845 replies to this topic

[fishinghat]

Unluckily yes. The flair ups are usually less and less severe each time and also shorter each time. By week 4 or 5 they should only be inconveniences rather than overwhelming. But to be honest there are those that continue to have problems for months. Improving during those times but still having problems. Those seem to be real rare though. At this point I wouldn't panic about it. The should diminish soon. Hang in there girlcat.

[lady2882Nancy]

Hello to all.

Something to keep in mind.

Many of the side effects from stopping can reappear at various times for the first 6 weeks off, especially if you have over exerted yourself, not gotten enough sleep, become slightly dehydrated or have foods that are too greasy or too salty. Caution is needed to avoid setbacks.

Also try not to start any new meds during that time as your reactions to them may be unusual (trust me on this one).

There are many long term benefits to being off this crappy med as buzzbuzz has listed. 

A healthy lifestyle will speed your progress to enjoying the benefits. I know that I look at the way I eat entirely differently from the way I did before and it sure has helped.

Take care and  all around

[chimera]

am dittoing what Nancy has said- try and keep things as steady (and probably boring!) as you can for the 6 weeks. think of yourself as in recovery from flu if it helps, just take a bit of extra care and you'll get to know what things make it worse again out of the blue. overtiredness seems to be a big one where zaps are concerned.

[DinCA]

Fishinghat & ladynancy

I am pretty sure I just finished with week 3 or 4...still not 100% when I actually had my last one.  which I am not sure really matters as I have been screwing my self up over forgetting this pill for a while now I think.  Things got pretty hairy week before last.  And I take back anything I said about not going to the doc.    I am now thinking it could be dangerous to go it alone completely.  I can change docs when things get better if I still think I need to.  Not thinking clearly only adds to the problem.   I dont think I ever knew what "alone" was til now. ...even if it was all in my head...or not.  Even reading all this...I had no idea what was in store for me that last week.  Strangely enough I woke up last sunday, after the worst night ever feeling half way normal.  then 3 days of 95% normal, and was ecstatic to be thinking clearly again with very little fear.  then 2 days somewhat back down.  But nothing like I had experienced the two weeks prior.  My pain level is half what it has been, even with the swelling .   Anxiety is back up but not the frantic, desperate feelings of before.  And I am so glad you  had prepared me for the the back & forth of it all.  Not sure I"d have been prepared for the slip again if you hadnt.

Still off cymbalta and not taking any other "replacements" yet.  still faithful to the fish oil and other supplements.   started cutting down my sugar in take...sweet drinks were my worst.  but switched to herbal iced teas and have cut the sugar by half now.  still swear rock stars hydration has helped considerably on the days I drink one.  still smoking cigarettes  one after another...but I cant help that one right now...I will get to it in time.  Being too long on the computer seems to bring back the brain zaps...or more like "clicks" now.    and I can see reading back on my posts....things were pretty bad then.  my apologies for some of it.  Frantic and desperte are the only words I can use to describe that few weeks.  still a touch of it but for now it is under control.  the bizarre sexual side effects have backed off tremendously.  and altho I still wake up scared to death  at the slightest sound,  the nightmares have diminished, but i still worry "IN" my (still very strange and vivid) dreams that they might turn into nightmares and try to wake myself up. 

 

Thinking back now...It is my opinion (for now  lol)  that among al the other numerous side effects and withdrawl symptoms...cymbalta also goes to work on pre-existing problems.  exasperbating and intensifying some things.  and I have also noticed that the slightes suggestion during the day can manifest in these freakish dreams at night.  some of it I am glad for...some of it ....not so much.   still... it is wonderful to be sleeping again, altho that too hasnt quite gotten back to normal.

This has been an insane ride.   more like an acid trip probably.  But now I feel like I can handle it again.  there is a certain calmness that comes with feeling like I can do it.  

Again...thank you for you help and support

[lady2882Nancy]

Hi DinCA

 

I  agree with you 100% on the idea that Crapalta (lol) goes to work on pre-existing problems and makes them far worse. I also think that this drug weakens your coping skills so you cannot fight the pre-existing problems. I am slowly learning coping skills but had to take another med to get started and am back to needing therapy to deal with my pre-existing problems. 

 

It really sucks as it has been decades since I had any problems with some of these and even the main one was under control for the last 10 years.

BUT sanity does return and we can go forward and live our lives again.

It is always good to be able to help someone get through this then at least my own nightmare of getting off this crap is put to good use.

Take care and keep us posted.

[DinCA]

Hello Lady Nancy

I LOVE that you call it crapalta!  Cymbalta seems like such a nice, pretty name .....for the pill from hell.

I was soooo relieved to read your reply...for more reasons than one ( which maybe if I survive all this, I will share the rest with you when we are over the worst of it).  This screwed up thinking sometimes puts all kinds of ideas in my head.  I am glad this isnt one of them...I too am experiencing  this kind of resurgence of  stuff  from long ago.   It's just soooo strange.  years cleared of certain problems.... and now they are back.   some just try to pop up...some push their way thru. 

 

I hear ya  on the coping skills.  I am back doing the therapy too.  I am a little put out that life cant just stop for a few weeks til we get over the worst of this.  But life, such that it is....goes on, full steam ahead, poop slinger in one hand and once in a while, a rag to clean up  in the other.  I must say that right now the fact that i still have a bit of a struggle with the apathy at times...well, has been  a little bit of a blessing.  NOT completely...just for a situation or two.  because if the rage or crying had come up during those times....I am sure you'd have felt the after shocks all the way to Canada.  I'd have at the very least least made the evening World News or the FBI's most wanted list  .  In short..people are still people.  and   shit STILL happens.

 

I hope the new med is going ok.  I know that I will probably need another med before this is over..but right now I refuse.  Not sure if that is paranoia or that I have lost faith in my doc but it scares me to think I could end up doing all this again.  I dont think , right now, that I could survive it again...nor do I WANT to survive this again.  I know that most dont do this kind of damage, and that the damage this one has done might not be UN done with out another.   But for now anyway,  this scares me more than the nightmares.

 

Part of this screwy thinking has my brain trying to fill in blanks.  for instance, from day one here,  instead of typing Lady Nancy and fishinghat....my brain tries to take over and type Lady FINGERS and fishing NET   lol  I have to really pay attention.   I find that kind of thing happens quite alot.... my brain trying to fill in the blanks before i have a chance to think rationally about something.

 

I was very happy to have those few days of good...gives me something to look forward to, that there is an end goal here that is not only possible but probable.   Yesterday was another realllly bad day ..but so far, today seems to be back to a half way good day.  I need to get out, be around ppl and get some excersize....before I can't. 

so take care, Ladyfingers  .  enjoy your garden.  my potted plants have suffered along with me, I am ashamed to say.  lost my basil and a dahlia I was nursing back to health.  Can only hope she comes back next time.  

I am off to venture out into the land of the living...wish me luck (and sorry again for the novel...I try to shorten them in "preview" but end up just adding more    )

[lady2882Nancy]

Hi DinCa

 

I got a few chuckles from you posting. Probably because I could so relate to what you were saying.

I think what I hate the most is that these very old problems that I learned to deal with so long ago came back and the ability to cope with them just isn't there.

The other thing that has been a real pain in the butt is my allergies getting so bad. Skin contact allergies are insane for me this year. I had the itchies really bad when stopping the Crapalta and now I am constantly washing my arms and putting special cream on them as so many things that used to bother me a bit are now giving me horrible rashes. Not good when you spend as much time out in the garden as I do.

 

As far as new meds go I do wish I had refused to take another one too as I'm not sure I have the willingness to go through another withdrawal. This one is quite the right med for me so I suppose I will have to try something else or maybe there is a way to taper off these ones. I know I won't rush it like I did with the Crapalta but then that was necessary unfortunately.

 

So many have had problems with getting the words out properly. It did become necessary to Proof Read everything a few times to avoid posting weird mistakes for me too. That is slowly going away thank heavens although I do think that one hand is still getting messages faster than the other as I still find some pretty wierd spellings for words. Ladyfingers makes a good name though lol.

 

Hope you enjoy your time out with ppl.

 

Take care

[DinCA]

Hello Lady Nancy,  (today it was "lady hat"  go figure...maybe I am missing Fishinghat)

I am soooo happy that I could give you a chuckle.  and twice as happy that someone is getting my sense of humor again.

  I DID have a good time out and about with the living yesterday, thanks

I had read somewhere that first week something about a runny nose, which I have sometimes non stop..  I have had what I thought was seasonal allergies all along...a year of seasonal allergies.  season after season the same thing. even thought that was my off & on eyesight problem.  the pressure IN my eyes reminds me alot of the pressure from allergies...except it is IN the eyes.  But didnt put it ALL together with the side effects.  So thanks for sharing that...something else I can look forward to going away soon.   And I have been itchy too.....not so sever as you are experiencing, but ...just itchy, like maybe  a new soap could be too drying...only it didnt ever change with the change of soap.

Saw my therapist this morning.  And this afternoon I feel like I am getting a whole new perspective.  like something dark and heavy was lifted and it is now time to really stick to taking  responsablity for getting better.  hopefully it sticks.

I wanted to tell you ...I love your dragon fly.  In trying to keep from writing another novel.....long story, short.....

There is an Native American tale of  Coyote, the trickster, convincing Dragon that he was simpley a dragonfly.  he tricks him into the form of a dragonfly and Dragon is trapped there, thinking he is just this little dragaonfly.  I have always had a thing for dragonflies and dragons.  And never knew this story til a few years ago in a group (with this same therapist)  we did a kinda guided visualization.  in it we are given a gift...something we need to see or know.   mine was a dragonfly.  So, we were supposed to go home and do some research on the "gift".  first thing i came across was the Dragon and Coyote story.  I am thinking this is good symbology for the Crapalta syndrome......

All these things have taken our strength,  it has wiped us out.  side effect by side effect, then withdrawl sysmptom by withdrawl symptom.  One common thread through all I have read here is that it knocks us on our backside, strips us of our self esteem, our will power, our inner strength.  I am thinking it is time to reclaim the Dragon and take back our power.   Just a thought.

Hugs to you to my friend.  hope your having a good day too.

[DinCA]

Hello everyone

I have 2 new questions....

First  can anyone explain the rebound pain thing?  does it even apply to cymbalta?

I realize now that since starting cymbalta that my pain changed.   Mornings were the worst and it took me hours after waking up to "work" the pain out.  Also pain woke me up often during the night.  It was different kind of pain tho than I am used to from a life time of spinal problems.  But now, (I have been off for a month or so),   mronings are sooooo much better.  and when I do get to sleep...it isnt the pain that wakes me up.  My pain meds were almost at the max daily the last few months before coming off cymbalta.  Now I dont need that much ...by far.   It just would seem to me that the opposite might be the case if it were the meds.

 

Second...While taking cymbalta I often would foget all about it.  basically I have been torturing myself all along with mini-withdrawls because my memory was the first to go.  The thing that always reminded me to take is was what I thought was restless leg symdrome.  I would start getting it really bad.... and I actually thought the cymbalta HELPED with it, instead of actually being the cause of it....so when I would start getting it...I would remember to take the pill.  Now I am realizing that it was the withdrawls that BROUGHT ON the restless leg thing...if that is even what it was.   It has become a minor  problem over the last week or so...it is so weak now that I barely notice it and can get to sleep reagaurdless.   BUT last night I started getting that feeling all over...well maybe just in my legs AND arms...I am not sure.  Still very weak...but having that feeling in my arms is overwhelming and nerve racking.  I had to get up to get rid of it.  So now there was yet ANOTHER reason why I couldnt sleep !!   Has anyone one else had this problem??  

I am getting really tired of feeling like a hypo-chondriac. And a little put out that with the ever growing lists of symptoms and side effects...that NO ONE but those of us  who have taken it  it and lucky enough to have found this site, even consider it could be all related to cymbalta.  Actually...I am just sooo sick and tired of ALL OF THIS.  I feel like I post here entirely tooooo muchhhh.  It is like looking for validation....or begging for it....which is exactly what it is becuase no one else believes any of this.  

Please feel free at any point to say..."ummmm...no that is not cymbalta andf yes you are a little crazy"....because even that  would be welcome at this point....just the KNOWING would be a tremendous help.

[fishinghat]

I can;t answer about the rebound pain but cymbalta is famous for physical agitation during withdrawal. Individuals just can't seem to hold still and move around constantly. During extreme stress the body losses extra calcium amd magnesium.You might try a Ca/Mg supplement. It should some help. It will not help with the mental agitation or anger though.

[lady2882Nancy]

Hi DinCA

This is how the rebound pain worked for me but please keep in mind that I took the Crapalta for Chronic Pain.

When I first started to take Crapalta it seemed to help somewhat with the pain but 2 weeks after increasing the dose my pain came back and another week after that the pain was worse than it had ever been.

So later when it was decided that I needed to get off Crapalta and when tapering off and then stopping altogether my pain became quite severe with the first 3 weeks off being the worst. Once I was 4 weeks off the pain became less and now I am back to a level of pain that is actually slightly less than I had before starting the Crapalta. 

Here is how I interpret this info after talking to and reading many posts from other who have gone through this.

Initially there is some help with the pain but whether you have chronic pain or didn't have chronic pain somewhere along the line the Crapalta changes something that causes the brain to signal that there is pain or more pain than there really is. Then when tapering off and stopping the brain is so used to signalling that there is pain that the pain signals get out of control until the brain balances itself and then the exaggerated pain signals stop. For those who had Chronic pain the pain returns to the level they were before and for those who did not have pain before then it usually just goes away although some have said that it didn't go away afterwards and think that the Crapalta has caused them to develop Fibromyalgia (did I spell that right lol).

Recovery time for this is highly individual and some do not have the pain until they are tapering off or stopping which is how it got the name rebound pain.

 

As to the restless leg syndrome and other restlessness problems, I have read about people having this problem while on Crapalta and sometimes it can be a long term effect but I did not experience it myself so really haven't given it alot of thought.

 

Don't worry about feeling like a hypo-chondriac as I think it is safe to say that most of us have wondered about the side effects we have had as well as questioned our own sanity a few times.

This forum would not be so long if we all had exactly the same side effects everytime. The side effects are varied and very confusing too.

Take care of you

[DinCA]

LadyNancy and fishinghat,

as always ....thank you

I take calcium and there is magnesium, as well as calcium, in one of the supplements I started taking thru all this (its for menopause...  I figured it couldnt hurt).  but I see now that it is a very low daily % amount so I probaly should look into that with my problems with food lately.

 

I too, was given cymbalta for chronic pain..premature degenerative disc and joint disease was diagnosed around the age of 19.  and yes, the pain got worse the first week or two of stopping crapalta I think, but has been unusually bad since I started taking it period.  Guess I was just a little surprised at having  LESS pain  here lately.  I'm not complining...it is wonderful.

Thanks for the quick answers.  Right after I posted earlier my daughter came over and we took my 1 & 1/2 yr old grand daughter out to the pool.  I felt like the world was lifted from my shoulders.   bewtween my little bundle of joy and the exercisee, I feel like a new person.  ...it is so strange how I can go from doing good to another bad day so fast.  then back again.....ha !...sounds like a good title for a book  ....."Cymbalta...A Crappy Tale.....There and Back Again....and again...and again..."     

I cant imagine the patience it takes to deal with the insessant questions.....I appreciate it ...and I am also starting to understand why it is so hard for some of the ppl in my life  TO  understand.

 

[Bronya]

I have been reading everything on this forum for days since I found it. THANK YOU to everyone for sticking together, supporting and uplifting one another.

My withdrawal symptoms are similar to others:
Emotional outbursts, aggravation, uncontrollable rage, mood swings;
Brain zaps, heart palpitations, vertigo;
Severe body and joint aches, headaches, ear/jaw aches;
Insomnia, feeling feverish, chills, flu like symptoms;
Manic ups and downs, feeling energized then sluggish, more OCD than usual.

Tomorrow morning will be 14 days cold turkey. I went down from 60 to 30 then 30 every other day then off over 2 months. It is not getting easier and I am exhausted. I work full time in my own business and that is so very hard but a helpful distraction. Kids, family, rescue dogs, oh my!

I bought L-Theanine, B100, Omega 3 all from Whole Foods.
What are the proper dosages and times to take them? PLEASE HELP!

[DinCA]

Bronya

I am sure the others know better than I do about the dosage, and I never thought to ask about it...I was so desperate that I went out and got the stuff then came right home and started taking them.  I have  been following the instructions on the bottles.  Which would differ depending on what the mg or IU is for your particular brand and bottle.  But I would imagine that most might be a little leary of giving instructions to others on how to take them.  Sometimes you have to be careful with supplements.... almost  like you do with prescription drugs.  and some supplements dont do well with certain prescription drugs.  I would say follow directions and do your research.  If you have a helpful and understanding doctor talk to them.  From what I have read here tho...there are alot of ppl who are in the same boat as I am as far as their doctor goes....no help at all....which is why and how most of us found this site, I think.   And are thankful it was here TO find.  

Most pharmacists can be helpful with info on supplements as well.  Or talking to someone at your local vitamen or the Whole Foods store where you got them. 

 

The supplements have certainly helped me...but it is still hell getting thru this.   And the members here have been amazingly supportive.  Dont forget to give yourself a pat on the back for the strength and courage it takes to do this.  That is something I forget...but we ALL need to do that.  I have come to the realization that no one can possibly understand what we have been  or ARE going thru unless they have been there too....it is just all too horrific for someone else to even imagine.  and apparently most docs dont even have a clue. 

Hang in there and know that you are not alone.

[lady2882Nancy]

I have been reading everything on this forum for days since I found it. THANK YOU to everyone for sticking together, supporting and uplifting one another.

My withdrawal symptoms are similar to others:
Emotional outbursts, aggravation, uncontrollable rage, mood swings;
Brain zaps, heart palpitations, vertigo;
Severe body and joint aches, headaches, ear/jaw aches;
Insomnia, feeling feverish, chills, flu like symptoms;
Manic ups and downs, feeling energized then sluggish, more OCD than usual.

Tomorrow morning will be 14 days cold turkey. I went down from 60 to 30 then 30 every other day then off over 2 months. It is not getting easier and I am exhausted. I work full time in my own business and that is so very hard but a helpful distraction. Kids, family, rescue dogs, oh my!

I bought L-Theanine, B100, Omega 3 all from Whole Foods.
What are the proper dosages and times to take them? PLEASE HELP!

 

Answer posted here

https://www.cymbalta...elp/#entry32626

 

Take care

[Kait03]

I have never been one to post on these types of websites, but it will be good support I feel as I am on day 5 of no cymbalta...

I didn't have side effects while on the medication as severe as some of you but I did have a few:

 

Insomnia--that was the worst one and the reason I decided it wasn't worth it

Weight gain

Couldn't reach orgasm or it took forever

HOWEVER, the withdrawl symptoms (I was on cymbalta about 8 months) have definitely been hellish:

Constant headache
Dizziness

Brain zaps

Heart palpitations

Constant crying

Body aches

Fever

Nausea alternating with extreme hunger (this one was so weird I thought--anyone else had crazy hunger?)
Irritability

Social withdrawal

Lethargy

Fatigue

[katlvr]

I quit cold turkey.  The withdrawal symptoms are CRAZY to say the least.  The brain zaps, ringing in my head, literally having to move very ever so slightly my head from side to side to avoid the zapping, loss of sleep, just wide awake, crying, I mean crying so hard, like it was the first day of my son's  death after his suicide.  It has been a year since his death.

 

My story about Cymbalta goes so much deeper than these few words.  The pain I have suffered is so much more than withdrawal symptoms I suffered myself.  I lost my son who also was taking Cymbalta and quit cold turkey.  Now that I quit and know first hand what he was feeling, I am not surprised that he took his life.

 

He nor I were ever told about how severe the side affects would be if we quit.  Just awful that it is not IMPRESSED on patients how severe these side affects are.  I truly feel like a lab rat.

[fishinghat]

Interestingly enough kativr, research shows that only 20% of people have significant withdrawal symptoms. I personally know of 3 people who have quit Cymbalta without even a hint of a problem. Most doctors don't even realize there is a withdrawal issue and simply don't address it with their patients.

[chimera]

Fishinghat:) just told Nancy in message what has been going on this end, I hope you are feeling better and are ok. sorry have not been able to be here, had vesitbular neuritis and have been very unwell, it all came at once. am slowly getting better but is a long haul. just wanted to say hi and that had been thinking about all you guys x

[fishinghat]

Really good to hear from you. I was wondering if you were alright.

 

Boy, between you and Nancy you all have really had a time. I feel for both of you. I continue to tweek down my meds but still have a ways to go. Slow wins the race. I cut back some, feel bad for about 3 weeks, fair for a week then good and I tweek back some more. You know the story.

 

Are you alright now? I hope so.

[beatlesrock603]

Depression (I was NOT depressed before starting cymbalta)

Lethargy
Irritability 
Trouble sleeping
Nightmares 
Withdrew from friends and family
Rage 
Agitation
Nausea 

Diarrhea 
Headaches
Brain “zaps”
Dizziness
Numb fingers
Flu-like symptoms
Sinus pain 
Runny nose
Hot flashes
Rage
Mood Swings 
Crying 
Suicidal ideation
Cold chills: Shivering accompanied by chest and abdominal muscle tightening
Memory problems
Concentration problems
Nightmares

 

All these while on my current dose, If I miss even just one day all these appear and I'm down for days.

[Lauralu]

Withdrawal symptoms

[Lauralu]

I can't believe I've found this site. I thought there was/is something wrong with me because I had no idea of the withdrawal symptoms until I decided to look it up. My cognition seems slow and sometimes confused. My hot flashes are horrendous. Often I just want to get out of my skin. I'm just going to read the posts here so I can feel a little sane again. Oh lots of lethargy apathy and nausea...

[girlcat]

I have been off cymbalta for 90 days.  The depression kicked in about a month ago, but I can usually talk myself out of it be late morning or afternoon.  My thinking is not clear.  I get things mixed up and sometimes think it's the beginning of alzheimers.  I wake up nauseated every morning and have several loose bowel movements throughout the day.  I wouldn't exactly call it diarrhea, but it's not a normal, solid bowel movement.  For about a month, it would pass and I could eat something.  Now I'm staying nauseated.  People I've confided in just say: the drug is out of your system by now.  But is it?  I have been a vegetarian for years and now can't stand fruits and vegetables.  I crave sugar and carbohydrates.  I've never liked sweets or desserts before.  Does cymbalta permanently change your tastes?  I am taking vitamins and supplements, but I've taken them for years. I saw my doctor about a month ago, and wasn't having these physical symptoms, but she doesn't think cymbalta withdrawal  causes any problems anyway.  I'm feeling very frustrated and feel like this will never end. 

[DinCA]

Girlcat...you are not alone.  I am coming up to 3 months soon.  I picked the 7th  as my anniversary because I still cant remember when that last pill was, and that date would work with what I posted here the first time.  I did really good for a while too....now, in the last couple of weeks,  I seem to be experiencing more pain,     still have problems tasting food (tuna was one of my cravings during this, but now all I taste is the can) ,   sleepless nights just started up again  (  ...well not as bad as before but a lot of tossing and turning all night and that restless feeling that feels like it will just take over your body in one huge spontaneous muscle contraction) ,     and I totally get what your saying about the onset of Alzheimers     ( was clear of that for a while too, but now its back).      It is nowhere near as bad at it was that first month but  I too wonder when this will end. 

I assume that it is because of the extra weight I carry.  I have been told here,  it can take much longer to get rid of the cymbalta because it grabs on to the fat. I dont know if that is a problem for you.   I also stopped getting much exercise recently because of the extra pain and swear by the exercise and water.  I am still taking supplements but not as religiously as I was before mostly because I forget them now...again.  So that could be it too as I only take them once a day instead of 3x. 

I dont know why it started again.  I have been back here on the site searching for similar stories but hadnt found any yet....so I am sorry for your suffering but I was relieved to read your post. 

I think for some of us it just takes longer...probably for as varied reasons  as why we took cymbalta in the first place.  Hang in there....

[lady2882Nancy]

Hey there girlcat and DinCA

 

I have been off now for 21 weeks that's 147 days today. I always said that I would come back and let people know how life was after Crapalta but I haven't got there yet. I am still battling the after effects of both taking this crap and from stopping it too.

 

The cravings for sweets and simple carbs is a constant for me too. If it really isn't good for you then it is probably something I want to eat. I do find that sometimes a salty snack can derail the craving for sweets though. Many foods that I loved to eat before Crapalta had no appeal for a long time (I was/am a very healthy eater). That is slowly turning around and I am starting to enjoy my veggies again. Green beans was the first that appealed to me and I ate a ton of them while they were in season here.

 

The doctors recently decided that I needed to cut back on my med for my IBS so it has been acting up. Result is I have lost some weight and everytime I do I feel like I am in Crapalta withdrawals again. Which I probably am because Crapalta likes to hide in the bodies fat stores so if I lose weight then some of it is released into the blood stream. The mood swings when that happens are pretty intense for me.

This also could explain the cravings for sweets. I know that I have had a terrible time keeping my blood sugar levels even which also happened when I first stopped the Crapalta. This is not good when you are hypoglycemic like me.

 

I did end up going on a very low dose of Sertraline (generic Zoloft) for 4 weeks and that did help get rid of some of the lingering side effects I was having. I don't want to push anyone in to taking SSRI antidepressants but it can help. If you do decide to take something make sure it has a long half life and just take as low a dose as you can. If it helps within a few days then you know that what you are experiencing is still due to Crapalta withdrawals. Most don't have to be on it for long.

Keep in mind that it often takes 6 months to get over the effects of Crapalta. There have been a few stories like that on the forum.

 

I don't post to the site as much as I used to because I don't want to scare people with what has happened to me and I won't lie and say that everything is wonderful when it isn't. I took Crapalta for Chronic Pain and now pain is the least of my problems. This freaking drug almost destroyed me but I am a survivor and I will not give up.

 

Best of luck to you both and

Take care

[Lolilovesherdogs]

In the beginning it seemed to help....then there were these symptoms, sleeplessness, bad dreams, dizzy, vertigo, falling,

loss of words, memory loss, lethargic, highs and lows emotionally, crying out of the blue, never rested, compulsive about cleaning, no sex drive, lost weight, no appetite, vague and less than caring, pain started coming back in knees, then back and arms, started seeing tracers or maybe visual hallucinations now that I look back, worried and fearful, stomach aches, dropsys and unbalanced.

 

Withdrawls so far after 1 week

Lower GI issues

Dizzy and brain zaps, vertigo

Time lapses

Heat intolerance

Chills and goosebumps

Stomach pains

Nausea

Hot flashes

Ears ringing/ head feels spinning 

Cold hands

Flushed

Hungry all the time/ even after eating

Nightmares/ sleeplessness

Angry/Mad

Sad/weepy

Muscle aches, body feels sore

Headaches

I see things...like shorts glibs of scary things

Not suicidal (but think of death or fear of it)

Pissed at my Dr. (really pissed)!!

No patience/ Memory laspes

Loss of the right words

I am sure there are more!!!

I still have my humanity and humor somewhere.

 

[Ape]

Omg these syntoms make want to stay on cymbalta forever. I want to get off the cymbolta my doctor says is too soon. I have been tanking since last week of May so it s now four months. I hope he reduces soon. He told me that he will bring me from 60 to 40. but before he does I will be bids counting try to take five off each week so by the time he does I should feel less the syntoms I hope. I have Bowel movement several time during the day even if on the drug. It must be one of the side effects did anyone has puffy eyes?

[Ape]

Also I forgot my Ativan and the next day I had painful headache. Getting off of Ativan gives also problem?

[fishinghat]

Ativan is very addictive and has a wicked withdrawal. Don't try to stop the ativan and the cymbalta at the same time. Just stick with the cymbalta for know.