Cymbalta withdrawal??

[eddie z.]

I've had that tooth-gritting with Nardil and the nightmares with Nardil and others. The nightmares were part of why I stopped the Nardil, if I recall correctly. I still have a lot of nightmares, but I don't get violent in my sleep, so I'm staying with what I'm on now.

It is harder to lose weight as we get older generally. And while one may not just automatically drop pounds after stopping medication, it should be EASIER to lose than if you were to keep taking it. Plus you at least stop gaining.

I've sort of plateaued since I got off the Cymbalta, but I expect it to take some effort to actually lose any weight and I just haven't been willing to make the necessary changes. I am exercising more and harder; I just need to change my diet now.

Stay in touch, Dian, and best wishes!! I have to get ready for work now. Have a great day!
Love and hugs,
Eddie

[shutterbug]

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[eddie z.]

Thank you, Jenna!!

I hope Dian is doing well.

I recently found out that I have diabetes and had to get serious about losing weight. I've already lost nine pounds on the South Beach Diet and with the exercising more including Metabolic Effect exercise classes 3 times a week. I'm getting ready to go to Gold's Gym now to meet with a trainer and start their Body Success program. So, it is possible to lose weight once off the meds. It just takes more effort than I was previously willing to make.

And how are you?

Love and hugs,
Eddie

[shutterbug]

Wow...Eddie! Me too....borderline diabetic is what they said just last month. Once I learned just a little about it so much makes sense now.

Now I can feel when I have eaten something bad...and I don't like how it feels...what a great motivator to get healthy!!!

Last year I had dropped 40 pounds befpre going into the hospital the first time and then sugar cravings started going through the rough. I quickly gained it all back and got up to my highest of 237....that was several months ago. I'm down to 215 now so I only have 20 more to be back down to what I was before my break down....and with the changes I making and things I'm learning...I'm praying that I can get much, much lower and stay there!

what kinds of things have you mostly changed about your diet now? I mean, what are your staple foods now...if you don't mind me asking?

[eddie z.]

Did you gain all that weight on Cymbalta? The drug rep tried to tell me the other day that they're not seeing much weight gain with Cymbalta. BS!! Of course he would say that; he has to try to sell the stuff.

I am on Phase I of the South Beach Diet (kind of) until Tuesday. The first phase is just two weeks and it's like a sugar/carb detox diet. Lean proteins and some vegetables, nothing starchy. So it's lots of eggs, lean meats, lowfat dairy, and salads. I make a concoction of reduced fat ricotta cheese, peanut butter, Splenda, sugar-free chocolate syrup, and mixed nuts often for a meal. I forgot I can have nuts, too, in Phase I.

I'll be going to Phase II on Tuesday and I can't remember what I can add back in at that point, but I think it's like whole grains and some fruits. I really can't remember what the difference between Phase II and Phase III is. It's been so long since I read the book. But I joined the South Beach Diet online, so I can review my choices there. I'll let you know when I've figured it out.

Love and hugs,
Eddie

P.S. Maybe I should start a different thread devoted to meds and weight gain/loss?

[shutterbug]

NO....actually I was only on Cymbalta for a short while...
I think it had more to do with the mood stabalizers and the anti-psychotic I was on for a while too.

[eddie z.]

I see. Yeah, a lot of those can cause weight gain, too.

I did start a new thread here on the Mental Health board. Check it out!

Love and hugs,
Eddie

[darian]

Hi, everybody! I've been doing pretty good without meds. I don't think I will be writing any more because I do this at work and I don't have much time. Thank you all for your input and support. God bless you. Dian

[eddie z.]

(((((Dian))))),
You're most welcome!! Glad you are doing well, too!! We'll miss you!! Check in every now and then, OK?

Thank you for the link, Rebecca!! And WELCOME to SR!! I'll have to check that link out when I have more time, though. Right now I still have more threads to answer.

Love and hugs,
Eddie

[sprytle]

My first pregnancy, I tapered off the right way, reducing the number of balls in the capsule by 5% each day or less over the first four weeks. My son is perfectly normal with no sign of any problems from me taking Cymbalta in the first trimester. I had absolutely NO side effect and wondered if I even needed the drug at all. THEN- for the second pregnancy, I decided that I didn't need to taper off so slowly and cut the dosage by four over a period of two weeks - NOT PRETTY. I had extreme anger, depression and mood swings and I am a VERY patient person under normal circumstances, even before taking SSRIs. There were no other issues in life to cause such stress, I just should have tapered off more slowly. I know it's a pain to count the little balls, but it is worth it. To weigh in my opinion on the effects to pregnancy, if you quit within the first trimester, starting from the day you discover you are pregnant, there are no adverse affects on the baby and your natural "happy" hormones kick in to compensate for not taking an SSNRI. Granted there were definitely unhappy hormones at play as well, but something kicked in that made me generally mellow all throughout my pregnancy. Maybe it was the realization that the aggrevations of everyday life are not that important when compared to the new task at hand. When I used to have paranoid assumptions about my boss when off the SSRIs in the past, I had an amazing tolerance during pregnancy. When the pregnancy was over though, back to the Cymbalta for sure! It's an amazing solution. Zoloft was also my solution for 11 years previous to the Cymbalta, is just started to get tired and needed the norepinepherine help as well as the serotonin after awhile. Yoga also does wonders if you can find the time.

[eddie z.]

Originally Posted by sprytle

Yoga also does wonders if you can find the time.

Amen to that!! Thank you for sharing, sprytle!! And wow, it's been 2 & 1/2 years since my last post on this thread. I've through many many med changes during that time, but now my antidepressants are Wellbutrin and Celexa. That combo seems to be doing very well right now. I still crave sweets, though I am much better able to resist giving in than I was before. Now I have to go post on the Gratitude List before I fall asleep sitting here.

Love and hugs,
Eddie

[nandm]

Sprytle, welcome to SR and our mental health forum!:ghug2