13 replies to this topic

[angryinhouston]

Hi All, 

 

First of all, I'm so glad I found this forum. I felt like I was minutes from checking myself into a psych ward this weekend. It wasn't until I finally stumbled on some information on cymbalta discontinuation syndrome that I realized I wasn't actually going crazy.

 

Some backstory - I'm 41 and I've been on some form of anti-depressant since I was 20 years old. Pamelor, Paxil, Prozac, Zoloft, Wellbutrin, Effexor...I've tried them all. About 5 years ago when my Effexor stopped working, my psychiatrist prescribed Cymbalta. I didn't do any research on it, just said "sure!" and she didn't tell me or didn't know what a nightmare it would be to quit this drug.

Fast forward to a week ago. I called my psych because I felt the Cymbalta was no longer working. I was experiencing a lot of mood swings and when I wasn't I just felt uninterested in everything. My dr suggested we try Brintellix. I asked if I should taper off the 60 mg Cymbalta (because I've missed doses in the past and experienced the tingling, nausea and dizziness.) She said because the Brintellix worked similarly, it shouldn't be an issue. I was also taking 50 mg of Trazodone with the Cymbalta at night for sleep. (Trazodone has been the only thing that has helped me sleep in the past few years.) Beginning last Tuesday, I discontinued both the Cymbalta and Trazodone and began 10 mg of Brintellix and 12.5 mg of Ambien CR. 

I had severe nausea from the Brintellix almost immediately, but the next day, the really bad symptoms began. Violent mood swings - feeling absolutely fine one minute and weeping inconsolably the next. Minor irritations would turn to rage. I'm either freezing or burning up, shivering, tingling/numbness in my hands, a dull headache that nothing seems to relieve, my left eye will NOT stop twitching, suicidal thoughts, dizziness and vertigo and probably some that I'm forgetting. I thought all of this was because of the Brintellix, and even worried that I might have serotonin syndrome. I took my last dose of Brintellix on Friday and called my psych on Saturday and told her what I was experiencing. She agreed that it was a mixed bag of Brintellix side effects and Cymbalta discontinuation, but due to the potential that it could be serotonin syndrome, instructed me to take neither of them on Saturday and Sunday. Saturday and Sunday were pure hell. I'm taking xanax to manage the anxiety but the sweating, shaking, and dizziness are really difficult to deal with. I have a call scheduled with my dr. today but I told her that I want off Cymbalta as soon as safely possibly. I'm sure she will suggest I taper, and I will do it if the symptoms get worse. As of last night, I finally started to feel a little bit hopfeful, albeit angry that no one ever warned me how hard it would be to get off this drug.

I've told my dr that my strong preference is to not replace the Cymbalta with any other anti-depressant and to just try to manage this with anti-anxiety meds and supplements, but I don't know if she will agree. Having been on anti-depressants for so long, I just really don't know who I actually am anymore...I don't know which of my mental health issues are really ME and which are the drugs. I started taking anti-depressants after a sexual assault in college. The would always help for a little while, and then I'd feel sad/flat again. No doctor ever suggested that I just try to live without them, it was always "well, let's try this new drug." I don't even know if I'm actually depressed! If things worsens, I'll consider something else like Prozac because it's much easier to taper off from, but I'd rather not. 

So far the only thing that has helped has been small doses (.25 mg) of xanax as needed and drinking as much water as humanly possible to flush my system. I know that Brintellix has a very long half life, so with my last dose being Friday night, it still hasn't completely cleared my system. I'm a little worried that the worst is yet to come as far as the withdrawals, but I am determined to get off Cymbalta for good, no matter how long it takes. 

 

Has anyone here successfully stopped taking antidepressants entirely after many years of use? I'm not the same person I was 20 years ago, I've learned better coping mechanisms and I am hopeful I can live without them, but nervous. I'm not afraid to feel sad from time to time, I'm more worried that I will be dependent on this sh*t for the rest of my life.

 

 

 

[gail]

Hello Angryinhouston,

Welcome to the forum. As of your last question, this is not my case.

But if you want to talk about tapering or other similar things, we are here.

I will say that it will not get any better but worse if you stop the Cymbalta cold turkey. Trazodone also. Its heading straight to disaster. Brintallix does not work the same as Cymbalta, not a ssri nor a snri.

Please consider coming back, so many of us went cold turkey and the stories are not pretty at all. Please read the archives if you do not wish to further this topic. Hope to see you back!

[fishinghat]

Gail is right 'Houston'. One thing at a time. These medicines you mention control the neurotransmitters in the brain. That is what brings the emotional relief (hopefully). But when you come off any of these meds the brain has to learn to control these neurotransmitters all over again. That is a slow and uncomfortable process (called withdrawal). Brain and nerves heal/adjust very slowly. Have people on here ever come of several anti-d? Yes but it often takes several years and must be done slowly. If you come off the medicine too fast the withdrawal gives you the sense of everything is terrible and will last forever. You will feel overwhelmed. You MUST come off these meds one at a time and slowly so you can keep your perspective.

[lady2882Nancy]

Hello angryinhouston

I can understand your feelings of anger over all the misleading or rather lack of information that you and your psychiatrist had about the withdrawals from Cymbalta. The makers of this supposedly wonder drug keep that very well hidden for many years and certainly were not made to publish the warning that some people may have to gradually reduce the dosage to avoid serious withdrawal symptoms until about 3 years ago and they never were made to advise doctors of this fact.

I will not tell you what you must do to get off this drug but rather offer some information on how to reduce your symptoms for which ever way you have chosen to go.

You have it right that the Xanax and drinking lots of water helps. Staying well hydrated is one of the first things we recommend to people. A few other suggestions would be:

   omega-3 1000mg 3 times a day - this seems to help with what we call the brain zaps and dizziness as well as anxiety

   Vitamin C 

   A good Vitamin B complex or a good multi vitamin to help your body flush toxins with the water.

   If you develop the painful muscles that some do then try some Calcium and Vitamin D3 the D3 also helps with depression and moods.

 

I do hope that you are doing alright and not suffering too much. I know how bad things can get with withdrawal. I did taper to start with but had a lot of problems so had to taper fast then jump off at a lower dose than what I was taking. It was a very rough ride and after 12 weeks off I had to take a low dose of Zoloft to get rid of the anxiety and some other lingering problems but was able to go off that about 6 weeks later very easily. As you already pointed out those meds are much easier to discontinue.

Many have done a cross taper onto one of those other meds with less serious withdrawals. Just pick one that you know you did not have much problem with the start up effects.

 

I really do hope you can let us know how you are doing. Any success in getting off this Crap is good to know for future people who come looking for help.

 

Take care of you

 

Nancy

[angryinhouston]

Thank you to everyone who has responded. I appreciate all of the advice.

 

I've been keeping a journal of my feelings, both emotional and physical. Emotionally I am feeling much better, even cheerful at times. I'm no longer weeping uncontrollably or flying into a rage. The dizziness has almost completely subsided, along with the nausea. Fortunately (and I almost hate to type this because I know I'm not out of the woods yet), I never experienced the debilitating brain zaps, just a little bit of tingly/pins and needles in my limbs. The sweating is the most troublesome withdrawal side effect at this point. I'm fortunate in that I work in a very small office and my boss knows first hand what I'm going through because his wife experienced it herself. I can't imagine how I would function sweating like this in a typical office environment. Not only is it uncomfortable, it has a disgusting metallic smell. 

 

My sleep is terrible. Even taking 12.5 mg of Ambien CR, I sleep maybe 3 hours before being awakened by the severe sweating. My heart feels like it's racing upon waking to the point that I've begun keeping .25 mg of xanax on my nightstand so I can just take it and then lie there and try to breathe through it and remind myself "it's not you, it's the drugs." That does help. 

 

I was able to exercise on both Monday and yesterday. I'm a runner, so I went for a slow 4 mile jog on Monday. I wore a heart rate monitor and slowed my pace to a walk whenever it climbed too high, which did happen a couple of times. I did some pilates and yoga yesterday. Of course, the sweating was insane when I exercised, but I felt better afterwards.

I take a prescription vitamin D supplement already because I was found to have extremely low levels of D about 6 months ago or so. I've ordered fish oil supplements from Amazon that should arrive today and plan to begin taking those. I will also get a vitamin B supplement. I take probiotics daily already.

 

My psychiatrist did call in an rx for 30 mg of cymbalta and I filled it, but haven't taken it. I don't plan to unless my symptoms worsen and at this point, I'm seeing steady improvement each day. I understand and am prepared that it may change, but I am hoping I don't have to put that poison back in my body again. 

I don't feel depressed, just anxious. I'm a bit hopeful that I can start to learn who I am again without these drugs in my system. Currenly I'm rx'ed two .5 mg tablets daily of xanax; I break them in half and take them 3-4 times a day as needed. If I find myself needing to continue those for longer than a month, or if my depression comes back, I will go back on something like prozac or zoloft. I'm just understandably extremely leery of all antidepressants at this point.

Finding this forum was a life-saver. Last week I spent nearly every night sobbing on the floor of my closet asking myself what was wrong with me and telling myself that I didn't want to live, that I couldn't do this anymore. Reading the stories here made me realize that I'm not alone and that it isn't me, it is the drugs. 

 

Thank you to everyone who has posted here. <3 It helps to know I'm not alone.

[fishinghat]

Your plan sounds good but one note...Ambien Cr reacts on the same synapses as benzos (like Xanax) and make the benzo more addictive and harder to come off of. When the time comes be sure and come off the Ambien first before the benzo.

[lady2882Nancy]

Good to hear from you angryinhouston

 

It sounds like you are doing all the right things to help yourself. The exercise is really helpful.

The racing heart is often a sign of the anxiety and since you run I am glad you are monitoring that.

 

There have been a few athletic people who have needed help getting off Cymbalta over the years and as long as they keep their exercise routine going they seem to do better than those that cannot or will not exercise. Maybe it is all the water and sweating they do that helps restore the correct balance in the gut which in turn helps the brain.

 

Love to have more updates from you as you go along. Best of luck

 

Take care of you

 

Nancy

[angryinhouston]

Thank you, Nancy. The racing heart is by far the scariest part of the withdrawals for me. I have to remind myself that I'm ok, I'm safe, I'm not dying and just breathe through it. It's definitely at its worst first thing in the morning when I wake up.

Fishinghat, thank you for that information. As the Ambien doesn't really seem to be helping my sleep much, I may discontinue it. I've only taken it for 7 days and it only helps me fall asleep, I don't stay asleep, despite the fact that it is controlled release. Benadryl would have the same effect on me. 

[angryinhouston]

Today is 10 days since my last dose of Cymbalta and 6 days since my last dose of Brintellix. My discontinuation symptoms are steadily improving. I still have anxiety, but it is less severe each day. It seems to be at its' worst when I first wake up in the morning. Last night I decided to only take .25 mg of Xanax and Benadryl before bed - no Ambien. I slept for 7 straight hours without waking and I can't remember the last time that happened. It's been at least a year. I felt so much better this morning, even with the racing heart and sweating.

 

The dizziness is almost completely gone; like the anxiety it is worst in the mornings. I started taking Omega 3 fish oil supplements last night, and have continued those today, along with the vitamin D I take on a regular basis. I'm a little sore in my legs today, but I think that's from pilates and unrelated to the discontinuation.  The sweating has also improved a great deal. I have continued to drink 80-120 ounces of water each day and that has helped flush out my system a great deal. My sweat doesn't smell as metallic anymore.

 

My mood is good - I even wrote in my journal last night "today was a good day." (Apologies to Ice Cube  ) I feel cheerful and hopeful that this nightmare is almost behind me. I'm still mentally prepared that things could get worse again because Brintellix has an incredibly long half life (66 hours? Can that be accurate?) but if any lingering Brintellix has been mitigating the discontinuation symptoms in any way, it should be out of my system completely by now. 

I will continue to post updates as things change. Thank you to everyone who has commented and posted in this forum for the support. Just reading these posts has helped tremendously.

 

[gail]

Hi Angryinhouston,

Things are looking good for you. Look in the post that Silverseed has made today. 20 years on antidepressants and feeling quite good.

Will you be our third success story in the last week? Sure hope so!

The updatings are quite welcomed. And yes, mornings are the worst but they get better with time. Lots of time, as for myself.

Sorry to have discouraged you in your first post, goes to show me that not all people go through hell in withdrawal. I will learn with that mistake!

[angryinhouston]

Hi Gail, 

 

I didn't think you were discouraging, just concerned. I get it...in your shoes, I would have given the same advice. I'm just very stubborn! 

And, I'm not fooling myself into thinking this is over. I still have the 30 mg prescription just in case. 

 

I hope that my experience doesn't encourage others to go cold turkey. What I went through days 1-5 were some of the worst of my life. I was in a very, very dark place. I wouldn't do it that way again, nor would I ever tell anyone else they should try it. It was dangerous and I wanted to die many times.

[lady2882Nancy]

Hi angryinhouston

 

So glad to hear that things have improved so much for you.

It is quite scary when someone goes cold turkey with all that we know about it.

The fact that you are so much better is really amazing in such a short period of time. That is the most fantastic part. I am sure that has a lot to do with your exercises and the amount of water you drink each day.

 

Thanks for the update

Take care of you

Nancy

[angryinhouston]

Thank you, Nancy. I definitely would agree with you that the exercise helps relieve the anxiety. I can understand why some avoid it because if you're going through the heavy withdrawal sweats, you're going to sweat what feels like an ocean while you're exercising. Even light exercise - a shocking amount of sweat. But that is also good for flushing toxins, along with the water. I'm drinking between 100-150 ounces per day and adding lemon because of its natural detoxification qualities.

 

I will also add that in addition to the exercise and water, I eat pretty well. I buy mostly organic when possible, I try not to eat anything pre-packaged unless it has fewer than 10 ingredients that I can pronounce. I eat a lot of healthy fats, leafy greens, and cruciferous vegetables, a moderate amount of protein (mostly eggs, poultry or fish), very few grains/starchy carbs and I drink a superfood smoothie every day for breakfast.  As most of you have also probably read, your gut health is closely related to your brain health; some articles even refer to the gut as your "second brain." If you put crappy food into your stomach, you're going to feel crappy. 

[fishinghat]

The gut as a second brain is absolutely correct and has been shown time and time again. Good point.