean i was tapering as it was. the past 2 days i have been on a crazy high instead of sleeping my life away - so then i figured maybe i was bipolar but NOT. so i found this melatonin for my kids at first however i have found it has hekped to take the edge off of my brain craze instead of popping ativans. i am looking at both bottles right now thinking about the productive day i want to have yet i cannot take this OMG i am going to - but not really - hurt my boyfriend mother and my7 yr old drama queen daughter. - so i guess i am extremey irritable. i would like to hear from anyone who has passed the withdraw phase. i do not even want to drive right now. i remember withdraw years ago when i didnt hve insurance and i had an accident - not my fault but could have been prevented if i wasnt in brain fog withdraw. i cant even tell if i am depressed or just withdrawing - this is awful!!!!

[nursedeborah]

nursedeborah,

i have been on it for years, i guess, i was on 60 mg steady then i had gastric bypass and noticed the meds werent working right. seems they arent absorbed bc of the time release. so i was kinda getting withdraw symptoms - it was weird. then i told my dr who put me on 2 30 mg tablets but since they are still time released i felt the same. plus i was not able to consistently take or keep the pills down since my surgery my new belly is quie sensitive to ALL. so i figured i would take this time to quit. i mean i was tapering as it was. the past 2 days i have been on a crazy high instead of sleeping my life away - so then i figured maybe i was bipolar but NOT. so i found this melatonin for my kids at first however i have found it has hekped to take the edge off of my brain craze instead of popping ativans. i am looking at both bottles right now thinking about the productive day i want to have yet i cannot take this OMG i am going to - but not really - hurt my boyfriend mother and my7 yr old drama queen daughter. - so i guess i am extremey irritable. i would like to hear from anyone who has passed the withdraw phase. i do not even want to drive right now. i remember withdraw years ago when i didnt hve insurance and i had an accident - not my fault but could have been prevented if i wasnt in brain fog withdraw. i cant even tell if i am depressed or just withdrawing - this is awful!!!!

brainslosh,
Now you got me on this one? I am just now getting up, but trying to think of the way that would
work with a gastric bypass. I do know that people do have a hard time keeping certain things down.

You can't stop cold turkey, tapering is not considered everyother day either, as the brain only has
been given some of the drug it so want's, then you don't give it any, and the give it some again
the next day or when you can keep it down.

What we do here is a very slow wean. If your having trouble keeping the full dose down you may
have to buy the gel caps online or at a health food store, and decrease your dose, but you might
have to take it at different times during the day to get the full dose needed down.

Doctor's know nothing about this drug at all, nothing about the side efects, withdrawls, or how
to get a patient off this crap!!! You will need to do a slow wean in order to get rid of the withdrawl
symptoms that your having.

Here is the site in case I didn't give it to you before http://prozactruth.com/cymbalta.htm

Let me know how you are now, really concerned.

Debbie

[Junior]

I have been on Cymbalta 60mg for about 3 years for neuropathy related pain. It worked amazingly well at first (30 mg for 1 yr.)then my dose was increased to 60mg. It then continued to work for another year. I have tried to get off of this stuff for almost a year. If I even forget a dose, within 10 -12 hours I start having these electrical like flashes shoot through my head, neck and chest. I spoke to my doctor about it,asking did I need a higher or a lower dose. He said he had never heard of this side effect. I have noticed it since I started taking it. He kept me at 60mg. I want to get off this medicine but I can't stand the electrical charges or my outrageous bitchy mood when I skip a dose. I want to have another baby and want this medicine out of my system before getting pregnant.

Hi Jen

The electrical flashes you describe are called brain zaps and are a very common withdrawal effect. I've heard that high doses of fish oil can alleviate them but I can't say for certain since I didn't experience them!

You CAN get off Cymbalta but you need to wean VERY slowly. Don't listen to what the Drs tell you. They have no idea! They think that once the drug is out of your system, you will be ok. WRONG. Cymbalta and other anti-depressants alter the way the brain functions and it can take months, 1-2 years in some cases, for the brain to return to its pre-medication state.

I'm sorry. I don't want to scare you. Just want you to be aware that the best method of withdrawing is a slow taper. Don't let the Drs tell you to try taking tabs on alternate days or 1 then nothing for 2 days.. etc. It doesn't work.

Good luck
Junior

[nursedeborah]

I have been on Cymbalta 60mg for about 3 years for neuropathy related pain. It worked amazingly well at first (30 mg for 1 yr.)then my dose was increased to 60mg. It then continued to work for another year. I have tried to get off of this stuff for almost a year. If I even forget a dose, within 10 -12 hours I start having these electrical like flashes shoot through my head, neck and chest. I spoke to my doctor about it,asking did I need a higher or a lower dose. He said he had never heard of this side effect. I have noticed it since I started taking it. He kept me at 60mg. I want to get off this medicine but I can't stand the electrical charges or my outrageous bitchy mood when I skip a dose. I want to have another baby and want this medicine out of my system before getting pregnant.

Jen,
I guess someone else already told you taking it every other day is not how to do this.
You have to go down slowly, taking this drug everyday, and decreasing it by about 1 mg
whcih id 9 beads every 2 weeks. Yes I know you want to have a baby, but this is a horrible
we don't yet know everything there is about it as far as long terms side effects. First off
you want to make asure your off this crap, and the only way to do is is a very slow wean.

Also it will be good that you did have all that time, as then maybe by then they , or we will
find out more, doc's do not know, and it's us who are educating them.

Read lots of posts, and here is the site for all the withdrawls, http://www.prozactru...om/cymbalta.htm

No race, just a goal!

Debbie

[Junior]

ok so i finally finished brain sloshing, gor meds for the naseau, and i became a compkete venomous witch, i spewed at my mom , my kids, my husband. i was so evil i made myself sick and my spewing of hateful things didnt even make sense. i might as well have been foaming from the mouth. SO i broke down and went back on the Cym,balta - this time only 30 mg. I took one Monday night then Tuesday morning then Wednesday morning. I felt better on Tuesday - could it help that fast. so for now and as long as i have to interact with other humans i guess i am on cymbalta.

Brainslosh

You didn't "break down" and go back on the Cymbalta. You recognised that being without it was having a negative effect on you. There is no shame in that and you are certainly not a failure. If anything, it is a strength. It is far better to be on a lower dose for now than become someone you really don't like.

What you can do from here is to stabilise for a couple of weeks then consider weaning more slowly. By doing that, you are allowing your brain to gradually return to it's normal way of functioning and, in turn, that means you have a less withdrawal symptoms.

Could being back on it for 3 days make that much difference? Yes. If your body is used to it, and is crying out for it, yes. As I said above, you can still come off it. It just means you will have to taper more slowly.

Good luck
Junior

[cmonk]

Brain slosh

You didn't "break down" and go back on the Cymbalta. You recognised that being without it was having a negative effect on you. There is no shame in that and you are certainly not a failure. If anything, it is a strength. It is far better to be on a lower dose for now than become someone you really don't like.

What you can do from here is to stabilise for a couple of weeks then consider weaning more slowly. By doing that, you are allowing your brain to gradually return to it's normal way of functioning and, in turn, that means you have a less withdrawal symptoms.

Could being back on it for 3 days make that much difference? Yes. If your body is used to it, and is crying out for it, yes. As I said above, you can still come off it. It just means you will have to taper more slowly.

Good luck
Junior

Junior,Brain slosh

I had been off this stuff for 3days and thought I had lost my mind had to go back on 30mg for a few days to decide what to do next....This was in October now I am down to 70 balls (just under 8mg)I have been pretty mean lately and I hurt my back by just being in the cold...It is 15' here bone chillin cold. I hope after the holidays I am going to lock myself in my room and do some serious detox.I have plenty of Xanax (I hate this stuff) if I feel I am loosening my mind and I have already talked to my kids.........HEEEHAW

Candy

[Junior]

Junior,Brain slosh

I had been off this stuff for 3days and thought I had lost my mind had to go back on 30mg for a few days to decide what to do next....This was in October now I am down to 70 balls (just under 8mg)I have been pretty mean lately and I hurt my back by just being in the cold...It is 15' here bone chillin cold. I hope after the holidays I am going to lock myself in my room and do some serious detox.I have plenty of Xanax (I hate this stuff) if I feel I am loosening my mind and I have already talked to my kids.........HEEEHAW

Candy

Candy,

The thing to be aware of is that it is not the detoxing from Cymbalta that is the problem. It is the amount of time it takes for the brain / receptors / levels of other neurochemicals to return to the natural way of functioning. The slower the wean, the more time the brain has to make the adjustments and the easier it is for you overall.

Also, be wary of using too much Xanax. My psychiatrist told me it is more addictive than valium.

Patience is a virtue
Junior

[nursedeborah]

Candy,

The thing to be aware of is that it is not the detoxing from Cymbalta that is the problem. It is the amount of time it takes for the brain / receptors / levels of other neurochemicals to return to the natural way of functioning. The slower the wean, the more time the brain has to make the adjustments and the easier it is for you overall.

Also, be wary of using too much Xanax. My psychiatrist told me it is more addictive than valium.

Patience is a virtue
Junior

Candy,
All I can say i that I have finally found real hope. I had to sufer greatly, and pray
like hell, and use my AA meetimg for this stupid thing, but it's been 9 days of the
most awesome way of living again. It is all gone, all the withdrawl symptoms, and I
am at peace now. I love to be on the planet, it feels good inside, and I just keep
thanking God, amd telling everyone now, that yes we do get to get past all this.

If anyone had a hard time, go back and read some of the post I wrote in early Sept,09
up til, heck jusr a month ago! This is all so very different.

You can do this, but youhave to fullly understand all that's really going on with you,
your poor brain.. Thisis why I alway kept looking at the withdrawl symptoms, it let me
know I was never insane, it was just what was happening during the rewiring of the brain,
also what the shitty drug did.

You too can stop the maddness, and just go back uo.

Debbie

[Junior]

I'm not about to start it again & wean better... but I feel like this is it. This is how I'll feel from now on. This will be my life.

Kimber, that is a very self-defeating attitude. If you want to get better you can, but you have to be prepared to go back on Cymbalta. You've already worked out that that is what you need and honestly, going back on it does NOT mean you are a failure. Nor does it mean you will be on it forever. It is not a poison. It is a drug that chemically alters the way your brain functions. What you are going through now is classic withdrawal. So basically you have two options: 1) go back on Cymbalta, stabilise, then wean more slowly, or 2) continue the way you are. Wdls will lessen but from talking to many others both here and at another forum, the slow wean is by far the better option. It allows quality of life while in withdrawal and tends to have a better long-term outcome.

Kind regards
Junior

[Junior]

HI Stacey

I believe you can get free samples direct from Eli Lilly. Something about getting a coupon from their website? I've also heard that many Drs in the US will hand out the free samples. All you need do is ask.

If you can get the samples, I would recommend going back on to a dose of maybe 30mg. Your body is already beginning to get used to being without the drug so you may not need any more than that. You will know after a few days. Find the dose that stabilises you, stay on it for a week or two, then wean more slowly. This may mean opening the capsules and emptying out some of the beads.

If you want to go that way, let us know. We can help with the bead count.
If you can't get the samples, I'm afraid you are in for a bit of a rough time. No two people are the same so it's trial and error I'm afraid. Some find natural supplements helpful, some don't. Some find exercise helpful, some diet.

I wish you all the best
Junior

[QueenTimely]

I really sympathise with your pain, but I have to tell you that coming off cold turkey -- even the drug companies tell you not to do that, I recommend that you look at the Weaning forum on this board for help. Most people on this board would recommend that you go back onto the medication at a very low dose -- just enough to alleviate the symptoms -- then wean really slowly by opening up the capsules and reducing by about 10% or whatever works for you to both reduce and not agonise. Please: don't just grit your teeth. No telling how long the symptoms will last. Good luck and keep posting here. We care about you and we have experience.

After being on Cymbalta for about 2 months I gained a total of 10 lbs., had constant head aches and it was not even helping with the neuropathy pain. I just went off it last week cold turkey and now the withdrawl side effects are much, much worse than the side effects I was experiencing. I feel like my eyes can't adjust, I have constant migraines and headaches and I am still having nightmares. I also feel very, very nauseaous. I don't recommend this medication to anybody. I can not believe it has been approved by the FDA. What is the FDA still thinking? They did it again and again and again....

[ihadnoidea]

I am so glad I am here to read about all the symptoms and withdrawal I have been going through!I am not a very good pill taker so when my doc prescribed cymbalta I was skeptical and asked how much I would start off with and how to get off it. She was sketchy and started me off on 30mg but said she would wean me off it after a year if it did no good. I went for my one month checkup so sick with a migraine and buzzing in my head and nausea and nighttime muscle spasms I asked to get off it.I explained that many nights I thought I had a train going through my head and bouts of diarrhea with every dose so she said it was side effects and to just open a capsule and take half of it one day and half the next to wean down since I was only on it for a month. I did as directed and have been withdrawing for a week now. I had nightmares, nightsweats, nausea, dizziness so bad I could not stand up, constant headache and ears buzzing. I have started taking meclizine for the vertigo and it has helped tremendously. I am now only taking aleve for the headache and it is also working out even though I still have the neck pain, back pain and pain in my arms and legs (from a mva, bulged discs) that I started taking it for originally. I am slowly getting better and would not hear of taking that drug again even to wean off of it as I feel I have been used for a trial instead of being told the real deal. I am upset with my doc for not knowing how strong this drug is and advising me of the withdrawals beforehand and for not doing my usual research on it before also, but I was in so much discomforting pain that I was ready to try something for a little sleep, although I was not getting any when I started now I am getting even less. Anyway thanks for being here to let me get my story out everyone.

[cookie]

nursedebbie, I was feeling so euphoric last night my symptoms had been mild, still had them but they were mild to say the least......and boom...........last night is one of the roughest nights I have had, the zaps, dreams, strange knee pain and the neck and shoulders waked me up at 2am and I had to take motrin....and put moist heat on my neck and shoulders...headache came back full blast..and crying uncontrollable....I went to my chiropractor today....hadn't been forever....and had my shoulder and neck worked on..going back tomorrow and Friday.....it is surprising that he and his office were aware of the withdraw symptoms of cymbalta but my dr's office, my pharmacy and eli lilly aren't aware.....AMAZING...

Hello Whathaveldone:
I read this post of yours. It caught my attention that you mentioned you had "strange knee pain". I took cymbalta for Major Depression not Fibromyalgia and now that I am weaning, I am experiencing pain in my right knee, which makes it hard to walk
Did you take cymbalta for depression or Fibromyalgia??? Did your knee pain go away?????