Cymbalta and Withdrawal: What Users Say (Page 4)

• Anonymous
• October 2, 2009

For Anxiety "I took Cymbalta for 7 weeks for postpartum anxiety/depression. After the initial week of feeling nausea and fatigue, I started to feel better. I stayed on 30 mg, but found after 5 weeks I was having vivid, disturbing dreams, insomnia, sweating, and the anxiety came back. I started tapering off, and even at the low dose, the withdrawals are quite uncomfortable - after tapering and stopping the drug I still get a buzz/pulse/shock-like sensation in my head almost constantly after a week. Great if it helps, but hard to get off!"

• 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."

• 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."

• Anonymous
• August 25, 2011

For Fibromyalgia "Wonderful medicine, but beware of withdrawal if you have to get off the medicine. I had to when I lost my insurance, and I had severe withdrawals ranging from brain shocks (feeling like on a constant merry-go-round), severe nausea, suicidal thoughts, anger outbursts, extreme confusion. These lasted for about 6 weeks."

• Dau...
• May 10, 2011

For Fibromyalgia "My mother started taking this medicine to help with her fibromyalgia and depression. A few weeks after she started taking it, she developed pain and stiffness (a rare side effect) in her right calf. (This was different from her fibromyalgia pain. Blood clots and various other problems were ruled out with dozens of visits to doctors.) She stopped taking the medicine, but withdrawal was bad. Her doctor was of no help and was ignorant of the withdrawal effects. She still suffers from the effects of withdrawal, although most days are better than they were. However, she still has immense pain in her leg, and finally a doctor discovered that she had actual muscle damage."

• Anonymous
• October 27, 2011

For Depression "I was prescribed 30 mg of Cymbalta in February 2010 and took a daily dose until now. I am currently on Day 12 of being Cymbalta-free. For a period of time, Cymbalta worked really well for me; however, after over a year and a half on it, I was beginning to feel like a zombie, and there were serious sexual side effects that interfered with my quality of life. My doctor instructed me to stop Cymbalta cold turkey, and so far, it has been the worst 12 days of my life. Horrible, HORRIBLE withdrawal symptoms that actually sent me to the hospital. Although Cymbalta did work well for me in the beginning, had I known about the withdrawals, I wouldn't have taken it."

• Dog...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• May 9, 2021

For Major Depressive Disorder "I was on Cymbalta for over a year at 60 mg. I asked my doctor to adjust my dosage due to depression getting worse, I had a reaction to it. Then, the doctor wanted me to taper off of it in a 4-day period. The dosage caused another reaction. I am now on day 4 of withdrawal. I have to be on a medication to help me withdraw, as well as the new antidepressant the doctor put me on. I feel so very, very awful. I strongly recommend you do not take this medicine. It does more harm than good."

• sen...
• May 21, 2011

For Depression "It worked pretty good for a while. Didn't stop the suicidal urges, but it was better than other antidepressants I tried. I had to have the dose increased over time to 90 mg to keep getting the same effect, and then it quit working entirely after a couple of years, leaving only the side effects to contend with. Reaching orgasm was pretty difficult, and sometimes I would only be able to once every week or two. It took 3 months to taper off of this, withdrawal was troublesome but not impossible to deal with."

• Kri...
• July 4, 2009

For Depression "I was on this medication for three days, missed one day, and for a week, my body was in the most excruciating pain. It was almost as if the withdrawal gave me fibromyalgia. Also, I was a different person on all of the medications I tried. Be careful with any medicine you take. It was painful, but I also needed it because of severe suicidal ideation."

• Cro...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• June 1, 2021

For Major Depressive Disorder "Ok, so this (Cymbalta) one worked well, but I had a bad experience with it. This stuff really peps up your mood and works quickly and will make you feel happy and energetic. However, I forgot my meds when I flew from CO to TX for my sister's wedding and went into a horrible withdrawal. I could not think straight and had unnerving thoughts and felt the lowest I've ever felt in my life, a nasty experience. It worked well, but the withdrawal I had from forgetting my meds scared me from taking it again. However, it will help with depression, but has a few bad side effects."

• Ret...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• May 6, 2022

For Fibromyalgia "Be sure you want to use this before you start it. I've been on Cymbalta for a couple of years for fibromyalgia symptoms. I'm also taking Oxy twice a day for back issues, so it's difficult to know how well the Cymbalta is working on its own. But I know what happens when I miss even one dose. I start having withdrawal symptoms. The worst is the head buzz (others call them 'zaps'), sleeplessness, and rebounding pain. That's not even what you go through to get off the stuff. It helps me with the pain, but not with the fibro fog. Just. Be. Sure."

• DGL...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• May 3, 2023

For Generalized Anxiety Disorder "I was prescribed Cymbalta 60 mg for fibromyalgia. For the first year, it was wonderful! I was willing to sing its praises to everyone. Between years 1 and 2, it stopped working. I continued to take it since the withdrawal symptoms I read about were so scary. I finally stopped cold turkey after about 6 years. No withdrawal symptoms. Too bad it wasn't the wonder drug I had hoped for."

• 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"

• 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."

• 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."

• cot...
• February 8, 2011

For Depression "Cymbalta works great, but withdrawals are ridiculous."

• 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."