CCS Posted August 11, 2013 Share Posted August 11, 2013 Hi guys. Hope you can help me. I've been on Cymgen 60mg for about two years. I never realised the actual impact of this medication after some reasearh. I was under the impression I was only taking some mild anti-deppresant therefore I wasn't very punctual on taking it daily. I would skip it for days and then experience very bad nasuea and vommiting. I also would experience blackouts and strange behaviour when drinking a glass or 2 of wine and not taking my meds. Could this all be related to withdrawal symptoms?? Thanks for your help! Link to comment
Administrator Altostrata Posted August 12, 2013 Administrator Share Posted August 12, 2013 Welcome, CCS. Cymgen is duloxetine (Cymbalta). Taking any psychiatric drug inconsistently affects your nervous system. Clearly, taking Cymgen inconsistently has caused serious adverse effects for you. As you've been on and off it, what you might want to do is stabilize at an average dose, 30mg for example, and taper more carefully. See http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/283-tips-for-tapering-off-cymbalta-duloxetine/ This is not medical advice. Discuss any decisions about your medical care with a knowledgeable medical practitioner. "It has become appallingly obvious that our technology has surpassed our humanity." -- Albert Einstein All postings © copyrighted. Link to comment
Moderator Emeritus Jemima Posted August 12, 2013 Moderator Emeritus Share Posted August 12, 2013 I moved your post from Off-topic to Introductions and updates because it's your first, telling us about yourself. What you describe is most likely antidepressant withdrawal syndrome. The drug you're taking is a generic form of Cymbalta, a combination Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor (SSRI) and Selective Norepinephrine Reuptake Inhibitor (SNRI) and it isn't a mild antidepressant, it's a very powerful one. It's intended to treat major depression. Antidepressants should be taken on a regular basis to avoid withdrawal symptoms and it's generally not a good idea to drink alcoholic beverages while taking them. Are you interested in getting off this antidepressant? If so, please take a look at our topic on tapering off Cymbalta: http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/283-tips-for-tapering-off-cymbalta-duloxetine/?hl=cymbalta Psychotropic drug history: Pristiq 50 mg. (mid-September 2010 through February 2011), Remeron (mid-September 2010 through January 2011), Lexapro 10 mg. (mid-February 2011 through mid-December 2011), Lorazepam (Ativan) 1 mg. as needed mid-September 2010 through early March 2012"Never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by stupidity." -Hanlon's RazorIntroduction: http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/1588-introducing-jemima/ Success Story: http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/6263-success-jemima-survives-lexapro-and-dr-dickhead-too/Please note that I am not a medical professional and my advice is based on personal experience, reading, and anecdotal information posted by other sufferers. Link to comment
CCS Posted August 7, 2014 Author Share Posted August 7, 2014 Hi guys. It has been a while. Still trying to survive tge drug! Been of Cymgen for about 2 months now. Can withdrawal cause ocd and rumination? Please help me. I am experiencing extreme guilt feelings regarding my action while I was on this drug and drinking along with it. Please tell me this will pass? Ps - i have no history of ocd. Was taking Cymbalta for pain Thank you! Link to comment
Moderator Emeritus Rhiannon Posted August 8, 2014 Moderator Emeritus Share Posted August 8, 2014 CCS, I can't really hazard a guess as to what you can expect since I have no idea of how you came off the Cymgen nor of any of your other med history. A person's history, and how they taper (or not), has a lot to do with how the recovery goes. Maybe you can give us more information. I can tell you that you will probably survive. Other than that I can't predict. Yes, rumination and perserverative feelings are both pretty typical in withdrawal. Search the site for "neuro-emotions." Started on Prozac and Xanax in 1992 for PTSD after an assault. One drug led to more, the usual story. Got sicker and sicker, but believed I needed the drugs for my "underlying disease". Long story...lost everything. Life savings, home, physical and mental health, relationships, friendships, ability to work, everything. Amitryptiline, Prozac, bupropion, buspirone, flurazepam, diazepam, alprazolam, Paxil, citalopram, lamotrigine, gabapentin...probably more I've forgotten. Started multidrug taper in Feb 2010. Doing a very slow microtaper, down to low doses now and feeling SO much better, getting my old personality and my brain back! Able to work full time, have a full social life, and cope with stress better than ever. Not perfect, but much better. After 23 lost years. Big Pharma has a lot to answer for. And "medicine for profit" is just not a great idea. Feb 15 2010: 300 mg Neurontin 200 Lamictal 10 Celexa 0.65 Xanax and 5 mg Ambien Feb 10 2014: 62 Lamictal 1.1 Celexa 0.135 Xanax 1.8 Valium Feb 10 2015: 50 Lamictal 0.875 Celexa 0.11 Xanax 1.5 Valium Feb 15 2016: 47.5 Lamictal 0.75 Celexa 0.0875 Xanax 1.42 Valium 2/12/20 12 0.045 0.007 1 May 2021 7 0.01 0.0037 1 Feb 2022 6 0!!! 0.00167 0.98 2.5 mg Ambien Oct 2022 4.5 mg Lamictal (off Celexa, off Xanax) 0.95 Valium Ambien, 1/4 to 1/2 of a 5 mg tablet I'm not a doctor. Any advice I give is just my civilian opinion. Link to comment
NoMeaning25 Posted August 8, 2014 Share Posted August 8, 2014 What symptoms are you currently experiencing? Was on Citalopram 20mg since Feb 2008 - switched to Paxil 20mg in August 2010 Tapered way too fast in April 2012 by skipping days. Taper completed in 6 weeks Tried prozac 20mg for 3 days - felt spaced out, not better. Tried 30mg Cymbalta for 2 days. SEVERE ADVERSE REACTION Antidepressant free since 14 August 2012 Birth control on and off during this time - Last taken 18 June 2017 - Morning after pill Started mainly using 0.5mg Xanax beginning 2016 for severe panic attacks and anxiety due to trauma Xanax on and off never more than 0.5mg at a time, never taking it 3 days in a row - used sparingly 6 Years antidepressant free - Still in severe withdrawal with over 60 symptoms Severe setback started May 2018 with no let up to date. Developed many new symptoms like tremors, inner vibrations, insomnia, visual distortions and dr/dp are 100x worse, i have severe sensitivity to movement, My dizziness and vertigo got worse and it now feels like im constantly rocking on a boat, my anxiety is sky high, suicidal idiation is back, i feel extremely brain damaged Link to comment
CCS Posted December 5, 2014 Author Share Posted December 5, 2014 Hi guys. It has been a while since my last post. Its been 4 months without cymbalta. The withdrawal symtoms were pretty horrifying, but got better after about two months. But now im left with a new problem - extreme anxiety and a feeling of guilt, regret ect, ruminating thoughts ect. I thought that this would pass, thinking it was only another withdrawal symptom. It has gotten worse & I was put on Serdep, a sentraline. My question is, can this be related to Cymbalta? I have never been a stressed person and have never had anxiety until I Quit Cymbalta. I feel like a different person. My outlook and thoughts have changed completely and I just dont know how to get back to being the normal me. Anyone with advice? Link to comment
Frustrated Posted December 5, 2014 Share Posted December 5, 2014 I was five months off Paxil and crashed big. Intrusive thoughts, nausea, aching and burning, giant anxiety feeling in my chest, short fused and scared I am losing control. I reinstated a tiny amount and I am still waiting to see if it will help. Not uncommon to have symptoms months later. 2002-put on amitryptiline for fibromyalgia. 10mg.2004-stopped abruptly. Didn't think it helped.2006 approx.-put on Paxil for mild anxiety 20 mg.2007 upped to 40 mg. not sure why.2011- tapered from 40 to 10. went nuts and went back to 20mg2014- tapered from 20mg to 0 from April to The end of June.current meds- Metformin(type 2 diabetic) and low dose aspirin.Take multi vitamin and vit b12, vit. D and magnesium. 5 months off Paxil. Still suffering.recently added 1.2mg of Paxil to alleviate withdrawals.(Nov 30)Dropped to .9mg because having symptoms from reinstatement.(dec 23)<p>taper to .76mg-.8mg (Feb 3) approx. weight .010 to about .008-.009 on scale..6mg (march 19th.) .5mg(April 19th).4mg(April 27th).2 (June 27th) 0mg. done taper at beginning of August. Link to comment
Moderator Emeritus Petunia Posted December 5, 2014 Moderator Emeritus Share Posted December 5, 2014 Hi CCS, I merged this post with your original intro topic, its one introductions thread per member. You can use this thread as your ongoing journal to track progress and communicate with the community, add to it whenever you want. I'm not a doctor. My comments are not medical advise. These are my opinions based on my own experience and what I've learned. Please discuss your situation with a medical practitioner who has knowledge of tapering and withdrawal...if you are lucky enough to find one. My Introduction Thread Full Drug and Withdrawal History Brief Summary Several SSRIs for 13 years starting 1997 (for mild to moderate partly situational anxiety) Xanax PRN ~ Various other drugs over the years for side effects 2 month 'taper' off Lexapro 2010 Short acute withdrawal, followed by 2 -3 months of improvement then delayed protracted withdrawal DX ADHD followed by several years of stimulants and other drugs trying to manage increasing symptoms Failed reinstatement of Lexapro and trial of Prozac (became suicidal) May 2013 Found SA, learned about withdrawal, stopped taking drugs...healing begins. Protracted withdrawal, with a very sensitized nervous system, slowly recovering as time passes Supplements which have helped: Vitamin C, Magnesium, Taurine Bad reactions: Many supplements but mostly fish oil and Vitamin D June 2016 - Started daily juicing, mostly vegetables and lots of greens. Aug 2016 - Oct 2016 Best window ever, felt almost completely recovered Oct 2016 -Symptoms returned - bad days and less bad days. April 2018 - No windows, but significant improvement, it feels like permanent full recovery is close. VIDEO: Where did the chemical imbalance theory come from? VIDEO: How are psychiatric diagnoses made? VIDEO: Why do psychiatric drugs have withdrawal syndromes? VIDEO: Can psychiatric drugs cause long-lasting negative effects? VIDEO: Dr. Claire Weekes Link to comment
Moderator Emeritus Petunia Posted December 6, 2014 Moderator Emeritus Share Posted December 6, 2014 The withdrawal symtoms were pretty horrifying, but got better after about two months. But now im left with a new problem - extreme anxiety and a feeling of guilt, regret ect, ruminating thoughts ect. I thought that this would pass, thinking it was only another withdrawal symptom. It has gotten worse & I was put on Serdep, a sentraline. Its good that your withdrawal symptoms improved, unfortunately, you are now taking another antidepressant. Serdep is an SSRI, a generic form of Zoloft. What dose are you on? When did you start taking this? Please put your drug and withdrawal history in your signature. Putting a short version of your drug and tapering history in your signature helps people understand your context, it appears below each of your posts. Here are instructions for how to do it: http://survivinganti...your-signature/ I would think that your ongoing symptoms are related to cymgen (Cymbalta) withdrawal. How did you stop taking this, please would you add these details to your signature. Are you feeling any better since you started taking Serdep? If you stay in touch with us, and post updates regularly, we will be able to help and support you. If you decide to stop taking Serdep now, it will need to be tapered. Here is a link to our Serdep (Zoloft) thread: http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/1441-tips-for-tapering-off-zoloft-sertraline/ Petu. I'm not a doctor. My comments are not medical advise. These are my opinions based on my own experience and what I've learned. Please discuss your situation with a medical practitioner who has knowledge of tapering and withdrawal...if you are lucky enough to find one. My Introduction Thread Full Drug and Withdrawal History Brief Summary Several SSRIs for 13 years starting 1997 (for mild to moderate partly situational anxiety) Xanax PRN ~ Various other drugs over the years for side effects 2 month 'taper' off Lexapro 2010 Short acute withdrawal, followed by 2 -3 months of improvement then delayed protracted withdrawal DX ADHD followed by several years of stimulants and other drugs trying to manage increasing symptoms Failed reinstatement of Lexapro and trial of Prozac (became suicidal) May 2013 Found SA, learned about withdrawal, stopped taking drugs...healing begins. Protracted withdrawal, with a very sensitized nervous system, slowly recovering as time passes Supplements which have helped: Vitamin C, Magnesium, Taurine Bad reactions: Many supplements but mostly fish oil and Vitamin D June 2016 - Started daily juicing, mostly vegetables and lots of greens. Aug 2016 - Oct 2016 Best window ever, felt almost completely recovered Oct 2016 -Symptoms returned - bad days and less bad days. April 2018 - No windows, but significant improvement, it feels like permanent full recovery is close. VIDEO: Where did the chemical imbalance theory come from? VIDEO: How are psychiatric diagnoses made? VIDEO: Why do psychiatric drugs have withdrawal syndromes? VIDEO: Can psychiatric drugs cause long-lasting negative effects? VIDEO: Dr. Claire Weekes Link to comment
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