Posted by CEK on June 21, 2006, at 17:53:20 [reposted on June 23, 2006, at 0:06:07 | original URL]
In reply to Tapering off of Cymbalta and scared **less, posted by HEART~ on June 19, 2006, at 13:38:48
Finally, I found someone that got mean and nasty on Cymbalta too. I thought I was the only one. I started on it at 30mg for a month and then went up to 60mg for two and a half months. I called it quits on my own. I didn't have the fatigue like you mentioned until I finally had my nervous breakdown while on it. My husband hated me on the Cymbalta. I got so opinionated about everything and if something ticked me off I was quick to let everyone know about it. I was not calm and passive on it like I was when I was taking Effexor. I was just the opposite. Everything that aggrevated me at work and at home that I had been putting up with because I had to had finally got to me. People were no longer protected by my Effexor. I was ready to quit my job and leave my husband and just tell the world to f off. My irritation turned to anger then to rage and I felt out of control. I felt like I could literaly hurt somebody. I'm 32 years old and am too old to be punching my boss in the face or a coworker or my husband. My sence of self control was gone. The depression was still there but was coming out as hate. After a bad day at work and then coming home to more crap, I snapped. I got really mad, hit my husband,threw things at him, cussed him out and left. After sitting with my mother for a couple of hours trying to calm down, I left her house and began to drive home. Something was definitely wrong. I couldn't drive over 40 miles an hour and felt so weak and heavy feeling. I couldn't think. The fight in my was over and I lost. For the next 3 days I remained mostly a vegetable in the deapest depression. I couldn't remember lots of things and found it hard to put words into sentances. I felt like I was moving under water. Then the suicidal thoughts kicked in. I was even hearing voices telling me to do it and how. I finally got checked into the hospital. The pdoc there actually wanted me to stay on the Cymbalta. She said it was a good medicine and that it was just outside influences that caused me to get this way. I told her of the side effects I was having and the rage and she still made me stay on it. I had blisters on the back of my mouth, couldn't pee, night sweats, headaches, swelling in my legs and I can't remember what else but she thought it was the med for me. Two weeks after coming home from the hospital and very suicidal again, I said screw it. I'm not taking it anymore. Cold turkey. I had heard that the withdrawl symptoms could last 2 weeks but I said so what. The first 4 days without it I felt wonderful. Better than I had in a long time. Then day 5 the buzzing in my ears started. Day 6 the bawling spells begain. I cried constantly for no reason. Then by day 7 when I was literally shaking all over and felt like I was going to lose my mind and couldn't stop the crying and was ready to cut my own throat, I went to the doctor. Of course my GP was out of town that week and I had to go to a local clinic. The doctor there tried to make me taper down and write me a script for 30mg of Cymbalta. I refused. I went a full week without it and I didn't want it back in my system ever again. After going rounds about it she finally gave me 100mg of Zoloft to take until I could see my regualar doctor. She told me to take one a day. I had never taken Zoloft before, but I decided that I would take 2 a day as bad as I felt. Somehow I calmed down a bit. I finally got an appointment at a mental health clinic in town that doesn't have pdocs but nurse practicioners that prescribed the meds and she stopped the Zoloft and put me on Lithium. It seemed then that the withdrawl symptoms started again, which I had to just ride out on my own. If I would've been smart and tapered off of the Cymbalta I know it wouldn't have been so bad. Don't let the first few days without it fool you, the bad stuff is waiting around the corner if you end up stopping cold turkey. Good luck.
poster:CEK
thread:660420
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/wdrawl/20060602/msgs/660428.html