6 replies to this topic

[goprophets]

Advised to discontinue Cymbalta after developing constant tremors and night sweats which lasted 2 1/2 months.  Was taking for depression, anxiety and chronic pain management.  Came down from 120 mg to zero over 14 days - last dose was six weeks ago.  Had variety of withdrawal symptoms with mental/cognition ones continuing to cause problems.  Wife is concerned that I have not been myself over the last two months.  I get frustrated quickly, am argumentative (even arguing that I am not arguing), quick temper, problems processing information, bouts of hypo-mania, and waves of fuzzy-headiness with perception disturbances.  I feel GREAT otherwise - besides return of higher levels of chronic pain.  Have managed to not bounce back into depression or anxiety - not sure if road to brain recovery will include return of those bad boys.

 

Feel like I have it all out of my system and have instituted good regime of sleep, diet, exercise, and supplements.  Not sure what to tell my wife how long it will take my brain to heal and when she gets old reliable husband back.  We have a 5 year-old and 17 month old who we are trying to protect from me not being myself.  Scheduling lots of evening babysitting support to get girls fed and to bed.  In addition, wife just had thyroid removed so she is needing me to be good caretaker and support as well.

 

Anecdotes on how long it took anyone to recover from being on Cymbalta - if ever?  I can tell I am not myself - just not a good judge of just how much I am not me lately.

[thismoment]

goprophets

Hi and welcome.

Can you tell me how long you were on Cymbalta and at what dosages?

Also, what other meds were you taking when you developed the tremors and night sweats?

What meds are you currently on?

[goprophets]

Was on 80 mg for six months - then bumped up to 120 mg the last six weeks.  Doc was trying to add some pain relief as I was waiting on another shoulder surgery.  I had the sweats and tremors for about two weeks on 80 mg before bump-up - just didn't realize it was due to Cymbalta.  Thought something else was going on with depression & anxiety - plus was being followed by neurology for 10 months prior to going on Cymbalta.  They were testing for neuromuscular disease with EMGs and NCSs.

 

Was on Ambien for about a week coming off Cymbalta to deal with insomnia related to withdrawal.  Not taking anything else for last four weeks.

[thismoment]

goprophets

At 8 months you were well-established on the drug, but overall your exposure is short-term-- a good recovery should be anticipated. The drop to 0 in 14 days is cold turkey, however, and while the drug is all out of your system in a week, your brain is still strugglilng to cope in its absence. Aside from the craving aspect, your brain is working to repair the physical alterations the drug made in your body-- this is part of the long-term recovery.

The vestibular issues, cognitive fuzziness, and quick rise to rage are all part of the first couple of months of withdrawal. The argumentativeness and fast-rise to rage are potential relationship-changers (you can't take back anything you do or say-- those actions are now part of history), and 'forgiveness' is an abstraction, a philosophical concept with a thousand meanings-- it's better just not to engage. Take it from someone who permanently damaged relationships in the rage-phase of Cymbalta withdrawal!

I understand with your concern about protecting the children during this stage of your withdrawal-- everything we do and say as parents is built into their brains and becomes part of who they are. Is it better to just be away from them for a few months during intense withdrawal? Impossible to say, but a professional opinion on this would be prudent.

It's not helpful to view your present mind-state as 'not being yourself', as waiting for your old self to return. This viewpoint has a way of accepting certain behaviours (like rage) as part of the condition, and therefore acceptable. The truth is, this is who you are at this point in time, and all of your behaviour (however uncontrollable) is real, and it has real consequences. In the next few weeks the rage will subside and other more-familiar mind-states will begin to emerge.

You will slowly become more like that person you used to know, but it could take a couple of months to realize this is so; hang in there.

When you feel that shot of adrenelin rising in your gut during an exchange, you must excuse yourself and immediately leave the scene. Brief your wife about this, and she will totally get it.

Take care.

[goprophets]

Update.  Wife reports (and I agree) that I have been without the cognitive and anger issues the past two weeks.  I am hopeful that almost 3 months after coming off Cymbalta cold turkey my brain is mostly recovered.  Did go through some blues and down moments but am currently off all medications and determined to stay so as long as other coping and self-care measures are working.  For everyone struggling with recovery from this medication or supporting loved one through process - Hang In There!  Thank you 'this moment' for your sound advice!

[fishinghat]

Great news gp.

 

It is easy to relapse at this time so increase your activities slowly.

[gail]

GP,

Thanks for the update. Positive, it is. The worst is over for you after three months, that info is real good for the newbies.

Hope to see you back for another update. As FH said, go slow in your every day activities, fragility is still there.