I am 47 years old and have had panic disorder since my early teens. I also suffer from depression and agoraphobia. I started taking Xanax and antidepressants in my early 20’s and over the years I think I’ve tried them all in one combination or another. I have come to the point in my life where I am tired of dealing with all the side effects. I believe techniques such as relaxation exercises, positive self talk, exercise and exposure therapy will work if I can get past the withdrawal symptoms and don’t go running back to the little magic pills as soon as a panic attack or other setback occurs.

Two months ago I started taking Cymbalta because the Lexapro I was on had me walking around like a zombie. Even though I was going out and driving some distances away from home into unfamiliar territory (something that is very rare for me to do) I felt unreal, detached and unable to enjoy my successes. I heard good things about Cymbalta so along with agreement from my doctor I decided to give it a try. Well if anything, I feel a whole lot worse now than I did before. My starting dose was 30mg and for the last month and a half it’s been 60 mg. I have a boat load of side effects such as insomnia, horrific nightmares, increased anxiety, fatigue, sweating spells, erectile dysfunction and complete loss interest in sex. Heck, if I’m gunna feel this way on meds I’d rather feel this way without them. I figure without the anti depressants at least I can work on my issues with a clear head… kind of like starting with a clean slate. Anyway I thought that I would post my daily progress here as a way to help others and have others help me. Hopefully we will all learn something during this journey. I started this morning by visually dividing my 60 mg tablet in half and putting each half into empty clear gelatin capsules that my wife picked up at a local vitamin shop. The fact that they are clear made comparing the amount of the two halves much easier. I plan to stick with this approximate 30 mg amount for 10 to 14 days before decreasing again.

So far today I don’t feel any different, not that I expected to this soon. I will post here again tomorrow with the latest news on my journey. If you have any comments, questions anything that you feel might help me I’d really appreciate your input.

Sincerely,

Perry

Well day one of tapering off Cymbalta has come and gone! Other than a very bad headache (that may have been caused by alergies) day one went pretty good. No real withdrawal symptoms that I know of. Day two has been fine so far... I actually felt good when I woke this morning and I'm feeling a sense of confidence and accomplishment due to my decision to rid my mind and body of antidepreesants. I hope this feeling last! I truely believe that I can conquer my anxiety and depression. I refuse to go down without a fight....LOL Till tomorrow... have a good day everyone!!!

Perry

Well it's now day 3 of my weaning off Cymbalt journey and I must say today I'm feeling some dizziness and a little light headed, especially if I stand up or move my head too quickly. I expected these symptoms so I’m going to take them in stride. Other than that, I’m feeling pretty good.

On the positive side, yesterday was a very good day for me. I went outside and walked my dog around the block (which I haven’t done in a while due to my agoraphobia) and my dreams were not as bad last night. My energy level was much higher than it has been in a while, which is a good thing. I know there are a lot of hurdles ahead but I'm going to face them one at a time and try to keep reminding myself that better times lie ahead. I hope everyone that reads this has a great day and if anyone has any questions or just needs a sounding board don’t hesitate to write. I’ve been dealing with anxiety and agoraphobia for a long time and I know sometimes you feel different and alone. You don’t have feel that way… we are here for each other!

Day 4 of my journey already! Time sure does fly by! Today has started out just like yesterday… feeling kinda dizzy and light headed. Got a pretty goodnight’s sleep… had weird dreams but no nightmares that made me sit up in bed and gasp for air like I was having every night on 60mg of Cymbalta. I have had these same symptoms before when I was weaning off of other anti-depressants so these feelings are not a surprise… just can’t wait till they pass. I did experience an episode yesterday afternoon where I became very hot and shaky and began to sweat profusely. It was kind of warm in the house and I was late eating my lunch so I’m not sure if this was a withdrawal symptom or not. I do know that it wasn’t a panic attack… which is a good thing! I hiked up the ceiling fan, made me some lunch and sat down till it passed, which took about 15 to 20 minutes.

Today my mind is racing from one thought to another thinking of all the things I’d like to get accomplished today. I might not be feeling well enough to get them all done but at least my mind is active and I’m not feeling tired, out of touch or zombiefied by being too medicated. I’ll let you know tomorrow how the rest of the day goes. Till then, hope you have a great day !!!

Perry

Perry,

Reading this with great interest. I currently take 60Mg Cymbalta and am weaning off it.

Doc has recommended 4 days at 30Mg and then thats it !!!!

Day 5: Might be having a little less dizzy, lightheaded feeling today…it’s kinda hard to tell. I don’t know if dizzy is a good word to describe the symptom. It’s maybe more like a fuzzy foggy feeling when I move my head to fast. I do know this… once I went outside yesterday evening and started being active the feeling went away. I really didn’t feel it again until late this morning. Maybe that’s a sign of progress…I’m not sure. Besides that, I’m feeling about the same. Until tomorrow….hope you have a great day!

Dear Pyschocandy,

Glad to know your reading this. I'm writing here each day with the hope that this helps me and others at the same time. I don't think I can post the address here but if you search on Google you will find there is a forum specifically dedecated to Cymbalta withdrawal. I post there as well. It has alot of good info. If there is a way that I can give you the info without causing any problems let me know and I will gladly give you the address. Good luck with your withdrawal!

Perry

Day 6..... not feeling any different than day 5. I'm really surprised how long this dizzy sensation has lasted. This Cymbalta is really some strong stuff. Can't wait to get off this med for sure! Well , not much to say today. As promised, I will post again tomorrow. Oh one more thing....GO SAINTS!!!! Have a great day!

Perry

Day 7...I woke up today feeling better! I won't say the dizzy, brain zappy feeling is gone but it is definitely much less so far today! I am feeling some depression today but I allways feel a little bit of that on Sunday's....long story. I'm gonna try to carry on positive self talk today to help get rid of the blue feelings... might be hard cause it's a cloudy, rainy day here... but hey... I'm not complaining as long as my heads feeling better! Another day closer to my goal ! If your considering weaning off Cymbalta... talk to your Doctor first.... You Can Do It !!!

Perry

My problem has always been that I get to feeling good and think that I don't need the meds anymore. As I come off of them, I get all pi**y, grumpy, start not getting along with people, feeling agitated, mad at the world, mad at God, and all that goes away when I'm on the meds. I've gone off meds twice with bad results so I'm coming to terms with the fact I may be a lifer. :-|

Erin

Erin, sounds like your meds are working for you... which is a very good thing. :) My problem is that I'm tired of the side effects my meds cause. Plus even when I'm on my meds I still have depression and agoraphobia. I wish I could find a med that worked for me. Don't get down on yourself if you turn out to be a lifer... be happy you found an answer. Remember... everyone is different... and that's ok! It's a good thing! Have a great day....

Perry

Day 8… and wouldn’t you know it….The fuzzy head, brain zappy feeling is back full force! I wouldn’t have it any other way…LOL As you can see; my sense of humor remains intact. Overall, yesterday was a good day, with a few twists in the end. About an hour before I went to bed a craving came over me. Strange as this may sound, I was craving the dopey feeling that my meds normally provided me at that time of night. I wasn’t anxious or jittery, just had a wanting feeling. I guess that’s the way an alcoholic feels when they need a drink. I couldn’t wait till it was time to take my last Xanax of the day. (I take a .5 mg tablet right before bedtime.) Well the feeling kind of stayed with me till I went to sleep. After an hour or so of sleeping I was jolted awake by a major panic attack. On a scale of 1 to 10, I would give it a ten. I couldn’t recall any bad dreams when I awoke so I’m pretty convinced it was a panic attack. Thankfully it passed very quickly. It’s been a long time since that has happened. I don’t know what caused it. After I went back to sleep, I slept pretty well the rest of the night. Hope tonight is better. Guess we will have to wait and see! So until tomorrow… hope you have a good day.

Perry

well it sounds like you have a very good attitude about it... keep us posted!

Day 10 here and again I’m starting out the day feeling pretty good. Had a relatively restful night of sleep… seems the horrific nightmares I had every night while on 60 mgs are no longer be an issue. Thank God! My wife says I even laughed in my sleep last night! I was considering dropping my dose from 30mg to 15 mgs starting tomorrow but that might change. With Gustav threatening to become a hurricane again and possibly moving into the Gulf of Mexico, I think it might be best to wait a few more days. I want to feel my best if it heads this way. Due to my agoraphobia, I rode out Hurricane Katrina and survived…but surviving its aftermath with the extreme heat and living conditions took a lot of work and was very taxing physically and mentally. I’m glad to see the amount of replies my posts are receiving. It really feels good to know other people care. I hope I am helping others. Your support is definitely helping me and I deeply appreciate it! Thank you everyone. Hope your day is full of cheer!

Sincerely,

Perry