Yes, I have thoughts, and here they are in this post based on some research I did inspired by Puckett using Cymbalta for pain management.I researched from 1976>2007. Opiates, etc.

Note that AstraZeneca is quoted in my post as wanting to... "AstraZeneca has a goal to become the leading company in pain control"...look out Lilly, ya have company comin' over.

enkephalin: Pain Killers: 1976>2007>AstraZeneca Feels Your Pain.

The whole Cymbalta campaign has been built on the "drug for depression and pain" idea...

It is an absolute disgrace what Lilly are doing, not only are they quite content to exploit "depression", but they are also smugly satisfied with exploiting the aches and pains that go with it...

Just when you think that the pharmaceutical companies can't go any further down the unethical gutter, they come fresh with new ways to con the public ...

If you go to youtube and type in 'Cymbalta, an evil drug' Youtube user dianicwolf, explains her painful and lingering withdrawal off that drug on video.

v=3KdtaFmDTA0

I have recurring neck and middle back pain from several car accidents. An anti-opiate campaign is just pure Pharma at it's finest.

Codeine is the only pharma drug that really makes the pain go away and leaves me with side effects I can handle.

I would never trade it in for a psych med. Especially after hearing one woman's testimonial on withdrawing from it.

free the poppy.

The use of Cymbalta for back pain and other orthopedic pain syndromes is a huge uncontrolled psychiatric experiment. Very few patients find themselves significantly helped, from what I've seen, and many experience side effects from nightmares to thoughts of suicide to disabling fatigue. The scariest thing is that very few of them know they're taking a potent psychoactive drug -- and neither do their orthopedists, family doctors, etc. My observations come from working to help workers' comp clients. THere's been a real upsurge in prescriptions for Cympbalta, and Lyrica as well, for chronic pain resulting from orthopedic injuries. (A few years ago they were all being given Neurontin, but then Neurontin lost its patent.) One young construction worker told me simply that he'd stopped taking Cymbalta because "it just f--ed with my head too much."

I wish someone could stop this experiment. If not, I wish someone in the medical profession with brains and guts would at least study it. A large population of people without a prior psychiatric diagnosis are now taking large doses of a questionable antidepressant. If they're having problems, it's hard to write them off as products of the underlying "devastating mental illness."

Johanna said "If they're having problems, it's hard to write them off as products of the underlying "devastating mental illness."

Unfortunately, I don't think the establishment will have any trouble at all with this. Psychiatrists have no trouble whatsoever declaring SSRI-induced mania to be a product of "underlying" bipolar disorder. Sure, it never happened *before* we treated you but that's just because we caught your bipolar disorder in a depressive cycle.

I'm sure the same rigorous, scientific reasoning will be applied to whatever these pain patients end up developing.

I was prescribed Cymbalta by my long-time (over 5 years) chronic pain practitioner. Years ago, they tried me on Neurontin and I hated it - having experiences of the sheets wrinkling under my pillow at night causing color episodes behind my eyes. I believe that is called hallucination! And I do NOT have depression. I have pain. I work 40 hours a week as a paralegal in a defense med-mal law office, am a full-time wife and mother of 3. Cymbalta did not help my pain. It did cause me to hold fluid and have weird exotic nightmarish dreams. When I tried to come off it, the trouble REALLY began. It took almost 8 weeks to get completely off and during that time I rarely slept over 45 minutes without waking up, had "twitchy" legs & arms, trouble concentrating, going to sleep while driving, constipation to the point of hospitalization and others. If I had been told of the possible problems with taking the drug, I would never have taken it. This is not a medication to be taken for pain control.

I'm so glad I found you guys! I've had chronic SI problems for years. I've recently been prescribed Neurontin - and it was horrible. I know they're trying to get me off opiates, but making me feel "crazy" isn't the way to go. I had heard that Cymbalta had "potential" as a pain med and was about to suggest it to my doctor instead of the Neurontin. (Just to demonstrate that I'm "cooperating.") Now, not only will I not suggest it, I will resist the suggestion if HE makes it. Thanks so much.

I've been on cymbalta for about a year now and I have to say it has helped me. It has not relieved my pain as much as a true pain reliever but has helped and has kept my depression at a livable level.I think at a higher level it would help more but I haven't asked. I took myself off it once cold turkey and had no withdrawal at all. I don't see how one person can go through withdrawal so badly and another not. I DO know what withdrawal is. Been there, done that and never want to be in that country again. But not with Cymbalta. It was, one day I was taking it, the next day i'm not. No repercussions at all.

"The undersigned are calling upon Eli Lilly to provide a written detailed description of the moderate to severe withdrawal symptoms that patient's are experiencing while trying to discontinue their use of Cymbalta."

Please, sign the petition online:
http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/Cymbalta1/

For those who are not lucky enough to withdraw that easily there's a support group:

http://www.cymbaltawithdrawal.com/

Tue Apr 01, 2008 11:20 am
"Hang in there Jeff....

Its a very rough road, but as you can see from the people on here, its possible to get off this stuff successfully. Try to remember what you were like before the Cymbalta - without the rage - and know that someday you will return to that. Reassure yourself that it is the Cymbalta, and not you. I know that doesnt make it much better...but at least you know that the real you isnt this mad, angry person.

I am down to 1.8mg today - down from 60mg. The last couple days have been torture with the mood swings. I am angry, irritable, irrational, and physically want to hurt people that annoy me further. I am trying to realize this will pass and to just stay away from people. This is NOT me. Ive never been an overly calm person, but I certainly have never been this type of enraged person prior to Cymbalta Withdrawal. I am snapping at people and not tolerable to anything or anyone...including myself. I hate being this way, and I hate who I have become on this stuff. I fear how bad it will get once I get down to 0mg - which should be Friday."

"TTue Apr 01, 2008 2:02 pm
Thank you for the encouragement, I need it! Thank you also for reminding me that it is not me that is causing this rage and anger and wanting to hurt others. I am not sure what the doctor will say tomorrow but whatever it is the final word will be I am getting off this Cymbalta. I will keep logging onto this board and venting. I feel this is the only place I have to go that people understand what I am going through. My wife is supportive but does not understand, she has had medical training and even worked in a psych unit at San Francisco General, she tries to understand but doesn't. Here I know others have actually walked the walk and understand how this drug is controlling our thoughts and our actions. This could make a good sci fy movie of aliens invading us through prescription drugs, taking over the world through Cymbalta. Cymbalta spelled backwards is actually the name of an Alien planet far far away called "Atlabmyc". At least I have some sense of humor now and then."

http://www.cymbaltawithdrawal.com/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=170