It's a long story and I'll try to cut it way down. I used to take Lexapro 20 mg and did great on that for years. We (my husband and I) began having serious problems with our next door neighbors. The criminal harassment trial is this thursday if that gives you an indication of how bad the problems were/are. The Lexapro was no longer cutting it, so my doctor switched me to Cymbalta. However, he kept me on samples until we were able to get the dosage right because my co-pay for non-generics is $70.00. After 2 months I ended up on 120 mg of Cymbalta/day with .5 mg klonopin for "just in case" times when things were really bad with the neighbors. Anyway, Aetna denied my claim for the Cymbalta stating that the doctor had to switch me to 20 mg of generic prozac. Yesterday was day 2 or 3 without Cymbalta and I called my therapist to schedule for today because I was fairly certain that my mind was going. She has assured me that this is a result of the withdrawl from the Cymbalta and being seriously undermedicated with 20 mg of Prozac not being close to what I'm going to need and not really having kicked in yet anyway. We had a conference call with my dr. and have adjusted a couple things, but I feel literally crazy. Certifiable, lock me up, throw away the key, or at the very least a 72 hour "rest".
If I'm not completely manic, I'm asleep.
When I'm manic I can barely speak because I'm finding it very difficult to find the correct words. I sound like I have a bad stutter.
My hands do not feel connected to my arms ( I am having a terrible time typing this! lol)
My head feels fuzzy, like it's stuffed with cotton, but it feels kind of buzzy too, like there's a bee stuck in the cotton.
I cry, about everything, about nothing.
I have a headace, shoulder aches, backache.
I cannot focus on anything. When I'm feeling really manic I get very restless, because I get bored, because I can't focus on doing anything.
Hyperventilation
My eyes feel weird. I have no other description for this then "weird"
I feel nauseous a lot although no actual vomiting
Diarreha(sp?)
And also I have the dropsies so bad. Everything I pick up ends up on the floor.
I'm getting bumped up to 40 mg of Prozac. I know the bump is too quick, but the dr. wants to try to alleviate some of the withdrawl by getting something else into me. Has anyone had any success with getting off the cymbalta and onto something else without weeks and/or months of problems?
Anything anyone has to share will be greatly appreciated. Feeling very sad and alone, although I'm glad I found this board, because at least the logical side of me that is still functioning knows I'm not.
Thanks!
Leslie
Cold Turkey at the insistence of AETNA...
Started by shoshee10, Aug 25 2009 10:58 AM
2 replies to this topic
#2
nursedeborah
-
- Members
-
- 1,015 posts
God-like
-
- why_joining:
- I am reallly trying to get off Cymbalta, and not having, well I am having nightmares even with the decreased does, and clanging in my head.
I just found this site, and I really need help, I can't do this, I fear I willl never get off this brutal medication.
Deboreah Wesson
Posted 26 August 2009 - 06:54 AM
Leslie,
Please check out the site http://www.prozactru...om/cymbalta.htm
This has all the withdrawls symptoms.
Everything your going through is normal, and part of coming of this drug. It can go one for different periods of times, each person is different. Yes you do feel like your going insane.
Can't your doc give you sameples of the Cymbalts so you can get off this slowly? Yes some do use another antidepressant to help with the withdrawls. I personally would not want Prozac, as this makes you so hyper coming off as it is. Also cause so much anxiety.
Please go to that site, show it to your therapist, and doctor. We neeed to inform our doc's.
I just saw mine yesterday, and gave him a copy of it.
We are here for you, I wish you all the luck there is, it's not easy at all, especially not beimng able to go down slow off this stuf. Hope you feel better soon.
Debbie
Please check out the site http://www.prozactru...om/cymbalta.htm
This has all the withdrawls symptoms.
Everything your going through is normal, and part of coming of this drug. It can go one for different periods of times, each person is different. Yes you do feel like your going insane.
Can't your doc give you sameples of the Cymbalts so you can get off this slowly? Yes some do use another antidepressant to help with the withdrawls. I personally would not want Prozac, as this makes you so hyper coming off as it is. Also cause so much anxiety.
Please go to that site, show it to your therapist, and doctor. We neeed to inform our doc's.
I just saw mine yesterday, and gave him a copy of it.
We are here for you, I wish you all the luck there is, it's not easy at all, especially not beimng able to go down slow off this stuf. Hope you feel better soon.
Debbie
#3
QueenTimely
-
- Members
-
- 104 posts
Good Friend
- LocationItaly, at present. Australia, usually. New York, originally!
-
- why_joining:
- I am currently on Cymbalta after many years of other drugs including Zoloft, Wellbutrin and Effexor. I had a terrible experience coming off of Effexor that resulted only in my going back on, then changing to Cymbalta. I feel, at this point, that the drugs are causing as many problems as the initial depression did, and am looking at the possibility of coming off but am living this year in rural Italy and need some real support in considering this possibility and its consequences.
Posted 17 April 2010 - 05:30 AM
I am so, so sorry you're in this situation.
First: NurseDeborah is 100% correct. It's all par for the course of coming off this drug. So, know that for certain.
Second: Get back on the medication, at a low dose, to regain your sanity. In order to do this, I suggest one of several possibilities:
- get more samples from your doctor;
- contact Eli Lily for some samples http://www.cymbalta.com/index.jsp; tell them your situation. It's a very serious problem.
- there is a black male American talk show host who has set up a foundation for providing people with medications they can't afford. Unfortunately, I can't remember his name.
- And, my personal, political opinion is: support national health care reform to take the power away from insurance companies for making these kinds of decision. Sorry, but I can't help noticing that this isn't a problem in Australia where we live.
You do need, in my opinion, to get back on the drug at a low dose -- maybe 20 mg just to deal with the side effects -- then taper down normally. No one should be expected to go through what you're going through.
Keep posting.
First: NurseDeborah is 100% correct. It's all par for the course of coming off this drug. So, know that for certain.
Second: Get back on the medication, at a low dose, to regain your sanity. In order to do this, I suggest one of several possibilities:
- get more samples from your doctor;
- contact Eli Lily for some samples http://www.cymbalta.com/index.jsp; tell them your situation. It's a very serious problem.
- there is a black male American talk show host who has set up a foundation for providing people with medications they can't afford. Unfortunately, I can't remember his name.
- And, my personal, political opinion is: support national health care reform to take the power away from insurance companies for making these kinds of decision. Sorry, but I can't help noticing that this isn't a problem in Australia where we live.
You do need, in my opinion, to get back on the drug at a low dose -- maybe 20 mg just to deal with the side effects -- then taper down normally. No one should be expected to go through what you're going through.
Keep posting.
It's a long story and I'll try to cut it way down. I used to take Lexapro 20 mg and did great on that for years. We (my husband and I) began having serious problems with our next door neighbors. The criminal harassment trial is this thursday if that gives you an indication of how bad the problems were/are. The Lexapro was no longer cutting it, so my doctor switched me to Cymbalta. However, he kept me on samples until we were able to get the dosage right because my co-pay for non-generics is $70.00. After 2 months I ended up on 120 mg of Cymbalta/day with .5 mg klonopin for "just in case" times when things were really bad with the neighbors. Anyway, Aetna denied my claim for the Cymbalta stating that the doctor had to switch me to 20 mg of generic prozac. Yesterday was day 2 or 3 without Cymbalta and I called my therapist to schedule for today because I was fairly certain that my mind was going. She has assured me that this is a result of the withdrawl from the Cymbalta and being seriously undermedicated with 20 mg of Prozac not being close to what I'm going to need and not really having kicked in yet anyway. We had a conference call with my dr. and have adjusted a couple things, but I feel literally crazy. Certifiable, lock me up, throw away the key, or at the very least a 72 hour "rest".
If I'm not completely manic, I'm asleep.
When I'm manic I can barely speak because I'm finding it very difficult to find the correct words. I sound like I have a bad stutter.
My hands do not feel connected to my arms ( I am having a terrible time typing this! lol)
My head feels fuzzy, like it's stuffed with cotton, but it feels kind of buzzy too, like there's a bee stuck in the cotton.
I cry, about everything, about nothing.
I have a headace, shoulder aches, backache.
I cannot focus on anything. When I'm feeling really manic I get very restless, because I get bored, because I can't focus on doing anything.
Hyperventilation
My eyes feel weird. I have no other description for this then "weird"
I feel nauseous a lot although no actual vomiting
Diarreha(sp?)
And also I have the dropsies so bad. Everything I pick up ends up on the floor.
I'm getting bumped up to 40 mg of Prozac. I know the bump is too quick, but the dr. wants to try to alleviate some of the withdrawl by getting something else into me. Has anyone had any success with getting off the cymbalta and onto something else without weeks and/or months of problems?
Anything anyone has to share will be greatly appreciated. Feeling very sad and alone, although I'm glad I found this board, because at least the logical side of me that is still functioning knows I'm not.
Thanks!
Leslie
0 user(s) are reading this topic
0 members, 0 guests, 0 anonymous users
