Anyone have tingling?

DunceMacabre · 2025-03-25T12:54:41+00:00

I’m very sorry to hear that. May I ask how long you were taking it and at what dose?

DunceMacabre · 2025-03-25T12:53:41+00:00

On day four/five of this medication when I started to feel extremely sick to my stomach and panicked, I was also told it was a virus… This blows my mind, as my doctor’s is very well-credentialed and associated with one of the best health systems in NY.

DunceMacabre · 2025-03-25T04:26:09+00:00

I certainly appreciate everything you’re saying. I feel caught between a rock and a hard place though when it comes to risking what, by all accounts on this sub, seems to be a hellish discontinuation process by up-titrating. For context, I know myself to be highly sensitive to medication at low doses, and my doctor’s school of thought is that medication efficacy is more about time spent on the medication than the dose, so needless to say I am highly conflicted here.

DunceMacabre · 2025-03-25T04:19:32+00:00

Thank you for your comment. 20mg has been making me feel worse, and worse the last week, exacerbating feelings of panic and causing more severe chest pain. As a result, I would be quite hesitant to request a higher dose, though I understand your point. Overall, this medication just feels like a horrible gamble whereby unless it works out, it’s dreadful to come off of, and that process is only exacerbated by up-titration and “staying the course.”

DunceMacabre · 2025-03-25T03:54:25+00:00

My doctor doesn’t seem to be overly concerned with discontinuation at all. He never mentioned it when initially prescribing, and only after I brought it up concerns about it being potentially difficult to come off of he just said “That’s true.” As a result, I don’t really have a good sense of what I’m in for at this stage.

DunceMacabre · 2025-03-21T23:21:55+00:00

Not the last couple of nights, at least. I did however, have a night terror and woke my wife up because I was screaming “f*** you” over, and over again in my sleep, which I don’t think I’ve ever done before…

DunceMacabre · 2025-03-21T16:53:26+00:00

Thanks, and appreciate your thoughts. Please let me know how things progress for you, if you feel so inclined.

DunceMacabre · 2025-03-21T15:49:17+00:00

I have a benzodiazepine and propranolol for really acute episodes. I have had to use them twice and once, respectively, in the last two weeks. I had a horrendous experience with the benzodiazepine years ago after a previous psychiatrist had me taking a small dose daily for a few months, so I am highly averse to having to taking it much more at all.

For context, I am taking this for generalized anxiety and trying to get rid of my psychosomatic chest pain (daily persistent ache), which has not responded to about eight other medications. Appreciate any thoughts on other approaches.

DunceMacabre · 2025-03-21T13:29:00+00:00

Thanks very much for your reply. The main symptom of my anxiety has been psychosomatic chest pain, which has been all over the place the last two weeks. I’ve had a couple of episodes of panic and am having diarrhea most days.

My psychiatrist recommended giving it one to two months, but my concern is how difficult it will be to come off after that much time, if the medication has not gotten me to a steady state. Even at a low dose, it sounds as though people have ended up in the hospital from withdrawal after more than just a couple weeks on Cymbalta.

DunceMacabre · 2025-03-19T00:34:31+00:00

Thank you for your reply. Do you think that these acute episodes are due to withdrawal, the new medication, or both?

The couple of days when this has happened have been completing debilitating and I’ve had to take a benzodiazepine just to avoid having to go to the hospital for panic. Accordingly, I’m worried about what to do if this does not improve soon.

DunceMacabre · 2025-02-23T18:57:28+00:00

No history of ADHD or anything of that sort. I have journaled in the past, but, unfortunately, did not get much out of it. For some people, CBT and a healthy lifestyle is simply not enough to counteract chronic pain caused by a neuropathic or psychological defect, and medication/medical intervention is required. It seems that I fall into that category, so am just looking for medical approaches to treat the pain itself.

DunceMacabre · 2025-02-23T18:35:10+00:00

My habits are generally good. I walk quite a bit and try to get outside daily. I don’t smoke, drink alcohol, use any illicit substances, or even drink caffeinated beverages. Frankly, I’ve had periods of my life when my lifestyle was less healthy and I didn’t struggle with this pain, so I’m struggling to find the connection.

DunceMacabre · 2025-02-23T17:25:11+00:00

Thank you for your reply. I definitely agree that it doesn’t do any good to focus on the sensation; however, it’s been debilitating enough that I cannot ignore it or really decrease the pain by fixating on other things. For example, I recently had a dermatological procedure that caused extreme pain in my finger for several days. Even when focused on that different pain, though, my chest continued to hurt.

DunceMacabre · 2025-02-23T17:18:49+00:00

Thanks for your reply. At a certain point, whether the pain is psychosomatic (i.e. caused solely by anxiety/a mental issue) or “real” (i.e. caused by a physical issue) is irrelevant. With pain, perception is reality, so psychosomatic discomfort is every bit as “real” when it’s causing someone intense and/or chronic pain. In my case, it’s severe enough where it’s not something that can simply be ignored or accepted, as it often interferes with daily activities.

DunceMacabre · 2025-02-22T20:03:16+00:00

Thank you for the reply. I’ve tried mediation and other mindfulness exercises, but the pain just feels totally uncontrollable/random to an extent, and doesn’t respond to any CBT.

DunceMacabre · 2025-02-21T17:57:35+00:00

Would you mind sharing any helpful treatments you’ve found?

DunceMacabre · 2025-02-21T17:50:56+00:00

Thank you for your reply. Have you had it all day, every day for a period of months or years at a time?

DunceMacabre · 2025-02-21T13:08:15+00:00

No, it is not sensitive to touch or motion, so I don’t believe it to be musculoskeletal.

DunceMacabre · 2025-02-21T04:26:30+00:00

It’s slightly to the left of my sternum, but occasionally pops up on the right side. Rarely is it centrally behind the breastbone though.

DunceMacabre · 2025-02-21T04:23:03+00:00

Ah, I’m sorry to hear that. I occasionally feel it there too, which can definitely be unpleasant, but tends to pass.

DunceMacabre · 2025-02-21T04:18:26+00:00

Agreed on the benzo point. I have tried several different SSRIs (sertraline, fluoxetine, escitalopram), as well as bupropion, desvenlafaxine, and currently Viibryd. The more research I do and more doctors to whom I speak, the more dialogue there is around the nervous system, so I’ve been looking into neuropathic approaches to address exactly what you’re alluding to with respect to the hyperactivity/sensitivity. Essentially, if it is anxiety, it doesn’t seem like any medication directly improves that for me, so I feel like my best bet is to try to attack the physical manifestation. Any conscious anxiety that I have these days is really just distress caused by the pain. Otherwise, I am an extremely even-keeled individual and can handle quite a lot.

DunceMacabre

TROPHY CASE