Cymbalta and Withdrawal: What Users Say (Page 2)

• kit...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• January 22, 2020

For Depression "I turned to this drug at my very lowest. Suicidal thoughts and constant lethargy became daily reminders of how depressed I really was. I realized I’d either find a solution or my life would be at risk. The solution was Cymbalta. After 6ish weeks, I began to enjoy activities again and felt very motivated to carry out tasks. My social anxiety now is nearly nonexistent. I’m not happy every day, but the darkness that used to envelop me has subsided and I can say that I see the light at the end of the tunnel (before the drug I couldn’t imagine my life a year in advance because I didn’t know if I’d make it there). My sex drive did suffer a little, but not very much. I will continue to take this drug as long as it continues to help me. Overall, although the withdrawal symptoms may be terrible in the future, Cymbalta truly saved my life and has been worth every penny. Give it time to work and don’t let the negative reviews scare you away if you really need the help."

• SJa...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• November 11, 2019

For Anxiety "I had tried a lot of drugs for my horrible anxiety and depression. I've been taking 80mg of Cymbalta. Nothing before this touched my anxiety, and I was housebound for 10 years. The positives are my anxiety has gone from a 10 down to at least a 6/5, depression from a 10 down to a 7/6. I can orgasm, on other meds can cause issues. The negatives - The withdrawal is REAL (try not to miss a dose), constipation, my body metabolizes this medication fast. I have to take an extra 20 mg dose in the morning. When I was just on the 60 in the evening I'd get bad brain zaps/dizziness. The biggest downside to this med is getting off of it. If you need to come off it, taper as slow as you can and ask to go on Prozac, which can really help with withdrawal. I recommend giving this med a try for anxiety. It's the only thing to help me. If you have depression alone, I'd try something else first like Prozac or Wellbutrin, as they are really easy to come off if they don't work for you."

• Jas...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• October 18, 2019

For Generalized Anxiety Disorder "Had a great 12 years with Lexapro 10mg. It stopped working. For the last 3 years, I’ve tried Wellbutrin, Prozac, Effexor, Vybrid, Trintellix, and Cymbalta. With all of them, I felt a floaty, sedated feeling all day long. Cymbalta is starting to work. I believe it's the norepinephrine component of the drug that’s helping me stay more focused and energized during the day. I’m on 60 mg daily. Psychiatrists and GPs alike don’t know the effects of withdrawal unless they’ve experienced it themselves. Not every patient’s cure comes out of a medical textbook, and doctors need to understand that you’re not neurotic and these drugs affect your delicate brain chemistry. Rapidly tapering from one drug to another can be disastrous for some. My thoughts are with those going through this, trying to land on the right med."

• Nan...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• September 29, 2019

For Depression "Absolutely terrible. I was prescribed 20 mg Cymbalta to replace Prozac, which didn’t help my depression at all. The first few weeks, there were no changes, so we increased it to 30 mg, then 60 mg. I lost the ability to feel emotions at all. I was numb. I couldn’t make myself eat. I lost 5% of my weight. I had started self-harming just to feel something and felt suicidal. For some reason, I told myself to go to the doc one last time. It’s recommended that Cymbalta should be tapered off slowly, but there’s almost no way to do that from 60 mg to 30 mg as it is a big jump and the capsules shouldn’t be opened. The doc said I should quit cold turkey since I was in such a dark place. The withdrawal was torture. I couldn’t leave the house for two weeks because of vertigo, “brain zaps,” headaches, and confusion. I’m on Wellbutrin now, and it’s a hundred times better in my experience."

• Pur...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• September 26, 2019

For Depression "This drug is a nightmare to get off of. I don’t recommend it ever. I was on it for ten years. I am still having withdrawals after 60 days!!!! I vomited for three weeks. My body cannot get back in sync."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• September 23, 2019

For Osteoarthritis "Do not take Cymbalta! The side effects are horrible, and the withdrawal symptoms from getting off of it can land you in the hospital. I took it for arthritis and would rather hurt than go through this garbage again. If I had known what damage this drug does, I would never have taken it."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• July 12, 2019

For Chronic Pain "Cymbalta did not help my pain. I have myofascial pain syndrome. It made it worse because it caused me to clench my jaw. It also came with severe side effects, and then I found out it is almost impossible to get off. Withdrawal symptoms are horrendous and last months to years. I am on a 2 to 3-year taper schedule to get off of this drug that never helped. I gained 40 pounds and have terrible daytime fatigue. If you are considering taking this drug, please do a lot more research."

• Nic...
• July 5, 2019

For Depression "I had been on eight different antidepressants for 12 years. I tried Cymbalta and had been on it for 14 years. I tried to get off of it and it took eight months, but I completely went off. Withdrawals were horrific. All of my depression and anxiety came back, but worse than ever. I’m so glad to be back on it. Cymbalta is a lifesaver."

• Ski...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• June 25, 2019

For Depression "I was prescribed 30 mg at first to help with depression. After talking with my doctor, he decided to increase the dosage to 60 mg. I was using it for 9 years, and at first, it seemed to help. But after a couple of years, it felt like I had a tight band around my head. And I was always dizzy when I stood up. I tried to stop taking it, and it felt like I had the flu. So I continued taking it. Then last year, I got tired of the head pain and dizziness. I opened up each capsule to remove 5 mg. I then waited for 2 weeks to remove another 5 mg. By doing it this way, I didn't have any withdrawal symptoms and am finally off of it! If it works for you, great! But be prepared for a struggle to quit taking it!"

• mrd...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• June 23, 2019

For Depression "Was put on this 5 years ago. It works well, but there is one thing they won't tell you. The withdrawal symptoms are horrendous. I will probably never be able to stop taking this. If I miss only one day, I get vertigo and brain zaps. Read up on it, and it turns out they lied to the FDA about how many people had withdrawal symptoms. It's 70 percent! Some people experience withdrawal symptoms that last a year! So what does the FDA do? A little fine and a class action lawsuit that already expired by the time I realized how bad the withdrawal symptoms are. Eli Lilly should have been sued out of existence, but of course, big pharma has the FDA in their pocket. Really read up on the documentation in the FDA report and what it says about how they fudged things. It's unbelievable. I wish I had never been put on this."

• Zoe...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• June 17, 2019

For Fibromyalgia "Look up Cymbalta Syndrome. If prescribed, before you take it - research it - have your doctor research it. It will help for 2-3 years MAX. Getting off of it is a whole other story - the manufacturers KNEW this - and pushed it anyway. They could fix this issue but choose not to. This drug needs to be removed from the market! You don’t know long-term pain and crippling sickness until you try to get off this med. The manufacturer gave us no easy way to taper, no painless way to wean off. I am on my 2nd YEAR of weaning and I will be honest - withdrawals can last months to YEARS. I have 30 mg still to go till I am Cymbalta free... and tons of horrific side effects to still face. Do your research - don’t take this pill, it is beyond hell. And big pharma knew it... yet sell it anyway as well as pay doctors to prescribe it and downplay the true horrors of it."

• Nic...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• June 5, 2019

For Major Depressive Disorder "Cymbalta is great, and for me, I had 0 side effects. I removed a star because the withdrawal is what I can only imagine is akin to heroin withdrawal. I had read this before I started taking it and assumed people had a low pain tolerance, but nope. Some biblical stuff. Anyway, I take 20 mg in my PTSD cocktail. I can finally get out of bed in the morning, and life feels less flat. It’s easier to get up and walk, if that makes any sense, whereas before it was a huge taxing effort. I would 100% recommend this drug, but only if you are in really bad shape, and the normal alternatives haven’t worked. I wouldn’t wish that withdrawal on my worst enemy. Prozac made me suicidal, Zoloft was amazing but made me fat, Lexapro made me feel like crawling out of my skin, Trintellix was great for memory but no effect on mood, Wellbutrin did little to nothing."

• TPa...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• March 8, 2019

For Depression "Cymbalta helped me get through a rough patch in my life. I am grateful for how it allowed me to cope with my sibling's passing. I was on 60 mg and recently decided it was time to move on and discontinue medication. I decreased dosage every two weeks by 10 mg, then weekly by 5 mg (taking out one small pill of the 12 pills in the capsule). Please talk to your doctor if you wish to taper off the drug, but this method worked for me. I was terrified of withdrawals based on the horror stories I read, but I had almost no withdrawal symptoms. The sexual side effect of the drug was a real bummer, and the only negative of my experience."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• October 12, 2018

For Anxiety "Terrible drug. Don’t start. Your body becomes addicted to it. The withdrawal symptoms when coming off are horrific."

• lin...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• September 23, 2018

For Anxiety "I was on citalopram 40 mg for years, and it had stopped working. Had to reduce my citalopram before going on to duloxetine/Cymbalta 30 mg. The citalopram withdrawal was 20 mg a day for 2 weeks, then 20 mg every second day, then 2 days of nothing, then start taking 30 mg duloxetine every night. I have been on it now for 2 weeks and have noticed a little difference because it can take a few weeks for full effect to kick in. Withdrawal symptoms from citalopram were not nice at all. Maybe the reduction was too quick. I ended up in the hospital for a few days, which did me good. I have been out of the hospital for a week, but been on duloxetine 30 mg for about 2 weeks, so I know I have to wait a bit longer for the full effect to take place. I still get a bit anxious, etc., but things are slightly improving. I hope in another couple of weeks I will notice even more of a difference. I live in Australia, and the government covers most of the price, so I only pay about $7 a packet."

• ang...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• September 12, 2018

For Chronic Pain "I have gained 50 lbs from this med, so I stopped it. I went through the absolute worst withdrawals. I've been off for 3 months and now just started back up tonight. I will figure out how to get the weight off, but for fibro pain, it has been the best one yet."

• 121...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• July 17, 2018

For Depression "Switched from Lexapro to Cymbalta. First week was at 30 mg, followed by 60 mg. I had side effects almost from the start: insomnia, anxiety, nausea, loss of appetite. Stayed at 60 mg for 4 weeks. Dr. decreased to 40 mg and prescribed Sonata to help with sleep. Zero effect from the Sonata. It's been about two months since starting the Cymbalta, and I'm ready to get off of it due to the side effects. Not looking forward to the withdrawal symptoms I've been reading about. Others may have had success with this med, but I have not. I would not recommend."

• Mar...
• April 16, 2018

For Major Depressive Disorder "Cymbalta worked quickly to reduce depressive symptoms, i.e., deep sadness, lack of motivation, anhedonia, etc. In that, I would rate it a 10. I had been on it about 1.5 years and was taking 120 mg/day when my doctor didn't call in my prescription for a week. I had no idea why I felt so icky. I called my neighbor, and he diagnosed me with Cymbalta withdrawal via the Internet. Nobody told me that this drug has physically addictive properties. The symptoms abated once I took 60 mg. So, I stuck with 60 mg a day and called my doctor for a taper. It is awful! To all those that have just started Cymbalta, know this - you have at least a 50/50 chance of having 'discontinuation syndrome' on dose reduction. Read the site on Eli Lilly's history with Cymbalta lawsuits. Read everything you can before you take your next dose. The world is so unpredictable. Do you want to carry the burden of addiction and withdrawal in a time of crisis, insurance changes, medical illness, or injury? I don't."

• Sun...
• February 15, 2018

For Generalized Anxiety Disorder "I was on this medication for depression and possible help with fibromyalgia for a couple of years. My doctor had me on so many meds, I started taking myself off one at a time, with his approval. The Cymbalta was by far the worst withdrawal of anything I have ever taken. It was three solid months of withdrawal: cold, hot, tingles on my head and body. Even with a slow decrease in dosage, it was horrible. I would not allow anyone I care about to use this drug."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• November 2, 2017

For Depression "These capsules made me feel worse. I am gradually removing these awful meds from my life. The withdrawals are so intense that they leave me incapable of driving, give me spasms and brain zaps, uncontrollable shaking, and twitches. Do not ever even start taking Cymbalta."

• Zac...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• September 9, 2017

For Major Depressive Disorder "Was prescribed Cymbalta 1.5 years ago to treat Major Depressive Disorder. Helped lessen the sadness caused by depression, but also made me numb emotionally. Decided to taper off of Cymbalta, while being advised by my physician, and the withdrawal symptoms were terrible. Currently still on 30 mg (down from 120 mg) and going to look for easier ways to withdraw. Would not recommend Cymbalta to anyone, as I feel I was doing better before I started the medication, and the withdrawal symptoms aren't worth it."

• Adu...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• August 29, 2017

For Chronic Pain "I suffer from chronic pain, depression, and anxiety for the past 10 years and I'm 30. Football ruined my life, but Cymbalta has made it worse. Not only did I NOT receive any benefit from Cymbalta, but I gave it a serious 2-month try and I'm now spending 90% of my time withdrawing from it. I cannot imagine if I was on this a year, let alone ten. If this medicine helps you, I would weigh the benefits seriously because either you're going to the grave with this medicine or you're going to have to feel the 'benefits' of coming off of this poison. Beware because no doctor will tell you these things. Worse than 2 years of clonazepam, alcohol, or opiates, no joke. Hope this helps someone!"

• Pus...
• August 21, 2017

For Chronic Pain "This is the worst drug ever put out. I'm 70, and it has ruined my life. When weaned off, it has nearly killed me. I have been over a year of withdrawal and am still going. They should be stopped from selling this and tell everyone you know to never be put on this crap - it will ruin your life."

• Hig...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• July 22, 2017

For Anxiety "Was on 40 mg of Cymbalta for 6.5 months, and it gave me massive high blood pressure! Since my BP remained elevated for so long even with BP meds, I became too frightened to continue taking any Cymbalta while waiting to see my psychiatrist for a revision. I know you are supposed to taper off, but I stopped completely 5 days ago. For days 1-3, I had symptoms of withdrawal with increased sweating and what felt like the blood coursing through me was pulsating. Also, arms a bit shaky when using hands. Day 4, first day to go out and run errands. The blood coursing feeling changed to a sort of high, with increased food cravings for 24 hours. Day 5, blood coursing feeling has mostly subsided, as well as the hunger cravings. Feeling good today."

• Pam...
• February 26, 2017

For Generalized Anxiety Disorder "Please do not take this!!!! I have been taking it for 7 years. It never really worked, I don't know why I kept taking it. When I was diagnosed with a mood disorder, they put me on new meds and took me off Cymbalta. They did wean me off, but I was awful. The withdrawals were, and still are, 3 weeks later so bad!!! The brain zaps are the worst, and then there is sweating, shaking, nausea. Please don't even start it, even if it makes you feel good."