256 replies to this topic

[FiveNotions]

Heheh...not so sure about "rock solid" ..... Often seems more like grains of sand held together with dog poop.... ;-)

[xman]

Ah hahaha! got me to smile

[gail]

Heheh...not so sure about "rock solid" ..... Often seems more like grains of sand held together with dog poop.... ;-)

Out of likes, but this one made me laugh!

 

X man, glad you could take time off. Perhaps this is what is needed at the moment. Squirrels, just love them. Wishing you will feel better with this 2 weeks rest.

[Wagtail]

Fivenotions , I must have missed the post regarding the spoons !.. What's the significance of spoons please ?...
I'm happy to hear that you're feeling a little better today , that's a good sign & you deserve it .
Xx

[FiveNotions]

Tria posted about the spoon theory in another thread....it's an awesome way to explain to people who've never been chronically ill what living with illness is like....

https://www.cymbalta...eory#entry43134

[TryinginFL]

Wagtail...

 

I just read about the spoons last nite - just google Spoon Theory...

 

A great and uplifting way to explain to others!

 

How are you doing today?  How are you reacting to the new drugs? 

[tria]

gail - I am at approx. 10mg and have been holding here for a few weeks after having horrible withdrawal symptoms from dropping too fast.  I intend to go verrrrry slowly from here.  I'm not looking forward to dropping the dose again but know I must *sigh*  Hopefully just a teeny drop won't bring on unbearable symptoms I had before.

[tria]

FN - I am out of spoons today as well!  Worked at home with a nasty headache and a miserable mood.  Would try to take a break a watch tv or lay on the couch but was so restless that it did not good.  I hate having to work when I feel like this.  Feel like I need to triple-check everything I do and then I still make mistakes and end up doing things over, which means more work....... ugh...... I hope you can get a good night's rest and replenish your supply of spoons haha!  I was so glad to see the spoons popping up in posts here, it really is a great analogy!

 

Wagtail - rest up and hope you feel better too!  That is odd about the clonidine, but a good thing.  I'll keep my fingers crossed that the lessened anxiety continues for you!!

[fishinghat]

Tria

 

It does get scarey to think about making another drop as you get near the end. The only thing you can really do is look at how fast you have been dropping and then wean at a much slower rate, say 1/4 of the old rate. Best of luck. You will get to zero mg.

[gail]

Tria, if I read correctly you were at a 20mg dose. Is that right?

 

My question is did you feel good on that 20mg?

[xman]

Out of likes but thank you, gail, for the well wishes!

[tria]

Hi gail - I was at 40mg for a very short time (had a bad reaction when I went up to 40 and that's when I decided I was getting off this drug).  I made it down to 20mg without terrible withdrawal symptoms.  Didn't know it at the time but the symptoms I did experience were from dropping the dose.  It wasn't til I started weaning down from 20mg that the symptoms got much worse, though I've read hear numerous times that the lower you get on your dose, the worse the w/d can be.  Anyway, I stayed at 20mg for quite a while (6+ months) because I couldn't get any lower without horrible w/d symptoms.  My docs didn't know about bead counting, so I was trying the "every other day" thing, which we all know does NOT work.  (I eventually came up with the bead counting on my own.)  Overall, I really didn't feel great at 20mg.  Mood swings, crying a lot, etc were my biggest problems at that dose. When I started weaning off the 20mg, the nausea started along with nightmares, more irrational fears, worsening mood swings, heart pounding, bad headaches, etc etc.  What dose are you currently at? 

[AnotherMind]

Hi everyone

are hot flashes part of disconinnuation? At week 9 now and REALLY sick with GERD and frequent hot flashes all day, all night.

Getting me down.

Tried to tell Pdoc yesterday - he was totally dismissive.

[FiveNotions]

Hi AM, yep, hot flashes were/are part of it for me ... while on the stuff it was constant dripping, gross sweat ... then, when I got off, the sweats faded, and hot flashes arrived ... at months 4 and 5 they stopped, and I thought I was "home free" .... but in just the past month (the 8th), I've started having hot flashes again ... maybe two or three times a week, at bedtime or during the night .... I'm looooong past menopause (age 36), and I didn't even have hot flashes then ... so I'm sure this is all the serotonin-level-adjustment still happening ...

Do you see a pattern? Time of day, associated with a particular type of activity, frequency? And do they last long?

[AnotherMind]

wow, how peculiar - no particular pattern except can be a random response to movement, even small movement, like adjusting my seating or changing position. Otherwise I cant predict when it will come - last 1-2minutes, longer in bed (Im waking up with bedding on the floor), tired all the time.

 

My doctor is adamant that it's not peri-menopause as I have no other indicators...but I am 44...?? But then again I did notice sweats and flashes began when on Cymbalta.

 

Just when you think it's done...there's more!!!

 

p.s FN Ive sent you a personal message.

[AnotherMind]

ok - week 11. Very disheartened and blue.

 

Not sleeping because of constant hot flushes, extreme GERD and constant nausea and chest pain - my skin is rashing, my teeth hurt.

Ive stopped eating today - its the only way to hold the pain at bay.

 

Is this the discontinuation or something new?

 

gp doesnt know, Pdoc doesnt either - feeling very disillusioned & defeated this week.

 

I even cant read sufficiently to find my way through posts here - sorry.

[TryinginFL]

AM...

 

I'm sure this is still discontinuation.  Many have complained of GERD, nausea and chest pain.  I still cannot concentrate well to read much

 

I have also been eating less and I am just starting my 8th month off the crap.  I still have sleep problems as well.

 

I thought that I would be over all of this long ago, but apparently that is not to be the case with me.  I wish you the best AM, and please hold on - it will get better.  Some of my symptoms have now faded as they will for you - please try to be kind to yourself and just take things slowly.  I know how hard this is...

 

This is true misery but it won't last forever....

 

It is so good to hear from you!  Hang on! 

[AnotherMind]

Thanks FL

That's reassuring (sort of!). 8 months! - it puts 11 weeks in perspective.

It is truly miserable - but interesting to hear that it's not an unfamiliar story.

[thismoment]

AM

Sorry to hear you're having a rough time. At week 11 off Cymbalta there should be some better days appearing soon. The relentless symptoms definitely get you down- it's nasty I know.

The hot flushes, GERD, nausea, chest pain, skin rash, and aching teeth are all reported as symptoms in SSRI/SNRI discontinuation. OTC remedies can help with GERD; I couldn't find anything to help with nausea except VERY light eating; I didn't get hot flushes or skin rash, but many people here got (get) both; chest pain I got and it came and went; the teeth pain is well-reported and some people have used mouth guards when sleeping- it's claimed clenching is the issue.

But yes, it could be something new- or it could be the siren song of the SSRI- your doctor probably even said the words. And yes, that new SSRI would surely make many- or most- of the symptoms go away. But as you know, it's a crap shoot going on, coming off, and re-starting these drugs.

Hang on. Of course see the doc if something is really concerning you.

[thismoment]

AM

We kind of have tie ourselves to the mast for 6 months to get past these symptoms, the siren song of discontinuation. That will put you on the other side into quieter and calmer conditions.

[AnotherMind]

Are these symptoms associated with seratonin depletion?

 

I havent eaten today - not hot flushes, no rashes - a relief, but clearly not a long term solution.

[thismoment]

Here's how I understand it, though if there's a neuroscientist out there please fix up my fumbles.

 

Your brain has been physically altered; it's in trial-and-error self-repair.

 

SSRI/SNRIs don't normalize brain chemistry, they alter it. The brain adapts physically to that alteration(the brain's a physical thing subject to all the physical laws of the universe); the blocking of serotonin receptors is a physical event that leads to physical alterations to cope. When the drug is abruptly removed the brain scrambles to self-regulate by physically altering itself once again to cope with the new condition. 

 

Time and slow-weaning enables the brain time to alter itself on an appropriate timeline, where self-repair keeps pace with the removal of the drug. There are few symptoms (or none at all) during slow-weaning, and it would seem that there is some correlation between the severity of the symptoms and the state of self-repair; on cold turkey it's a scramble.

 

By slow-weaning I mean a reduction of 10% per month of the immediately previous dosage to 50% of the original prescription (about 6 months), and 10% per week of the immediately previous dosage thereafter (another 9 months or so).

 

I weaned off over 42 days which was a lot like cold turkey; I had full-blown symptoms for several months and gradual improvement during the next year. I still have residual symptoms after 2 years. Go slow, real slow.

[FiveNotions]

AM, first and foremost .... yay, you're at 11 weeks!!! One more week, and you'll hit your 3 month "marker" !!!

 

And yes, even at 11 weeks, what you've described is most definitely still the post-Cymbalta brain-healing process .... serotonin is key in almost every bodily function ... digestion/GI tract, temperature regulation, sleep, skin, teeth (grinding, etc)  ...  I just checked my notes, and up until about 12-16 weeks off, I was having all those symptoms, except the teeth ... which I've read, as TM says, is often related to grinding during sleep ....

 

Just remember, almost anything and everything related to the CNS involves serotonin ... without the artificial serotonin level control imposed by Cymbalta, our brain has to re-learn how to it on its own ... re-wiring, healing ...

 

Have you tried ginger for the nausea? Ginger root, fresh sliced ... ginger ale, ginger tea, crystalized (candied/dried) ginger? Also, try to eat lighter foods if possible ... easy to digest things ...

[xman]

Well put thismoment. FN you helped me with tips like the ginger ale back in March. Thanks to all.
It is so difficult to sort out what is part of the discont. syndrome and other health issues.

[gail]

Xman been thinking of you lately, glad to see you posted.

 

How are you doing?

[AnotherMind]

Thanks everyone - you are beacons in the dark.

 

9 wakes with hot flushes, nightmares and rapid heart beat last night  - I feel like Im regressing. 

Not a trace of appetite even after fasting yesterday - I will just take fluids for a few days and see what happens.

[Carleeta]

Anothermind...you just hang in there.  Fivenotions lived on soups and teas..  Sorry to hear the anxiety is hitting you.  Don't really know what would help you sleep, although it wouldn't hurt to get some calming teas (decat of course) and possible some warm milk and honey before you get to sleep. 

 

Please keep us posted.  Take care, you are in my thoughts....

[AnotherMind]

Im just reading back over these posts - has anyone still got problems with GERD?

 

Im 8 months off Cymbalta and have had the full gastroscopy (which revealed nothing much, a tiny bit of acid damage) - but I continue to be incredibly sick in the stomach most days. I have episodes of inolerable epigastric pain which isnt helped by Pariet or any other antacids. I can't sit for long because of pain under my breast bone and Ive lost a lot of weight (it just keeps dropping, currently 48kilos). Feel like I have a permanent dry, hot stone at the base of my throat. Have tried diet change - it just keeps happening. Gerd was my first discontinuation symptom - it's not resolving.

Is it nerve damage?? Stumped.

[thismoment]

AM

I had exactly the same thing. I was given Nexium, and I too had a gastroscopy that revealed the same diagnosis as you. Also, GI bleeding is not uncommon with antidepressants.

If you are taking NSAIDS regularily that can exacerbate the problem.

The GERD lasted for about 6 months, and I went for a few visits to the doctor. It's gone now, but I am in great pain if I eat just a little too much-- I really have to eat small meals to avoid discomfort. Glad you mentioned this, as this is a symptom I live with after nearly 31 months off Cymbalta.

It's not bad-- and I don't think about it-- but your post shone a light on this intermittent remnant of discontinuation.

[AnotherMind]

That's interesting AM.

Kinda reassuring...

Im not taking any NSAIDS - I'm not taking any meds at all except the PPI's (Pariet) intermittently - they make me quite sick ironically.

 

It's frightening and bothersome to live with such an angry gut.