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#1 Ramona80

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Posted 23 August 2015 - 09:44 AM

I think I titled one of my recent topics wrong, and didn't really ask the questions I wanted to, and it was misleading. Sorry for any redundancy in making anther post about this, but I wanted to rephrase and get at the questions I really meant to ask.

 

Like many people, I had loads of anxiety after withdrawal from Cymbalta, and then the doc raised my dose to try to stabilize me. When I got to 90mgs, a whole new crop of symptoms came up, which at the time, was attributed to the dose being too high. These were physical symptoms only. A doc in the hospital, though, said they were technically signs of anxiety, or to put it another way, signs of a brain that's telling the body to be on high alert at all times. 

 

I'm not experiencing any emotional anxiety. Just physical manifestations of it (insomnia, high heart rate, muscle spasms, myoclonic jerks, etc.) I am concerned as I wonder if the earlier anxiety from withdrawal has morphed into this current form. 

 

My real question here is if this rings any bells as to anyone else in this forum who had anything similar happen. Bascially, having a doctor increase your Cymbalta dose to try to stabilize you, but it ends up giving you different symptoms of your brain/nervous system being way too riled up. In other words, stabilization attempts not working, and higher doses of Cymbalta just making everything way worse.

 

My biggest fear here is I don't want this to last forever. Though I've come down quite a ways in dose by now, I'm still left with the specific physical symptoms the high dose brought on :( I'm on meds for this, and they're helping, but I don't want to be on them forever, either. This whole mess can't have broken my nervous system, can it have? Left it irreparably in the state it's in? The thing that is concerning me is I don't know of anyone who's gone through exactly what I have (with having withdrawals first, then a high dose of Cym. which led to worse symptoms which hung on despite me weaning). I don't have success stories to encourage me here, because my situation is different than the other ones I've read about.

 

Any thoughts about this are appreciated, thanks.


#2 gail

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Posted 23 August 2015 - 10:52 AM

Ramona,

Heard you right the first time, no emotional anxiety. I may well be wrong here, but I don't believe that your physical symptoms are brought on by anxiety.

It's the cymbalta doing this. Making you sick. I may get shot by saying this but the sooner you get off, the better you will be.
It's my opinion. I would go faster with the bead counting.

Please, don't shoot!

#3 Ramona80

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Posted 23 August 2015 - 11:09 AM

Hehe! I am going down 1mg per day. My psychiatrist suggested a rate of 10mg per week, but I preferred to stay on my current rate, which of course ends up being 10mg per 10 days. Just a little slower than what she suggested.

 

No withdrawals yet on this rate. I am at 29mgs as of today. I am heading toward that 20mg level, which I've read so much caution about....to go more slowly at that point. My doctor didn't think I'd have trouble going at my current rate (she has helped people get off Cymbalta before). I have an appointment with her this week, and I will talk with her about this.


#4 gail

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Posted 23 August 2015 - 11:24 AM

Cool, just one month to go! I guess I won't get shot!

Just think that your symptoms are due to withdrawal just the same.
Glad that you don't have the kind of anxiety I had, would have preferred physical ones.♥

#5 Ramona80

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Posted 23 August 2015 - 11:43 AM

Gail, I had that anxiety during my withdrawal in the spring....I have never experienced anything like that in my life. :( I didn't even KNOW human beings could experience anxiety like that. The constant terror and sense of impending doom, it was like living in a nightmare. So yes, I am definitely glad I'm not experiencing that now. And I want to be careful with the rest of my weaning so I don't end up there again!


#6 gail

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Posted 23 August 2015 - 11:57 AM

Comprendo! It's awful, isn't it to feel that way?

To someone who has not experienced this, you cannot comprehend what it is. Death seems so soft compared to it. Glad it's over for you.

#7 FiveNotions

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Posted 23 August 2015 - 12:03 PM

Ramona, I've not had that problem, but yes ... there's lots of evidence to indicate that going back on an antidepressant can give very different, and sometimes adverse, results than the first time around on it ... I'm not sure about upping the dose, but my bet is that FH either has some research on this, or that he and I can find some ...

 

If the increased dose doesn't work, and brings adverse reactions, don't do it !!

 

These drugs change our brains ... their chemistry, how they're wired, to whole 9 yards (and a few extra yards for the sheer devilry of it) ... so, there's no guarantee that once we've come down in dose, or off completely, and then go back up ... our brains are different than when we first started using the med ... and so, we react differently to the med the 2d time around ...

 

An excellent example is our member Wagtail (who we don't hear from much anymore, because she's so involved in trying to get healthy and stabilized) ... she quit Cymbalta (cold turkey), and had a horrible time ... worse than most of us ... and now she's unable to find an antidepressant that works ... she (her docs) have tried almost everything, and her brain simply doesn't respond ...

 

But, I'm a bit confused ... you're dosing down on the Cymbalta ... did I miss earlier posts ? Why are you concerned with the results of increasing the dose and getting different / adverse reactions?


#8 FiveNotions

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Posted 23 August 2015 - 12:09 PM

I just re-read you initial post, Ramona ... I'm convinced that these symptoms you're dealing with now are due simply (not that they themselves are "simple) to your poor brain trying to re-wire itself ... don't start taking new / additional meds to deal with them, if you can help it ... what your brain needs is time, time, and more time ... to heal, stabilize on it's own ...

 

If you start taking new / more meds, you'll just end up with another bunch of meds that are screwing up your brain, and you'll need to withdraw from each of those meds ...

 

One of the worst can be benzos ... the body develops tremendous tolerance to, dependence on, them very rapidly ... it took me 2 years to dose down and off of alprazolam ... if I went too fast I got muscle jerks/spasms, anxiety, insomnia ... all the symptoms you've got ... it sucked, and I could strangle the doc that let me get addicted ... (this was 10 years ago, long time, but a nightmare).


#9 Ramona80

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Posted 23 August 2015 - 12:39 PM

I wanted to like your posts above, but got a pop-up that I'm out of "likes" for today!

 

I am on other meds, but it's because I was getting almost no sleep. Between the insomnia, and the hypnic jerks waking me back up when I did doze off, I going almost all night without any sleep. I was getting to the point where I couldn't think, let alone function. That's when I ended up in the hospital in July.

 

I am hesitant to say what medications I'm on, for fear someone will reply with worrying information about what I'm taking. But I'm NOT on any benzos. I hate like hell that I have to be on a sleep medication. I never thought I'd have to be on one, but it became necessary for me to function.  

 

Sorry you went through all that, FiveNotions. I took some Ativan and some Klonopin back in the spring, but I threw the rest out and don't want to go that route anymore.

 

Also, sorry you've been having anxiety, Gail, I hope it will be alleviated soon.


#10 gail

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Posted 23 August 2015 - 01:28 PM

Ramona,

I am doing good, anxiety is from non existing to mild at times, and I can deal with that. Nothing like before.

I understand you not wishing to tell what meds you are on, felt the same, scared of worrying info. I was on seroquel for three months or so, it calmed the anxiety. I don't think I spoke much about it.

#11 fishinghat

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Posted 23 August 2015 - 05:11 PM

Hi Ramona

 

As I just posted on another string it has been shown that many of these psych meds actually physically alter the state of our nerves, dendrites, synapses, etc. Usually taking 2 or 3 years for them to significantly recover after the final dose of that med has been taken. That is why we say this is all about patience.


#12 Ramona80

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Posted 23 August 2015 - 05:18 PM

2 or 3 years. That's really bleak.

Are there really people on this board that have continued to have problems 2 to 3 years later?


#13 fishinghat

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Posted 23 August 2015 - 05:22 PM

Oh yes. Now that doesn't mean that they didn't get better during that time, much better. But to seem reasonably back to normal, many have taken 2 years. Usually 3 to 6 months just to see a steady improvement. Having said that it seems that the younger, less overweight people and those who have not been on the drug long have the shorter less eventful withdrawals.


#14 Ramona80

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Posted 23 August 2015 - 05:25 PM

Good Lord. I'm gonna go take a walk and try not to think about this.





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