17 replies to this topic

[monkeygoodness]

I have been on Cymbalta since summer of 2014, almost one year. Started out at 30mg then my doc wanted to up it to 60mg because he said "30 basically doesn't do anything." 

 

I was fine on the 30mg, it changed my life for the better!  But now on the 60mg for about two months I am CONSTANTLY getting body zaps. No matter what I do to try and change (taking pill at different time of day etc) I still get them. My doc's suggestion was to split out the dose into two 30mg doses per day, and honestly he didn't even know what I was talking about when I told him what was going on. ugh!

 

Has anyone ever had constant body zaps while taking the drug? I can only find information regarding withdrawal and zaps, not people taking it currently feeling them.

 

My plan is to get the script filled for the two 30mg caps and start to taper down the way you guys have said is the best way. I just don't get WHY I keep getting body electrical shocks all the time when I get up from my chair at work etc. Any thoughts?

 

 

[thismoment]

Hi MG

 

Welcome!

 

I am familiar with brain zaps, but I don't know about 'body zaps'. Can you describe them in a little more detail?

 

There are often symptoms associated with a change in the dosage, and what you describe could be associated with the boost in dosage. But it's hard to know. 

 

I'd say drop back to 30 mg and see how it goes.

 

Take care.

[gail]

Hello MG,

I would do as Thismoment suggested, drop back to 30mg.

You were feeling fine at that dosage, wonder why the doc upped you to 60mg.

If you encounter difficulty dropping to 30 mg, you may have to bead count. If this should happen, let us know, people with experience will guide you. Wish you the best. Come back and let us know how you are doing!

[monkeygoodness]

Long story short, Cymbalta along with some other things are recommended for past head and neck cancer patients that have radiation fibrosis in their neck, which I do. The "recommended dose" for the treatment is 60mg. Trust me, he will be hearing about upping it for no reason. I can't live like this, it feels terrible.  I wasn't told of any withdrawal that could occur of course and am so thankful to have found this forum.

 

What I feel is an electrical sense that comes from the head and goes down the torso and arms. Like a quick shock. It happens constantly but especially if I turn my head fast or get up from a chair like normal.  When I was on the 30mg this happened to me once after a drunken christmas party but went away after a couple days (and I obviously didn't drink that much again). I don't know if these are the brain zaps people describe or not, because mine goes down my body.

 

Thank you for the responses! Do people generally need to bead count going from 60 to 30?

 

<3

[lady2882Nancy]

Hi monkeygoodness

 

I didn't have body shocks myself when on Cymbalta but have had them on another med that affects the brain so I understand the frustration. It seems to be an error message from the brain to the body that would tell me that the dosage is too strong. Sometimes this goes away with time but that is only the brain adapting to the dosage and do we really want our brain to have to adapt when the lower dose was working?

Myself I don't understand why these doctors want you to up the dose when a lower dose is working just fine but that seems to be the way it is.

As thismoment said I would go back down to the 30mg and see how you feel then. If you don't have any problems with this then what you decide to do from there is up to you.

If you do decide you want off this completely we will be more than happy to help you.

 

Take care of you and be well

 

Nancy

[gail]

MG,

Some go from 60 to 30 without any problems. And some have to bead count. My intuition tells me you will be OK with the drop. Female intuition!

Perhaps a few days feeling funny and perhaps not. I would do it, you already have side effects that make you miserable, nothing to lose here! Keep us posted MG.

[monkeygoodness]

I get the new script today and will switch to the 30 this weekend.  You guys are the best and thank you miss ladynancy, it's so hard to describe this electrical feeling! last night I was standing in the kitchen and had three zaps in a row! Such a messed up feeling.  I'll report back! <3

[TryinginFL]

Welcome MG!

 

Happy to hear that you have decided to go to the 30!

 

I never had any brain or body zaps, but I sure had a lot of other stuff!  If you need help bead counting, please come back as we have members here who can help you with that.  Are you taking the brand name (Eli Lilly) or a generic?  We would also need to know the number of beads in a capsule.

 

I wish you much luck and please come back with any questions you may have or to rant, vent or whatever...

 

We are here for you!

 

Liz

[monkeygoodness]

OK so after almost a month I FINALLY got my 30mg capsules (I'm on generic btw). I'll spare you the annoying dealing with medical people story.

 

I switched this past Saturday and the electricity was immediately half of how strong it was.  Now it's Tuesday and I'm getting them pretty much anytime I move. I assume this is the withdrawal kicking in.  I just find it so odd that the electricity is a symptom of withdrawal and I was having it the whole time I was taking the 60mg capsules.  

[monkeygoodness]

And update:  my symptoms are all over the place and 100% unpredictable.  One day I wake up feeling fine and as soon as I take the Cymbalta the shocks start. The next day I wake up feeling like shit and as soon as I take the Cymbalta I feel better. Been having mood swings, mostly just irritated though.

 

I'm 12 days in now dosing down from 60 to 30 and it's been pretty shitty. I haven't been able to take any time off work so I've just been trying to take it slow on movements at work.

[TryinginFL]

MG...

 

Did you just drop from 60 to 30 with no slow weaning?  Your symptoms seem to indicate that..

 

Please come back with any questions you may have - we're here for you!

 

Liz

[gail]

MonkeyG,

Since you were doing well on the 30 mg, and been on the 60mg for only two months, this is to be expected. I would think that the worst is over for you.

And I also think that you made the right choice in dropping straight to 30. Give it a bit more time, it should settle down.

Keep updating please. The fact that you are still working in this state is pretty good, even though you feel like shit at times.

Looking forward to hear from you!

[thismoment]

Hi MB

 

You and this drug may not be compatible; it happens all the time-- you may need something different, or nothing at all.

 

Give it a couple more weeks to see if it levels off (you could well still be in withdrawal from the drop from 60-30). If there's no improvement perhaps consider coming off the Cymbalta via slow weaning. If you and your doctor think another med is warranted, the doctor might cross-taper you onto something else. Again, don't just suddenly drop (or boost) large dosages on any of these meds-- always taper up and/or taper down.

 

I'm impressed that you are coping well. Good work!

 

Best wishes!

[monkeygoodness]

Thanks everyone!

 

I am back on the 30mg once daily for a couple months now and doing fabulous.

 

I DID figure something else out while on this journey - aspartame gives me the electrical shocks as well! Even on the 30mg. After a 3 day weekend where I drank 5 diet sodas over the course of the 3 days I had the zaps for two days following.  I saw someone say on a different forum that they have the same problem with effexor so I cut out the remaining items that I ate/drank that contained artificial sweeteners and haven't had any more zaps.  I've never had a reaction to artificial sweeteners before so something to let other people know!

 

<3

[thismoment]

monkeygoodness

Like SS/SNRIs, benzodiazepines, alcohol, nicotine, and caffeine-- Aspertame is a neurotoxin that is addictive, neuroactive, and it interacts with other neutotoxic medications. It's not surprising that you got brain zaps when you boosted the toxicity of your meds by including Aspertame.

There are many articles online describing the neurotoxicity of Aspertame. It was approved as an artificial sweetener in 1981. Here is one such article from a few years ago:

http://www.huffingto...s_b_668692.html

[FiveNotions]

Hi MG, thank you for coming back to let us know about this! Also, congratulations on how well you're doing !
 
I found this article about aspartame ... had no idea about this stuff, and will research it a bit more ... nasty stuff ...

 

-------------------------
America's Deadliest Sweetener Betrays Millions, Then Hoodwinks You With Name Change
HuffingtonPost, 7/6/2010
http://www.huffingto...e_b_630549.html

FTA:

:Aspartame is the most controversial food additive in history, and its approval for use in food was the most contested in FDA history. In the end, the artificial sweetener was approved, not on scientific grounds, but rather because of strong political and financial pressure. After all, aspartame was previously listed by the Pentagon as a biochemical warfare agent!

It's hard to believe such a chemical would be allowed into the food supply, but it was, and it has been wreaking silent havoc with people's health for the past 30 years.

The truth is, it should never have been released onto the market, and allowing it to remain in the food chain is seriously hurting people -- no matter how many times you rebrand it under fancy new names."

[FiveNotions]

Ha, you beat me to it, TM !

 

We both found articles by Dr. Mercola, in the HuffingtonPost ... should we also post these over in the "Cymbalta in the News" forum where we stick all the various research articles we ind?

[thismoment]

Hi FN

I knew you would pick this one up! There's a lot of scary stuff in food: just read the chemo-horror litany on a package of pepperoni!

Yes let's cross-referenct them to Cymbalta in the News.