Cymbalta Discontinuation Syndrome

[icnmgrjill]

Have you ever struggled to reduce the dosage or just get off of an antidepressant? Did you struggle with profound side effects? Patients trying to wean themselves off of Cymbalta have reported severe, devastating side effects. The FDA recently released an advisory about this syndrome. If you've taken it longer than four weeks and then stop or reduce the dosage, you could experience extreme mood swings, debilitating "brain zaps" and many physical and neurological symptoms.

Tragically, many patients have been told that these symptoms were impossible and/or all in their heads. Now we know that it's a real syndrome that the manufacturer, Lilly, does not appear to be taking seriously. One key problem is that the medication is only available in 30 or 60mg... thus making it very difficult to slowly wean yourself off of the medication.

If you are taking cymbalta or any of the similar antidepressants (i.e. effexor), you should read the following materials. Getting off these medications safely and without these side effects will take a lot of planning and work!

An excellent article by Dr. Christina Lasich MD
http://www.healthcentral.com/chronic-pain/c/27148/146506/cymbalta

FDA Report - Cymbalta Discontinuation Syndrome
http://www.fda.gov/downloads/AdvisoryCommittees/CommitteesMeetingMaterials/Drugs/PsychopharmacologicDrugsAdvisoryCommittee/UCM172866.pdf

[Sarah85]

Cymbalta also comes in 20mg as well, I have a bottle of it in my bathroom. A lot of doctors and patients still don't know it can be prescribed at that dosage.

[Briza]

Thanks for posting this, Jill. I think there needs to be more discussion about such things on this board. As with the brutal benzodiazepine withdrawal syndrome that I experienced coming off of Xanax, anti-depressant withdrawal syndromes are often swept under the rug, dismissed, or blamed on the patient.
In addition to doctors claiming withdrawal syndrome symptoms are in your head, it's also common for them to claim that it is just a return of your "normal" anxiety and then up the dose and/or pile on more meds. Very sad, as polydrugging like this is becoming extremely common. Where does it end?

Yes, my withdrawal symptoms were dismissed, ignored, blamed on me, etc. And not by just one doctor.

[MaryS]

Briza,
The problem is that doctors don't listen to what we have to say. Since they are doctors they assume they know more then we do. But in reality since we are the ones who actually experience these symptoms they can actually learn more from their patients then what drug companies say. Of course the drug companies will deny things as they are trying to sell a product and make money. They dont care about the people.

I was put on serious drugs for ocd and depression and lost one year of my life. I lived in a drugged zombie state of mind and was unable to function. I was told give it time to work and let your body adjust to the med. luckily a friend of mine worked in a large hospital and asked her doctor friends about the meds I was on and they told her to tell me to get off those drugs they were very dangerous meds. Like you I stopped and did it the slow way and dumped that doctor.

[rosechild12]

I am so glad you posted this Jill. I just recently was taken off of Cymbalta 60mg cold turkey and switched to Elavil. I had a crazy withdrawal period from it. I would fly into rages for stupid reasons like my husband saying things in the wrong tone of voice. I kicked and screamed at him and my kids. Luckily my husband was home during this period so nothing happened to my children but I kicked and threw things at my husband. I am nothing like that I never get that angry. Not only did I fly into a rage but I would be crying and bawling the next moment and contemplating taking all of my pills at once. I was seriously debating killing myself to make all of the pain and struggles I have had with IC go away. This is NOTHING like me I want to try every therapy possible to make my life livable again and as normal as possible. My family is my everything and death is always the furthest thing from my mind. I was so volatile and couldn't keep myself together. Thank God my husband was there and able to hold me and tell me this is withdrawal and to call the doctor because this is not normal. I was able to come off it and I am doing much better now but I am still struggling a bit with mood swings and I don't expect to feel back to myself for another week or so. I just got off this last weekend and all of these mood swings happened Saturday and Sunday. I think another week and I will be back to myself but please let your doctor know about this before he takes you off of this cold turkey. I was also told cymbalta is not a good drug for those with pelvic pain because a side effect is abdominal pain. It is great for all over nerve pain but for specifically IC or pelvic pain Elavil or Lyrica seem to be the better choices according to my doctor. Everyone of course is different and you should talk to your doctor about any drugs you are taking or being taken off of but my experience was not good when it came to Cymbalta. I hope this helps people make an informed judgement about this new drug on the market.

Thanks,
Jessica
Meds I take on a regular basis:

Elmiron 2/twice a day
Elavil 1/once a day
Low Dose Valium 1/once a day
Atarax 1/once a day
MS Contin 15mg twice a day
Tramadol for breakthrough pain
Sanctura XR once a day
Percocet for breakthrough pain
Pyridium as needed
Orthro Evra patch continuously
Lydocaine gel as needed

Diagnosed 4/2011 by a wonderful doctor but have had disease my whole life. This disease got progressively worse after my last child which was two years ago and have been looking for a good treatment plan ever since.
Had Cystoscopy done 9/2011 found severe IC
Had Hydrodistension done at same time
Taking this disease one day at a time

[rosechild12]

Btw part of my withdrawal was extreme dizziness all the time and horrific nightmares where I would wake up so scared that I needed my husband to hold me. Please read the link Jill posted before going on this drug.

Jessica,
Meds I take on a regular basis:

Elmiron 2/twice a day
Elavil 1/once a day
Low Dose Valium 1/once a day
Atarax 1/once a day
MS Contin 15mg twice a day
Tramadol for breakthrough pain
Sanctura XR once a day
Percocet for breakthrough pain
Pyridium as needed
Orthro Evra patch continuously
Lydocaine gel as needed

Diagnosed 4/2011 by a wonderful doctor but have had disease my whole life. This disease got progressively worse after my last child which was two years ago and have been looking for a good treatment plan ever since.
Had Cystoscopy done 9/2011 found severe IC
Had Hydrodistension done at same time
Taking this disease one day at a time

[Wallander]

I have used Cymbalta for my depression and to be honest... it has helped me greatly. I finally started to see a future after a suicidal episode, I knew what I wanted with my life and being on it probably has helped me accomplish this.

That said, I had to stop mostly because of very severe stomachpains that did not respond to medication. I had to go to a doctor in the middle of the night a few times because I was in so much pain.
I decreased my dosage from 60mg to 30mg and indeed things started to happen. My stomach was getting better, but my head started to react strangely. I had brainzaps, I felt like there were electrical shocks going through my brain and I felt like my head was in a cloud all the time. That took about a week to decrease from bad to "not great, but do-able" and then I had to cut back in dosage again. Same thing happened, but it was much more severe. Likely because from 60 to 30 still meant I had some medication in my body that made the symptoms bearable, but from 30 to 0 was too much.

The pharmacist didn't want to make 15mg capsules for me, he said to take 30mg one day and nothing the other, which would be 15mg on average.
That didn't work for me: the 30mgdays were OK, but the 0mg ones were horror.
I decided to take about half of the capsules out. I knew it wasn't very accurate, but at least it seemed to be around 15mg and I could keep on what I wanted to to: quit.
When I finally stopped the 15mg (all in all it only took me a month, which isn't that long really) the symptoms lasted about 3-4 weeks to go away. The first week was the worst, but it got better every day/week.

It seems that nearly every AD has symptoms when quitting or decreasing. For me, those symptoms are not the main issue.
The issue for me is that doctors should be aware of this and go slow when someone wants to stop instead of the infamous words: "that's not because of the drugs".
I don't think anyone has had brainzaps as a symptom of their anxiety or depression and if multiple people come forward with this, I find it very ignorant if they keep dismissing this.
Why is it so hard to acknowledge that this can indeed be a problem? Would they get any worse from it? (docs I mean) I'd rather have a doc who says: yes, that has been reported, so we will take things more slowly... than one who dismisses it all as 'mental symptoms'.
I've had a psych doc who told me that Seroxat was a great drug, people got so much better from it (the ones she had put on it), and had never heard of bad side-effects or the difficulties of quitting. I really can't believe that...

[vivsmom]

It is very helpful to post this information. Most of the information about side effects and withdrawls are in the aggregate and delievered to the medical community via the pharaceutical companies.

Thanks for all of the valuable information. I work with psychiatrists and their patients and there is such a disconnect between patients saying very clearly that their side effects are from the drugs and the doctors replying "don't think so"
Joslyn





I am learning to choose peace over fear

[naturegal]

I can vouch for this syndrome. I even went ridiculously slowly; I went from 30 mg to 20 mg with no problem, but going below that was extremely difficult. I opened the capsule and actually counted the pellets out, recapped it, and took the lesser amount to get down to 0. I will say that Cymbalta gave me a good 1.5 years of life without much bladder problem (pain) to speak of at all, relief from depression, a job, plans for the future, etc. Unfortunately, I began getting horrific headaches every day about 6 hours after taking it. So during the withdrawal, I was experiencing both the side effects AND the withdrawal symptoms. My symptoms were anxiety and weird visual/brain things, like I could hear my eyes moving in my head. Moving me head from side to side was uncomfortable like my head was full of water that kept going. Very WEIRD.

[Briza]

Naturegal
What you describe I experienced along with tons of other withdrawal symptoms when I came off benzos. I totally remember being able to hear my eyeballs moving like a squeaky door and feeling like my brain was shifting in my head, as well as brain zaps, full body muscle spasms, etc etc etc. Thankfully, those were early symptoms for me and were gone by about 3 months, but I had many many other symptoms, some lasting up to 15months. I have benzo-withdrawal induced tinnitus to this day, over two years since my last dose, tho thankfully it is now much reduced. The muscle pain and inflammation I have been complaining of over the past 2.5 yrs was triggered by the withdrawal.
Post acute withdrawal syndrome (PAWS) is not rare after coming off of benzos, unfortunately. It was physically, cognitively, and emotionally the most destructive thing I hopefully will ever have to experience. The rebuilding process has been slow, but thank goodness my body has seemed to pull it off.

[naturegal]

I know all about that tinnitus; it actually started along with the headaches on Cymbalta, and continues to this day. I have been off of it since March (8 months). Why do we have to suffer so, just to find some relief from our bladders???

[Briza]

Naturegal,
I just try to look at the tinnitus as my body's way of saying, "that's what you get for putting unnatural substances into me!" The ongoing ringing is a good and constant reminder to do all in my power to help myself rather than relying on medications. It cetainly is possibly to live live with out xanax and antideps, if we're willing to do the work.

[bladder]

I have been on Cymbalta...now at 90mg in the morning. Nausea is barely there but some days it is bad again. I suffer from horrible vivid dreams/ nightmares. Often waking in a sweat. This is every night! I am so debating continuing as my mood is better and the pain is slightly less therefore I am doing more. The side effects are nasty...:headbang:

[eyeliner128]

Would Lyrica count as one of these medications?

I stopped taking it slowly and it's been two months - I still am severely depressed and have "brain zaps" a few times a day.

[Briza]

I have heard that Lyrica produces a similar withdrawal.

[wtotten]

Briza,

I take Xanax and I am concerned that I am having issues like you because I have cut back on it. Can I ask how much were you taking per day and what was it (Axanx, valium, or ?)?

Thanks,
Bill

[mary124]

I have been on cymbalta for 6 months and since that time my pain is almost non-exsistant. However I have had some side effects which I was willing to ignore (like the night sweats (here I thought I have having night sweats!!) and itching. Every year I get some sort of skin rash but it goes away within a month or two but not this time, so my doctors had to take me off of this as they were afraid that with my heart valve issue my sores could get infected and I could really be in danger. Right now been off of it for a few days, haven't had any problems with it, they are waiting for after the holidays to put me on something else. Will see.
by the way, my arms since being off for the last 5 days are almost healed.

[Briza]

Night sweats were a common withdrawal symptom for me for well over a year after my last dose, and they started when I began reducing my dose of xanax. I thought it was perimenopause starting up--I even made posts on this board stating that.
Started educating myself about benzo withdrawal, and learned that nightsweats are a common symptom, of course my doctors never mentioned that. Around 15 months when my withdrawal syndrome finally started to wrap up, the night sweats ceased and have not returned since this time last year.

[wtotten]

Briza,

What about daytime sweats? Are those a withdrawal symptom as well? I also have low T so I figured (like you did) that it was/is hormone related. I just started TRT so I'll see if that helps the sweats. That said, it doesn't seem to have and I've been on it for a few weeks. I changed the delivery method yesterday, going from a gel (Androgel) to shots to see if the additives in the gel may be what's causing me to have the shakiness and to see if I can get more testosterone in my to control the sweating.

Bill

[krs72]

I tried Cymbalta for about a month for bad lower back pain which flared up. It made me so tired that I had to wean myself off and am now controlling it with exercise. (Too bad my IC won't react the same way.) I told my doctor at my follow-up appt. and she kept telling me that I should have given it time, that the side-effects would eventually wear off, but I couldn't function. I agree - doctors are too quick to push these meds. without informing the patients of the potential side effects while taking them as well as when trying to get off of them.

[wtotten]

You said "I agree - doctors are too quick to push these meds" and I couldn't agree more. It's getting scary. The drug companies represent these drugs as solutions and the doctors who don't have enough time to research every drug (or any of them probably), just go by what the pharma rep says. In the last three weeks one of my doctors has prescribed two meds that caused me way more harm than good, and one of them would never have solved my problem, only made it worse. If he would have been knowledgeable about the drug, he would have known this. If I hadn't educated myself, I would be taking it and not knowing that I was causing my problem (sleeping) to get worse. YOU MUST EDUCATE YOURSELF!

[Briza]

Bill I don't remember having daytime sweats but I know others in withdrawal who have experienced that and of course it could be caused by other meds you are on. You can check the Ashton Manual for the long list of possible benzo withdrawal symptoms, however you may experience indvidual others that are not on the list.
I'm not versed on thyroid issues or treatment so won't comment on that.

[Briza]

lol Bill what does T stand for? I read your post quickly and assumed you meant T for thyroid but maybe you meant something else

[wtotten]

The in "low T" means Testosterone.

[KeyserSoze]

male, 68, cymbalta 2x60 and lyrica 2x150. these medications were prescribed by my doctor, along with their dosages, with my approval. this message board provided the incentive to ask about these medications. they have been very helpful in the lessening of my discomfort and maintenance of a somewhat normal life. i am grateful for these medications and this message board. the recent post regarding discontinuation symptoms of cymbalta raise a concern,
that concern being - supply. it appears that any disruption of the supply chain which creates stoppage of the delivery of the medication could, possibly, be life threatening for someone such as myself who would be going from, 2x60 to 0. perhaps, this reason is sufficient to withdraw from the medication, along with lyrica, even though geezerdom, as i know it, is a pleasant experience. what do you think?

[wtotten]

I think if anyone is talking a medication that could cause serious problems if they are without it due to say a major disaster, I think they should ask their doctor about an emergency supply. I keep 7 days of my "can't discontinue them abruptly" meds. I built it up on my own however because I don't think my doc wouldn't have given me the emergency ration. I took a little less of the medication for a while and set the pills aside. So the pills don't expire, I rotate them when I get my next month's presciption. Just a thought....

[wtotten]

Note from Jolene(dyno).... As this poster is stating below you should talk to your Dr. about this. I would not suggest anyone take a different dosage other than what your Dr. is prescribing for you. Changing doseages without talking to your Dr. could be harmful to you and your treatment plan.


I do contradict myself, don't I? I suggest people ask their doctor and then I say I didn't ask my doctor .... ask your doctor. I ws able to build it up without asking him, but most people probably can't. If I wasn't able to build up the emergency supply, I would ask. Now that this is being brought up, I'm going to try and build up my supply from 7 to 15-20 days. If we have a MAJOR catrashophe, 7 days may not be enough.

[sue041]

I don't think anyone has a implanted pain pump like I do, but when the pump is not working I get to yawning and my yes water and I can't stop yawning. Has anyone ever had any of these symptoms. It is like the flu is back again. I take 75mg Nortriptyline at night and Neurontin 300mg 3 times a day. Is the Neurontin a antidepressent, I also take xanax at night. Spelling is not right, but neither am I.Good Luck to all and hope we all remember Donna in our prayers.
Sue041 from PA.:loco:

[DaniMSC]

I took my first cymbalta today! Probably shouldn't have read this post, haha, now i'm terrified!! But also informed.

I've already tried lyrica, imipramine, and elavil so I guess my doctors felt this was a logical choice. I've also been taking a low-dose of citalopram (SSRI) for years and the docs said I can discontinue that on cymbalta. When I've weaned slowly off SSRI's in the past or missed a few days, I've had terrible mood swings and brain zaps etc, so I guess I know what I"m getting into if I do need to get off cymbalta in the future? :hmm:

I'm just really concerned because the reason elavil didn't work for me was the extreme fatigue and the dry mouth, and yet people on cymbalta seem to commonly complain of the same two things!

Additionally, my insurance is terrible and cymbalta is going to cost me $160 a month!!!!! Anyone know of any programs that can help with the cost of non-generic Rxs???

[Wallander]

There's one thing I feel I want to mention. Everyone here seems to be saying: don't take this, don't take that, read before you try.
We have to keep in mind though that everyone reacts differently to meds. That there are numerous people who have used drugs mentioned above who never had or have the problems described above.

E.G, I have taken valium for more than a year, but decided to taper off gradually. I never had any of the problems some of you had. The only thing I felt was being a little extra tired after each decrease, but that was nothing compared to what could (and maybe should) have happened.
The overall warning or message that I read here is: do not take benzos, they're addictive and getting off them is h*ll.
Also, when educating yourself, please be aware that people are more likely to write about bad experiences with drugs than positive ones.
It can make it seem like the worst choice anyone can make, when in the 'normal population' (IE. not being the internet), things may not be as bad, and maybe 2 out of 3 wouldn't have any problems. The 1 that does, of course that s*cks big time, but he or she probably puts her experience on the web and the other 2 don't.

I also read on the first page that we don't need the drugs, if only we are willing to do the work.
I've been doubting about replying to this. I don't want to sound like a victim who feels like she can't help it. But saying: if only we are willing to do the work, that was quite painful to me. I know, being able to work everything out on your own is preferable and chemical drugs should not be taken lightly or as 'an easy way out'. I prefer therapy and selfhelp and whatever is out there above medication.
But sometimes, your options are exhausted. I don't want to discuss my problems into detail, but I just couldn't do it on my own anymore.

As I wrote before: I used to be on Cymbalta. I am happy I got the chance, even when withdrawal was a pain. I used to go from psychiatric ward to psychiatric ward. My last admittance was in 2008 when I would be put on C. It turned out to be my last one, even when I quit the Cymbalta at the end of the same year.
I had been building on my future, started a new education, was offered a traineeship.
Now, I've been back to work for over a year.

I'm still having issues mentally, I still have benzos for days when I could take a turn for the worse. (IE: if I don't take action in time, I can get psychotic breakdowns. They are not long enough that I need antipsychotics, but they are bad enough to prevent if possible)
This is why I feel a little hurt when it's said that we can do it without it if we are willing to. I was willing to and am still willing to. But I couldn't and sometimes can't.
I'm sorry, but I just had to be a b*tch about this...

[Briza]

Hi-The title of this thread is Cymbalta Discontinuation Syndrome, so you would expect people to share thier experiences with such things here. There are lots of other threads and posts all over this board in support of the drugs you mention, as well as positive experiences with them.
I'm very glad you haven't had issues such as those mentioned in in this thread. :) The withdrawal symptoms of benzos and anti-depressants can be especially disturbing to those experiencing them, particularly as they tend to be very neurological in nature, and can be very even more scary given the lack of support by doctors for patients going thru this-- which seems to be fairly common, as Jill mentioned in the first post.

[SandyRN]

Thanks for showing me this link Briza.

Wow, wish I'd seen this before I even STARTED cymbalta. After I took Paxil, I SWORE to myself I'd never, EVER take another SSRI. I took Cymbalta out of desperation. Never again will I be so desperate. I know they do not help me, period, and I know that the withdrawl is something akin to a waking nightmare that lasts for months and months and months!!!

It's good to know that I'm not alone in this, but awful to know that there are so many of us out there that had to suffer!

[Wallander]

I know they're scary, especially if the docs don't listen to what you're saying.
I've been through that myself and I do acknowledge people's fear, trouble and difficulties with quitting these meds. I never meant to say: hey it cannot be that bad, look at me!
I remember when docs told me: no, that is not from the Cymbalta-withdrawal. Or side-effect not being from meds... I hated that myself, I felt like I was being told to be crazy.

And I know this is a place to vent about meds and other things in general, I do that myself :) But I saw the post of a man above getting scared about his meds and was thinking about lowering the dosage or quitting them altogether and I got a little worried about that. I know as I said this is a place to vent and you should be able to that, but I think we should all be aware that it might make people so scared about their meds that they decide to quit, maybe even when they don't have problems with them at this point.

But I suppose that's the 'side-effect' of sharing things in almost any case.
For me, I find threads like these helpful to see I'm not the only one, but at the same time I have in the back of my mind: should I mention this? Doesn't this frighten other people?

(I will get back to this, I have to go now and am running a little late already... )

[KeyserSoze]

although discontinuation of Cymbalta may be traumatic in individual cases my doctor says that the experience is not life threatening. also, any discontinuation should be directed and monitored by one's doctor. peace, KeyserSoze.

[needsrelief]

Im scared of cymbalta. I heard of people turning psychopathic after taking it. I guess every medication has its risks. Some just dont work well with people's body chemistry.

[Taramc]

Hello everyone,

I just wanted to chime in and say the WITHDRAWAL symptoms from Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibiting drugs are VERY REAL and are VERY SERIOUS.

I started on Paxil in 1995 for anxiety, then experienced vomiting, brain zaps, and lucid nightmares when I missed my dose for just a few days in 1996. In 2002 I tried to switch to Paxil CR because the brain zaps between doses were as annoying as all the weight gain. I broke out into a FULL BODY RASH, had KNOTTED MUSCLES in my neck, and started a LONG LEGAL PROCESS that lasted until 2005.

I tried every method in the book while trying to get off Paxil. I used expensive liquid Paxil, a nail file, and a huge pile of supplements. Eventually the losses (Lost job due to cognitive side effects, lost boyfriend, etc.) added up to the point I was forced back on to 20mg Paxil. Then, in 2004, a new refill caused all the withdrawals and I had to raise my dose to 30. It took me two full years to wean down to 15mg and stabilize, then the withdrawals came back and I had to raise my dose back to 20 in 2010.

I fought GlaxoSmithKline with all my energy. If you 'google' Paxil Addiction you will see the interview I did on ABC Primetime Live. Eventually they settled with me... it was barely enough money to buy a car.

I will be on Paxil for the rest of my life. Therefore I will experience what they call "Paxil Poopout" (when the body adjusts to the dose and withdrawals appear), and I will have problems with my weight (I weighed 110 and Paxil put me up to 150). I will be forced to take this poison or lose my sanity. The SIDE EFFECTS are also severe. Gastrointestinal is the worst.

AVOID THESE POISONS!! PLEASE!!!

I think the reason I got spreading nerve pains the year I got IC is because my nervous system got fried while trying to get off Paxil. I had uncontrollable trembling, brain zaps, sensitivity to sound and light, headaches, diarhea... ok I'm being kicked off this computer so please... everyone... this warning is valid and they are trying to put EVERYBODY on Cymbalta right now so BEWARE BEWARE BEWARE :)

[DaniMSC]

Just want to second Tara- I have been on and off SSRI's for the last ten years. Thankfully, my experiences have not been as severe as hers. But going off the SSRI's was horrible. I did/do get brain zaps, feelings of disorientation and dizziness, and emotional instability (crying constantly). I sobbed every day of the six months I was off SSRIs (the longest I've been off them in ten years). If I go past 24 hours of my last dose of my SSRI, celexa, I get the brain zaps/dizziness. When I wean down to a lower dose, I get those side effect for awhile.

I do want to say that I've been on the SSRI's so long partly because of the dependency and partly because of life-events out of my control that necessitated treatment for me (depression, friend's death, father's death, boyfriend's stroke, back injury, IC). I do feel that SSRI treatment has done its job for me- it has helped me get out of very dark times, has kept me from having the worst kinds of negative thoughts, has helped me to keep moving forward with my life and feel hopeful despite tragedies and physical pain. So the best thing is to be an informed patient and to really weigh the costs and benefits, and realize that you're not getting the whole story on these medications from your doctor.

About Cymbalta- Tara is right- there is this strange push going on in the medical community towards this drug and I find it disturbing. When I went to my first pain management clinic (Stanford) they pushed cymbalta on me. I asked for another TCA alternative to Elavil as I had had success with that but just wanted to avoid side-effects of dry mouth and fatigue. THey literally told me cymbalta was the answer to all my problems and would not discuss any other medications or procedures with me until I went on cymbalta. Not only was it outrageously expensive with my health plan, it continued to give me severe dry mouth, constipation, etc. It didn't help my pain at all. It did give me nightmares. It was totally unhelpful to me and since I'd read about the cymbalta discontination syndrome, I didn't want to give it more than a month. I know people have had success with it though but it is just so important to know the risks involved...

[DaniMSC]

PS KeyzerSoze, LOL!!! A doctor would tell you the experience of IC "is not life threatening" either!! Doesn't mean it isn't HORRIBLE and life-altering!

[Taramc]

.. I read your history and it sounds just like mine. One infection and BAM! IC! A disease you never heard of, but get ready for your life to be destroyed and don't think for a second that anybody has a cure!

I believe the SSRIs and SNRIs have a lot of effect on the nervous system that simply hasn't been studied or accepted widely by neurologists. Everyone I spoke to on PaxilProgress.org (they will also help addicts to other antidepressants) experienced sensitivity to sound and light. I also recognize the daily crying, severe zaps... (which are something you have to experience in order to understand), twitching muscles, headaches, digestive problems, and crazy nightmares and nightsweats. My nightsweats have returned, probably due to 'Paxil Poopout', so I guess they'll be with me for life as I am NOT raising my dose again.

Anyway, I was stablilized at 15mg when I got the strange infection that caused my IC. And soon after the infection took hold, I had the following neurological symptoms (especially after meals):

1. Sharp pains everywhere. Starting on my pelvis and the insides of my knees. Then into my calves and feet. After a couple months those pains got into my arms and fingers, then my face. It's all worse at night.
2. Twitching muscles - I was always twitching somewhere.
3. Stabbing pain in my head. Like someone shot me with an arrow that went in my eye and out the back of my head. Or my forehead. My neurologist called these "ice pick pains".

I am BARELY controlling these symptoms with Lyrica and Nortriptyline. My vision also went double, so I HONESTLY think some of us have more sensitive nervous systems. And people who have IC and Neuralgia or Fibromyalgia should be extra careful, because our brains are already sending out crazy pain signals. Just sayin! Also I got some serious migraines starting in my 4th year. I get them every day now, and cannot control them.

Two doctors have pushed Cymbalta on me so far. Even though I always bring in a sheet of paper with all my medications along with notes, INCLUDING PAXIL DISCONTINUATION SYNDROME. When will doctors start UNDERSTANDING it? Not soon. That's for sure. Every new antidepressant comes with a ton of money behind it to make sure everybody takes it. The Paxil lawsuit had questions like 'did you receive Paxil as a free sample?' OMG, what were they doing, mailing it out randomly?

rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

[mystereys]

FWIW, I've been on and went off Cymbalta. I did not have a bad time getting off of it, though I did get the occasional brain zap, which went away after a few weeks. Just wanted to throw out a countering experience.

[Taramc]

HEY SSRI / SNRI haters, I just wanted to let you know my NEUROLOGIST just tried to put me on CYMBALTA! I make sure all my doctors know about Paxil Discontinuation Syndrome and what I went through. But do they listen? Nope... it's just blah blah blah to them. That's doctor number three who tried to put me on the latest anti-depressant for pain. BEWARE!!!! Don't take these poisons!!!!!

[wtotten]

Yea, they are pushing it like crazy. I've had three different doctors try and get me on it. The drug reps must be promoting it as the "drug to cure all your ills", 'cuz it's everywhere!