4 replies to this topic

[meaninglessusername]

Hi, I am new here. I have been on 120 mg of Cymbalta for ... I am not exactly sure how long anymore. It has been years. My headache specialist put me on it and tapered up to this insane dose at least a few years ago, I think. (I have had a chronic migraine condition since the fall of 2007.) I went to pick up my refill at the pharmacy last week, and was told the insurance would not cover it without a PA from the Dr (I've recently had to apply for state health insurance, as I am now unemployed due to my health and constant harassment from my co-workers). It wasn't until I had finally located a place that has canisters of Carbon Monoxide and was trying to figure out logistics of getting it, getting rid of my stuff so my parents don't have to, cancelling all memberships - I think you get the idea - when I finally decided to look up what to do about the awful withdrawal symptoms... Good grief, why is this stuff even legal? This is NOT the first time I have been through this. I have run out and suffered through the brain zaps, mood swings, major body/joint aches on a few other occasions due to insurance company red tape. Once I start taking it again, things go back to merely really unpleasant instead of abject misery. I have seriously had enough. Now I see that the rash I keep developing all over the insides of my arms and elbows could be from this?!? I pointed it out to more than one Dr and none even suggested this as a possible cause. Itchy, painful red bumps all over. It looks like I have arm acne, for crying out loud. I am way to old for this crap. As it is, I am on a veritable pharmacy to control the headache (not too well, unfortunately...) including being subjected to 40 injections of Botox every 12 weeks. To be honest, I am not really sure if I care enough anymore to bother trying. My life is waaaay to messed up at this point, and I have reached the point of not being able to deal with it anymore. I haven't got any other space to say any of what is really on my mind, so there it is. I guess it is good that there are others who understand what I am going through med-wise, but really, it is terrible that there are so many of us. I will now stop whining. Thanks to anyone who got to the end of this.

[lady2882Nancy]

Welcome

You have come to a great place to vent as needed. Yes I read your whole post and can relate to much of it.

 

The good news is that the misery of withdrawal does end no matter how bad it feels right now. Also if you can get a prescription for a different antidepressant such as Zoloft or Prozac or something like that it will make the withdrawal less painful.

 

Keep on venting to us as we do understand and ask any questions you like. We all try to offer all the help we can as we all have been there in some way. This crap had me searching for a way to end it all while on it and while tapering off as well so I can relate only too well.

 

Take care of you because we care

[thismoment]

meaninglessusername

 

You're not 'whining', you're in pain!

 

Please confirm that you've been off Cymbalta 120 mg cold-turkey for a week now, following several years of exposure. If this is the case, it will likely be a rough ride for a number of weeks before getting substantially easier.

 

What other meds are you taking on a daily basis?

 

Do you have anxiety, and if so-- do you have something to keep it down?

 

We can help you work through this.

[meaninglessusername]

Well, actually when I was refused the fill, I took one 60 the following two days, so I guess it was not really cold turkey. The withdrawal symptoms have never hit me until more than a day without them. Since starting on these years ago, I have run out due to insurance co red tape several times, usually experiencing w/d for a few days to a couple of weeks. I really don't think I can handle the withdrawal right now. The pharmacy called and said they were ready, so I picked them up. I've an appointment to see my specialist in a few weeks, so I plan to discuss getting off this crap - er, "medicine". I'd go sooner, but it is a 3 hour R/T.

 

I am on so many pills... ugh. There's the cymbalta, diamox, methergine, botox (every 12 weeks), and lisinopril (my BP skyrocketed when the headache started and I have been on BP meds ever since), vitamin d3 - these are all the ones headache related. Then there's the zyrtec and flonase for allergies, glucosamine and a mini pill. Right now I am also on antibiotics, mucinex and cough syrup with codeine for the sinus/ears infection. Oh, and a decongestant. 

 

Since the day before the w/d symptoms started, in addition to the issues I already have, I began to have signs of a massive sinus/double ear infection (that is what you call it when infection in both ears..?). For four days I was experiencing a fever of over 101 F with wildly swinging feelings of broiling alive/freezing. It was in the mid to upper 70's/lower 80's and I was in shorts/tank top with a heavy winter sweater... 

 

incidentally, it turns out (to my complete non-surprise) an individual cannot purchase a CO cylinder...really not shocked by the sudden keen interest in what my purpose for having it was, etc., nor was I upset with him since given what my intention for it is, I can understand the precaution, even if the policy is purely out of self interest given our litigious society, not out of any actual concern for anyone else.

 

I appreciate that two of you cared enough to reply. That means a lot even tho we are all strangers to each other. It is rare for anyone to listen to what I say, and I think you are pretty super. My life has been circling the bowl for awhile now, but even that is not enough to make me want to go back on another anti-depressant. Cymbalta is the devil, but zoloft is also the devil. I had terrible withdrawal from that when I told the dr (back a couple decades ago) that I wanted off of it. I don't remember it being as bad as this though... Maybe it was? I have spent the years since this headache's onset being treated like a guinea pig. I was scanned, imaged, injected with dye, and had more seemingly pointless tests than I can remember right off. (I still don't know why they ultrasounded my carotid artery.. my previous neurologist sent me for tests because he hadn't a clue.) My memory is pretty bad now due to the constant pain and med overload. I just want it to stop. It seems that it is how I am expected to be for the rest of my life (memory of a goldfish, constant pain, eating a pharmacy everyday) and I am not ok with that if they also expect me to stick around for a few more decades... Just no. I can't do it anymore. I think I am rambling on here.

 

Again, thank you for listening. It is nice to know someone somewhere knows how I feel.

[thismoment]

meaninglessusername

 

Hi again.

 

I see you've got another prescription-- good plan; get feeling better before planning to wean off.

 

Cold turkey is a relative term and it can mean anything from just stopping, to a fast taper over a few weeks. The immediate symptoms are generally more acute with abrupt stoppage, but a fast taper over a few weeks can be pretty bad too.

 

You should know that there is ample anecdotal evidence that shows it's possible to go virtually symptom-free with a long tapering regimen-- like 12-16 months. People who taper off over 3 months (a common timeline) often experience rough symptoms for a number of weeks before things begin to level out. Everybody is different, and surely other medications taken concurrently affect the overall experience.

 

You might consider starting with a long timeline that would yield minimal symptoms, and adjust as you go (shorten the timeline)-- we can talk about that later; right now just get stable and feeling better.

 

I ran your list of drugs for interactions, and they are all Moderate except for cold meds/decongestants that contain dextromethorphan which interacts with duloxetine to boost serotonin levels-- this is a Major Interaction. Hang in there!!

 

Here's the link:

 

http://www.drugs.com...200-719,569-286