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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
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Posted by erinmarie on May 9, 2007, at 13:14:40
In reply to Re: Cymbalta Withdrawal Hell » erinmarie, posted by ELC on May 8, 2007, at 15:07:43
I am a little over a week off Cymbalta now, too. I'm definately not as dizzy, though if I get up too fast the room still spins. No more lightning bolts(I guess you guys call them zaps).
I still cry though. A lot.
I always was a crybaby, though. And I'd forgotten how good I sleep after a deep, meaningless cry.
(A natural Ambien) Honestly, I was more worried about stopping the xanax; but I don't even care now. I just want to have a healthy baby.
Posted by scratchpad on May 11, 2007, at 15:04:07
In reply to Re: Cymbalta Withdrawal Hell » gapsgal, posted by scratchpad on May 7, 2007, at 19:58:43
Neurologist put me back on Cymbalta - slowish titration back up to 60mg. I think I have just fired my pdoc, but I don't think I'll bother telling him. Mostly this doctor addressed my migraine issues, but his opinion was that the abrupt pulling of Cymbalta was not necessary.
I look forward to feeling more stable soon.sp
Posted by LlurpsieNoodle on May 11, 2007, at 17:50:50
In reply to Back into the fray, posted by scratchpad on May 11, 2007, at 15:04:07
I hope you start feeling more stable soon too.
I've always had migraines on the day of my cycle when the estrogen crashes and the progesterone goes way up. Like clockwork I get a bad headache, sometimes a real migraine.
pdoc told me that bipolar females are sensitive to hormones (I'm assuming he meant estrogen and progesterone). And that their symptoms can be very very bad when hormones are out of whack.
Of course, my hormones are out of whack. 45 days and no period. maybe I'm in menopause. lol
no seriously, I hope you get some relief from this and find a new pdoc and/or sympathetic neurologist to help you out.
another interesting tidbit is that a great proportion of neurologists and neuroscientists were motivated to specialize due to a family history of mental illness. Thus you may find neuro folks more simpatico. Just make sure that they know their stuff about psych drugs and possible interactions.
((((((neuro))))))
p.s. my cymbalta symptoms nearly gone
Still have brain zaps every day (it's been 8? 9? weeks. but they are mild. clumsiness and vertigo went away by week 4 o 5. and the crying. well, I went on lamictal which is working very well as an antidepressant for me.
Posted by sad mama on May 11, 2007, at 20:34:37
In reply to Re: Welcome tatt, posted by tatt on October 8, 2005, at 19:48:06
My daughter, only 20 at the time, went to a psychologist that I found for her. It is a hard age; still a child but handling a lot in the adult world. I went through that at that age and thought she could use some counseling. I was very surprised that he immediately had our physician prescribe Cymbalta, which I was clueless about. Trusting doctors, we complied. That was over a year ago. She quit taking it in November (noone warned us about withdrawals) and had all the symptoms everyone is talking about, but it was new to us and we didn't connect the dots. It was horrible and she went back on it. After reading up on this drug, I realize that she is on one of the higher dosages: 60mg. She now feels like she never needed a drug in the first place. I wonder how many people just need a person to purge to but end up on these drugs. That is not to say that many people don't need to be on medication, but in her case, not. She is going to go off of it this summer when she has a window of time. Now that we know what to expect and can benefit from this forum, I hope she will get through it alright. Thanks for any helpful replies.
Posted by LlurpsieNoodle on May 12, 2007, at 9:37:33
In reply to Re: cymbalta withdrawals, posted by sad mama on May 11, 2007, at 20:34:37
Nice to meet you, by the way. I'm sorry to hear of your daughter's struggles. I think you are doing the best job you can to get her some help through this rough patch. Don't be too hard on yourself that not everything works out the way that the anti-depressant ads on TV portray
> My daughter, only 20 at the time, went to a psychologist that I found for her. It is a hard age; still a child but handling a lot in the adult world. I went through that at that age and thought she could use some counseling. I was very surprised that he immediately had our physician prescribe Cymbalta, which I was clueless about. Trusting doctors, we complied. That was over a year ago. She quit taking it in November (noone warned us about withdrawals) and had all the symptoms everyone is talking about, but it was new to us and we didn't connect the dots. It was horrible and she went back on it. After reading up on this drug, I realize that she is on one of the higher dosages: 60mg. She now feels like she never needed a drug in the first place. I wonder how many people just need a person to purge to but end up on these drugs. That is not to say that many people don't need to be on medication, but in her case, not. She is going to go off of it this summer when she has a window of time. Now that we know what to expect and can benefit from this forum, I hope she will get through it alright. Thanks for any helpful replies.
I think that 60mg is the standard therapeutic dose for depression and other depressive disorders. I didn't get so much response at 60, and then went up to 90 and felt better. Some breakthrough depression a few months later had me up to 120.
First I tapered from 120 to 90 that took 2 weeks. then I went from 90 to 60 that took 2 weeks. (some of the withdrawal effects were happening during this time period) then I went from 60 to 30 and I was getting brain zaps every day and chilly feelings and other unpleasantries. Finally I was sick of the whole withdrawal thing and told my doc that I was ready to go off of it. I was prepared to feel bad. I had stocked up my fridge with OJ, and prepared a sick-bed where I could just be alone with myself until it passed.
I don't want to scare you with the next part. I think I picked an "okay" time to do my big withdrawal, but the fact is that I live alone.
About 3 days after going to zero I was in big trouble. I couldn't get out of bed. was so dizzy and I felt like absolute hell. I was prepared for dizzy and brain zaps and bad headache body ache etc. What I wasn't prepared for was the magnitude of self-destructive feelings. By the end of the week I had stopped eating and drinking and my therapist drove me to the hospital (where they tend to feed and water their patients). I felt really really suicidal, and it was sudden and scary.
I think your daughter is in a better place than I was at the time. For one, she has a mother who cares about her and is ready to help nurture her through that first week. Another thing is that there will probably not be as much life-stressors on her as there were on me (I am getting ready to graduate this semester).
And I think that doctors are only slowly learning about the withdrawal effects from cymbalta. There is VERY very scarce data on how this drug affects the system during withdrawal. My pdoc was surprised, and he is both active in research and clinical practice to develop and prescribe psychopharmacological interventions.
What ended up helping me was to go on a mood stabilizer (lamictal) since the doctors in the hospital were concerned about a family history of bipolar (manic-depressive) illness. It has helped greatly with my suicidal and self-destructive impulses and given me more strength to face the diffuculties of life.
You and your daughter deserve the very best during this difficult time. I hope everything goes well. My scenario was pretty extreme, but so were my psychological events at the time (writing a dissertation, living alone, delving into really icky stuff and working on it in therapy).
take good care,
-Ll
Posted by sad mama on May 12, 2007, at 10:28:52
In reply to Re: cymbalta withdrawals » sad mama, posted by LlurpsieNoodle on May 12, 2007, at 9:37:33
Thank you for your kind reply and more of what to expect, Ll.
She will have only about six weeks of down-time this summer, as she, too, is in college. She is a violinist who has been fortunate enough to be hired often and travel, but needs this down-time very badly.
I would like more feedback on people's experiences with the tapering. Most have said when they went from 60mg to 30mg, they still had withdrawal symptoms. She was considering doing this while still traveling in June but would it be risky if she is performing?> -Ll
Posted by gapsgal on May 12, 2007, at 15:08:31
In reply to Re: cymbalta withdrawals, posted by sad mama on May 12, 2007, at 10:28:52
I could never taper, it was always just too severe to do and live life at the same time. The thing that I did that finally rid me of this nightmare was prozac. I used it to replace the Cymbalta then quit taking the prozac with virtually no symptoms at all. The difference is that Prozac has a longer half life and therefore does a taper on its own with no withdrawal symptoms. Hope this helps...
Donna
Posted by lisalyn on May 12, 2007, at 22:29:03
In reply to Re: Cymbalta Withdrawal Hell » gapsgal, posted by scratchpad on May 7, 2007, at 19:58:43
I am so sorry to find that so many are having to endure the torture of withdrawing from this awful drug. It has been 4 weeks since my psychiatrist took me off Cymbalta "cold turkey" andI see no end in sight to the misery. Every time I think things might be improving, it rebounds and slaps me back down. I have experienced "brain shocks", severe muscle spasms, migraines, severe nausea, 15 lb weight loss, brain "fog", and electrolyte imbalance. I crashed so hard that I ended up in a locked psych ward for 8 days. My doctors are pointing their fingers at each other. My shrink is blaming me for my symptoms, saying a have conversion disorder or possibly somatization disorder. I have been out of work for the last 4 weeks because I have been unable to function. This drug is bad news. Good luck to all of you.
Posted by LlurpsieNoodle on May 20, 2007, at 14:32:03
In reply to Re: Cymbalta Withdrawal Hell, posted by lisalyn on May 12, 2007, at 22:29:03
since going off after 2 month long taper. been off it totally since the last week in March.
Finally I'm starting to NOT notice the symptoms (dizzy and headache and brain zaps) unless I'm completely fatigued.
unfortunately some of my other medications I suspect of making me sleepy.
when I had alcohol this weekend, for instance, I noticed the symptoms coming back.
zzzZZZzzz
This is the longest, oldest thread I've ever participated in!
Posted by moesje on May 23, 2007, at 20:43:05
In reply to returning from cymbalta undead, posted by LlurpsieNoodle on May 20, 2007, at 14:32:03
> since going off after 2 month long taper. been off it totally since the last week in March.
>
> Finally I'm starting to NOT notice the symptoms (dizzy and headache and brain zaps) unless I'm completely fatigued.
>
> unfortunately some of my other medications I suspect of making me sleepy.
>wow, thought it was all in my mind!! i was on 30 mg for 6 weeks and decided i didn't want to feel like a zombie any more. so doc said to dump out the contents of the capsule take half for a while. well, i went down to on fourth and guess what? the shocks, emotional imbalance, everything is the same as if i was taking 30. he tried telling me that most people get rid of the zombiness after 60, but i said no more, i want off.
i've taken a full regimine of vits for years, have added GABA, cal-mag mix (i get it at GNC), and will be trying the benadryl at night, and possibly cold meds with amphetaines during the day. not quite sure i want the amphetamines, but for sure the benadryl.
sorry if i sound rambling, i'm sure most of you understand this phase of the withdrawal. hubby is worried, i feel like slamming my body into a brick wall, teenage daughters KNOW for sure i have lost it completely.
i'll hang in there a bit longer, see if they commit me by the end of next month or something. :( please pray, this is not easy, and i'll pray for all on this site.
Posted by moesje on May 23, 2007, at 22:34:19
In reply to Re: Cymbalta Withdrawal Hell, posted by ELC on May 2, 2007, at 17:20:03
> You all are talking about brain zaps, and I'm having them (day 4 off of Cymbalta) I'm also having these "zaps" in my lips, tongue, fingers. Anyone else having these electrical shock/zaps anywhere besides the brain?>
throughout my whole body, and it doesn't take 4 days. i'm down to one fourth my dose and i didn't take a pill yesterday. after standing and fishing all day long i thought i'd be too tired to care . . . wrong, i'm ready to gnaw my ankles or throw my body against a brick wall!! the shocks are all day, and they hurt everywhere.
you are not alone.
Posted by moesje on May 24, 2007, at 8:53:45
In reply to Re: Cymbalta Withdrawal Hell, posted by moesje on May 23, 2007, at 22:34:19
okay, so i took tylenol PM last night, first thing in the morning, no shocks. my daughter was sick a month ago, and so i have benadryl strips of 12.5mg and will try those throughout the day. yes, they make you a little groggy, but if that's the price to pay to get rid of the shocks, i'll live with it. i work from home typing, i have to be able to type to get my work done and if the shocks are stopping me because of how much they hurt, then the benadryl is the small price i'll pay.
i have a list of the other vitamins to add to my regimine, but will hold off on those until i see how the benadryl works.
and get the cal-mag! it's calcium and magnesium in a citric base powder, when you add a little water to dissolve it fizzes like alka-seltzer. then you add enough water or juice to make 8 oz. these are minerals that your body needs. i had 2 glasses of it yesterday, and my body doesn't hurt as bad today. it can be a bit nasty to drink, but they have flavors now which mask the taste, but it's so worth it!!
oh, someone said something about losing electrolytes. i'm stopping at the store today to get something like pedialite to help with that! not sure what else would have the electrolytes for sure.
i'm SO glad i found this board! my daughters are 14.5 and 16, and they're wondering if i've completely lost my mind. i explained all the withdrawal stuff to them yesterday, and hopefully it will make me more accountable for my responses to them, and their outbursts to me overall.
THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU. i will keep you posted.
Posted by moesje on May 25, 2007, at 0:04:15
In reply to Re: Cymbalta Withdrawal Hell, posted by moesje on May 24, 2007, at 8:53:45
by going to this site:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duloxetine
i found out more info about cymbalta, including a 8-17 hour half life, and that 70% is secreted through the urine . . . .so drink gallons of water! and it can also suck electrolytes out of you, so get some pedialite.
go read this page!
Posted by sigolene on May 27, 2007, at 2:17:57
In reply to Cymbalta withdrawal, posted by Regina on March 3, 2005, at 16:37:18
I've just started Cymbalta, and I would like to know if someone has experienced NO withdrawal symptoms when stopping it.
Posted by morbidfascination on May 27, 2007, at 9:57:27
In reply to Re: Cymbalta withdrawal, posted by sigolene on May 27, 2007, at 2:17:57
i've got nothing good to say about Cymbalta ..The withdrawl was Hell pure and simple hell and i had ta go back to more drugs to get through it ..i'm now on clonazepam and prozac both low doses ..But w/out the help i was going to end up dead from my own hand or in jail ..My rage was out of control ..The rapid weight gain has left me dealing w/ major self esteem issues ..i'm eating healthy and working out and have lost a rotten 6 lbs after being off the drug almost 2 months ..so i have nothing positive to say about this POS drug ..Noway! are you not going to suffer if you try to get off the drug ..JUST MY OPINION ..Still venting ..thanx
Posted by moesje on May 27, 2007, at 10:08:17
In reply to Re: Cymbalta withdrawal, posted by sigolene on May 27, 2007, at 2:17:57
> I've just started Cymbalta, and I would like to know if someone has experienced NO withdrawal symptoms when stopping it.>
I started cymbalta on March 20, 2006. I did great the first week, then was back to being so tired I couldn't focus or work (I type at home). So one day I tried to not take it - experienced all symptoms of withdrawal. Saw doc in early May who said that maybe I'd feel better at 60 mg, I said NO, I want off. So he said I could just stop. When I explained the symptoms, he took a capsule and opened it, then said I could guestimate the pellets inside and cut back. Well I bought empty capsules from my vitamin store and METICULOUSLY made half dose, third dose and quarter dose. No difference. If I didn't take a pill, I had all the symptoms. So after hitting fourth dose, I stopped completely, only off now 5 days, still have symptoms, but doing better. I have found that the physical labor helps with the brain shocks, not sure why but since my house needs work, I do that. I'm taking lots of vitamins and added 1200mg fish oil and 400mg E (will up that today). I'm also drinking 1230mg of magnesium (I thought it was calcium-magnesium, but it works) which is 16oz of water, then at least 20oz of plain water, my welch's grape juice and of course coffee. Yesterday I somehow got 60oz of water!
If you need the Cymbalta, by all means do what your doc says! I've been on something for 5 years, and realized maybe I'm not depressed anymore, just comfortable with taking pills. If things change and I need to go back onto something, it won't be Cymbalta or Lexapro, but I will go back and see the doc, and he knows it.
YOU have to do what you need to do, and if being on Cymbalta is what you need, or something else for that matter, then you do it. I would hate to think anything on this site or any other caused someone to get of meds they desparately needed.
Posted by moesje on May 27, 2007, at 12:38:50
In reply to Re: Cymbalta withdrawal, posted by morbidfascination on May 27, 2007, at 9:57:27
i totally agree with this, too.
Sigolene - if you are concerned about the withdrawal symptoms you are reading about here, you need to talk to your doc BEFORE starting it(show him this site so he knows you are NOT crazy being worried about the withdrawal later).
i won't ever take this drug again, nor lexapro as i had the same problem with it.
in fact, i hope to never take psyche drugs again, but that's just me.
Posted by moesje on May 27, 2007, at 13:10:20
In reply to Re: Cymbalta withdrawal » morbidfascination, posted by moesje on May 27, 2007, at 12:38:50
this is expensive, but if it's for real and you can afford it, it might be worth checking in to:
Posted by lisalyn on May 27, 2007, at 20:08:06
In reply to Re: Cymbalta withdrawal - SITE, posted by moesje on May 27, 2007, at 13:10:20
Posted by born46lady on May 28, 2007, at 20:15:29
In reply to Re: Cymbalta withdrawal, posted by lorena on December 11, 2005, at 16:05:32
[size=18][/size]I can't believe I found this website today when I thought I was going crazy. I went off Cymbalta about three weeks ago and alcohol about two weeks ago. I thought I was going insane and feel like about I am about to have a coronary heart attack! I have a metallic taste in my mouth, am dizzy, sweaty, hot, cold, cry at the drop of a hat and just generally feel crappy. I was on Cymbalta for over four years and my alcohol consumption increased as time went on. I finally decided to quit it all. Now I am suffering the consequences. I went to my doctor and TOLD him to take me off the Cymbalta NOW! He gave me a seven day sample of Cymbalta at half the dosage I had been taking and instructed me to take it for one week and then quit. Oh my goodness, I "Know" I will make it but I realize I have a long road to haul before I am out of the water. I am sooooo thankful that I went to the computer and started searching. I finnaly had the guts to admit I had been drinking way too much while on this medication. Shame on me! BUT shame on the doctors for ever putting me on Cymbalta. This medication should be taken off the market.
Posted by moesje on May 28, 2007, at 20:33:44
In reply to Re: Cymbalta withdrawal, posted by born46lady on May 28, 2007, at 20:15:29
> I can't believe I found this website today when I thought I was going crazy. Oh my goodness, I "Know" I will make it but I realize I have a long road to haul before I am out of the water. I am sooooo thankful that I went to the computer and started searching.>>
Welcome! And hugs and support for your efforts. It won't be easy at all. Read all the other posts here, and check out some of the other areas because some of the non-cymbalta ones will relate to cymbalta . . .brain shocks and stuff like that. If you have a vitamin store in town, or a naturopathic clinic, go there and get some help on what vitamins and supplenents to be taking. Drink lots of water and in my opinion, physical exertion will show the brain shocks "who's the boss". Not sure how that works, but if I get out and do some manual labor, the shocks subside, if I sit and watch tv, they hurt like h*ll. Exercise if you don't have any housework or home repairs to do, but do something. The movement and water will help your body get the drug circulating and out of your body faster . . .although how fast "faster" is with this, I don't really know.
But hang in there, and make sure you enlist the help of someone close to you, so that if you hit the ground crawling, you have a friend to call up on at any time of the night or day. You may not ever need that person, but knowing that person is there will help.
Nuff said for now.
Posted by moesje on June 4, 2007, at 1:24:05
In reply to Re: Cymbalta withdrawal » born46lady, posted by moesje on May 28, 2007, at 20:33:44
Okay, what I did was two days of half, nothing the next day; two days of one third, nothing the next day; two days of one fourth and then nothing from then on. When I had been off Cymbalta completely for 8 days, I went to my vitamin store and purchased "Enzymatic - Whole Body Cleanse" - a two week program.
YOU MUST BE OFF CYMBALTA FOR ONE FULL WEEK to start this, otherwise you may have difficulties. I took that seriously, as a young girl in our town died last winter, she had been on anti-depressants and her mom lovingly wanted to help her sleep, so gave her some melatonin. The mixture killed her, and it devastated everyone who knew her.
I'm at the end of the fourth day, the shakes have been gone for a week, the electric shocks only happen when I don't get enough sleep, or am overly excited mentally. Then I also feel like I'm drunk, and behave that way, too.
Otherwise, life is looking up. Oh, and I have an appointment with my pastor to discuss other ways to handle disappointments and life in general without medications.
I want to feel alive again, even when life hurts.
Posted by kelmkla on June 12, 2007, at 11:10:57
In reply to Re: Cymbalta withdrawal » Howsjen, posted by Kfroggy on April 12, 2007, at 13:30:24
What are the effects of cymbalta us and withdrawal on the heart?
Posted by moesje on June 12, 2007, at 13:02:57
In reply to Re: Cymbalta withdrawal, posted by kelmkla on June 12, 2007, at 11:10:57
> What are the effects of cymbalta us and withdrawal on the heart?>
I personally had flutters similar to anxiety, and just had to push through them. If you have a history of heart problems, it's best to talk to your doctor before getting off cymbalta. Really, EVERYONE should talk to their doctor before stopping any anti-depressants, as sometimes the side effects can be worse than the drug. And the doc needs to know what you're doing so that if you end up in the hospital or psyche ward, they will be able to help the emergency docs understand why and know better how to treat you at that point.
And I hate to say it, there are some who NEED meds, and if they go off and the doc doesn't know, you could be in a world of hurt. I wear a MedicAlert bracelet, so all my info is accessible no matter what, telling everyone what I'm allergic to and what meds I might be taking or not.
My opinion, but it's worth the $25-$30 a year to keep that bracelet on. I'm now allergic to penicillan, never was until 2000, and that's still a very widely used antibiotic.
Posted by ConcernedWife on June 14, 2007, at 0:08:39
In reply to Re: Cymbalta withdrawal » kelmkla, posted by moesje on June 12, 2007, at 13:02:57
My husband was on Cymbalta for about 6 months and he slowly weened himself off of them in December. He had the brain zaps you guys are talking about while weening himself off but when he stopped taking it completely he woke up and had vertigo and nausea. He ended up in the Urgent care where they ran a lot of tests and told me my husband either has a virus or multiple sclerosis. Since then, he's had every test you can imagine and almost all of them have come back normal. He has a follow-up MRI in July to follow up on the possible MS diagnosis. The only symptom he is having now is what he calls "twitching" throughout his body. Sometimes it's worse than others and sometimes it's almost non-existent. Has anyone else had any similar experiences??
Thank you for all your input!
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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
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