I guess I'm looking for some reassurance that I'm not totally nuts by posting this here, since I'm having a hard time telling even my closest friends about what's going on with me.

I started Cymbalta about two weeks ago, and I thought everything was fine. I yawned a lot, but it didn't make me throw up like every other depression/GAD medicine I've tried so far has, so I was sure I had no other side-effects. I was very numb all of the time, to the point that I found myself miming emotions to convince myself and my family and friends that everything was normal. The medicine took away the crippling pains I get in my bones from depression, so I didn't want to stop it. But at one point during the second week, I had a massive breakdown that's never happened to me before. I was ridiculously happy and hyper for about an hour, almost literally bouncing off the walls, and then suddenly, I just broke down. I sat outside on my balcony for a long time, and then started crying hysterically. When my mom asked me what was wrong, the only thing I could tell her was that I was extremely lonely and I felt like my skin was keeping me trapped and I didn't want it anymore. I scratched my arms raw trying to get it off. Eventually, I stopped everything -- scratching, crying, talking, moving -- and just laid on my couch in the fetal position for something like an hour. And then I was okay. Two nights later, I woke my mom up at around 1 in the morning to come sit with me because I was lonely again, and I ended up crying until around 3. My mom called the doctor that morning, and he told me to stop taking the pills immediately, and that after I've been off them for two weeks, we'll try something new.

Since being off the pills, my mind has gotten foggy, I'm feeling extremely sluggish and unmotivated, and I feel more depressed than I have in a long time. I forget what I'm talking about in the middle of a sentence, which is really bothering me, since the person I've been talking to the most lately is my brother, who is also struggling with depression, and leaving him hanging in the middle of a sentence of encouragement makes me feel awful. I've also been extremely irritable, and find myself angry a lot. Even my best friend has told me I've been straight-up mean lately, and while she told me she blames it on the medicine, it still bothers her. I'm totally unmotivated lately, too. I'm a total video game nerd, and even though a game I've been waiting six months for came out at the end of last month, I have hardly played since starting this medicine -- it's like my enthusiasm for anything is totally gone.

I don't know what I'm looking for. Reassurance, I guess, or someone to tell me I'm not alone, because I feel like I am.

Dixie Wolf, I'm sorry that you had such a terrible reaction to Cymbalta. I think what you're going through now are the side effects from stopping taking it. They seem to last awhile for some people.
Your being angry and mean is a side effect of the medication. Anger is an emotion that I've never been able to express and now can. (I had to learn how to handle that.)
Iowa

I'm on my first week without Cymbalta after being on a Budiprion/Cymbalta combo since 2006 and it is not fun. I went down from 60 mgs to 30 mgs 1 x daily for one week then 30 mgs every other day for another week. This is my first week (4th day) w/o Cymbalta and I feel awful. Some of the symptoms I'm experiencing are brain zaps, lack of concentration, random bouts of verbal aggressive anger, nausea, shifting and unstable vision (seeing trails). I'm 11 weeks pregnant, so my psychiatrist thought it would be best to slowly cease the Cymbalta, but stay with Budiprion. I have an appointment tomorrow with psych and I might be Rxed Prozac, but unsure of dosage.
I'm aware that I'm going through a lot, including hormones, but I know my body and this does not feel right. I purposely get up four hours before my regular wake-up time so I can have a bowl of cereal and take my medication (300 mgs Budiprion) just so I don't have a banging headache in the morning.

When do these terrible dc sx go away?????

~~~crazykidd~~~~~

Congratulations on your pregnancy, crazykidd! I'm sure that being pregnant isn't helping withdrawal. Hang in there and see what your psychiatrist comes up with.
There's a Cymbalta Withdrawal Topic a few topics down from yours. You might find some information on how long it takes for the symptoms to subside. Be well and take care of yourself!
Iowa