28 replies to this topic

[paulaust]

Hey, 

 

Early 30s male, was on Cymbalta (120mg) and Valium (10mg) daily (Anxiety/Depression). Was on that for 1.5 years and decided to get of the meds, given a change to my work environment and overall feeling I'd like to exit the meds world and reassess where I am. 

 

In September I exited Valium. 

In early November I started tapering off Cymbalta. It's been about 10 days now without any of the sh!t and I'm on struggle street big time - but I refuse to take cymbalta ever again. 

 

I guess the reason for posting is a few things:

 

1. To share the pain with people who understand, 

2. To see help on tips and tricks to get over this mountain as quickly and as painless as possible. 

 

Current side effects are: 

 

1. Brain Farts / Brain Zaps / Brain Slaps - seriously bad when I'm tired 

2. lack of ability to sleep

3. volatile mood. Throw the proverbial toys out the pram, and generally infront of people I love, but there has been a few times over the last week were things like idiots in traffic / rude call centre workers have me wanting to go red with rage!

4. Taste - burnt feeling on front of tongue, lack of appetite , Upset Stomach/gastro

5. Anxiety (Just cropped up today..) 

6. Ithcy all over

 

 

To be honest I'm not sure how much more of this I can accomodate, I work in a corporate / professional job, have engagements with senior teams and extensive travel with work.... 

 

So: I'm speaking to my doctor tomorrow, is there anything I can seek from her medically that might make this transition easier? I'm hesitant to get on anything addictive or as mind altering but I'm running out of options here.

 

Support would be appreciated, and for the record - this company who is responsible for this stuff and the way I'm feeling right now has a lot to answer for

 

Paul 

[Flossy]

Hi Paul
If you research 5-HTP, I'm currently taking to help with withdrawals! It's a natural form of seretonin and is helping a lot! Hope you feel better soon, it's a marathon, not a sprint, just remember that your brain needs time to adjust and heal, not something it can do quickly. Good luck

[Clara]

Oh Paul, bless your heart! I am a cold turkey survivor! Not recommended at all especially if you are in the working world. Sounds like you have a job that's demanding and the w/ds are tough without the demands of work. I did not work during the w/d period and have not gone back yet. Your young age may help you in this w/d process. My thought is to go back to a small dose of Cymbalta, stabilize and then go to the bead counting method. It has worked for many with less stressful s/es. Others will jump in for suppoet later! You have come to a great place for loving support! Keep posting, asking, venting whatever! We get it and will be here for ya! Hugs and prayers!

[ThisBetterPass]

Paul, you are definitely not alone in this. Time management goes out the window when dealing with withdrawal symptoms from Cymbalta. I work from home and it's hard to keep on track some days, especially at the beginning of cold turkey or a controlled taper. Do you have some personal or sick leave time that you can tap into?

[gail]

Paul, that was a super fast one. From 120mg to 0 in three weeks.

Ten days now, in deep discontinuation. No easy way out, and no more Valium as I can see. People usually need them to get through this.

So many choices, and none of them easy. You can continue like this, but I would strongly suggest Valium. You can reinstate to 60, get stable and bead count as Clara said. You can go on Zoloft till it quiets down than. Zoloft is easier to get off. I do not know about 5htp enough to say anything about it.

You are young, and that is a plus. The older you get, the meaner it is.

Keep us posted, I am sorry to say that this will not be an easy ride, but again, your age plays in your favor, best wishes!

[lady2882Nancy]

I don't recommend the 5-http (this is a drug just a natural one) unless you are under the care of a naturopath specialist.

I used a low dose of Zoloft to help with lingering side effects but a low dose of any of the SSRI antidepressants will help just make sure it is one with a long half life as they are easiest to get off of. Don't take Effexor or you will be in the same boat later with it.

 

Try drinking lots of water, a Vitamin B-complex and Omega 3 for symptoms if you don't want to go on another drug.

[paulaust]

Thanks all, For the record I'm happy to go on other meds to get off this stuff - I guess if i knew what I did now, I would have exited cymbalta, then valium. 

 

I'm happy to go back on valium but i want to make sure thats the best - i.e are people finding a different benzo, or a different drug better? 

 

I'll have a look at the natural remedies

 

Thanks all

 

Paul

 

p.s I've been on antidepressants for 12 years now would this duration of time make any difference to the difficulty getting of them? Before Cymbalta I was on 200mg of Zoloft with multiple steps up to 300mg that lasted 6 months of so at a time.

[TryinginFL]

Welcome Paul!

 

You have found a great place to come with your questions, rants or whatever!  This is a great group of people who care and will do all possible to help you - I don't know what I would have done without them!

 

I am a cold turkey survivor of over 11 months now and it was truly a trip to Hell.  I was on 60 mg for about 4 years.  I did, however, stay on Alprazolam (Xanax) the entire time and am still taking it - mostly for sleep issues which I can't seem to shake.  Originally they were for the anxiety which, if it hasn't already, will pay you a  nasty visit and there is no telling how long it will hang around.

 

Those of us over 50 have a much harder time getting off this crap - you definitely have your age in your favor!  I wish you the best and hope that you will keep us posted with your progress and please come back with any help requests you have - we care, and we want to help you!

 

Liz 

[gail]

Paul,

There are other solutions here that may work or not for you instead of Valium.

Look up clonidine, it works on anxiety, it is a bp med but also prescribed for anxiety.

Hydroxizine, histaminic on prescription also prescribed for anxiety.

I tried both with no success, but others have had relief with clonidine.

As for the best benzo, well depends here. For panic and great anxiety, lorazepam (ativan), it works immediately. While diazepam (Valium) takes longer to work. But you say you just got off the valium.

Maybe time for a switch for the duration of withdrawal. The shorter time you need it, the better.

If you have no prescription in the immediate, benadryl 2 tablets extra strenght will take care of anxiety, be careful with that, it makes you quite drowsy.

Best of luck, can't answer your last question, just dont know.

Keep us posted, Gail

[ZappAlta]

Paul its a rocky road and will be for while . I suggest not mixing 5htp >natural seratonin supplements with any cross type Taper anti-depression meds you may decide on like Prozac -Zoloft etc it can create 'Seratonin Syndrome 'which require trips to the ER and can be serious.   Talk to your Dr but sadly some of these Dr's are skeptical of the nasty withdrawals we experience.  The rage etc is all a side effect through the discontinued process .  Deep breathe - count to 10 - engage support from a friend or 2 -  truely you will get through it -  keep us posted

[FiveNotions]

Hi Paul, welcome! Congratulations for deciding to get of Cymbalta, and the other drugs !!

 

You're young, and there are lots of other good alternatives for managing depression, anxiety and any other issues that landed you on the meds in the first place ... CBT and REBT are two ... Brzghoff posts a lot about them, and you'll find some excellent info in our archives ... also, do you have a good therapist? (NOT shrink, they just write prescriptions.) And, does your doc know you're doing this?
 
You've been on antidepressants for a long time ... that means they've really "integrated" themselves into your brain functioning ... and slow, slow weaning is essential in order to give your brain all the time it needs to re-wire itself ...

 

you just got off the valium ... benzos play havoc with brain wiring, quite independently of what the anti-d's do ... not only are they highly addictive, they actually reverse their effect in most users, and begin to cause anxiety, not help it ... (although there are exceptions to this, in fact, our long time member TryinginFL is one of them ... they still work for her!)

 

so don't go back on benzos if you can avoid it ... try the other options that have been mentioned, and that I'll mention also, below ...
 
It's essential that you wean slowly off the Cymbalta ...or "cross-taper" ... going from 120 mg to zero is way too fast . Don't do this to yourself if you can avoid it ... I know you're in a rush to get off this stuff, but slow and gentle are what your brain needs...you're young, which is a huge plus in the process ... but you cannot afford to jeopardize your cognitive functioning ...and your job ... and cold turkey has an incredibly high risk of doing that ...
 
One option would be to reinstate, either at the full 120, or at the lowest dose where you no longer have the side effects, get stable, and then bead count your way down, slowly ....
 
We've got some excellent posts here about bead counting and how to do it ... check the archives, and the others here may be able to find links for you ...

But, you've been off for about 10 days ... so, it's possible that reinstating now may be too late, and you  may be stuck with cold turkey ...
 
If so, you may want to consider the cross-taper that's been suggested... going on Zoloft or Prozac, then weaning off of that ... just remember, it'll take several weeks for either of those to ramp up in your system ... so, you're  in for some rough days regardless ...
 
The two other possibilities for the anxiety that often/usually hits during crapalta withdrawal are what's already been mentioned ... clonidine and/or hydroxyzine. I'm using clonidine with great success ... it's actually a bp med, so you'd need to monitor your bp carefully while taking it ... but it works totally different from a benzo ... acts on the adrenaline aspect of anxiety ...
 
I've never used hydroxyzine, but another of our long term members, who isn't here any more, Fishinghat, used/used that with great success ...
 
Also, are you taking any vitamins/supplements? Our "basics" tend to be a good multi-vitamin, B-complex, omega 3 fish oil, and chelated magnesium. (Just be sure to check to see if the magnesium causes adverse effects with any other meds you're taking.)

 

As noted by the others, be very careful with 5-HT, or any of the aminos ... if you do the cross taper, by using another SSRI, you cannot take 5-HT or tryptophan, or you'll risk causing serotonin syndrome ... which can kill ... not just maim ... kill ...

 

I've used, still use, some of the amino acids, but only after having been off the Cymbalta for months, and after doing a massive amount of research ... best to leave them alone while you're in active withdrawal/weaning ...

 

I apologize for the hasty and somewhat disjointed nature of this post ... but I've recently gone back to work, and I'm rushing to get there now ...

 

I'm one year off the crap as of last week, and I now count myself as a success story ... was on 60 mg for 7-8 years, and quit cold turkey last December.... it was hell, 4-6 months of hell ... but I'm older, 61, and was/am in crappy general physical condition ... so, my experience with cold turkey is very likely on a different end of the spectrum than yours ...

 

Bottom line, you've made one of the best decisions you'll ever make in your life ... getting off the meds ... and you are definitely going to succeed in doing so ... please stay with us here, and keep us posted on how you're feeling/doing. We'll do everything we can to help you.... were it not for this forum, and the wonderful people here, I never would have made it

[paulaust]

hi - thanks all for the input. 

 

Despite the doctor and most of you recommending to some perspective going back onto cymbalta, Ive been very much against this option until its the absolute last resort.

 

I'll be soon entering the two week mark with no cymbalta, its hurting for sure. I'm still having all the symptoms i mentioned - the most prevalent for me has been the brain zaps and itching, but I think some short term memory loss is also creeping up, i.e making my self a coffee, then not sure how the coffee got on my desk as I couldnt remember making it!

 

If I can toughen up and handle it, I'll never be taking cymbalta again

[brzghoff]

hi paulaust,

 

certainly understand your desire to want to be free of the C and other psychoactive drugs. ditto. i suspect you are aware that you were on the top end of the C dosage. having shed the valium just prior may create an additional challenge. typically, antidepressants are the first to drop and it is highly recommended not to quit more than one drug at a time. as others have shared, and that you have acknowledged, it will be a rough ride. your age is on your side as well as the fact that you were only on it for a year and a half - however -  taking the C and benzos for any amount of time beyond a month can result in rather severe withdrawal symptoms. 

 

i am also adamant about not taking other drugs to help wean off. many have encouraged a benzo of some sort, but i have refused, terrified of the seriously addictive qualities of those drugs. they were never meant to be taken for more than a month, but just as doctors casually prescribe cymbalta, they do likewise with benzos. as a result, i cannot stress enough that if/when the anxiety/anger/irritability kicks in to high gear, how important it is to get cognitive behavioral therapy concurrent with your withdrawal. that is your alternative to drugs. as a matter of fact, drugs alone won't free you. getting therapy is not a sign of weakness, but rather one of strength. the mental fortitude required to fight this battle is enormous and without CBT it will be like trying to fight a gun battle with your bare hands. as you have noted anxiety is a feature of withdrawal. for most of us, it is the most prominent and devastating feature. i am not trying to scare you, but prepare you. There are mental skills that will arm you with techniques not only to defend yourself against anxiety - but with offensive strategies to defeat it. 

 

i wish you all the best, keep in touch and continue to share with us your journey. we all have a lot to learn from each other. no two experiences are the same and we would be grateful to hear your story as it continues to unfold. 

 

all the best

 

 

update: just now noticed your question about being on anti-d's for 12 years and how that will play into the severity of withdrawal. certainly might. i was on anti-d's for almost 18 years, 6 months zoloft, a year wellbutrin, 6 years effexor and 10 years cymbalta. was always cross tapered from one to the other so never felt withdrawal - except wellbutrin, i went off that cold turkey for a couple months and did not feel withdrawal. i did a modified taper off the C from 90 down to 15 (busted caps into two) across a year and a half that  ended up being a cold turkey jump from 15 mg. at that point all hell broke loose - it will be 7 months off on monday and i still battle anxiety, although it is much more manageable and many days i do not feel it at all. the worst for me was at months 1-3 and 4-5. i do take .01 mg of clonidine at night sometimes, but it is not a psychoactive drug in the sense that anti-d's, benzos and anti psychotics are. in very simplistic terms (because that is all i understand) it works on the brain to tell the glands on your kidneys to reduce the production of cortisol (one of the stress hormones) and is actually a med for lowering blood pressure. i take less and less of it all the time, on an as needed basis - for sleep. while on effexor i took depakote concurrently as a mood stabilizer. when i was switched to cymbalta, lamictal replaced the depakote. i am still on lamictal. whether or not it tempered my withdrawal is unknown. i plan to wean off that in 6 months to a year from now. 

 

the reason i am a serious advocate of CBT is because that is what works. time helps, but withdrawal anxiety will feed you negative thought patterns that become habitual in very short order. you won't know where the anxiety comes from - it becomes second nature. it takes a good therapist and you may have to try several before you find one that "clicks" 

 

brz

[paulaust]

Hi, 

 

Thanks for the posts. I appreciate the support. 

 

Just some updates:

 

1. I have on-boarded a new psychologist, whom I commence seeing next week - I'll look at hopefully doing some degree of CBT/psyco therapy to assist in getting rid of this stuff. 

 

2. I hit struggle street on the weekend, which had me relatively quickly see a doctor as my psychiatrist was away sick. My GP prescribed me seroquel 100mg, which I took. and I've taken every day this week. I see my psychiatrist tomorrow to determine next steps. 

 

The biggest issues I have now are:

 

A. rage/anger/frustration - it scares me. I'm not normally an angry person. 

 

B. Concentration / Memory recall 

 

Getting pretty sick of this!!!!

[FiveNotions]

Hi Paul,
 
Those symptoms are typical for cold turkey, and about where you are in the time process ...you're only a few weeks off the Cymbalta, and your brain needs a lot more time ... the moods ... anger, sadness, wild swings ... that's truly temporary ... it's totally due to your brain finding itself without the artificial serotonin boost that Cymbalta provides ... you came off a very high dose very fast, and that means these symptoms are going to likely hit you harder than if you'd given your brain time to adjust and heal by bead counting over a long period of time ... but they will pass ... it just takes time for your brain to "re-wire" itself ...
 
Ditto for the concentration/memory ... serotonin related ... really sucks, tho' doesn't it?

You might want to cross taper, using another SSRI, Zoloft and Prozac are two possible alternatives ... I can't speak to them, as I haven't used either ... but if you search the archives, there are a lot of previous discussions about them ....
 
You've started Seroquel ... may I ask why? It's not an SSRI, and so likely won't help you with the Cymbalta / serotonin withdrawal ... and, it's a really strong med, with some nasty possible side effects, and it's hard to get off of once on it .... its half life is just 6 hours ... Cymbalta's is 12 ... the shorter a drug's half life, the harder the withdrawal ...

as I read your first post, it sounded like you want off all of these meds ..are you sure this is what you want? I'm really glad you've got an appointment with your shrink tomorrow ... please discuss this med with him, and ask him the hard questions ... side effects, withdrawal, etc ...

here's a link to the Wikipedia article about it ... http://en.wikipedia..../Quetiapine....

Hang in there, and keep us posted!

[paulaust]

Hi FiveNotions, 

 

Thanks for the feedback - I too was weary about seroquel, my GP explained it would be nothing more than a stop-gap until I can see my psychritrist in just over tweleve hours. I believe the impact for me being on this drug for a short period of time, was worth the risk as I wasnt coping at all - had my wife bring me to the GP and I had a big cry session in the room. This is not normal for me! 

 

We discussed seroquel over benzos, Xanax was also discussed. For me Xanax is like floating on a cloud - but very addictive and I struggled to taper from it to valium. So the idea was to steer clear of benzos and get some sleep. 

 

Paul

[FiveNotions]

I'm so sorry you're having this rough ride, Paul! I assure you, it does .. and will ... get better. The first month or two, especially coming off the high dose level you were on, and so rapidly, will be the hardest ... just try to remember, and explain to your wife, that all the symptoms ... physical and emotional ... are truly due, completely, to the fact that your brain no longer has the artificially high level of serotonin that the Cymbalta provided ... and your brain now has no re-learn, essentially from scratch, how to regulate its own serotonin levels ... that means that damaged neuro receptors and pathways have to heal/regenerate and/or develop new pathways as alternatives ... it takes time, lots of time ...

And, you do need as much rest as possible, with absolutely minimum stress and activity ... are you trying to work as you go through this? If so, please consider using medical leave, vacay or sick time, or even an unpaid leave of absence for the first month or so that are the hardest ...

If it would help your wife to understand what you're dealing with, and that you are not alone in this struggle, perhaps showing her some of the posts here would help?

Also, someone may have asked you this before (maybe even me, in which case, please excuse the, as you so aptly call it, "brain fart" ...), or you may have said ... but are you taking the basic supplements that are good to use? Multivitamin, B complex, omega 3 fish oil, and chelated magnesium (just check first about the magnesium to be sure that magnesium doesn't interact with any other meds you're taking...it can cause real problems for some people) ....

Let us know how it goes with your psychiatrist today ... we care, and we're rooting for you!

[Clara]

paulaust, hang in there! As Fivenotions says, it will get better. FN is giving you great information! Use it to your benefit. This is not an easy thing but you can do it! Hugs and prayers!

[brzghoff]

Hi FiveNotions, 

 

Thanks for the feedback - I too was weary about seroquel, my GP explained it would be nothing more than a stop-gap until I can see my psychritrist in just over tweleve hours. I believe the impact for me being on this drug for a short period of time, was worth the risk as I wasnt coping at all - had my wife bring me to the GP and I had a big cry session in the room. This is not normal for me! 

 

We discussed seroquel over benzos, Xanax was also discussed. For me Xanax is like floating on a cloud - but very addictive and I struggled to taper from it to valium. So the idea was to steer clear of benzos and get some sleep. 

 

Paul

 

 

for sleep, there's good ol' over- the-counter benadryl. well, its OTC here in the states

[ShadyLady]

Hi Paul, welcome to the forum. Just a couple things I'd like to share with you. I did my own taper from 120mg down to 90mg then to 60mg over a two month period. I did not have any withdrawal effects until I started the 'eyeball method' of dumping out about half of the 60mg capsule over a week or so and then received the generic CYMBALTA through my mail order pharmacy. I was unaware that the CYMshit was now generic. All hell broke loose! Whether it was withdrawal symptoms hitting hard at 30ish mg or the generic that I was unaware of, I hit 'struggle street' and 'brain slaps,' excellent descriptives btw, along with a host of the hellish withdrawal symptoms described by most here. The rage, which I call Crage!, was one of the head banger symptoms for me. I acted out horribly with the uncontrollable Craging for a couple months unfortunately. I have been off the shit for a little over six months now and at 4 months the depression was debilitating and I had to reinstate on 20mg Prozac beginning of October. It has not helped nor did the Wellbutrin prescribed in August.

I am older, 58, and don't know how much age has to do with the withdrawal/discontinuation period other than what other share here. Just wanted to share a little of my experience and encourage you to stay on the forum sharing your journey off the poison. The support is priceless and we get it!

How was your appointment today?

PS- grins and giggles...I read your user name as paul lust:o Huh?! I'm guessing you are an Aussie?

Be well and God bless...you might also want to look up in the search box, click 'members' and type in thismoment. He is a former member that shared much wisdom I feel will be of great value in understanding this 'trip' of Cym withdrawal/discontinuation.

Take care,
Shady Lady

[paulaust]

Hi All, 

Thanks for posting - I tried to like all of you but i ran out of my like quota for the day.. 

 

I'm using this as much as a tool to seek support/help as well as a bit of a journal to see where I was, and where I am. So here's my update

 

 

Before XMAS:

- I went to see my pDr and I gave her this URL to have a read through during my appointment given it was probably easier for me to get her to read it and me to have to recall what was happening.

- I was to continue seroquel 

- I was provided a prescription of zoloft which I was going to use to see if i needed to cross-taper over xmas

 

Update from now:

 

- I have stopped using seroquel in a daily fashion. I did some reading that suggested 6.25mg on nights where getting to sleep is hard is sufficient (I have not been able to get the OTC benadryl in Australia but may look into that). I have used 6.25mg of seroquel in the last week.

 

- I did not cross taper - I'm not on any SNRI/SSRI at all. 

 

- I have been taking Fish Oil & A multi vitamin daily 

 

- The rage/anger/frustration I mentioned in the previous post has largely reduced. I still get it, but its frequency is alot less than what it was. 

 

- Memory loss is improving 

 

So things are going pretty well.... but what I'm really really suffering with is muscle/body pains & aches. Cant get out of a chair without it hurting -  Reminds me of the aches and pains from having the flu - but its pretty constant. Hasnt been getting any easier...... Does anyone have any remedies for this? I ended up going to a spa and massage resort yesterday with the wife - didnt really find it relaxing at all! 

 

I've been reading about the 'fibromyalgia' the symptoms sound the same, but I'm hoping its just temporary as a result of coming off cymbalta. 

 

Cheers

Paul

 

p.s ShadyLady - yep Australian and lusty (is that a word?)

 

I'll give thismoment a look up!

[gail]

Hello Paul,

So things are getting better as I can see.
Thanks for the briefing.

Sorry, can't help with the aches and pains, as I do not have any.
But others know a lot about it and should chime in soon.

6.25 seroquel is pretty low, and if that helps, go with it. If I read well, seems like this is the only med you are taking. That is awesome.

Wish you the best for this new year. Keep posting.
PS, just saw that you were only one month off,geez, and feeling better. That is quite something!

[FiveNotions]

Good to hear from you, Paul, I'd been thinking about you and wondering how you're doing ... and by the sounds of it, you're doing great... especially great to not be on anything other than the Seroquel, and that only occasionally... and that the emotions have moderated in just this short a time, very good also!

 

ah yes, the aches and pains ... I had them big-time ... here's what helped me ... and again, they fade with time, so just remember, "it's a phase" ...

 

-- chelated magnesium supplements ... just be sure to check to see that the magnesium doesn't interact with the Seroquel or any other supplements you're taking ... Fishinghat post a link to info on interactions, I'll find that and put it here for you ...

 

-- Epsom salts hot soaks in the tub ... Epsom salts is another form of magnesium, and it's able to cross the dermal barrier and get right into the muscles/tissues ...

 

-- heating pad ... I pretty much lived with it ... just moved it from one achy joint/body part to another ...

 

-- those silicone pea-filled things ... that can be heated in the microwave or frozen/cooled in the freezer ... I bought about 6 of them, different sizes and shapes ...I used them, hot, for the aches and pains that felt like flu ... also used them frozen/cold for the horrid optic neuritis I had (felt like ice picks stabbing into the brain/optic nerve) ... also, cold might feel good on your muscle aches ... it all depends on the individual ... for example, at one point in the neuritis stuff, heated packs started to feel better on my eyes, so I switched over ...

 

-- Benadryl does help some folks ... you can order it via the internet from Amazon ... they'll ship to you, I'm sure ... as long as it's not regulated / a controlled substance where you are...

 

-- Nyquil and/or Robitusson cough syrup ... also helped me to sleep ... just don't take either of them if you're going to try to drive or do anything that requires attention and coordination !

 

You're really doing well at getting off the crapalta ! Please keep us posted, we love success stories!!

[thismoment]

Hi Paul

 

I see that you are struggling, and I profoundly empathize! 

 

The length of exposure to these drugs does indeed shape the nature of the withdrawal, the nature of discontinuation (after the drug is out of your system), and the nature of one's long-term quality of life. One thing it means is that if you were exposed longer, your discontinuation will be longer. There is no science on this, but that is the anecdotal story.

 

Words like 'addictive' and 'dependency' can be pretty confusing. But all of these drugs have withdrawal and discontinuation symptoms-- some worse than others. A certain benzodiazepine might be more difficult to withdraw from than a certain SSRI. I think they are ALL addictive, but addiction means nothing to me if there is a supply; all that really matters is quality of life. 

 

Here's what I think: you are in discontinuation from more than one drug simultaneously, and there's no way to know what's causing what-- the Valium, the Cymbalta? And these symptoms last a long time (many months) and the uncomfortable and painful symptoms are crying out for you to TAKE SOMETHING!!

Do you now have Fibromyalgia? Perhaps. Perhaps not. Perhaps Fibromyalgia is a sub-set of discontinuation symptoms. If you start the Zoloft ( and I don't say you shouldn't) you'll never know the answer to that question.

 

Did your doctor prescribe Quetiapine (Seroquel) when you were exhibiting overt symptoms in the his/her office? That would make sense because doctors treat symptoms.  For me, the outbreaks of rage, frustration, anger, and uncontrollable crying were discontinuation symptoms from Cymbalta-- the rage stage lasted for a couple of months. Many others on this forum will agree. If you quickly subdue these symptoms with more drugs you will have entered the symptom-drug-withdrawal-symptom-drug loop and there is no way out.

 

What to do?

 

It's my totally unprofessional opinion that you are in full-blown Cold Turkey (even after 6 weeks, yes) from Cymbalta and the benzodiazepine Valium. When you quit Seroquel that will have withdrawal symptoms too. If you wish to be off these meds, you're going to have to weather the tsunami of discontinuation symptoms that will come your way over the next number of months. The aching muscles and joints and fatigue are part of that. Sure, starting Zoloft or any other SSRI will modify those symptoms and surely make some of them go away! 

 

I can't recommend what to do, but if you wish to explore living without these medications you simply must go through the discontinuation period, and that can last a few-- or many months. It will evoke such powerful emotions as rage, profound frustration, and exhausting crying sessions; your muscles and joints will ache making you feel like you have a monster flu; your memory will be sketchy; your balance will be iffy; you won't care about how you look or what you say-- and on and on. Most physicians would view any or all of these symptoms as psychotic episodes and they would be more than willing to write you a prescription!

 

And most physicians would not recognize that any of this is discontinuation.

 

If you wish to continue to discontinue, you have to metaphorically tie yourself to the mast (as Ulysses did) to avoid surrendering to the siren-song of reinstatement. The symptoms will rage! You have to endure this for as long as it takes: you may feel you have contracted a variety of diseases, and doctors will be willing to prescribe a great variety of miraculous medications to save you! But after some months (perhaps 6), it will break like a fever, and you will perceive light at the end of the tunnel. 

 

There is more, but this is enough for now. Know that you can do this! Most of the gentle souls on this forum have descended some version of this dark path. We are here to help you where we can. Hang in there Paul.

[ShadyLady]

OMG!! Thismoment, you are back????!!!! I'm yelling a big Carleeta YIPPPEEE with a sense of peace and joy I haven't felt since, hmmm, can't remember when! Welcome back, welcome home...I still have my curled, wrinkled notebook of posts written by you that I still refer to! I am over the moon and hope you are back with us to stay. You and FishingHat have returned. Santa Baby, thank you for the best present ever of 'the boys' coming home!! Wow, I'm so jazzed and my spirit is lifted....Happy New Year, my friend;)

Sorry, Paul - I just had to hijack your post and express joy over thismoment coming back to the forum after I had suggested for you to look him up in my reply to you above! Yes, lusty is a word, teehee!

Excellent, truthful post written by him to you. You have. It even been off the shit a month yet and seem to be doing much better than any I have read about here in the first four weeks of recovery! Plus off Valium since September! That is amazing;).

Please stay with us and keep posting as this is such a cyclical ride. Glad to read your update. Hang in there and keep up the good fight and moving forward;)

Be well, Lusty;) 'Hands across the waters,' friend

[ShadyLady]

Hi Paul, I was re-reading this thread and your posts. You mention that you crossed over from Xanax to Valium. If you don't mind sharing, what dose of Xanax and for how long before you crossed over to the 10mg of Valium to get off the Xanax? How long were you on the Valium and did you stop the 10mg dose cold turkey in September? I am curious as I currently take 1mg of Xanax at bedtime. I have occasionally upped the dose to 1.5 or 2mg on days when the anxiety hit around 4 months off the Crap and was the frozen kind of panic. The anxiety has now disappeared at 7 months. Whether that is attributable to the 20mg of Prozac kicking in after 12 weeks on it, I don't know. I have read elsewhere about others crossing over to Valium to taper off Xanax more successfully as it has a longer half life. From my reading, stopping Benzos is a whole other battle by itself much less stopping the worst of the worst a-d Cym. You are a warrior battling withdrawal/discontinuation off the two! You are young, so maybe that makes it more bearable, but you state you took anti-d's for 12 years. I wish you the best and hope better days will be more the norm for you. You have done really well in the short time you have been off both!

Blessings, Rebecca

[paulaust]

Hi, 

 

Thanks all again for the posts - thismoment - you've raised some good points and I like the way you described it as a tsunami - very true. 

 

ShadyLady - I'm no doctor so your results may vary etc but:

 

I was on I think 2.5mg of Xanax. My experience on that drug was unbelievable - loved it, worked absolute wonders for me. I was instructed both both my dr and pdr that they are not wanting to prescribe it long term and that was the reason I cut over to valium.  I was on xanax for about 2 months(?). I was then on Valium for approximately 1.5+ years (longer than I was Cym for). Both same class of drug - but i think there is some issues with xanax being over prescribed in the australian market hence the scrutiny 

 

- I went off xanax through tapering on its own - i was distracted by work so it didnt appear to be an issue.  Then some months later for anxiety i started up on valium.

 

- I got of valium by tapering down to 2mg every second day then took my self on a holiday for a week. read books and drove a motor cycle on my own around the island. I needed to be away, my wife was supportive of this which was great.

 

In reflection the whole drug exiting thing has been a whirl wind, and i think this time i owe my wife a holiday as I've been a pain in the bottom to live with. But she reads the forum and i think its a good way for me to communicate how i'm feeling as its easier to type it out here than talk about it in person. Plus its good that she know's i'm not the only one suffering through this stuff. 

 

Ahh.. Xanax for me is hard, as I think it did wonders for me, and sometimes, especially these days going through the cym withdrawal it definetly seems like a nice warm blanket escape. But I won't take the easy way out!

 

Paul

[TryinginFL]

HI Paul,

 

Just wanted to jump on here with my experience using Xanax.  Surprisingly, I have been a rather rare bird, as I have been on this stuff for several years and there were times when I didn't take any at all and other times when I took the full  2mg which is the RX.  I bumped it up to 3mg when my anxiety was through the roof, but now only use it for sleep.

 

I seem to react strangely to meds, as this would have pooped out for most people, but it is the same for me all this time and I can take it or not - as I need!  I understand that this can be very addictive but I have had no problems!

 

Your "time away" sounds wonderful and you are fortunate to have such an understanding wife - not only OK with your little trip, but even reading what is posted here.  I say Bravo for her!

 

Just as an aside, regarding my rather strange reaction to certain things - only about 4% of people taking magnesium develop anxiety - guess where I was!  I wish that I could take it as it was helping with the fibro and arthritis pain. Such is my story!

 

You are doing well and you will soon be OK!  The best of all to you in this new year and please keep us posted!

 

Liz

[FiveNotions]

Paul, how are you doing?

 

(Didn't mean to seem like I'm "stalking" you ... I've got insomnia and am hanging out here for a bit ... saw that you were here also, and I've been wondering about you ... )