[VALQUIRA]

I'm New Here. I've Been Suffering From "severe" Pressure (sometimes
Sharp Knife Like Pain) In The Occipital Area (back Of Skull When The
Neck Connects To The Head). I've Seen 12+ Neurologists And Other
Types Of Doctors...and I've Had Many, Many Tests. Mra's, Mri's
Etc. My Mri's Show Cervical Disc Bulges So We Thought It Was
From This But It's Not. I've Had Joint Facet Injections And Nerve Blocks. Now, My Neurologist Is Saying This Is Depression That's
Causing This! I've Never Been Depressed Don't Know What's It's Like
Until Now. I'm Depressed Because No One Has Been Able To Help Me
But Not To The Point That I Want To Stay Home Etc Like Other Normal Depression..anyway, They Gave Me Lexapro To Take..nearly
Killed Me! The Pressure Was 100x Worse...then It Was Ativan ,then
Valium For What They Thought Was Muscle Spasms..then It Was
Xanax...no Relief With Any Of These Other Than More Aggravation.
The Latest Is Cymbalta...they Want Me To Try This Say It's Good For Neurological Pain. I Am Petrified To Take This After Reading And Talking To Some People On This. I Was On Elavil 3 Yrs Ago For
My Migraines. It Did A Great Job With The Migraines But Left Me
80lbs Overweight. My Doctor Says To Expect Some Weight Gain,
Constipation And Nausea. I'm Not The Type To Take Any Medication Anyway And The Thought Of Having My Brain Controlled By A Substance Doesn't Appeal To Me. I Have To Do Something Because I'm Going Crazy With The Pressure..makes Me Loose My Balance And
Mind!!!!!! I Have To Work & I Love My Job...i Feel Like There's No End To This. Is Anyone On Cymbalta For A Similiar Problem?? Are The
Side Effects As Bad As Some Say?? I've Heard People Feeling A Zapping In Their Brain...is This True???? Please Help With Any Info.
This Is My "last" Hope!

[UNEEK1]

The zapping in the brain is true. When I weaned off of Zoloft I had brain zaps and now when I forget to take my Cymbalta for a couple to a few days, I get the brain zapping. I am going to be weaning off of Cymbalta because it is of no use to me. It seemed to be doing a great job in the beginning but then after about 9 months it stopped working.

[erinkj]

Originally Posted by VALQUIRA

I'm New Here. I've Been Suffering From "severe" Pressure (sometimes
Sharp Knife Like Pain) In The Occipital Area (back Of Skull When The
Neck Connects To The Head). I've Seen 12+ Neurologists And Other
Types Of Doctors...and I've Had Many, Many Tests. Mra's, Mri's
Etc. My Mri's Show Cervical Disc Bulges So We Thought It Was
From This But It's Not. I've Had Joint Facet Injections And Nerve Blocks. Now, My Neurologist Is Saying This Is Depression That's
Causing This! I've Never Been Depressed Don't Know What's It's Like
Until Now. I'm Depressed Because No One Has Been Able To Help Me
But Not To The Point That I Want To Stay Home Etc Like Other Normal Depression..anyway, They Gave Me Lexapro To Take..nearly
Killed Me! The Pressure Was 100x Worse...then It Was Ativan ,then
Valium For What They Thought Was Muscle Spasms..then It Was
Xanax...no Relief With Any Of These Other Than More Aggravation.
The Latest Is Cymbalta...they Want Me To Try This Say It's Good For Neurological Pain. I Am Petrified To Take This After Reading And Talking To Some People On This. I Was On Elavil 3 Yrs Ago For
My Migraines. It Did A Great Job With The Migraines But Left Me
80lbs Overweight. My Doctor Says To Expect Some Weight Gain,
Constipation And Nausea. I'm Not The Type To Take Any Medication Anyway And The Thought Of Having My Brain Controlled By A Substance Doesn't Appeal To Me. I Have To Do Something Because I'm Going Crazy With The Pressure..makes Me Loose My Balance And
Mind!!!!!! I Have To Work & I Love My Job...i Feel Like There's No End To This. Is Anyone On Cymbalta For A Similiar Problem?? Are The
Side Effects As Bad As Some Say?? I've Heard People Feeling A Zapping In Their Brain...is This True???? Please Help With Any Info.
This Is My "last" Hope!

Does the pain radiate at all? ( down your back, arms shoulders or further up your head) or, is the pain isolated only to the occipital area? You said that you loose your balance, does that happen frequently with no movement or more so when you turn your head, stand up to quickly? any vertigo, numbness or tingeling anywhere? Cymbalta is "supposed" to have some pain relieving ability but, the chance of that helping your pain is roughly 30/70. I realy doubt this is from depression. I too, have cervicle disk bulges, and this sounds to me that it is related to your pain. Granted, I am not a doctor (thank God) I ran the gamut of M.D's to treat this and was given a new load of cr*p about every other time I was seen. All they wanted to do was give me pill's, tell me it was muscle spasms, migraines (which I have and that was not it) etc. I stumbled upon an EXCELLENT chiropractor (they are few and far between, I have seen some real bad one's) who checked me out and said that the pain was from the bulging disks putting pressure on nerves. I started adjustments and traction...I was pain free within a few weeks. I still have problems, flare up's but, when the pain returns I see my chiro for treatment and I am good to go...My M.D. could not believe it...the best part was no med's....Peace...Erin

[jimsmm]

I don't know anything about a zapping in the brain from Cymbalta, but each patient is unique. I have been on it since last July (60mg) and it has made a tremendous differnece in my quality of life...for the better. I have put on a little weight but not too much. IT has helped a great deal with nerve pain I have had chronically for the past 5 years in my feet. I would recommend it, at least from my own experience.

You don't mention having had your bllood pressure checked. Do you suffer from hypertension? Sometimes I get a morning headache from my blood pressure being too high but it, too, can be managed. Please get it checked and regulated.

Talk with your MD about the interaction with migraine meds. I have had migraines my whole life but can't take anything for them now that I am on Cymbalta. It's a trade-off I made: live with the chronic pain and depression or an occasional migraine. I chose the occasional migraine.

I have bad cervical disc problems (in fact recovering from disc fusion right now) so I can appreciate your pain. If you aren't a candidate for surgery you might want to try accupuncture, it worked marvels for me until I went and wrecked my neck with a fall this past winter. A good accupuncturist will combine Eastern and Western methods of treating pain and will work with YOU instead of telling you what you want (as do many Western docs).

Educate yourself. THe Cymbalta site is really good and they will answer your questions, too.

Good luck. Jim