130 replies to this topic

[Polly38]

Hi. I am in absolute agony today with a really bad pain behind my breastbone again😢. It's taking my breath away and is making my arms ache. I am burping a lot too.

Is this really part of withdrawal or do I have something else going on? I have stayed on 29 beads for about 10 days now and this is have been getting worse, not better. Do I need to change my dose again? It feels like the tablets are aggravating my stomach. Tour advice would be much appreciated.

Thanks very much.

[fishinghat]

Unluckily this is often part of withdrawal BUT to be safe you can have it checked out if you want to. The burping, gastritis pain etc, I had it all too.

You said the "tablets" seem to ne making things worse. What tablets are you talking about?

[Polly38]

Thanks FH. Sorry, I mean the Duloxetine. Although I have stuck at 29 beads for about 10 days the pains in my stomach a d chest are getting worse by the day. Is this normal? Would I be better trying to go down again (say 1 bead)? It's like the Duloxetine doesn't agree with my system at all

[fishinghat]

Typically if it gets worse when you drop a bead or two it is withdrawal. If it is a side effect of the Cymbalta then the symptoms will get worse about an hour or two after taking it. That is when the Cymbalta hits maximum blood levels.

 

A lot of people take a month or so to stabilize after a drop and you are very sensitive to these drops on top of that. I wish I could give you a clear cut answer about it and what to do but I can only relay what I have seen before. Sorry.

[Polly38]

Ok thanks. It comes on after I have taken the Duloxetine. I am completely out of action today and feel so hopeless - like I am never going to feel well again😢.

Really don't know what to do for the best. This drug is ruining my life and I really wish that doctors would see that it's poison! Sorry to vent. Thanks for your advice

[fishinghat]

I am going to check something out, be back in a minute.

[Polly38]

Thank you

[fishinghat]

The fda website only says that about 1% report these types of symptoms as a side effect.  My logic says that is highly doubtful as Cymbalta effects serotonin concentrations and serotonin is most common in the digestive tract.

 

The way you describe it , it does sound like an affect of Cymbalta. Has this been occurring ever since you started on Cymbalta?

[Polly38]

Yes I have had real stomach issues on a d off since I started taking it. The pain is really intense behind my breastbone and is making my arms and shoulders ache

[Polly38]

It's making my joints ache too

[fishinghat]

That has got to be side effects. Any brain zaps or dizziness?

 

I checked my notes on what I have told others with similar symptoms. One thing that may help, nut not cure, is to divide the dose up and take it twice a day. For example you are taking 29 beads. Take 15 in the morning and 14 at night. This will help even out the blood levels and reduce the severity a little. I would say drop no more than 2 beads and see what happens. I wouldn't want you to drop too fast and get into a horrible withdrawal either. What do you think about this.

[Polly38]

Thanks so much FH.A little bit of dizziness but only momentarily, then it goes. No brain zaps at all. I could try splitting it but when I take the first dose in the morning I'm worried I will get worse withdrawals as my body would still be expecting the 29 beads. Does it work like that?

Should I split the 29 beads first or drop 1 or 2 when I'm doing it?

Thanks for your help.

[fishinghat]

Little to no dizziness or brain zaps means that this is probably not withdrawal as those are standard starting symptoms. I would split the dose for two days, (eg. 15 in AM and 14 in PM) and then 3 days from now go to 14 AM and 13 PM.

You know there is no guarantee with this but I think this is side effects so the sooner you get off the Cymbalta the better your stomach will be B UT if you drop too fast you could go into a bad withdrawal. We can tell more by how you react to these changes and your body will point us in the right direction.

[Polly38]

Thanks so much for all your help with this FH. I will give this a try. How many hours should I leave between the 2 doses?

[invalidusername]

Hi Polly... Hat has given some sage advice here, and like he says, whilst we cannot be sure of the upshot following this, it is the better way forward given the higher levels are not reacting very well with you. It will maintain the correct level without having this peak which is causing the majority of the issues. In theory, the symptoms should reduce, although I would expect them to still be there to some degree during the remainder of the withdrawal.

 

You need to take the doses 12 hours apart. Ideally stick to one at the time you have taken it before, so if you took your dose at 8am, take first half then, and the second half at 8pm. Any closer together and you risk getting closer to this spike in the level again. 

 

Let us know how it goes!! We're rooting for you!

[Polly38]

Thanks IUN. The pain today is awful. It has now become muscular and moved to the muscles in the top of my chest and neck and I've got pressure in my ears.

Thanks again. Hope you are having a good day

[invalidusername]

My goodness. This is quite a reaction. I do think the split is a good way to go. It should balance you out a bit and reduce the severity.

 

Day this end has been tough following a run-in with the Mental Health team, so I am burying myself in my research this evening before celebrating with a wee bit of Kratom to calm my nerves.

 

Bless you poppet - I hope we hear some god news from you in due course.

[Polly38]

Thanks so much IUN. Sorry you have had a bad day too. I will keep my fingers crossed about the split and keep you posted. I really ache this evening. I'm not anxious but ache and have fatigue, which is new for me! Hope we both have a better day tomorrow 🤞

[invalidusername]

Glad the anxiety has abated for now - a sure positive.

 

Fatigue and the aches suck for sure! This is what massive sofas were made for. Let me know how you are tomorrow, and I will nip up with my therapeutic oils and give you a massage

[Polly38]

Ha ha🤣. I might take you up on that offer😉

[Polly38]

Hi.

A quick update. I took the 15 beads this morning and everything has seemed OK. However, I took some CBD oil earlier and started to feel like I couldn't breathe, my stomach felt tight and I feel itchy! So ...... it could be the cbd which has been causing the problems. I have taken an antihistamine, so hopefully, the symptoms will subside 🤞.

Will update at the end of the day after I take my second dose at 9.10 PM. Hope you are both OK today

[invalidusername]

Interesting. How far apart did you take the CBD from the Dulox? And how long after taking the CBD did you notice these symptoms?

[Polly38]

I took it about 3 hours after the Dulox. I noticed the symptoms about 10-15 minutes after taking the cbd.

[Polly38]

I took it about 3 hours after the Dulox. I noticed the symptoms about 10-15 minutes after taking the cbd.

[fishinghat]

It is interesting. I took a quick look into the medical journals and they say CBD oil is often used to treat COPD to assist in breathing better.

[Polly38]

I read that too but I messaged the company today and they said some people can react to the carrier oil, Will leave it out for a few days and see how it goes

[invalidusername]

Unfortunately this is sometimes the way with these things. We need to experiment on ourselves to find the solution!!

 

I've just got back from something of a challenge for me. It was a big surprise birthday for my mother - loads of people. A real test to see how far my anxiety has progressed. I lasted 2 and a half hours - goodness knows how. So I have just got home and trying out the valerian powder that arrived yesterday. I thought now would be a good time to see how it works as I sure need calming down a bit. 

 

Think I could do with that massage as well now, Polly!!

[Polly38]

Well done IUN for staying there for that long. Brilliant!😁. Valerian is really good for calming things down so I really hope it works for you🤞. A massage would certainly sort out the anxiety 😅😉.

I haven't taken Ashwaganda today as I wasn't sure what was causing my problems. May try it later before I take the second dreaded dose of Dulox🙄.

Will keep you posted on progress. Hope you manage to chill out this evening!

[Polly38]

Well done IUN for staying there for that long. Brilliant!😁. Valerian is really good for calming things down so I really hope it works for you🤞. A massage would certainly sort out the anxiety 😅😉.

I haven't taken Ashwaganda today as I wasn't sure what was causing my problems. May try it later before I take the second dreaded dose of Dulox🙄.

Will keep you posted on progress. Hope you manage to chill out this evening!

[invalidusername]

Thank you. You should find that the ashwagandha doesn't need much in the way of a build up in your system, although some people say wait for 2 weeks, I don't think this is necessarily true. 

 

Half hour since taking 1.25gm of valerian root and starting to feel a little tired but not much else, but I think it needs an hour or two for full effects to establish.