Seizures and Cymbalta

Anyone else have seizures possibly caused or triggered by taking Cymbalta?

I've had seizures fairly regularly for two and a half years during the period I was taking Cymbalta. My doctor assured me that the Cymbalta had nothing to do with seizures, yet I found information to the contrary on Internet sites that the drug can act as a trigger for seizures, if not as a cause. Finally I took myself off the drug, after I reached the point I couldn't endure the zombification the drug causes. Now I feel better in general AND the seizures have diminished. I have not had one for almost three weeks, which is better than I have done in the two years since they began.

I don't have any personal experience, but have read repeatedly that a side-effect of Cymbalta is seizures, too.

ori...you are having seizures and allowing them to go untreated? and...what kindof seizures are you having...peit mal or grand mal? does your doctor not mention to you that the fact having seizures necessitates you to seek treatment for them?

do not allow yourself to experience seizures for no reason...fix it as it is probably a very simple thing.

shitt shitt ori...i have had petit mal seizures for many many years. fix it guy or is all your fault, not this cymbalta thing.

johnbc wrote:ori...you are having seizures and allowing them to go untreated? and...what kindof seizures are you having...peit mal or grand mal? does your doctor not mention to you that the fact having seizures necessitates you to seek treatment for them?

do not allow yourself to experience seizures for no reason...fix it as it is probably a very simple thing.

shitt shitt ori...i have had petit mal seizures for many many years. fix it guy or is all your fault, not this cymbalta thing.

Hello johnbc

I have grand mal seizures.

I've been in hospital three times for diagnostic tests over the two years plus that I've had problems and have consulted several different doctors about them. Under their direction, I've tried a number of different anti-seizures meds, none of which helped.

After I stopped taking Cymbalta which I was taking not as anti seizure medication but for another problem, I did see a drop in the number and severity of seizures.

anti-seizure meds must be taken at times prescribes and never missed. when i first had seizures at 17 years of age i experienced grand mal seizures and settled on taking dylantin. as few years went by i no longer had the full grand mal seizures, my seizures were only the small little kind (petit mal) where i began taking carbamezapine....i take carbamezipine XR at the moment which is very effective.

mm...omg though. i remember the grand mal seizures guy...wow. i recall such a feeling of hopelessness and dread subsequent to a full grand mal. well ok...been a long time since to have a grand mal.

hope you find a resolve or at least a better state of seizure control.

Cymbalta can absolutely cause seizures. In fact, if you check the list of side effects for pretty much all SNRI's (like Cymbalta) and all SSRI's (Prozac, Paxil, etc., etc., etc.,), they all list seizures as a potential side effect. In addition to seizures, my daughter had many of the other horrifying side effects of this medication even though she was only on it for a couple months. After a year of pure hell, she was diagnosed with PTSD, brought on by those side effects. That was 5 years ago; she has gone from being a successful nurse and an outgoing, physically/mentally/emotional healthy individual to someone who lives with severe anxiety, panic, flashbacks--all the misery of PTSD. And the real horror? She was put on Cymbalta because an urgent care doctor and a P.S. misdiagnosed her attack of pancreatitis as "stress" and told her to take a hot bath and see a therapist. Thankfully, when she experienced a second attack, she insisted they do some tests and they discovered the real problem before she died from a wrong diagnosis. Her new doctor realized what was happening with the Cymbalta and told her to stop taking it immediately, then told her to go back to the therapist who had prescribed it and tell her she needed some Xanax to help her get through the withdrawal (since one is supposed to wean slowly off Cymbalta). Her therapist's response? She accused her of drug seeking, even though she was simply doing what her doctor had told her to do. By then, the damage was done. After happily being on her own for 9 years, she has now lost her career, her social life, and her ability to function in most public settings due to panic attacks. I have a serious chronic illness and know from much personal experience that doctors rarely know squat about the side effects of the stuff they prescribe.

Look at this

Depression Hurts, Cymbalta Hurts More!

http://www.youtube.com/user/randomthoughts31/videos

Great videos by person hurt by Cymbalta.