1636 replies to this topic

[whosthat]

I'm so sorry Whosthat. Do you feel like the medications have helped you at all or have your mental issues gotten worse since taking them? What did you originally take them for?

No medicine has ever helped me save clonazepam. It makes you a different person. It stops me thinking so inwardly and let’s me appreciate the world. Instead of passing someone with dread- what will I say, do they think I’m a loser, they think I’m a loser, say something you worthless coward, you don’t fit in, etc- I’d pass with confidence, looking forward to talking, but not completely dependent upon it for equanimity. Really even when I am not on benzos and manage to say something, it’s never good enough. I’m a brutal critic of myself. That’s probably even giving myself too much intellectual credit. Emotions run my world. They dance and flail around in my body as they push and pull me here and there, breaking things, screaming, begging for attention. Never know exactly where I’ll end up but basicallly assured it will be some fresh or familiar hell.

Fairly recently I have become a bit sickened by clonazepam. Headaches, very severe inability to focus or concentrate, nausea, bodily pain, etc. It actually seems to simultaneously help alleviate all of the symptoms I just mentioned. Perhaps it’s when I take too much I feel ill. Or my body is dependent. I only started it again a few weeks ago after having been off for months.

[ForLyla]

Sorry to get off topic but I'm wondering about calcium. Antacids affect cymbalta withdrawal but what about foods with calcium in general? Should I avoid calcium altogether?

[fishinghat]

No need the calcium on most foods is in the chelated (bound) form where antacids it is in the basic form (raises pH. Actually calcium will help jeep your magnesium in balance and minimize the chance of two much serum magnesium which can complicate matters.

[ForLyla]

How about flu shots? I have a baby so I'll need to get one.

[fishinghat]

It is hard to say about the flu shots. Here in the USA a new compound is developed every 6 months depending on what varieties of flu is expected. That makes it difficult to anticipate any potential side effects.

[ForLyla]

Im in a strange new era of withdrawal syndrome after my pantoloc setback. Going back and forth a lot with how I feel. The shaking and heart pounding continues but so far I dont feel as badly in acute withdrawal as I did last year. And for some reason I'm not as sensitive to foods as I typically am when my nervous system is in a state of insanity. When I upped my dose last February, it took about 4 months for the long bouts of shaking and heart pounding to stop.

Do you guys think when your nervous system goes into shock like this that you just repeat the whole process? Essentially I'm back to ground zero again and it erased 7 months of progress of my nervous system calming down?

[fishinghat]

I would say you just repeat the process with each drop. A little more or less in severity depending on the amount of the drop BUT I have never seen an increase in dosage send someone into the throws of what you experienced. There have been a few members who experienced a weeks or so of dizziness, weakness and brain fog but then they come out of it. I am at a loss to explain this reaction your body has had.

[ForLyla]

I can't get over how taking 3 doses of pantoloc can throw me back into acute like hell. Its been almost 3 years of this and I'm still learning harsh lessons.

[ForLyla]

FH last interaction question if you dont mind. Is it known if decongestant nasal sprays like Otrivin have problems in wd?

[ForLyla]

FH last interaction question if you dont mind. Is it known if decongestant nasal sprays like Otrivin have problems in wd? I'm taking a plane today and I get sinus problems descending.

I've often wondered if acidity levels in your stomach can affect how you absorb the drug. Perhaps the acid reflux itself would lessen the amount you absorb in the dose?

[fishinghat]

Interactions between your drugs
Moderate
xylometazoline nasal DULoxetine
Applies to: Otrivin (xylometazoline), Cymbalta (duloxetine)
Both DULoxetine and xylometazoline nasal can increase blood pressure and heart rate, and combining them may enhance these effects. Talk to your doctor if you have any questions or concerns, particularly if you have a history of high blood pressure, irregular heart rhythm, or heart disease

In addition the Otrivin will react with tricyclic antidepressants so I would be very cautious about combining it with the Cymbalta. I would expect heart-pounding, nervousness and anxiety type symptoms.

[fishinghat]

An acid stomach will not effect the adsorption of the Cymbalta (supposedly) but to little acid will allow the Cymbalta to dissolve on the stomach rather than the intestines and that can be an issue.

[fishinghat]

Xylometazoline (Otrivin)is an imidazole derivative which is designed to mimic the molecular shape of adrenaline. It binds to α1 and α2 adrenergic receptors.

[ForLyla]

Ok I'll lay off the Otrivin and just deal with the pain. Maybe that's why the pantoloc affected me so badly - too little stomach acid.

[ForLyla]

My good old friend cog fog has come back. I almost forgot how much cog fog sucks. I really hope this wont last for months. Is it possible I won't come back from this? Someone told me theres only so many times your body can heal from these type of nervous system knockouts. Have you guys ever heard of that?

[fishinghat]

That has not been my experiences nor the experiences of members on this site. Each time you make a drop there are more synapses in the brain no longer have access to Cymbalta and function poorly until healed. As the symptoms fade the synapses are recovered. This process continues with each drop until completely off the Cymbalta and all synapses have had a chance to heal. Thank God it is not permanent.

[invalidusername]

Whoever told you that Lyla needs to be put right. There is no counter or time limit to how many times one's brain can be healed. The brain is in a constant state of change - if it weren't so, we would not be able to learn anything. 

 

There are some circumstances where damage has occurred of course whereby repair would be inhibited, but we are talking about a very small amount .

[ForLyla]

Thanks for your support guys. I was away for a week - travelling under these circumstances with a baby isn't easy by any means. It's been 3 weeks since my breakdown and I'm pretty much following the standard course of wd syndrome now. My mind is in another world and my vision is distorted... these are the absolute worst symptoms of withdrawal in my opinion. The worse off I am, I'll typically get 1 day a week where I feel pretty good  (90% normal) but I'm really unstable. As things progress, I'll be more stable but feel kind of crummy all the time but never any extreme bad highs and lows like in the acute nervous shock phase. I thought I was finally over those symptoms completely until the pantoloc. It typically takes me about 5 or 6 months to recover from a nervous system meltdown. At least I learned - no more antacids or other meds while I'm on this poison. Every time I'm at the end of withdrawal and feeling better, something will always set me back. In 6 months I'll probably have a heart attack and they'll have to put me on some kind of meds that will throw me back into another year of this hell. It will be 3 years in Feb - it never ends!

[Polly38]

Hi Lyla.

Sorry to hear you are still suffering! I think I am as sensitive as you. My stomach has been kn agony for the last few days and it feels like someone is twisting my insides!

I just wanted to let you know you are not alone.

Polly

[ForLyla]

Thanks Polly. Try your best to deal with the pain the old fashioned way. There's no way out of this mess other than to face the storm head on and hope to god it passes someday. 

[Polly38]

Thank you. How are your stomach pains now Lyla?

[ForLyla]

Stomach issues are so so right now since I took the pantoloc. Not getting too much pain, morso nausea and ear pain. Everything else is worse though.

[fishinghat]

Hang in there Lyla. It will settle down some more. Don't forget the ginger for the nausea.

[invalidusername]

My sympathies too Lyla. 

 

Following Hat's advice of the ginger, and as I have mentioned elsewhere a few times, the best way I find to use it is to buy it in root form, and brew tea directly. The tea bags are all well and good, but they can be quite weak and costly for the benefit. You can coarsely grate the root and brew, but remember to strain otherwise you will take a big chunk of root which might be a little too much!! LOL

[fishinghat]

Good point IUN. We had one member that actually would but whole ginger, cut a piece off and chew it like bubble gum. I sure couldn't handle that!!

[invalidusername]

I have been known to do that, but with crystalised stem ginger. It is sugar coated which takes with intensity down a bit. It is supposed to be used as a cooking ingredient, but I will happily chow on a bag of this stuff...

 

https://www.waitrose...wE&gclsrc=aw.ds

[ForLyla]

So yesterday I felt tired but decent overall, however, overnight was the night from hell! I cant remember a night that was so bad. I was having crazy obsessive thoughts, heart pounding terribly and couldn't sleep. It came out of nowhere! Its been almost a month since the pantoloc setback and I seem no further ahead in getting back to where I was.

I also appear to have gotten pink eye on top of everything else. I intend to just leave it but not sure what the hell I'm going to do if it doesnt go away on it's own. There's no chance I'm taking eye drops.

[fishinghat]

Lyla, get yourself a Bruder eye mask like this.

https://www.amazon.c...PK5VPGDDZBN4DYJ

It needs to be a dry mask with silicon beads. It works wonders on pink eye unless it is viral or bacterial. It increases tear production.

[ForLyla]

Thanks I'm going to go to the pharmacy to see if they have them. If not, I'll order it.

I wonder why I've been feeling so miserable since last night. I dont know what I did or if this is just running its course. I'm so tired of dealing with this. How could my body be so sensitive that 3 pantoloc pills can throw me back this bad?? I'm just angry at myself. Every time I feel like I'm about to get over this thing I do something that throws me right back into it. So frustrating.

[fishinghat]

The human body is not only so complex but then you throw in mutated genes, stress, diet, exercise, etc … it is impossible to totally understand what happens within our bodies.