Withdrawal from Cymbalta... Anyone been here?
 

Hi everyone, I am wondering if there is anyone else out there who has had issues of withdrawal from cymbalta. It is just awful!!

After trying many medications over the course of 10 years (for major depressive disorder) my psych and I settled on a combo of Wellbutrin and cymbalta. I have been on it for years and was instructed recently by a neurologist to go off it. I went to him searching for answers regarding neurological symptoms I've been having and his first response was to start going off cymbalta (not sure why exactly, but I had no other answers...). Apparently this was supposed to make things better?! I'm two months into the process of slowly weaning off the high dosage I was on and I am not only still experiencing all of the same neuro issues as before, but also what I assume are insane withdrawal symptoms!

Anyone else had any of these after discontinuing cymbalta? I'd like to know if it really is withdrawal or just my neuro symptoms from before intensifying. Ive been experiencing:
- nausea which I'd never had before (and no I'm not pregnant, thought of this already...) causing me to want to eat little and only something very bland like plain rice.
- overwhming pulsing/ whoosh feeling in head (like my heartbeat is in my brain and ears) which intensifies the nausea for about three seconds. This comes on whenever I shift my eyes to look in another direction.
- perhaps because of the nausea, but sensitivity to smells... I'm sensing smells that no one else does and they are increasing my nausea.
- strong electrical tingling feelings in my brain and head
- jolts thoughout my body that cause jerky spasms. Like I'll feel a jolt someplace that will cause my reflexes to activate in response... Makes it very hard to try and fall asleep or relax...
- cannot sleep normally! perhaps intensified by the above, but holy cow I should not be awake until the birds come out! 3 straight weeks of this now an the sleep deprivation can only be making me feel worse!
- so foggy in my brain and thoughts that I forget the word I read one before, forget my train of thought only when beginning a sentence, and cannot finish a thought without diverting to another one... Creates a spinning feeling...
- crying from everything. Only a minute or two then I forget what had made me emotional. But then it happens again in a few minutes.
- feeling feverish but my body temp is quite LOW (95-96 degrees)
- oy vey, painful stiff joints and random throbbing muscle pain... I'm groaning like I'm 96, not 26!

If you can picture all that then you can imagine what a crazy person I must look like! I've barely made it to work most days and some days I couldn't. Needing solutions desperately! Grateful for ANY insight!

Update: So after a week of this insanity it started making me feel like things were crawling all over my skin, keeping me from sitting still for even two seconds! The dizziness/ sleep deprivation/ not eating / and sudden leg jerks had caused me to miss several days of work for fear of driving. After this, I was ready to call the doctor and get some help. Before i could pick up the phone to call my neurologist, I get this stabbing exploding pressurization headache in the base of my skull. I couldn't talk, breathe, move, and the pain was radiating down my neck and into my spine... Seriously, how could discontinuing Cymbalta do that?! It felt like I was being stabbed and shocked at the same time. Thanks to my amazing boyfriend, one trip to the ER, some painkiller, some steroids, and some Effexor (a similar drug to Cymbalta and in the same class) and I am 100% after only one day. Amazing what putting the same type of drug into you will do... Scary but I'm willing to keep taking Effexor just so none of this withdrawal nonsense happens again!

6 Weeks And Counting
 

The first 6 months on Cymalta went fine. The doctor said it has very few side effects. After 6 months I started with the emotional roller coaster. Anything would set me off. Over-reacting to every thing. Crying more than I ever had. I was going through a divorce, so I attributed the crying to that. But, I wanted the divorce. My husband was abusive, so I was happy to be being thrught with him. Then, if I missed a dose, the next day I could not speak right. Slurred words, and could not pronounce words that I know. Two days after coming off of it, I got physically so sick, I was in bed for 3 days. Felt like the flu. All I could do was drink a lot of water. Then the crying and anxiety hit. All day. I was exhausted, and could barely function. I called Life Extention (lef.org). Talked to a pro. She recommended something called Cognitex, and acytl-choline (for memory and speach). Then I bought 5htp for serotonin, which worked within an hour with the crying and anxiety. I take 8 fish oil a day. Also mucuna pruiens for dopamine. Friends tell me my speach is getting better, but I have good days and bad ones. Can't work right now. I'm getting so frustrated, as this may go on for how many more months? It feels like it's permanent at this point. Don't doctors know how many problems this causes? It feels like Cymbalta fried my brain!!!

Withdrawal i'm there
 

Hi , I've not had your drug but having same symptoms from Lyrica . I gather not a lot of difference between them (same family of drugs). My Doc had considered this as a replacement for Lyrica. It's really tough . I ended up at accident and emergency things were so bad. Still on reduced dose and still have original problem peripheral neuropathy in face. Each day start with shower after groaning that back in reality. It's one day at a time and not looking at bigger picture. Having massage today as all my muscles in spasm. Don't give up .

Regards

Nick

Hi Nick,

That's not entirely accurate. While both are used for some types of neuropathic pain and anxiety disorders, they do so by somewhat different means. Cymbalta (duloxetine) is an SSRI antidepressant, while Lyrica (pregabalin) is an anticonvulsant (and a Schedule V controlled substance in the US).

Doc

Dr Smith
 

Hi Doc, I stand corrected. However I can empathise with the withdrawal issue.


Nick

I think we all can; my DW is in the midst of SSRI withdrawal. L-tryptophan helps some (whereas I don't know that it would with Lyrica), but she still has days...

Doc