Cymbalta and Withdrawal: What Users Say (Page 3)

• Fad...
• February 18, 2017

For Anxiety "I took this drug for GAD. Of course, it did its job. But PLEASE READ about its withdrawal symptoms before starting!! I have stopped taking it 4 days ago, and you can't imagine the things I am going through. I remember before taking it, I read reviews about this drug. And one of the reviews wrote, "Do NOT take this drug, IT IS HELL", and I was like, why so dramatic? And oh boy, was he not! I am reading about how to reduce the withdrawal symptoms. And after reading the users who are trying to stop Cymbalta on this page https://www.drugs.com/answers/long-cymbalta-withdrawals-747877.html I found out that I have a long way to go. Please be careful."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• January 19, 2017

For Depression "I was put on Cymbalta 60mg when I was in the psych ward for a suicide attempt. This medication significantly helped my depression and my thoughts of suicide went away. Cymbalta has been life changing for me. I thought I didn't need it anymore so I took myself off of it a month ago. The withdrawals are terrible! Worse than withdrawing from benzos, I was shaky for a straight week. After being off of it for a couple weeks my depression and anxiety came back full force, I realized how much it had been helping me and asked my doctor to put me back on it. I'm now on 30mg and feel less anxious and less sad."

• goo...
• May 2, 2016

For Generalized Anxiety Disorder "I have severe anxiety and depression. I've tried all the meds out, as my doctor would say. Cymbalta was suggested. And me needing to feel normal tried it. Worst experience of my life. Was on 40 mg. Felt like I was having an out-of-body experience, like someone was pulling me everywhere. Dr. told me to stick with it and lower the dose (I actually did, did not recommend talking to Dr. first). Nothing changed. I was talking without thinking, having more and more panic attacks and higher anxiety. Absolutely zero libido, and I gained weight. I felt 'happy,' but a weird happy. So, finally, I TELL my doctor for the third time in 9 months, I want off this medication. Withdrawal symptoms, no joke. It's been a month and I still have withdrawal effects."

• boa...
• April 30, 2016

For Depression "I was prescribed Cymbalta for postpartum depression. What I really needed was sleep. I was after having a C-section and taking care of three kids and no help. Now I have been on this drug for 9 years. I have tried several times to get off it. I feel like it has a choke hold around my neck. I am a registered nurse and work full time. I still get depressed while on this drug. When I try to get off it, I have suicidal thoughts along with a long list of withdrawal symptoms. I wish I was never put on this nasty drug."

• Hei...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• February 28, 2016

For Depression "Cymbalta 120 mg for 4 months. Good: - slight to moderate increase in motivation, mental energy, and attention/alertness. - decrease in anxiety and depressive feelings. Bad: - made me less social, less empathetic, and more robotic. - horrible withdrawal symptoms which happen quickly if you forget to take it. - when my dosage was increased from 30 mg to 60 mg, it started to give me nightmares at night and caused me to wake up in the middle of the night and lose sleep. Conclusion: Better positive cognitive experience than 10 mg Escitalopram, which, other than positively affecting my mood, all it did was cause constant brain fog and decrease my motivation even further."

• Ron...
• December 20, 2015

For Generalized Anxiety Disorder "Cymbalta ruined my life. If I forgot to take it one time, it would be like going through heroin withdrawal. Not to mention my brain feels like mush when taking it, forgetting things, and doing odd things. Don't get me wrong, the first 2 months were great, but everything slowly started getting worse. Emotional outbursts, angry all the time, overwhelming feelings, unable to control my emotions, suicidal thoughts, blood pressure dropping all the time, and the list is endless. I ended up making my doctor take me off this medication, I felt like I was losing my mind. The withdrawal from Cymbalta is absolutely horrible. I have never posted a review on anything online ever! But people need to know how terrible this medication is."

• Kl2...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• October 11, 2015

For Depression "the worst drug I have ever taken in my life! Withdrawal is hard work. I googled and read more about Cymbalta discontinuation syndrome Food and Drug Administration on"

• Ava...
• August 2, 2015

For Fibromyalgia "At first, I thought this was a miracle drug, but after about 2 months, they had to double my dosage. Then, about another 2 months later, the same thing. Next thing you know, I'm on the max dosage with no symptom relief. OMG, that's when the real nightmare started. It was almost impossible to stop. I was ready to check into a hospital. My doctor did watch me and did her best to get me off the medication safely, but it was really, really hard. Even though it did not help my fibromyalgia, I suffered from withdrawal. Please, PLEASE, really read the side effects before taking this medication."

• mus...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• July 22, 2015

For Major Depressive Disorder "Was on 60 mg for 4 years, had some relief from panic attacks with depression. Had some rough times job-related, medical issues not related to the above, and the doctor increased to 120 mg. Normal dosage is no more than 60 mg according to the insert in the med bottle and the Internet. After 3 years on this dose, it quit working. The withdrawal was the worst thing ever. During taking Cymbalta, I developed diabetes. Withdrawal took 8 months, and the pdoc gave me lamotrigine, an anti-seizure med for withdrawal. As I tapered off, my diabetes went away! The pdoc denied Cymbalta caused it. I googled it and found proof, all SSRIs can cause hyperglycemia! I've tried everything from Prozac to Lexapro. Same crap. Now on trazodone and back to having normal feelings."

• Jen...
• June 2, 2015

For Depression "I went on this medication two separate times for depression and anxiety. Both times it helped a little, but still the least effective compared to other things I have tried. When I tried to increase my dose, I had a 3-day-long migraine. I have to give this medication low ratings for the bad side effects and the withdrawal symptoms I am experiencing from coming off of the drug currently. I have had migraines for 6 days in a row now even though I am weaning off of the drug. I have digestion issues, am exhausted and breathless, and I am having night sweats. I hope this ends soon."

• Ell...
• May 21, 2015

For Depression "Awful drug, didn't really do much for depression or pain, just made me numb. And good luck getting off of it, 9 weeks later and I'm still having withdrawal symptoms."

• AGn...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• May 6, 2015

For Chronic Pain "While this med is fairly effective in the treatment of chronic pain, unless you plan to stay on it for the rest of your life, you should not even consider taking it. Discontinuation of this medication has to be done under the supervision of a physician, and the withdrawal is horrific, leaving one unable to function in a normal capacity for weeks, or even months. Most doctors don't mention this. Some aren't even aware of it. I urge you to be cautious in your decision to take Cymbalta. Google 'Cymbalta withdrawal' first!"

• Dan...
• March 15, 2015

For Depression "Have taken this medicine for over 3 years. I was previously on Pristiq. To start with, at 60 mg, this medication worked for me pretty well for a year or so. Once I became pregnant, they reduced my dose (just to be safe) bad idea. I had a massive panic attack and feel very hopeless. They upped my dose to 60 mg again, which didn't seem to help, so after having my boy, they increased it to 120 mg, which worked for about 3 weeks, then it was as if I was taking nothing. Figure my body has just become immune. Also, bad withdrawal symptoms when you miss a dose. Very dizzy, nauseous, sleepy, not a nice experience, unfortunately. But please remember this is just my experience with this medication, not yours, it could be completely different."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• December 23, 2014

For Chronic Pain "I had blissfully forgotten how much pain I had been living with before taking Cymbalta, until I ran out unexpectedly. Pretty short half-life. The pain was debilitating and constant; much worse were the very unpleasant withdrawal symptoms which took hold very quickly - won't list them as they probably were related to my brain trauma. Obviously it's best not to run out, but if so, be aware of the withdrawal symptoms and pain returning. The good news is that all that unpleasantness is gone relatively quickly: 2-3 days. Another point: not covered by my insurance, and I take 90mg/day ($$$), but my G.P. spoke to Lilly (manufacturer) who agreed to provide me with 6 months worth at a time - gratis! Worth checking into."

• kin...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• August 4, 2014

For Anxiety "Didn't work for me. Felt pretty barfy and crummy the first several days. Seemed to make me agitated. Only on it for a week; withdrawal was unpleasant. Just my experience, however."

• suz...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• February 6, 2014

For Chronic Pain "Almost 2 months on just 20 mg pain mgmt narcotics for chronic pain, many procedures little help, also CPTSD, GAD, pos. bipolar, depression. MY BACK PAIN AND SCIATIC GONE after 5 days on a low dose. Reserving judgement on the rest. Increase dose to 60 mg. I expect to get a hint in the next week. May have overactive mind/severe difficulty sleeping tho. Higher dose may help. But the pain relief - wouldn't have believed it if someone told me. So have to weigh pain vs insomnia or other side effect I might get. Good luck with this medicine! Insanely expensive and I know from girlfriend's experience withdrawal can be bad."

• JMs...
• November 5, 2013

For Depression "I was on Cymbalta 60mg for 18 months. I've been on many different antidepressants throughout the years. My issue is not when you take it but when you go off. Please do not take this medicine. I've gone through hell the last 12 days getting this drug out of my system. Google Cymbalta withdrawal or Cymbalta discontinuation syndrome to learn more."

• rus...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• October 28, 2013

For Chronic Pain "My rheumatologist had me on a very high dosage, so much that I had to pay for two separate scripts at the pharmacy. I guess so many people do have a positive response to this med, my doctor thought increasing the med mg would result in symptom improvement, however that wasn't the case. I hated (that's a strong word for me) Cymbalta. I was told I acted like another person while on it and not in a good way. Even though I strictly followed my pharmacist and doctors' directions when tapering off this med, I still had severe withdrawal during and after reducing the mg. I even called the doctor and pharmacy because I was so concerned; I all but went to the emergency room in the beginning stages since I had never had withdrawal symptoms before."

• Fra...
• April 5, 2013

For Depression "I started on Cymbalta 30 mg and it improved my mood, so my prescriber increased it to 60 mg. 60 mg caused increased irritability and negative thinking, so I decided to taper off. This caused flu-like symptoms and 'the shakes', so I started researching Cymbalta withdrawal. Surprisingly, a LOT of people have similar symptoms when coming off Cymbalta. The only way to avoid it is to open the capsules and divide the pellets to take a gradually reduced dose over several weeks. My prescriber suggested returning to 30 mg to alleviate the withdrawal symptoms, and I have stayed there for the past 2 months. I am back to experiencing positive effects - I feel like I am coming out of a fog I didn't realize had been surrounding me for years."

• Nat...
• March 14, 2013

For Generalized Anxiety Disorder "I was prescribed Cymbalta after taking Zoloft for a few months. Zoloft was horrible, but when my prescription was changed to Cymbalta, my anxiety and everything else seemed to lessen. I was more calm in handling situations, and my husband seemed pleased with the change in my attitude. For the first week while on Cymbalta, the experience was horrible. I had all the side effects listed and more, but I was determined to stay on it. It only lasted a week, then things became more clear. The only thing I fear is the withdrawals. I've experienced it accidentally when the medication wasn't available to me."

• Can...
• March 6, 2013

For Depression "I LOVE Cymbalta. I'm taking it for anxiety, depression, and fibromyalgia pain. It is the best medication I have taken for depression. I have tried numerous other depression and anxiety medications, and nothing makes me feel as good as Cymbalta. Do not miss a dose, though, the withdrawal symptoms are terrible!"

• Sal...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• February 24, 2013

For Fibromyalgia "I have been taking Cymbalta for over 3 years. When I started taking it, I was working and it was making me sleepy, so the doctor said to take it at night; problem solved. During the years, I have had 3 surgeries and I have to stop taking it, and I had no side effects or withdrawal symptoms. It helps with my fibromyalgia, mild depression, and pain. My insurance co-pay is $35, but during the donut hole, it is very expensive."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• December 7, 2012

For Depression "Cymbalta saved my life. I have tried dozens of antidepressants, mood stabilizers, you name it. At 19, to treat anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress disorder, I was finally given Cymbalta. I had very few side effects, maybe a few days being a bit dizzy. And then, after a week or so, I realized I wanted to get up in the morning. I no longer regretted having to breathe. A few months in, I no longer needed anxiety medication. I could sleep all night. I was normal and happy. I would not have lived if Cymbalta didn't exist. The only drawback is if for any reason you have to go a few days or longer without it, the withdrawal will be bad."

• Anonymous
• November 13, 2012

For Generalized Anxiety Disorder "Excellent for controlling anxiety that, for me, can spiral into major depression. I feel more like myself on Cymbalta than I did on Zoloft. It has been excellent at relieving chronic musculoskeletal pain. Cymbalta benefits do come at a cost, financially and physically. The most annoying physical symptom is profuse sweating. I never sweated much, even on hot days. With Cymbalta, it can be cold outside, and I'm in my car AC on, face dripping with sweat. I can easily tell this from a menopausal hot flash. The two sometimes occur together. Cymbalta can give me bad morning headaches, and I can't use Motrin while on it. Once you're on Cymbalta, you can't just stop it without getting severe withdrawal symptoms, especially dizziness."

• Mol...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• August 27, 2012

For Depression "It's an okay medicine for depression, but I've had times where I'd miss one day of Cymbalta and immediately feel withdrawal symptoms (brain zaps, nausea, headache, etc.). The only other medicine I've ever had this happen with is Effexor. I hate that I have to make sure that I have to take this at the right time of day, because even being late by like 6 hours, I feel the withdrawal symptoms kicking in."