13 replies to this topic

[notsobad]

Hi, usually I try to be good and search previous posts when I first join a group, buttttttttt....my brain isn't functioning quite at capacity at the moment, hope you understand.

 

So I was on cymbalta for about a year for depression and anxiety; I'm actually happy with the results, I had read a lot of horror stories and side effects and warnings about how you should do bead counting, blah blah. But I had minor side effects that went away soon enough. Overall I had a positive experience with this medication and very minor negative effects, so I'm not here to bash it...it worked for me, for my brain chemistry, and now I'm ready to say goodbye.

 

When I dropped 60 to 30 a few months ago, I was a bit emotional and had some overall body arthritis (if that's a thing). But it resolved. And in general, if I ever forgot and took my dose late, it wasn't really that big of a deal for me.

 

Now I'm about 5 days completely off (went from 30 to 0). I don't really have any desire to start up again, I feel like the road ahead of me is a positive one. I'm a bit over emotional and with mood swings sometimes, but it doesn't really bother me since I understand what it is and can manage it and it feels much different than being "depressed and hopeless and out of control." I've had some fatigue and spend a lot of time resting and sleeping, but this doesn't bother me, I like sleeping and I feel good and happy about it and understand my body is trying to readjust itself.

 

It's just the dizziness that's a bit bothersome. I mean, it's not so bad that I can't function or that I lose my balance, in a weird way I feel good because I'm not *anxious* about the dizziness. It will go away eventually, I know. I actually feel a bit "high" all the time, if that makes sense. I'm not very experienced with recreational drugs, but it kind of feels a bit like poppers or like I've inhaled some fumes. So in a way I feel weirdly "happy" but a bit loopy (as you can probably tell by this rambling post). I assume maybe it's because my brain is attempting to manufacture whatever chemicals it was used to getting artificially from the drug. I mean, good job, brain, but it hasn't quite readjusted itself yet in the chemical department...

 

So, all in all, I'm not concerned, I'm able to function at work, and I don't mind taking it easy at home, but I don't really care to feel this way ALL day all the time, and was wondering if any of you had experiences with this or if there is anything I can do (supplements, etc) to help ease the dizziness (especially when looking around and turning my head) and overall loopiness I feel. I'm committed to riding this out, but if I can regain some control over this "high" feeling that'd be great.

 

Thank you! And hopefully in a few weeks I can make some proper, coherent posts.

[fishinghat]

Welcome notsobad.
 
I am glad things are tolerable at this point. You might try reading the second post at

https://www.cymbalta...ur-question-is/

 

This is sort of a summary of what members have tried and experienced. It may give you some ideas.

 

Keep us posted on your progress.

[LisaMichele]

Hi!
I just read your post and thought-- I could have written that! Ditto on all the symptoms. I am on my last bead of duloxetine. (About 5 mg) i have the high and loopy feeling. I am worse 3 days into this last reduction. Lots of dizziness and brain whooshes even just moving my eyes from right to left. But I am with you. I am committed to this. This is my third time to try but with the help of this group I have been much more successful! (Have been taking 90 mg for 7 years-- went from 90 to 60 to 30 and then started bead reduction)

Been taking Benadryl for the anxiousness and buzzing and zaps and tingling in my arms and legs which seem to be worse in the evening.

I meditate and am a huge yoga fan. Helps calm the mind and body and keeps your mind off the evilness of this horrible drug!

Good luck!
One day or hour at a time!

[notsobad]

Thanks fishinghat! I managed to find some of the Vertigo-heel and I think it helped, either that or it was a placebo. Thankfully, I seem to be over the worst of the vertigo. The loopiness is still a bit there when I make sudden eye or head movements, but I feel more normal, and also maybe I've just gotten more accustomed to it.

 

Unfortunately now I've been uncontrollably angry and crying for the past few days. It was hard to put my finger on it, because this is also when the Las Vegas shootings happened. I just got myself so sucked into reading all the opinions and it's made me so focused on how I hate people and the world is a terrible place. Yet, I also realize that the world has always been a terrible place (or perhaps it just is what it is), and mass shootings never really affected me before to this degree. So it's tricky, because it's normal that someone should react to it with sadness and anger, but I've felt these violent tendencies (that I would never act on, and that are out of character for me), and I'm short on patience. I got into an argument on a facebook group over cooking ingredient substitutes. It was sheer idiocy. It's taken me over the last couple days.

 

Then I thought to myself, god, I feel unstable. When did I stop taking cymbalta again? Oh yeah, 2 weeks ago. So I'm hoping it's just that and it's not my previous emotional problems resurfacing. I think I'm ok this time around because even though I'm having these strong feelings, there is still a rational voice inside me saying, "well, wait now. Is that true?"

 

It was strange, yesterday morning and all last weekend I was feeling great! Then it's like today I am a monster and not a person.

 

Also, LisaMichele, it's good to hear from you, maybe we can take this journey together. There are only 2 people in my life who know I was taking antidepressants, and one of them is my ex, so sometimes it's hard to feel like I have someone to turn to when I'm having these problems. Perhaps I'll try benadryl to calm down. I did notice before I started taking cymbalta that I seemed to have less anxiety when I took an antihistimine. My therapist said it's because they make you drowsy, even though I didn't feel drowsy, just calm.

[fishinghat]

Hi NSB, good to read your update. I am glad you got some relief from the vertigo. It should start fading pretty soon. Unluckily the mood swings are the next thing to develop. What you are feeling right now is very common. During this emotional stage it is essential to get a lot of rest, stay away from stress and sort of spoil yourself. Don't push it to hard as that will only make it worse.
 
The Benadryl should help some. And by the way your dr obviously is not up to date. Yes, antihistamines can make you sleepy but they not only cause sleepiness but work on the histamine receptors. The H2 and H3 receptors are heavily involved with anxiety. One of the most commonly prescribed medications for anxiety is hydroxyzine, an antihistamine.

"... so sometimes it's hard to feel like I have someone to turn to when I'm having these problems. "

You are not alone anymore. We are all here for you. Hang in there.

[LisaMichele]

Hi Nsb
Without sounding like a 12 year old--OMG! I had the same issues when I heard about the shootings. I was so angry and although I would probably had that reaction long ago it definitely was much worse because of the withdrawal. One thing I have definitely done wrong was to read too much news and become too upset.
That will end now. no really!

I am now on 0 cymbalta. This is my 5th day. Headaches, lots of anxiety and the brain whooshing are constant. I have very little patience and moodiness is putting it lightly. I have had vision issues too-- probably related to the dizziness and brain sloshing. I have tried taking Dramamine and it actually seems to help with that at least for a few hours. Still taking the Benadryl in the evening and it helps calm the leg restlessness.
My husband is the only one who gets it because he is a saint. But it's very hard to explain to anyone else and I just end up getting angry because they don't understand why it's taking so long . At least everyone here gets it!
Feels like one hour at a time today.
Later
LM

[notsobad]

Hi all, I'm feeling much better now. Yeah, with the shootings eventually I just told myself I had to pull the plug on keeping up with the news because it was becoming an obsession and it's not like I can be helpful to the world when I hate everything. I also bought Grand Theft Auto as a sort of crutch for myself...I thought that if I feel angry during the day, I can tell myself to just wait until I get home and then I can open up the game and run everyone over with my car I suddenly understand the point of violent video games, haha.

 

I think your day 5 sounds similar to my day 5. Today for me is day 19 I think. I'm feeling much better. I still have a tendency to be impatient and critical of everything, but that is a symptom of my emotional problems that caused me to get treatment, and I'm managing it better and try to catch myself before getting worked up, because it's like, "is it worth it? will this help me or the situation? No. So let's move on..."

 

Fishinghat, thanks for the info on antihistamines! I think I'd read a little bit about it somewhere when I was doing my own research, since the day I took an antihistamine for allergies, I felt super calm shortly afterward. So I wondered if there was a connection. To be fair, this was before I saw a psychiatrist...it was my therapist who suggested maybe they helped because they made me sleepy, and she's not a medical doctor. I briefly thought to myself, "well maybe I'll just put myself on antihistamines" since they're easy to get, but wasn't sure if that was a good long-term option, and didn't care for the dry mouth and dehydration that came with it. Eventually I caved and went to see a psychiatrist, and ended up on cymbalta. It was an interesting ride, but fortunately any side effects I got (going on and coming off the drug) went away after a few weeks, so I don't have the horror stories that some people have. Although at the time of experiencing the symptoms I wish I could've just stayed home from work, because it's hard to explain to people, "sorry, I'm unstable right now, coming off my psych meds!!!" It's hard enough to remember for yourself that's this is why these side effects are happening, let alone trying to appear as a "normal" person.

 

I think I'll bring up the antihistamine thing to my psychiatrist the next time I see him, though, just to see what he thinks about me taking it in the case of any future anxiety. Seems like it could be an "easy fix" bandaid that's easily accessible and without intense side effects.

[fishinghat]

Some of the over the counter antihistamines can cause the dry mouth and dehydration but not so much with the hydroxyzine. In addition you don't build up tolerance to the hydroxyzine like you do Benadryl.

 

Hang in there and let us know how it goes.

[notsobad]

I did a bit more reading about antihistamines and saw that medications for motion sickness also work on histamine receptors? And once I saw an episode on TV where a woman had really intense motion sickness (like throwing up in the car all the time), and she was helped just with hypnotherapy. The hypnotherapist basically related motion sickness to anxiety, and he treated the anxiety through hypnotherapy in order to solve her motion sickness. Not sure how true that is, but it "fixed" her.

 

I've had issues with motion sickness (that I didn't have when I was a kid)...and I wonder if it's all connected somehow. I went through phases with ginger and chewing peppermint gum, which made the situation survivable but still unpleasant. I even got to the point where if I had to take a bus ride to work and I didn't have any gum, I *needed* to buy some before I left. Or if it's hot and the air is stuffy without ventilation, I feel nauseated. I thought maybe I had some temperature regulation problems, but did some blood tests and they told me all my hormone levels are normal.

 

My vitamin D levels were extremely low...they've improved but are still low, so the doctor put me on a super dose for couple months. The day after taking 50000 IU of vitamin D3 I suddenly feel like a normal person, like I'm able to rationally think about my day and do activities without getting mentally and physically fatigued. Life just feels normal and not difficult. Maybe I'll try to space it out over the week instead of taking a giant dose all at once (it's the powder form, not an injection).

 

I eventually downloaded a hypnosis mp3 that was really meant for stomach issues and IBS, but thought perhaps it could help me. It was by the same guy whose hypnosis videos had helped with my insomnia and anxiety in general. (Michael Sealey on youtube, in case anyone is interested). And oddly enough, it did help. It's still a coping mechanism as far as I'm concerned, instead of a fix, though, because the times I feel relief from anxiety and nausea it's because, either through hypnosis or meditation, I've pushed myself into a different state of consciousness, and I have to dedicate my energy to remaining in that state.

 

I'm also just highly sensitive to my environment in general, physically. If it's too hot or the sun is too strong or if the wind is blowing too hard or if there are too many people and too much noise, or too much pollution in the air... It's interesting, I keep thinking that somehow this is all connected and one day there will be a simple explanation. But for now, I'll just keep focusing on the things that are going right in my life and realize that probably everyone suffers in their own way.

[fishinghat]

Hi notsobad

 

It really sounds like your symptoms could be linked to the low vitamin D. Most psychiatrists will do a vitamin  D blood test when anyone comes in complaining of anxiety or depression. Vitamin D is used up fairly quickly so I would stay with the mega dose like the dr said for now. Once you stabilize he/she will probably put you on a low maintenance dose and recheck your vit D every 6 months and adjust accordingly. Until your vitamin D stabilizes it will be hard to tell what is causing what so you will have to be patient.

 

You talk about coping skills help but are not a fix. Boy can I understand that. If it weren't for my coping skills I would be a mess (a bigger mess that is, lol).

 

Hang in there. It will get better.

[notsobad]

Long time no chat!

 

I'd been doing pretty well...then a couple weeks ago I decided to try taking fish oil and it was really helpful! Then I forgot to take it for a couple days and all these other things happened (very evil toxic two-faced ex-boss is back for a couple weeks, I got my period) and then I got into a fight with my ex, who I also work with. My apartment is always pretty messy but now it's disgusting and I'm crying a lot and don't want to eat, and when I eat it's sugar...I know that if I eat healthier I will feel much better and that's another thing I beat myself up about, because the majority of this is self-inflicted. Like, if I keep my apartment clean, eat healthy, remember to take my vitamins, and stop picking fights with my ex over behavior he seems incapable of changing anyway, things could be so much better. And I'm thinking, "crap, do I have to go back on anti-depressants?"

 

But I have more energy than I had before. And I don't struggle very much with anxiety like I used to, but it's more because I have an attitude now worry that I push people away because there are so many things that get to me that I just try to maintain my composure at work. I don't know, I could go into all the details but...long story short I don't want to go back on cymbalta because aside from this current depressive episode, I'm actually living life again and am not constantly exhausted. I just get overwhelmed because I don't feel like I have a support system...I have friends, and I could contact my psychologist again, but I'm tired of talking about my problems, it makes me more depressed. I just want to share my day-to-day life with someone, or have a mentor, or something. I feel like I have to be strong all the time. And I see strong people around me who seem to be able to keep their composure all the time. But most of them are either happily married or have a relative they look up to, etc. My parents are good people and love me, but their way of looking at life has lead me into this psychological mess and I want to keep a relationship with them but I can't look to them for advice because their advice doesn't help me. It's another situation in which I have to be the strong one, especially now that they are ageing and I see the depression in my mother's eyes and I worry that she will one day die, never having experienced a life where she is truly happy and not sad about everything. I'm an only child. Most people are a source of pain for me and I try to be happy for everyone but it's hard.

 

Anyway, I remembered to take the fish oil this morning and feel better. I'm just so disorganized in this "be healthy" process, and I'm frustrated because I have so much potential and my life is good when I remember to take care of everything. But sometimes it's too much and there's no one to fall back on.

[fishinghat]

You are going through tough times now and all your nerves are messed up. You don't have to be strong now. The more pressure you put on yourself the longer it takes to heal. All this emotional mess you feel WILL go away, It does get better. Hang in there.

[notsobad]

Thanks, it helps to have a reminder that I'm possibly still healing, sometimes I don't think about it because I don't have physical symptoms anymore that I know of. And I feel more optimistic now in general...just that I get frustrated when I keep having the same problems and beat myself up over them (having a messy apartment, expecting my ex to behave in a certain way when he's shown again and again that he's not able to at this point in his life and he's told me that his head is really messed up due to everything that he's going through). It's like, why do I do this?

 

Well I've been remembering to take my fish oil and today I bought some vitamin D again (I had misplaced the bottle in my messy apartment and therefore hadn't been taking it for a month or so...which is dumb because I've had two doctors now prescribe me vitamin D). If I can just get over this hurdle it will be ok, because with cymbalta I was very organized and took it every day because I was scared of what would happen if I missed a dose. So I've been in the habit of taking pills daily. And I took vitamin D every day at that point because I just included it in my pillbox along with the cymbalta.

 

Now I just need to find that pillbox again, find my vitamin d capsules, and just take the stupid fish oil and vitamin D every day. I feel so much more human when I do that. It's so weird to me that something as small as vitamins affects me so much.

 

P.S. and now I think I have to move again because my building just decided to start charging me $75 extra to have my dog....ugh. But luckily, since I'm in a better mood, I'm looking at it as an opportunity to try and buy a place if I can, like life is telling me enough is enough with me having to move every year and be unstable. Just buy a small apartment in the city center and one day if I want to buy a house or live in a quieter neighborhood, I can sell it or rent it to tourists.

 

Oh and they turned off my electricity today because I forgot to pay the bills. Not that I *couldn't*. Just that wasn't aware that a few months had passed since I last paid, instead of a few weeks. The days seem to run into each other and life flies by even though to me it seems slow. But it should be taken care of now and I'll have electricity tonight. Anyway. Just needed to complain somewhere.

 

Ugh being an adult is hard sometimes. I'm not giving up, though.

[fishinghat]

notsobad

 

First of all a happy Thanksgiving. Yes, life is hard but no one promised us a rose garden. I am always telling everyone it will take time to be patient BUT I never had any patience. lol   It is so frustrating. Once you start having those good days here and there just focus on them and be sure they will return.

 

I hope you got your electricity back on. You don't want to be without heat.