Beware the Withdrawal Effects of Cymbalta

I've been sailing along for months and months on a cocktail of four bipolar meds and one thyroid med with only two problematic side effects: unceasingly shaky legs and all-but-debilitating chronic exhaustion. So my doctor decided to wean me off of Cymbalta over the last week. Which, in retrospect, was probably not the smartest decision to make at the confluence of tech week for one show, early rehearsals for a second show and the week before I start an exciting new job. Throw in a dreamy new boyfriend and a paternity suit with a traveling stripper and I'd be Maury Povich GOLD right now.

Anyway, I've been off and on more meds than I can count with zero noticeable side effects ever. Until today, when I started getting hit by wave after wave of what I can only try to describe as shivery hot carbonation under my skin. It's like the waves of nausea you get with the flu … only there's no nausea. Plus it's like the prickly head rush and the near blackouts you get when you stand up too fast … only it happens no matter if I'm sitting, standing or lying down. A little Googling of Cymbalta withdrawal tells us this is actually a common side effect, but I was never warned about it. And after a conversation with the on-call psych doctor and a trip to one of the only 24-hour Walgreens in Cedar Rapids, I'm now back on a lower dose of Cymbalta for the time being. So the shows and the job are saved. And if you're a potential dreamy new boyfriend, you know where to find me. I promise that the traveling stripper meant nothing to me.