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Cymbalta will cure everything!

Discussion in 'Support Subforum' started by jamejamesjames1, May 16, 2020.

  1. jamejamesjames1

    jamejamesjames1 Peer Supporter

    I'm being tongue in cheek and I know the answers.most would give...

    But I've been hearing lots of people say cymbalta helps with anxiety depression and pain and does so really well.

    I've been on this mind body approach for months for little to show for it. While I believe nothing physical is happening it is tempting if a pill.could ease my brain...

    Anyone out there with experience? I'm leaning towards no but.... Just putting it out there
     
  2. miffybunny

    miffybunny Beloved Grand Eagle

    This is just my personal opinion but if a person's anxiety level is so high that it inhibits reasoning and sleep (they are in constant fight or flight), then an antidepressant can be a tool in the tool box for doing the TMS work. It's not something to be taken for pain relief but rather to normalize mood and thoughts (less rumination and obsessive thought patterns). I have taken Prozac on and off since 1992 and it helps me to feel more even and normalized. One can choose other tools such as meditation or yoga of course, but in some cases an antidepressant can help a person through a rough patch. I've spoken to people whose anxiety was so high that I felt as if nothing I was saying was even registering because the anxiety (or even depression/despair) was so overwhelming.
     
    Ellen likes this.
  3. Dorado

    Dorado Beloved Grand Eagle

    I am going to be completely honest with you because I wish my doctors had been with me. Antidepressants can certainly work for some people and that’s great, but I rarely recommend starting with SNRIs such as Cymbalta, Effexor, and Pristique. SNRIs have have very short half lives (average = 12 to 13 hours versus Prozac’s 4 to 6 days with long-term use) and also target norepinephrine in addition to serotonin (Prozac, Zoloft, etc. are SSRIs and only affect serotonin). Because of this, SNRIs can be harder to discontinue. My intention is not to tell you that it’ll definitely be harder for you, because some people are fine, but it is something to be aware of before you make a decision. If you do want to try an antidepressant, I’d recommend asking for genetic testing to see what you’re compatible with (if possible - I know it may not be right now) and also requesting something with a longer half life. It’s definitely possible to come off Cymbalta and I’m proof of that, but I really dislike how the medical system isn’t upfront about this because it gave me unnecessary stress.

    If you’ve tried everything else possible and truly need an antidepressant to help you relax for a bit as you do the TMS work, that is totally fine. Personally, I wish my doctors had worked with me to find something else because other relaxation methods worked much better for my personal situation - different things for different people. But there’s no shame in combining antidepressants with TMS work if they benefit someone. If you do end up taking Cymbalta and eventually wish to come off of it, consider asking your doctor about switching to Prozac and then tapering because Prozac apparently makes the taper process easier given its longer half life. Regardless, ask your doctor if they’ve helped patients taper off Cymbalta in the past and let them know that having a plan is important to you, should you ever want to stop.
     
    TG957 likes this.
  4. miffybunny

    miffybunny Beloved Grand Eagle

    That's what I love about Prozac! Imo, the pharmaceutical companies came out with imitations of Prozac...zoloft, celexa, lexapro etc. so doctors started pushing those. I also have a suspicion that there's a stigma with Prozac and somehow "celexa" etc. "sounds better" (I could be wrong about this but it's my theory) but Prozac has ben around the longest. If I forget a dose, it's not a big deal and getting off it has never been an issue for me.
     
    Dorado likes this.
  5. Dorado

    Dorado Beloved Grand Eagle

    @miffybunny, it really is true that Prozac has a better track record of patients having more flexibility to come on and off of it as needed! I’m really glad it helped you. I wish I had requested Prozac when my doctors recommended Cymbalta, and if I needed an antidepressant, Prozac would be the one I’d ask for personally! Also, with regard to pain, the fact that you had CRPS (one of the most painful conditions ever) and benefitted from Prozac helping you relax to do the TMS work is super hopeful.
     
    miffybunny likes this.
  6. Reece87

    Reece87 New Member

    I know this is an old post, but I have been debating taking an antidepressant while doing TMS work. I took Lexapro for a couple months about 7 years ago and after tapering off, I developed PGAD and along with weird UTI like symptoms. I was in pain/discomfort and totally freaked out about the PGAD for a few months and had little help from Doctors. I only linked stopping Lexapro with PGAD after researching online. It eventually went away, but I continued to have pelvic pain/tension symptoms. I found physical therapy helpful for these and although I was starting to feel better I was still pretty anxious about these symptoms, working a high stress job, and helping take care of my mom who was in the early stages of Dementia and unable to drive, pay bills, etc. My father passed away when I was a kid so was her main caretaker/decision maker. At only 26 I really was kind of lost in how to manage all this. As soon as I was starting to feel for like myself with pelvic pain/PGAD, I developed a new symptoms- constant tingling on the bottom of my feet. I researched health stuff like crazy- I know- awful to do. I was worried about MS, and was referred to a neurologist. After an MRI and other neurological testing they said it was not MS, but couldn’t give me an explanation. Over the next few months I had random nerve like stabbing pains in my body that would come and go. For a month, I had sharp ear pain that would go and go throughout the day. Shortly after this I developed aching pain in my four front bottom teeth that was sharp when talking. This has been the most stubborn and troubling symptom. I saw a facial pain specialist who seemed to think it was central sensitization from all the pain things/stress I had experienced. I tried amitriptyline for a few months- it took the edge off the pain, but certainly didn’t eliminate it. The pain specialist moved, and the hospital didn’t replace her so I eventually weaned off the amitriptyline. This pain has continued for the last 6 years. Some days it drives me crazy and I just want it all to go away. I hadn’t had any new long lasting symptoms since that one over the last 6 years other than weird nerve sensations that would come and go after a few days, until January this year. I was in physical therapy pelvic floor dysfunction( not bad, but flares up every now and then) when I had a burning sensation around my mouth. It quickly spread to the rest of my face. I jumped up and looked the mirror and my face, chest, and back were bright red and burning. I took Benadryl and went to the ER where they gave me IV steroids and assumed it was an allergic reaction. I had terrible anxiety for a few weeks from all this and the steroids. I had another flushing episode when taking a hot bath. The flushing seems to be triggered by heat as the first time I had a really hot heating pad on my stomach. This was about 2 months ago and I haven’t had any severe flushing episodes since then, but I have been having this sensation of a sunburn on my back, neck and chest- it’s almost like my clothes are more irritating. The weirdest part is how my skin has been in the sun. I have always tanned easily and loved being out in the sun. All the sudden, after these flushing episodes, my skin feels sensitive (like being in the sun with a sunburn) and will get red and blotchy within minutes of direct sunlight. At the beginning of this I went to an allergist who diagnosed it as hives, but I’m having trouble wrapping my head around it being hives. Especially with the heat intolerance. I have to admit, I feel like I’ve been in survival mode the last seven years with a stressful job, my moms declining health, my weird undiagnosable nerve symptoms, and daily stresses everyone experiences. I am wondering if this could all be stress related and am seeing a therapist. I am scared of taking an antidepressant again after Lexapro side effects (I was only taking amitriptyline at a really lose dose a few years ago so I wasn’t as worried about that- I would have continued if it didn’t make my heart beat faster). @miffybunny and @Dorado do you feel like you could have healed without antidepressants? I can understand all the other symptoms being TMS, but I’m having a hard time with flushing and skin sensitivity to heat and the sun- it just seems so extreme. I would really appreciate any thoughts you have. Thank you so much in advance. I have read some of your posts and am so happy y’all have found healing.
     
  7. Reece87

    Reece87 New Member

    Sorry- I didn’t realize how long this was until I posted!
     
  8. miffybunny

    miffybunny Beloved Grand Eagle

    It sounds like you are in a state of high anxiety and your various symptoms are simply somatized anxiety. Personally I have been on (and off) Prozac since 1991, so it's hard to say how much of a role it played. I definitely think it would have been harder without it because it does regulate my mood and helps me to ruminate a lot less. I think it's worth trying a different med in the SSRI class (like Prozac or Zoloft) BUT you have to give it a chance. You can't start freaking out about side effects and looking things up online because then you just end up with a nocebo effect. Basically you psyche yourself out of letting the med help you. I've never had any side effects at all from Prozac and most people who do get side effects, have mild and transient ones. SSRI's have a much lower side effect profile than other classes of drugs. I've tried many drugs unfortunately during my odyssey through hell...like Neurontin, Lyrica, opiates etc. and they all made feel drunk or high or stupid. With SSRI's, I never had any of that and although I did try Zoloft and celexa , I always go back to Prozac. Works like a charm for me. My sister takes it for PMS and it benefits her as well. Of course we are all different and I'm not an MD, but my point is, your thoughts about the meds are the real issue. You have nothing to lose by trying. You can also certainly get better without meds as well. Many people use meditation or yoga or journaling or other modalities for anxiety reduction and mindfulness.
     
    Last edited: Apr 14, 2021
  9. Reece87

    Reece87 New Member

    @miffybunny thank you so much for taking the time to read my post. I really appreciate you responding- it helps more than you know. You are such an inspiration and I’m so glad you are in a good place now!
     
    miffybunny likes this.
  10. miffybunny

    miffybunny Beloved Grand Eagle

    Thank you so much for the kind words and any time! Anti depressant meds are always an option but more importantly just believe in yourself and your ability to "heal", with or without meds. Everything is possible!
     
    Reece87 likes this.
  11. Reece87

    Reece87 New Member

    Thank you @miffybunny! I really appreciate the support and kind words as well! I can only imagine how many people your uplifting words and positivity have helped in some really dark days!
     
    miffybunny likes this.
  12. Stevendawn1990

    Stevendawn1990 New Member

     
  13. Stevendawn1990

    Stevendawn1990 New Member

     
  14. Lilou

    Lilou Guest

    Hello to all,

    Just for information:

    Some Antidepressants and Permanent or Persistent Genital Arousal Syndrome .

    Serious medical studies prove that during the treatment or at the stop (withdrawal) some antidepressants selective inhibitors of the recapture of the serotonin (ISRS) triggered in certain women a syndrome of persistent or temporary genital excitation = PGAD!
    The concerned drugs are : Venlafaxine, Citalopram or Paroxetine or (more often) during treatment and also when withdrawing from the medication.
    Also involved => Zoloft, Prozac, Cymbalta.
    I think it is important to inform people who take these antidepressants of their side effects and that for some women this triggers permanent or intermittent genital excitement.
    As what it is necessary to be wary of certain substances which there is in these medicamentous treatments: Increases of the rate of the Dopamine = Hormone of the pleasure and other substances and which increases the blood flows at the level of the genitals and more particularly at the clitoris.
    Good news => Most of these women told the specialists that the PGAD stopped a few days or weeks after stopping these antidepressants.

    Sincerely

    (France)
     

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