cymbalta side effects

I took Cymbalta after a small bout with depression after a small stroke. I am 39 years old and I am a Director of a Substance Abuse Treatment Facility. I was on Cymbalta for 8 months and found out that the Cymbalta did not interact with Plavics (spellings is bad for me) which caused these huge purple marks all over my body. My doctor took me off Cymbalta Cold Turkey. She was not aware of withdrawals. I have been of the medication for 8 days. 8 days of pure hell. I have chills, mood swings, nausea, 24/7 dizziness. I spent all of last night in the bathroom throwing up. The nightmares are non stop along with blurry vision, insomnia. I had no clue nor does my doctor. Which by the way I am looking for a new Doc. I now want everyone to know that this medication is a nightmare. I now understand what my clients go through with withdrawals. The only difference between me and them was I had a legal drug dealer. DO NOT GET ON THIS MEDICATION EVER. Look for help elsewhere. Everything in life can not be solved with a pill. If depressed look for support in the mental health feild and try it before a pill. I wish I had. This medication is for deep depression. I had a situational depression in which I can not reconize and deal with. The withdrawals have cost me alot of time off work because I am imbarassed that I am now a drug addict going thru withdrawals. Conflict of interest with my career choice. I should have done more research and I should have known better. Don't be a puppet on a stick for your DR. You and I should take action and be responsible for our own mental health. This medication does help with depression for a small length of time but the side effects and withdrawals are not worth the risk. This is my story. Everyone has thier own. All I can say is do your own research because if I had I would not be in the situation I am in now.

I began Cymbalta for depression, anxiety, suicidal ideations and chronic pain from my spinal injury and my knees that need replacement surgery as well as those stupid pains from Fibro that no one understands. After three days, I felt better, energetic, much less intimidated and I began to gain weight immediately even though my PCP said it was weight neutral. I began Lyrica and Wellbutrin when the depression increased pain, claustrophobia and anxiety started to really get bad and I was drenched with sweat with ANY exertion, especially if it was the slightest bit humid. (even insdie with the air on) I aways feel clammy, but really sweaty, especially on hy face and head and my hair is always like I've just gotten out of the shower! It is so embarrassing. Men and women have to nerve to say it's menopause and hot flashes and that it'd dissappear soon. It happened when I took Lexapro and Wellbutrin and that's lasted about nine years now, every day. I am a nurse. Would you like YOUR nurse dripping sweat on you as she inserts an IV? Now I weigh more that 200 lbs and I have NEVER weighed this much. My knees are shot, my spine is horrible and I sweat like crazy. I ran out of my Cymbalta and couldn't take it last night. I was uncontrollable at work and had to call a local pharmacy to call my pharmacy and give them the prescription so that I could calm down. I was nauseas, dizzy and panicky and paranoid. The doctor I work for called me in some Xanax! He said to take two, three times a day. I have NEVER had to do this, but it got me through the day, with NO drowsiness. This is after skipping ONE dose of Cymbalta. I wish I'd never started it! All the doctors agree that Cymbalta, Wellbutrin and Xanax are good choices for me, but I'm still paranoid, have a low self-esteem and feel hopeless, so what good are they doing?
Kady

I began taking cymbalta just over a month ago for depression anxiety and ocd- it was taking over my life. Since I have been on cymbalta I have noticed a dramatic improvement I have had a period so far the first one december 2007 and that was the first one I had, had in almost 3 years. My sex life has improved dramatically which my dr said might not happen and I have alot more energy (im sleeping a reg 7-8hrs instead of 12-15 hours a day) my obsessive behaviour for cleaning and everything being perfect has decreased immensley and I am loving life. When I first started I did have symptons of nausea, headaches dizziness, dry mouth and constipation, but I feel better now then I have in years (Im only 23).

But when reading some of your comments I do have to agree with others in saying that You are not suppose to try and whean youself off them you should speak to you dr as with any medication thats just common sense and you are not suppose to jsut stop taking them. also I have read of fatal suicide attempts, I dont know about anyone else but I was told that I if I noticed no improvements within a few weeks or if at anytime I felt like the medication wasnt working to contact my dr immediatley!!

As with all medication I believe that evryone responds differently!!

what is the best time of day to take cymbalta. to cause the least side effects and still be able to work a full time job.

The most important thing for almost everyone to remember is that the majority of doctors in this country DO NOT know, read about, study or have full knowledge of the vast swing of side effects with MOST of the drugs they prescribe. If anyone wants a complete and realistic run down on side effects and drug interactions, ask a PHARMACIST....pharmacology is the study of these drugs and their impact on the human body. I never take anything anymore without consulting a pharmacist that can give me a rapid fire answer regarding side effects. Who of us wants to suffer more from the impact of taking a drug than the problem for which we are taking it??
NO ONE, that's who!! My MD has prescribed anti depressants for me many times, and then I get home and read the insert that comes with the drugs, and I realize the contraindications of the drug are worse than my horrible depression!! So, for me, I'm waiting til I can find something that actually HELPS me rather than causes me NEW & different harm. Best of luck, health, and everything else to everyone....I truly feel for everyone of us.

yes, I agree...
any medicine you have been on for awhile, any! sound be weened off of slowly and by your doctors.
People act like these meds are not very important, however, consider how you were before taking them and then consider now.
Good luck to all....
When I am ready, I will contact my doctor and lower the dose slowly. I will get back to you about withdrawal when done with a doctors help!

Best wishes for all.... I will keep you all in my prayers.

Hey !!

I was on 60mg of Cymbalta for 5 months and now i'm tapering it off. I experienced nausea and rapid weight gain. I spoke to my doctor abt the weight gain and he maintains Cymbalta is a weight neutral drug. I am on Abilify as well and that is a weight neutral drug too. One of the two is causing weight gain - i have no idea which one. I am still getting off Cymbalta because it is not making my feelings come back ( i can't feel anything ). On the contrary, i have read in some of the posts that Cymbalta gives you the flat effect. I wonder why did my doctor prescribe it to me then.
As for tapering it i went down from 60mg to 30mg for 8 eight days, and now i am removing 7 granules more than the previous day from a 30mg capsule. This way ill be off Cymbalta in 40 days with minimal withdrawal symptoms.

Just a comment on the weaning... after my MD told me how to wean and it was a freaking disaster (cut your dose in half for 7 days and then stop), I figured out my own weaning process of reducing the granules and then eventually going a day without, and then two days, etc. The process took about two months. And I was successful doing it my way.

I talked to my MD about it recently and she claims I'm "sensitive." I didn't want to argue with her, but I agree with another poster here who said most MDs do NOT know the complete ramifications of the meds they prescribe AND how to get off said medications.

We all know our own bodies best and listening to them can't be wrong!! I am drug-free for over one year now. And doing ok.

Good luck to everyone

i have been on Cymbalta for about a year and half and started to have some issues with feeling sick and having a foggy brain(best way to describe it) for a while know, so i am trying to go off it now. i have had the worst time, if this is anything like what drug users go threw i cant imagine. one person on here said it was hell, wow i agree. i am lucky i have a job that works around me but it is the worst thing i have gone threw.
this med should have warnings for people before they go on it. the more research i do the worst this med seems, more people i talk to have had so many probs with it.. the worst thing is a lot of people counting me have probs with there brain, and that is just wrong.

good luck to anybody who try's to get off this awful medication.

I tend to agree with the above coment a lot. I have suffered from depression all my life. I used to take effexor but I felt like it made me feel like a zombie so I was discouraged and was off meds for about 3 years. The last few months I had entered a major depression and was suicidal so I saw a psychiatrist and began Cymbalta about 3 weeks ago. I know that I have not felt full effects yet as it is too soon but already I feel so much better. I am not suicidal anymore at this point already. I feel the same that my body just NEEDS an antidepressant to function properly and that this may be something i'll need the rest of my life. Perhaps this drug was not the right drug for the few people above who had negative experiences. I know I hated effexor but I have heard people who are completely satisfied with it. I am hoping that some of these responses I have heard are not indicative of what I am going to experience in the future. I am happy so far with it and I am a little weary now having read some of this. Has anyone else had long-lasting positive experiences with Cymbalta that they could share? Also, I have a question- I am young, only 23, and I still enjoy drinking a lot. I have heard this is a bad mix so lately I have stayed away from it but dabbled a little. I am not happy with this part of it though because I normally drink a moderate amount and I know that I cannot go completely without alcohol. What should I do?