7 replies to this topic

[Wendy K]

I have been off Cymbalta for three weeks now.
The first two days i was fine and then i started getting the brain zaps and dizziness.
It felt like i was drunk or on hard core cold and flu tablets.

After two weeks i thought i was over it but then i started getting nausea, some stomach cramping,
sore muscles and joints. I have also been feeling very week and tired.

In my third week and i have been getting bad aching joints, especially my knees, shoulders and ankles.

This has set me back as i used to do kick boxing and for the past two weeks i haven't been able to go as
i just don't have the strength or energy to make it through a whole session on punching and kicking.

Muscles have been pretty sore too.

So i have started taking Omega 3 Fish Oil, in hope that it eases my sore body and am also starting to take
multivitamins.

I have notices my mood changing and i can become angry very easily. I just keep telling myself to calm down and breath until
it passes.

I am very grateful for my family and friends for being so understanding.

I just want to know if anyone is having that same withdrawal symptoms as me?


Thanks for listening,

Wendy

[carolpno]

Hi Wendy,

Thanks for your candid post. I am in week 2 and feeling really miserable today, cried all of the way home from work. I find I have swings between feeling great, and then bursting into tears. Even watching re-runs of M*A*S*H on the television can make me cry! I knew that going 'cold turkey' was not going to be easy, but the mood swings, hot flushes (worse than my menopause ever was!), hot face & body/sweating at weird intervals during the day and mostly at night, with the constant fuzzy 'drunk' head thing just gets me down sometimes. Its good to hear from someone that is a few weeks ahead of me in their coming off this drug, as your post gave me a good indication of what is to follow, and the hope that things will improve.
Carol

[Caroline]

Hi Jackie,
If you don't have to go off cold turkey, don't! The withdrawal symptoms are rough. If you can try a dose where you don't experience the w/d symptoms. It can be done. Look around this site and you will read successful weaning from many folks including me. I started Cymbalta 30mg a little over 2 years ago. Needed it for some work stress created anxiety. Now that that is all thru I decided to try life without this drug, also don't like the weight gain, lack of really feeling etc. I went from 30mg to 20mg (available in the US), then down to 15mg (1/2 a 30 guestimated the beads), down to 10mg took a few 9mg, 8mg then down to 5mg. I did the major drops 30-20, 20-15 every two weeks then with the single mg drops moved down every 2 days. So far so good. I began taking Omegas, Vit E and G2...these helped with the headache, brain function and dehydration feeling I got in the morning. I feel like I can just go off but want to keep going slowly because the w/d headaches I experienced were worse than a migraine.

Take Care of U,
C

[Rafael_Turtle]

As soon as I found out I was losing my health insurance, I immediately started weaning myself. I cut back from 2 a day to 1 a day and then started doing 1 every other day till I ran out. I was put on Cymbalta for my Fibromyalgia and it worked SO well! I felt like me again, something I hadn't felt since 1998 (when they originally suspected that I had Fibro).

As a result, I first thought I had the flu. I hurt sooooo bad in my back and extremities. Then came the feeling of being tired and wanting to sleep all the time. A couple of days progressed and that's when things went into full swing. I started crying uncontrollably at random times and having these horrid thoughts. I would sleep for 70% of the day but when i would try and sleep I would get these odd feelings all over my body-like someone was pinching me or sticking me with a pin....and I would in turn flinch. Made it really hard to rest but rest was what I longed for since my brain would finally stop the depressing thoughts while I was asleep. Now don't get me wrong, while asleep I have very vivid dreams but they're better to deal with than my thoughts while I am awake.

My rage is the worst part. I hate everything....and I do mean everything. I told off my HR lady at work while trying to arrange my week leave (so I could deal with this mess). I also fired off some pretty snappy emails this AM too. My boyfriend gets a lot of my rage even though it's not meant for him.....he's just there. But he doesn't fully understand what I'm dealing with so it just pisses him off.

I will be so glad when I am done with this. I work and go to school full time and this is causing me to get way behind (although in the given state, I don't care right now). I am very glad to hear that i am not alone in this. Thanks to the others who have shared their stories: it really did help.

When I had so much rage/irritability, I requested medication. It is not acceptable for me to blow-up, I am responsible for my own action even if under the influence of cymbalta withdrawal, other medication or alcohol. If i were you, I would not let my rage go uncheck.

Rafael

[redbird22]

I know this is an old thread, but I'm posting anyways, because I'm really concerned about my battle with dehydration that just seems to get worse and never end! I am at a loss of what to do and it's causing major other health issues now. Please, anyone, help! I don't want more drugs. I want a natural remedy to make me feel continually normally hydrated again  

I can't even cry at times because I don't have enough moisture for it. I'm not in need to go to the ER and please don't suggest that, because going to the ER where I live is just hell in of itself. Plus insurance issues... so yeah... I'm at the mercy of hoping someone will respond here with some sound adivce. thanks in advance.
-Redbird

[fishinghat]

Hi redbird. I hope all is well except for this issue. Are you still going through Cymbalta withdrawal? 

 

I will see what i can come up with in the medical journal articles for a non-medicinal treatment for your hydration issue. More to follow.

[fishinghat]

I have come up with some i9nteresting results in my search that I think may be useful HOWEVER my brother passed away yesterday evening and it may take me a few days to finish my review of the journals. Sorry to leave you hanging. Please be patient.

[fishinghat]

Hydration/Dehydration

 

Important items are in bold and/or underlined. There is a summary at the end.

 

 

Foods which help hydrate in order of effectiveness.

 

Cucumber

Iceberg lettuce

Celery

Tomatoes

Romaine lettuce

Zucchini

Watermelon

Spinach

Strawberries

Skim milk

Soy milk

Cantaloupe

Honeydew melon

Kale

Broccoli

Peaches

Carrots

Oranges

Pineapple

Apples

 

 

Fishinghat's notes

 

Eating or drinking items with high sodium can actually draw water out of your cells and make dehydration worse. Yes, after sweating a lot considerable salt is lost (your body's way of conserving cellular water). Sport drinks often replenish lost sodium and potassium BUT while that may help replace electrolytes and reduce cramping it may hurt dehydratiuon if their salt content is too high.  In years past sports drinks (eg. gatorade) often contained magnesium and/or calcium which are more efficient at reducing muscle cramps and also help with dehydration BUT sodium and potassium have replaced these two in sports drinks because they are cheaper and are fairly effective in the right concentration.

 

Hydration status can be assessed from urine frequency and volume, with additional information from urine color. The darker the urine the more dehydrated an individual is.

 

Important Definition

 

Hypertonic - Having a sodium content higher than blood.

 

isotonic - Having a salt content the same as blood. (0.9% Saline (aka Normal Saline))

 

Hypotonic - Having a salt content less than blood.

 

Hypertonic solutions draw water out of the cells and puts more sodium in the cells: and hypotonic solutions cause cells to swell and causes th3e cells to lose sodium. 

 

An example of what to look for....

Gatorade - 1 bottle is 360 g (360 ml), sodium 160 mg (same as 0.16 grams) so it has a sodium content of 0.04%. This is far below the 0.9% salt content of the blood. It would help but very little and woulod not replace lost potassium, calcium or magnesium.

 

Research

 

https://pubmed.ncbi....h.gov/34716905/

The Hydrating Effects of Hypertonic, Isotonic and Hypotonic Sports Drinks and Waters on Central Hydration During Continuous Exercise: A Systematic Meta-Analysis and Perspective

All drinks contained carbohydrate and electrolyte ([Na+]. Effects on plasma volume were: hypertonic - 7.4%, isotonic - 8.7%, hypotonic - 6.3%  and water - 7.5%.  Conclusion: Hypotonic carbohydrate-electrolyte drinks ingested continuously during exercise provide the greatest benefit to hydration.

 

Fishinghats Notes - This research is important because the test was performed while people were exercising and sweating and in the process of dehydrating. This means that the hypotonic solution with carbs slowed down the dehydration process. The hypotonic solution they used was 16.1 grams per liter or 0.016%. Very low concentration.

 

https://pubmed.ncbi....h.gov/34578811/

The Beverage Hydration Index: Influence of Electrolytes, Carbohydrate and Protein

Nineteen healthy young adults completed four consecutive test sessions in randomized order:  water (only), electrolytes only, carbohydrate+electrolytes, and 2 g/L protein + electrolytes. One liter of beverage was consumed, after which urine and body mass were obtained every 60 min through 240 min. Beverage hydration index was higher for carbohydrates + electrolytes as well as protein and electrolytes when compared to water. The addition of electrolytes alone (in the range of sports drinks) did not consistently improve Beverage hydration index versus water; however, the combination with carbohydrate or dipeptides increased fluid retention,

 

 

https://pubmed.ncbi....h.gov/25017113/

In conclusion, additional potassium in fresh coconut water and the potassium-rich drink  did not result in additional rehydration benefits over those already found in a conventional sports drink with sodium.

 

https://pubmed.ncbi....h.gov/28806049/

The preferred oral rehydration solution is one similar to the glucose-containing  World Health Organization oral rehydration solution. There also are polymer-based solutions that use rice or wheat as the source of carbohydrates but these are not widely recommended. Use of other liquids, such as sport drinks, juice, soft drinks, and chicken broth is not recommended, though these can be considered for patients with no or mild dehydration. For maintaining hydration during exercise, particularly vigorous high-intensity exercise, recommendations are to consume fluids (ie, 5 to 7 mL/kg) and a sodium-containing snack at least 4 hours before. During exercise, individuals require 200 to 800 mL/hour of liquid that should contain 20 to 30 mEq/L of sodium (23 mg/Liter). Carbohydrate intake is recommended during high-intensity exercise. Intake of excessive sodium-free fluids should be avoided to prevent exercise-induced hyponatremia (low sodium levels in the blooid). Additional fluids (ie, 1.5 L/kg of weight lost) can be consumed after exercise to restore hydration. Vitamin and mineral supplements are not recommended routinely for athletes unless known deficiencies exist.

 

 

https://pubmed.ncbi....h.gov/17459189/

Milk as an effective post-exercise rehydration drink

The results of the present study suggest that low-fat milk can be an effective post-exercise rehydration drink and can be considered for use after exercise by everyone except those individuals who have lactose intolerance.

 

Fishinghat's Note - They showed that low-fat milk was a superior hydration dring compared to both sports drinks and water. Adding an isotonic amount of salt to the milk made it even better.

 

https://pubmed.ncbi....h.gov/37181252/

When provided in a volume equivalent to 125% of exercise-induced fluid loss, protein oral rehydration solution produced comparable/superior fluid balance and superior sodium/chloride balance responses to popular glucose-based and sugar-free oral rehydration solutions.

 

 

https://pubmed.ncbi....h.gov/18463891/

Eight males lost 1.98 +/- 0.1% body mass exercising in the heat, then consumed one of four drinks in a volume equivalent to 150% of mass loss. Drinks were identical except for sodium chloride content (1 , 31 , 40, 50 mmol/l ). After 4 h recovery subjects cycled for 5 min until volitional fatigue. Urine output was inversely related to sodium intake: more urine was produced with the 1 than the 40 and 50 mmol/l sodium chloride drinks (P < 0.01). The addition of 40 or 50 mmol/l (2.6 to 2.9 grams/liter) (0.29%) of sodium chloride to a rehydration beverage reduced subsequent urine output, thereby providing more effective rehydration than a sodium-free drink. 

 

 

https://pubmed.ncbi....h.gov/17693686/

8 volunteers dehydrated by 1.94% +/- 0.17% of body mass by intermittent exercise in the heat, then ingested a carbohydrate-electrolyte solution (Gatorade), carbonated water/apple-juice mixture (Apfelschorle), and San Benedetto mineral water in a volume equal to 150% body-mass loss. their effectiveness was compared with the rehydration effectiveness of Evian mineral water, which is not perceived in this way by athletes. Four hours after rehydration, the subjects were in a significantly lower hydration status than the pretrial situation with Apfelschorle, Evian, and San Benedetto but were in the same hydration status as before the dehydrating exercise on Gatorade. Sodium balance was negative on all trials throughout the study; only with Apfelschorle did subjects remain in positive potassium balance. In this scenario, recovery of fluid balance can only be achieved when significant, albeit insufficient, quantities of sodium are ingested after exercise. There is a limited range of commercially available products that have a composition sufficient to achieve this, even though the public thinks that some of the traditional drinks are effective for this purpose.

 

 

https://pubmed.ncbi....h.gov/24562469/

The efficacy of oral rehydration solution is based on the ability of glucose to stimulate Na and fluid absorption in the small intestine via a cyclic AMP-independent process. This review highlights efforts to establish a major reformulation of oral rehydration solution following the demonstration that short-chain fatty acids (SCFA) stimulate colonic Na and fluid absorption by a cyclic AMP-independent mechanism. 

 

Fishinghat's Notes - Short-chain Fatty Acids are produced when dietary fiber is metabolized by “good” bacteria in the colon. These help hold water within your system and minimizes dehydration.

 

http://www.aulamedic...h/pdf/10347.pdf

Increasing fruit and vegetable consumption can contribute to a heathier and more balance hydration status

 

 

https://pubmed.ncbi....h.gov/17921471/

Various reports indicate that humans receive 20-25% of their daily water intake from food. Fruits, vegetables and other high-moisture foods, therefore, make an important contribution to total fluid intake. In addition, co-ingestion of other nutrients and ingredients can impact drinking behavior, absorption, distribution and retention of water, all of which contribute to the person's hydration state. Therefore, a food's hydration value derives from the interaction between its water content and the presence of these co-nutrients and ingredients. Additional research on rehydration after exercise and heat exposure showed improved recovery of plasma volume and fluid status when food was ingested before consuming water in the two hours after exercise. Collectively, these findings point to an interaction between fluid intake and co-ingested nutrients in regulating human hydration during and after exercise.

 

 

https://pubmed.ncbi....h.gov/27491580/

A sample of 36 boys aged 9-10 years was included in this study. Forty three per cent of participants were classified as at risk of hypohydration. Children who reported a high fruit and vegetables intake (above the median) were at decreased risk of hypohydration, compared to children who reported a low fruit and vegetables intake.

 

 

Summary

 

Carbohydrates and/or proteins 2 grams/liter) in low concentration improves hydration.

 

Sugars and not starches are better for hydration.

 

Sport drinks, juice, soft drinks, and chicken broth have little to no advantage over water. (I really agree with this)

 

Drink 6 ml/Kg of fluids and a sodium containing snack 4 hours before exercising.

 

Low fat milk is good for dehydration.

 

Hydration drink of 0.28% salt good for rehydration.(That is hypotonic but saltier than nearly all sports drinks or electrolyte drinks.)

 

Fiber is good for keeping the body hydrated.

 

Increasing fruit and vegetable consumption can contribute to a heathier and more balance hydration status