Posted by moesje on September 15, 2007, at 0:33:43
In reply to Re: Cymbalta Withdrawal-Awful,Still Continuing, posted by Tennisplayer on September 14, 2007, at 22:06:13
> I would like to at least go back to work part time. What symptoms did you have during the early phases of tapering or withdrawal that would have kept you from working? And if you don't mind my asking, why did you decided to discontinue the drug. thank you.>
for the past 10 years my husband and i had agreed that i'd stay home and take care of the kids, who are now 15 and 16.5. i've worked off and on, and my last main job was what really drove me off the deep end. my best friend literally stabbed me in the back, so that i lost my job, best friend and all stability in one day. i've worked other small jobs since then, but nothing full time. i have also been typing at home as a "job", but the pay isn't very reliable. so just a month ago we decided for me to try full time again, and i'm so in love with my job right now it's unbelievable. the women i work with are fantastic (of course, they all have their problems, etc), but it's great overall. plus i get a great workout every day, no need for drugs to put me to sleep now!
i had been taking welbutrin off and on for 5 years, and it worked for most of that time, but then stopped. so doc moved me to lexapro, which stopped working after 18 months and then we moved to cymbalta. with the lexapro and cymbalta i became more and more of a zombie and less interested in life at all. i could sit on the couch all day long watching tv, then realize it's time to go run errands and i haven't had a shower yet. it was horrible. i gained weight mostly from just sitting, not so much eating.
so when i went to the doc and explained the cymbalta wasn't helping, he suggested upping the dose and i said no more, i just want off. so he showed me the pills coudl be emptied and divided, and i did that. of course, i didn't taper off so slowly, so i had all the symptoms of withdrawal as if i went cold turkey. dizziness, brain zaps (like electrical shocks),and i would get these just when i blinked my eyes, and extreme mood changes. but i persisted because i wanted off.
as for the road back, i believe they promoted fish oil and vitamins. i did try some fish oil, but mostly stuck with my standard vitamins and added cal-mag (which you can get at GNC) and fluids. even if you ignore the vits (which i don't suggest), you need fluids to flush your system.
also, everyone reading this needs to know that although i will never take these drugs again, some people NEED some sort of medication. someof the typing i do at home pertains to this, and i want to make it clear, if someone needs medication to function,they need to take it no matter what. if it's not working, talk to the doc and get on something that will.
nuf said.
poster:moesje
thread:466069
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/wdrawl/20070419/msgs/783002.html