Thursday, June 2, 2011

Cymbalta Withdrawals

As a result of the chest pain I have stopped taking Cymbalta.  I know that one side effect is heartburn and I wanted to see if it was the Cymbalta causing it.  (I consulted with my neurologist about this first, I did NOT simply go off it all by myself.)  Friday, May 27 would technically be my second day off the stuff.  All day I just felt an overall "yuckiness".  Just "not well".  Hard to explain, hard to put my finger exactly on what it was.  If I exerted myself the feelings would get much worse and I'd also start to feel lightheaded.  Also a slight headache.  (I've never had the flu, but I imagine this is what it might feel like in its very early stages.)
Saturday, my third day off he stuff.  Much worse!  Nausea, dizziness, lightheadedness, headache, fatigue, and still that overall "yuckiness".  Saturday night the nausea hit it's peak.  I threw up 4 times in about 90 mins.  And I still had chest pains. 
In the middle of the night it occured to me, I know what histimine does to the body, it makes sense that an antihistimine would decrease my feelings of nausea (and also help me sleep!)  I did a little research online via my iPhone and sure enough - benadryl would help with my nausea.  So dug through Jody's medicine cabinet and was fortunate enough to find benadryl.  Now, let me be lucky enough to keep it down.
It worked!
Sunday morning I still felt yucky but remembered that the pharmacist had told me that I could take dramamine whenever I get nauseated from my migraines.  I looked at what dramamine helps with and it said - nausea and dizziness.  YAY!  So I took dramamine to help me get through that day.  It never made anything go away, but made it bearable.
Monday, more of the same.
Tuesday, more of the same.  But at this point I was so frustrated with feeling yucky in addition to the headaches and migraines (and who knows, maybe an additional withdrawal symptom of Cymbalta) depression.
I cried the entire drive to work.  I took several breaks during my work day to go to the bathroom and cry. I cried my entire lunch hour.  It took everything I had not to cry while sitting at my desk greeting clients and interacting with co-workers.
I finally called my neurologist.  She named off the list of known withdrawal symptoms of Cymbalta - check, check, check.  She said that I could go back on it and we could try to take me back off it even more slowly, but at this point I am nearly half way through the withdrawal period.  I elected to tough it out.
My drive home Tuesday afternoon was very scary, I'll be honest with you.  I was starting to experience the strange neurological withdrawals that I had read about.
Wednesday, in the shower I nearly passed out from the dizziness.  So I stopped midshower and went right to bed (with a towel around my head and everything).  Called in sick and slept nearly the whole day.  Felt yucky, yucky, yucky.
Today is Thursday and I am back at work.  Still feeling yucky.  Still very lightheaded and on the verge of passing out. :(  And still crying constantly (or at least fighting off the tears.)  I've never really suffered from depression - a few days this past winter.  And this is crap is ridiculous.  I don't even know why I'm sad and crying half the time. 
I've read that withdrawals can last 2 weeks.  I'm almost to the halfway point.

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