I am really sorry to hear what u have to deal with coz of this damn Meds that suppose to help us and not get us addicted,,
I never took anything so far that left me with any withdrawal feelings,,
Thank God ,,it sounds horrible

I can't give any advice but I really hope u feel better VERY soon ..
Love and light ur way ,,
Josie

Blue, I'm trying to wean off of Effexor right now. I've gone from 112mgs to 75 to 37.5, now taking about 10 mgs a day just to keep the withdrawal away. The "zaps" are the worst! Seems to affect literally EVERYTHING in your life.
What I've done in the past is just wait until the zaps start, then take a small dose to get rid of them. I have to open the capsule and take out the "beads", but they are easy to take.
Eventually I'll be totally off of them, it's just going to take time. Watch your moods, depression seems to sneak up on you without you realizing it. I have been a screaming, babbling idiot in the past before understanding that it was the depression kicking in.
Also, I have the blessing of my doc who is well aware that I adjust all of my meds based on the need.
Good luck to you, you can do it!

Again...I am SOO Thankful I could not take Any of these meds...My Rhuemy Straight LIED to my Face...and to my Husband...saying there were Virtually NO Side effects & No WITHDRAWL symptoms...I Did write her a Letter stating that BEFORE she PUSHES a Med perhaps she needs to Educate herself on it more then what the salesperson states as FACT.

I Took One {1} Cymbalta...20 minutes later I could NOT Stand...SEVERE Dizziness took me over...then the Wave after WAVE of nausea HIT...I Crawled towards the bathroom...grabbing the Phone on the way...I thought I was having an Allergic reaction...Remember my RHUEMY was Misinformed...Never in my Life had I had to call my man Home to me...Never...took about an hour for it to all Mostly Subside...the rest of the day I laid on the couch Feeling as tho I had cement slewing thru my Veins...

my Husband had called the Pharmacist..."What I Experienced was NORMAL"...should Go Away after about 2 weeks...come back IF I Increased the dosage...NO TY !!

Scary damn Shit.

Well.........this is good to know. I take Cymbalta, and have run low a few times, and had to skip a day, but haven't noticed this .... yet!! Lately I've been trying to make sure that I don't run out because I don't want to go thru w/d, but I have been on like 6 other AD's and stopped all of them cold turkey without w/d's, so I don't know what would happen with Cymbalta. But it's good to know that this is the result. I'll do the same thing, open a capsule and wean down thata way. I was going to suggest that to bluesun anyway.

Hope things get better blue. Like stated, I do think that opening a capsule is the best idea, besides the bath.

Good luck hun.

www.cymbaltasurvivors.com/- it is what got me through-it is a support forum for people going through exactly what you are going through and it gives you a sense of the process so you can gauge where you are-please give it a try. Good luck to you and my experience was about 6 weeks-but I had definitely hit serotonin overload before that, which oddly enough had similar symptoms-this stuff is dangerous-not that it hasn't helped others-

Dakota, I soooo agree with you. We put unquestioning trust into our doctors and believe me, they do not know everything. We know our bodies best and if it feels wrong it probably is. I watch every time I begin a new med because I have had some reactions to some very basic meds, even antibiotics.
Two years ago, I wanted to stop smoking and requested Chantix (it was relatively new then). I was also taking Cymbalta at the time and questioned any interactions taking them together. Both the doc and the pharmacy said that there "weren't any". Within a week of beginning taking it, I knew that I was in trouble and immediately stopped. A month later, I crashed (and almost burned!) because the meds were still in my system. It reversed any progress that I had made in my fibro treatment and the depression was very intense.

Webmd has a place that you can review your meds and see what other people have to say about them too. This has been very helpful to me.

I feel sometimes that we are guinea pigs for the big drug companies.

Blue, I'm so sorry you're going through all this. I don't have anything to add to what others have posted. I was on Cymbalta for 2 months and went off it because of the restless leg syndrome it caused. I didn't have any side effects coming off of it but that's probably because I was on it for a short time and at the lowest dose.

Those side effects sound so scary and painful! I wish I could help you in some way.

Hugs

thanks for all the support and tips.

i took 2 midrins and some phenigran, cold pack on my head, and took a bath last night. after the bath i was passed out at 8 pm and didn't get up this morning till 9. that's 13 hrs of sleep! but i'd rather be passed out than experience these F-ed up symptoms!!

i'll be checkin out that group you posted. you all have been so helpful and supportive.

and yes, i push fluids every tiem i feel "off" ...so this time, DEFINITELY bn pushin em! i want this shit out of my system already!

this morning i'm still getting the ~ZAPPSSS ~ ~ ~ and head n body pain. actually, i feel much more body aches today than the last 2. so the fibro is definitely throwing FUEL on the FIRE!

Shari, it took you 6 WEEKS??!!! gahhhh! how the hell can i tolerate this for that long??? thats' freakin scary! i might as well become a hermit crab at this point!

oh man.... i'm gonna have to tell myself every day that there IS light at the end of the tunnel....

thanks for all the tips here. i will try the open the capsule thing, whatever it takes to get thru this HELL!

I have never experienced Brain zaps...so I typed that in today...
and alot of info came up...am Amazed, they should definately WARN people of all these possibilties...spose they do in the minscule print...but I think they should TELL you up front what you MAY be in for...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SSRI_discontinuation_syndrome

Awe. You have your mom there. That's so nice, More so because she made you soup.

I sure don't like how FM'ers get such bad withdrawal symptoms from these drugs.

You're a fighter, blue. You can kick this shit out, especially since you have all this great advice and support. Sometimes I don't know what I'd do without DS, eh?

I am now going off of cymbalta and have just about the same side effects that you have. I am now going every other day for a week , then supposed to go very three days, four, etc.. I have been seperating the pills so I can go off gradually. Here's hpoing we both can get through this. Love and luck.

IT TOOK ME MORE THEN 6 WEEKS. THE ONLY WAY I MAINTAINED MY SANITY WAS BY TAKING A LITTLE MEDICATION FROM THE CAPSULE. MUSCLE RELAXERS HELPED TOO.

I AM SO SORRY FOR YOU, I KNOW HOW YOU FEEL. KEEP IT UP IT IS WORTH IT WHEN IT IS COMPLETELY OUT OF YOUR SYSTEM. AFTER GETTING OFF I WENT ON A SINCE PROZAC DAILY TO BALANCE MY CHEMISTRY. iT'S GENERIC AND CHEEP!

wow... so sorry your having to go thru this ... wha.. now im glad i told my doc NO... he wanted me to start on that too.. and I refused.. dont think he was too happy bout it... sigh.. I have a major drug fear.. and Im mean a 'fear"... get alot of flack from my doc and er docs.. for i am scared to take all kinds of pills...... its good you are getting off of it.. I pray you will get thru this quickly.. poor girl.. feel for ya hun... keep on going.. big hugs too.. :)

im sorrry I got nothing ...maybe a warm shower and some hotchocolate? sorry......huggs for ya...

Awww Blue, I am so sorry. I don't have access to a computer on the weekends so I just read this :-( I have had those aweful brain and body zaps before, and I really feel for you. I pray that you get thru this much faster than 6 weeks.