3 replies to this topic

[ubetchaMN]

Hi, I have posted before on this site but cannot find the thread.  Long story short, I was on generic Cymbalta for 12+ years and wanted to switch because it made me always tired.  Pysch switched me too fast over a 4 week period to Prozac and it created high anxiety and panic attacks.  I tried going back to Cymbalta but it didn't have the same effect as it once did so they switched to another SNRI along with 20mg of Librium at night.  It has been 7 months since I took my last dose of cymbalta and I have seen improvements over the months.  The panic attacks have almost totally subsided with an occasional "start of panic feeling" but I have always been able to work through it so that it doesn't escalate to a full blown attack.  The other night though I had what I would call a strong enough attack that I haven't had in several months (out of the blue). It has left me on "edge" for the last day and half and I am just really worried that this will be my new norm. I have seen from other posts that people have said it can take the brain 6-8 months to heal but I guess I am just looking for some reassurance that this is the case with me and that I just need to continue to let my brain heal. 

 

Any advice would be great 

[fishinghat]

I remember you UMN.  Well is is 6 to 8 months for the brain to START to heal enough to show signs of improvement (that is just an average). Research has shown that it takes the nerves around 2 years to completely heal  but in my book one is still very sensitive to stimuli.

 

Exposure to sudden stress could have caused your sudden panic attack. Other possible causes include alcohol, solvent fumes, very salty foods, caffeine, and much more. There is a complete list of known sudden relapses in the ebook under "Dos and Don'ts". 

 

Don't be stressed out over this. It is very common at your stage of withdrawal. Not unusual at all.

[ubetchaMN]

Thanks so much fishinghat!  I said in the original post that it came "out of blue" but thinking more about it, my wife and I had found out earlier that night that her grandmother was being moved to hospice and losing my own mom to ALS several years ago, that may as well have been a trigger for the episode.  Just knowing that there is light at the end of the tunnel (no matter how long the tunnel is) makes all the difference in fighting these terrible withdrawal symptoms. 

 

I have cut out all caffeine and alcohol for several months now and have been doing mindful meditating and exercising consistently to try to help with the process. 

[invalidusername]

You can find your posts if you go into your profile and there is a button on the right hand side "find content" and this will show you where you have posted.

 

Hat has it right there for you. We often don't see the trigger. I remember being exactly where you are, and it was a case that it is better to just accept that it has happened as the stress of wondering where it came from only adds more anxiety.

 

But if you are anything like Hat or myself, you NEED to know. We are both terrible for it! But it is far better to float past it. As difficult as that may be. 

 

Caffeine and alcohol are the main culprits, so well done for taking care of those. Things will get better - hang in there.

 

IUN