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I Promised When I Kicked Cymbalta, I'd Share My Story


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#1 FormerDuloxGuy

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Posted 14 November 2019 - 12:27 PM

I thought I would share my story as a former Cymbalta user who is now off of the drug since this forum was so helpful to me when I was figuring out how to get off the drug:

 

I had been on Cymbalta for about a year and a half - first at the 30mg dose and later at the 60mg - as a way to deal with two issues, anxiety and chronic nerve pain. I was prescribed the medication by a doctor who didn't explain any of the side effects, and I was blissfully unaware for months. I didn't have any issues with the drug EXCEPT for when I'd miss a day. I'd be dizzy, light-headed, nauseous, etc. It actually took me a few random days of missing my dosage before I made the connection between the medication and my symptoms. Once I realized this, I started to do some research on Cymbalta withdrawal, which led me here and to a few other helpful online resources. I made the decision to get off the drug because of what it was doing to me when I missed a dose.

 

I worked with my doctor, who honestly wasn't very helpful at all, to taper from my 60mg to 30mg. I then took the 30mg dose for about 45 days before dropping it altogether. I know that's not the preferred method, and I totally understand that, but I'm not a very patient person and I figured I'd try the "cold turkey" method at least once to see if I could get through it.

 

Well, I did, but I will say that it was hard as hell. Worse than I would have imagined. The first two days were mostly fine, but by day 3, I was struggling to function in a normal way. Strong vertigo, dizziness, nausea, extreme irritability and mood swings. I got into an argument at work (not something I'm prone to do) and generally felt out of control, like my brain was broken. It was super scary, but I kept telling myself that these symptoms would subside. By Day 7, I had to call off of work for two days just to sleep and relax. I was VERY tired throughout this process and found that sleep and taking Dramamine were the things that helped most.

 

By about Day 10, I could feel the symptoms waning, although slowly. The mood swings leveled off quite a bit. The vertigo/dizziness was the symptom that seemed to linger the longest, but it steadily waned as well. By about 7-8 weeks later, I felt what I would describe as "normal" again. This is one hell of a drug... I wish you all good vibes on your personal journeys.

 

 

 

#2 fishinghat

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Posted 14 November 2019 - 01:34 PM

Thank you for sharing FDG. You were pretty lucky really. Your symptoms were certainly severe but at least they didn't last for 6, 8, 10 months like some folks. Any residual effects left? In what way did the Dramamine help and which Dramamine product did you use?

 

Thank you so much for sharing your experiences.


#3 invalidusername

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Posted 14 November 2019 - 04:36 PM

Absolutely - as Hat said - you were one of the lucky ones. You came through very lightly. The third day is always when it hits as this is when the levels balance out. These days where you thought you had gotten away with it is known as the "honeymoon period"!!

 

Many thanks for taking the time out to share your story. All these facts and figures help the likes of Hat and myself (and all others reading for support), so we can pass onto others. You must have held very well over those first few days, so a big well done from me.

 

All the very best,

 

IUN





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