5 replies to this topic

[blackhawk27]

Listen up and I think you all should. Every person is different and their reactions to withdraws. I had been taking 60mg Cymbalta for about 2 years. A couple months ago I felt like I didn’t need to be on them anymore, so my doc wanted to step down in mgs every couple of weeks. I was going to do that however I started doing research on my own and reading blogs & videos, whitepapers, etc. I will tell you I was scared to hear all the bad stories out there. But on the flip side I heard all the good ones too once they had overcome the drug. So, I decided 10 days ago to stop cold turkey. I took a couple days off work and told my roommate to stay clear of me, if I had gotten moody. Because you know us guys get pissed if something is wrong and we get sick. HA. Anyways, try this (consult a doctor or try at your own risk, as every human on this planet is in some way different) - go out to GNC or a vishop and get 1 bottle of each:

5-HTP 200mg Time Release
L-Tyrosine 500
Vitamin B-6 200
a Multi-”B” vitamin
and Omega 3 with GLA

You will also need 1 can of daily detox tea, 1 comfortable bed, a couple friends, and a couple shots of jagar or couple glasses of your favorite wine (please don’t do if you abuse).

Everyday at the same time, take one pill of each listed above. Get as much rest as you can and drink a cup of hot detox tea- this will rid your liver and kidneys of the toxins, since cymbalta can mess with your liver. Make sure you don’t over sleep as this might make you depressed or a feeling that the withdraws won’t pass. Trust me, they will!! Make sure you go out with your friends or loved ones, if you don’t have those a pet or just sitting outside would be good. Take hot baths, or hot showers (this may increase the vertigo feelings, but may make you feel better on the outside). I don’t drink all the time, but during the weekend my friends forced me to go out and I didn’t feel good at all, which was on the 4th night. I had two shots of jagar and two beers - I felt SO good. NOTE: if you drink out, don’t drive!! A glass of wine or two helps and its good for you, if you want to look at it that way. Keep yourself busy, try not to think about it.

I had heavy vertigo (dizzy) feeling and the brain “buzz” for the first 5 days. My brain felt like jello and had headaches, not hungry, or some days over eating, felt like doing nothing, etc. 6th and 7th day felt pretty good , still had to buzz when looking in a certain direction. by the 10th day I get the buzz if I am playing a video game or watch to much TV on a big screen. But overall people see a HUGE change in me and I like it and feel 150% better, body and soul!

I will say don’t miss taking the vitamins because I think these are a BIG help.
5-HTP: increases serotonin by the enzyme sromatic-L-amino-acid decarboxylase with the help of Vitamin B6 (this is why it is important to get a high dose of B-6 like 200 or 500).
L-Tyrosine: is a starting material for neurotransmitters and increases plasma neurotransmitter levels (particularly dopamine and norepinephrine) and can help with improvements in cognitive and physical performance.
B-6: is involved in many aspects of macronutrient metabolism, neurotransmitter synthesis, histamine synthesis, hemoglobin synthesis and function and gene expression. B-6 is also dependent on enzymes that play a role in the biosynthesis of four important neurotranmsitters: serotonin, epinephrine, norepinephrine and gamma-aminobutyric acid.
Omega-3: fatty acids supplementation might be helpful in cases of depression and anxiety.

Good luck. Look at it this way, once you get over the bad days your body feels so much better.

[blackhawk27]

also, if you are a smoker- try to cut daily intake by half or quit; smoking may increase vertigo feeling for an hour.

[MenaLeigh]

thanks for this
I'll be going by the health food store tomorrow

[mommax3]

so glad to hear someone else talking about 5htp too! i'm taking that along with probiotics, fish oil, and an herbal supplement called Protazen. Protazent is supposed to help with depression/ anxiety naturaly without the side effects or dangers of rx's. Anyone else heard of it?

[cookie]

I have been following this for 3 weeks and am doing well. This is my 4th attempt to stop Cymbalta and it usually takes 3-4 months before I seriously decline (not sure why so long) but I am glad to be doing something (and being proactive with a substitution) instead of just waiting and hoping for the best.

Do you mean that you quit the medication, you feel fine, and then after 4 months you decline??? What symptoms do you get?? (depression???)

[cookie]

This is for cookie, I am also trying to wean off 60 mg by breaking up the capsules. I am using 60 mg capsules. How long do you stay with each strength you concoct? Also about how many pearls do you find in a 60 mg. Mine have varied from 192 to 207. Babette

Dear Babette Martin: It is very important that you talk to your doctor before you make any changes in your dosage and that he/she tells how to do the weaning. It´s also important to have doctor supervision during the process. This medication comes, in 60, 30 and 20mg. So instead of breaking 60mg capsules, people take 50mg (30mg capsule + 20 mg capsule). There must be different manufacturers because my 60mg pill had 540 pearls. And yes, the number of pearls between your capsules may vary probably because they are filled by weight. Concerning how long you have to stay on each dosage. Everyone is different, You´ve got to find what works best for you In my case, the lenght of time was determined, on how long it took me to be symptom free to do further drops. I found that I could stay 1 week at a certain dosage. But there were times in which I felt terrible and had to stay a whole month at a certain dosage. Again, I am not a doctor, I talk based on my own experience and from the things I´ve learned on this site