Please seriously reconsider starting Duloxetine!
Posted , 5 users are following.
My friend is writing this for me because I cannot. To anyone considering starting Duloxetine... Please take a moment to hear my story. I am in the midst of the most hellish period of my life EVER due to withdraw symptoms from Duloxetine. And I've been through quite a bit! I need to feel like somehow I can help save at least one person from this nightmare I'm going through. There are many other drugs with similar benefits and less likely hood of these serious issues. I realize some people have positive results, but the risk and chance of experiencing what I am is not worth it! From the deepest part of my heart and care for fellow human beings... Please research and talk extensively with your Dr before making such an important decision!!! You have other options. Please know I'm not overreacting when I say this drug has taken over my life... my mental, emotional and physically wellbeing have taken a huge hit for the worse and I'm terrified I will be stuck in this state for weeks, months or longer. I'm a very capable, independent and a roll with the punches kind of woman. For the last 3 weeks I have felt completely the opposite and my life is suffering for it. Im a single mom of a teenager and my daughter had has to suffer through watching me struggle through this. Im afraid I may lose my job because I can barely put a full complete thought together, or remember half of what is going on around me. All of the withdrawal stories you hear are basically what I'm experiencing... the physical discomfort, exhaustion, the severe emotional mood swings, the brain zaps (which I find the most horrific when they wake me up out of my sleep at night) the inability to think a normal daily though all the way through without confusion at some point, the dizziness, sweating, diarreah, and again more confusion etc etc etc. The list goes on and on. Seriously, this is all a million times worse than the issues I had to begin with when I decided to start taking Duloxetine. It was prescribed for depression, anxiety and ocular migraines. My Dr, my neurologist and even the emergency Drs don't know what to do to help me. One suggested that if I continue to feel worse, I should check myself into an inpatient psyc/detox facility so I can heal without so much struggle or pressure to function. If anyone wants to roll the dice and possibly sign up for this, read this post again and please reconsider. It could derail your entire life. I really and truly hope this helps someone. My heart goes out to everyone who has been through this or is going through this tight now. Thanks for reading.
0 likes, 4 replies
flyntheointment Guest
Posted
Sounds horrible. I had great success coming off of it with the help of just a week's worth of valium and 2 weeks of Hydroxine and antihistamine.. He also gave me Dramamine for nausea but I never needed it. I was having some of your symptoms and that is what my doctor gave me, after the 1st week on these I felt sedated but much much better. It also let me sleep which was the biggest problem I was having and the combination of good restful sleep and the valium taking the edge off, I got through it. Hopefully you have a doctor who can help you like mine.
CAN_T_SLEEP Guest
Posted
Having just read Lindsey13847s post I am having a mild anxiety attack. I want to come off my Duloxetine 30mg which I have been on for about 6/7 months I think, (side effects are getting worse as time goes on i.e. sweating, dizziness, massive weight gain (3 stone) and mood swings) but her response has scared me. It took me long enough to agree to go on them but I am on the road to recovery now. Im on them for ptsd symptoms due to emergency surgery. Im not quite ready to come off then just yet and I know this because just reading her post caused breathing problems. Your post gave me hope but you also made it sound too easy. Can I ask you how long you were on them for and at what dosage. Thank you in advance.
UKSteve CAN_T_SLEEP
Posted
Please see my other response.
It is unhelpful for you to be seeing negative reviews like that especially so early on in Treatment when you are at your most vulnerable.
I suggest you ignore it because its not necessarily going to happen to you.
Google "good reviews on duloxetine" and you will see many more positive and hopefully more inspirational posts for you too feel confident that this will work for you and if not it won't be a catastrophe.
UKSteve Guest
Posted
Many people get good efficacy with Duloxetine for depression or pain most with manageable side effects and manageable weening off.
Of course some percentage will be kess suited I'm experience negative side effects from mild to severe including weaning off and withdrawal.
Unfortunately this is a possibility not just with duloxetine but with all antidepressants and in fact with all medications and Pharmaceuticals.
When the FDA approved medications they do various rigorous testing before they put medications on the market.
I'm afraid it's quite irresponsible to come on here screaming at people to avoid the medication just because you've been one of the unlucky ones this is dangerous and can put people off a medication that could be very helpful to them.
With all due respect the decisions should be left to psychiatrist doctors and the experts who approve these medications.
I appreciate you may have had a bad time but this won't be the case for everybody.
There is no one size fits all.
By all means provide useful resource for information such as the side effects and the impact it has had on you that's what these forums are for
but I don't think you're in a position to be screaming at people about avoiding a drug saying it's hell on earth because as I said before that isn't the case necessarily.