13 replies to this topic

[CheesyPoof]

Hi all, I have been taking Cymbalta for depression/anxiety for about 4 months. Shortly after starting it (didn't think about the possible correlation at the time) I started having right wrist pain. Went to ortho and he couldn't figure out why I had pain. Xrays and MRI came back negative, as did blood test for RA. So, naturally, I started having anxiety over what was going on. With the increase in anxiety, my psychiatrist upped my Cymbalta dose to 120mg a day from 80mg/day. Not only did my anxiety get worse with this increase in dosage, but I started noticing pain in right and left forearms and elbows in addition to my right wrist. Then my knee and ankle etc..

 

Psychiatrist decides to wean me off of the Cymbalta and onto Prozac. Now weeks into titrating I am having increased pain in same spots along with burning/tingling sensation in both arms and left foot. 

 

My questions are, (1) has anyone else experienced similar, (2) could Cymbalta have caused these symptoms initially and now withdrawal has made it worse, and (3) will this go away if caused by Cymbalta?

 

Thank you so much in advance.

[fishinghat]

Welcome CheesyPoof

 

This is quite common in those taking Cymbalta for pain. The increased pain upon weaning off the Cymbalta and on to Prozac (which is not approved for pain) is called rebound pain. Your pain levels should be back to pre-Cymbalta days after you have been off of it for 2 to 4 months (just the time frame I have observed by other members over the years). 

 

Cymbalta is an snri which means it controls serotonin and norepinephrine, 2 neurotransmitters. Prozac on the other hand only controls serotonin. This leaves the norepinephrine unchecked until your body re-adapts. The extra norepinephrine usually causes a lot of anxiety but will settle down in about 4 to 6 months after the change to Prozac. 

[CheesyPoof]

Thanks fishinghat. However, I am not taking Cymbalta for pain and none of these pain symptoms before starting the drug. Thoughts?

[fishinghat]

The FDA reports that almost 8% of those taking Cymbalta report pain as a side effect. I would say that is close to what we have seen here.

[invalidusername]

Hi CheesyPoof...

 

A lot of the pain you are feeling and how long it will last depends on how you did the cross-taper to Prozac.

 

Can you tell us how your Doc got you to change from one to the other - please God don't tell us you did a straight swap?!

 

Welcome to the site 

 

IUN

 

p.s. burning and tingling sensation is a common complaint amongst those coming off the Cym. I think we can safely put that down to the withdrawal

[CheesyPoof]

Hi CheesyPoof...

 

A lot of the pain you are feeling and how long it will last depends on how you did the cross-taper to Prozac.

 

Can you tell us how your Doc got you to change from one to the other - please God don't tell us you did a straight swap?!

 

Welcome to the site 

 

IUN

 

p.s. burning and tingling sensation is a common complaint amongst those coming off the Cym. I think we can safely put that down to the withdrawal

 

Thanks IUN. I cross-tapered from one to the other over a few weeks. Side effects I am experiencing is this pain/tingling/burning in arms, some vertigo and night sweats/dreams.

[CheesyPoof]

The FDA reports that almost 8% of those taking Cymbalta report pain as a side effect. I would say that is close to what we have seen here.

 

Pain as a side effect of taking it AND withdrawal?

[fishinghat]

Absolutely. I agree with IUN. chalk it up to Cymbalta.

[invalidusername]

Hmmm. A few weeks is fairly good if you were on the Cym for 4 months, but it can still leave its mark. I was only on it for 10 weeks and did the same time switching and I still have issues nearly 2 years on. Not that I am trying to frighten you in any way...! But just saying these drugs can have such a knock-on effect.

 

Hats 8% refers to side effect, which are supposed to be largely what people feel once they have had their period of settling in. The symptoms people get from starting and withdrawing are huge!

 

Your vertigo should sort itself out soon enough as this is a serotonin issue as we have receptors in the inner ear. You just need to wait for them to catch up with the Prozac.

 

The sweats will be to do with the norepinephrine which the prozac does not control as Hat said in an earlier post. This may take on a few more forms as time goes on... weakness, appetite changes, sleeping changes etc, but once your brain has got back in control realising that it needs to take over now the Cym is gone, these will slowly fade. The length of tie is very much subjective from one person to the next, but given that you have cross-tapered, that should help by comparison to those who withdraw completely with no substitute to move on to.

[CheesyPoof]

Hmmm. A few weeks is fairly good if you were on the Cym for 4 months, but it can still leave its mark. I was only on it for 10 weeks and did the same time switching and I still have issues nearly 2 years on. Not that I am trying to frighten you in any way...! But just saying these drugs can have such a knock-on effect.

 

Hats 8% refers to side effect, which are supposed to be largely what people feel once they have had their period of settling in. The symptoms people get from starting and withdrawing are huge!

 

Your vertigo should sort itself out soon enough as this is a serotonin issue as we have receptors in the inner ear. You just need to wait for them to catch up with the Prozac.

 

The sweats will be to do with the norepinephrine which the prozac does not control as Hat said in an earlier post. This may take on a few more forms as time goes on... weakness, appetite changes, sleeping changes etc, but once your brain has got back in control realising that it needs to take over now the Cym is gone, these will slowly fade. The length of tie is very much subjective from one person to the next, but given that you have cross-tapered, that should help by comparison to those who withdraw completely with no substitute to move on to.

 

How long would you think the tingling/burning sensation will last?

[invalidusername]

Very difficult to tell as these things are subjective. But given that you are corss-tapering, I would have thought it to start to subside within 3-4 weeks as the strength of one supersedes the other.

[CheesyPoof]

Very difficult to tell as these things are subjective. But given that you are corss-tapering, I would have thought it to start to subside within 3-4 weeks as the strength of one supersedes the other.

 

Thanks IUN! Now two days off Cym completely and at 10mg of Prozac daily. Knock on wood, but the burning/tingling seems to be completely gone today. I know with these things that tomorrow could be a different story, but seems to be a good sign.

[fishinghat]

Indeed a good sign. Remember though that it takes 6 to 8 weeks for the Prozac to fully kick in so you may have to be patient with the burning/tingling.

[CheesyPoof]

Indeed a good sign. Remember though that it takes 6 to 8 weeks for the Prozac to fully kick in so you may have to be patient with the burning/tingling.

 Gotcha. Thanks.