17 replies to this topic

[Adrienne3003]

Hello....I have been weaning myself off cymbalta for a few weeks.  I started when i got the generic form.  It is much easier to cut mgs with the pellets.  I started at 60, and have been dropping 10mg every4-5 days.  I did a lot of research before i started, to find out what was helping other people.  I have had few symptoms, fatigue, but nothing a cup of tea wouldnt  help, and some dizziness, and a drop in appitite...but thats a positive in my book.  I put together a coctail of sorts, that to this point has been great.  I just dropped to 20mg today.  Im not telling anyone to take what i am, but if any of it helps....Every morning I take 500 mg of Choline, 1000mg of Fish oil, and a whole food multi-vitamin.  later at work i have a small RedBull, hour later a odwalla superfood smoothie, followed by a yogurt later in the day.  around 4 i have another small RedBull.  At night i am using trazadone to sleep.

Again, i am not promoting any product, but i do feel pretty good.

Having said that, tomorrow i might feel like crap

[Carleeta]

Adrienne 3003..Welcome aboard and thank you for sharing your story..I personally feel you have done great and paid attention to what your body is telling you it needs..Doing the research yourself, listening to your body, giving your body what your body needs, keeping an optimistic point of view, and offering your self story to the members here is exactly what this forum and the members need. You will be giving others the hope they can and will conquer this journey..Please keep your positive feedback coming..So many others will benefit...Thank you

[Carleeta]

Hello....I have been weaning myself off cymbalta for a few weeks.  I started when i got the generic form.  It is much easier to cut mgs with the pellets.  I started at 60, and have been dropping 10mg every4-5 days.  I did a lot of research before i started, to find out what was helping other people.  I have had few symptoms, fatigue, but nothing a cup of tea wouldnt  help, and some dizziness, and a drop in appitite...but thats a positive in my book.  I put together a coctail of sorts, that to this point has been great.  I just dropped to 20mg today.  Im not telling anyone to take what i am, but if any of it helps....Every morning I take 500 mg of Choline, 1000mg of Fish oil, and a whole food multi-vitamin.  later at work i have a small RedBull, hour later a odwalla superfood smoothie, followed by a yogurt later in the day.  around 4 i have another small RedBull.  At night i am using trazadone to sleep.
Again, i am not promoting any product, but i do feel pretty good.
Having said that, tomorrow i might feel like crap

Adrienne. .What ever works for you..I say..Go For It..It may also help others on this forum. .All suggestions are welcomed..All posts are taken as a gift. All posts are given as a gift..Please keep us posted on your progress...Best luck to you...

[FiveNotions]

I've been looking for humor .... Totally not cymbalta related humor ... I don't know how to start a new discussion... Please tell me, and I'll do one for humor .... But for now, here are some a my favorites ...

"Meanwhile in Russia" ...... because I love how enduring and full of life ... Not to mention vodka ... The Russians are .... Visited st Petersburg back when bread was still sold off of trucks by the military ... And fell in love with the people and the city...)

http://www.memecente...while in russia

"I can has cheezburger ?" ...... Because I love animals .... Also they have a great "there, I fixed it" section, which as a red neck at heart, cracks me up ....

http://icanhas.cheezburger.com

[Adrienne3003]

Keeping you updated, I dropped another 10 mg yesterday, 10 mg to go. Feeling dizzy, like when I move my head it takes my brain a couple seconds to catch up. Also, memory is fried...I walk across my house to do something, but realize half way there, I don't know what I was going to do.....and I have small house. Aside from my appetite being down, which I am fine with, that's about it.

after reading all the awful symptoms most are having, I feel like I'm waiting for the other shoe to drop :|

[Carleeta]

Adrienne. .sounds like you are handling these symptoms and keeping a good attitude. .Yes the dizziness does arrive although to what degree varies from each individual, which you already are aware of..I see you are listening to your body and that's a great part of this weaning process..Keep listening to it...Sometimes were need to remember when before Cymbalta how we would be looking for our keys because we couldn't remember where we put them..Also my whole life I am famous for walking into a room and forgetting why I walked in there..We at times are so self absorbed in thoughts all day long we are going to do something and suddenly forget what we were going to do..Your incident could very well be one of those things which is part of a normal incident. The key is to listen to what your body is telling you..If wouldn't worry too much about this unless it continues to happen. At that point you might need to adjust your weaning process...Thank you for the update..Awaiting further updates. You are also here helping others through your posts. .and thank you for them...Best of luck to you..

[Adrienne3003]

WOW....the dizzyness finaly hit, when i dropped from 20mg to 10mg, really not fun.  suffered for 3 days, and decided to not drop to 5mg untill the dizzyness went away.  I kept looking for things that help other, and found my fix!....GINGER.  I ran to store on lunch yesterday and got some...to 4 (proper dose), and today no dizzyness....now i can see that light at the end of the tunnel.  I will continue with the ginger.

[Carleeta]

Adrienne. .yippee..The ginger works...so happy and relieved for you..I always have cans of ginger ale in the house especially when I have a cold...Really happy you will not decrease again and stabilize for a while...Keep us posted...

[xman]

I too like the ginger. I guess if I don't look at the contents ginger ale works  I read somewhere about someone chewing on a root. Was that Fishnet...no maybe it Fivenotions. Anywho I just happen to have a routine MD appt. today and will stop at Whole Foods and gets some. Not much gets me out of the house these days. 1. work (weekends). 2. taking out trash 3. ?

It is my week two for complete discontinuation of crabalta.

[FiveNotions]

That's great, xman1! I know what you mean about not much getting you out of the house....I finally felt well enough last month to start going to a yoga class for "seniors"...as in old farts....that gets me out....and the need to forage for food does as well....and visits to a friend in a nursing home....doctor visits....gee, isn't that a scintillating social schedule.../ sarc

[FreeSoon]

Hmmm...may be an excuse to make some gingerbread cookies!

[FiveNotions]

Hmmm...may be an excuse to make some gingerbread cookies!

Oh gee....now I'm craving some, too....and yes, I did chew on small pieces of ginger root....during the first week or so...I cldnt stomach it now....but ginger tea is great...and ginger ale...

[Wagtail]

I don't know anymore !..
. My usual daily cocktail of vitamins & supplements are , Vit D , Vit B12, Folic acid, Iron
& Fish oil, I've recently added magnesium , Vit C ,
I'm not feeling anywhere near functional this past few days & confused about everything I'm taking .
From today I am going to stop all supplements & then re-introduce them one @ a time to see if any of them are causing my discomfort.

[Wagtail]

I don't know anymore !..
. My usual daily cocktail of vitamins & supplements are , Vit D , Vit B12, Folic acid, Iron
& Fish oil, I've recently added magnesium , Vit C ,
I'm not feeling anywhere near functional this past few days & confused about everything I'm taking .
From today I am going to stop all supplements & then re-introduce them one @ a time to see if any of them are causing my discomfort.
Nothing to lose I guess !.

[Carleeta]

Wagtail, I'm saddened you are feeling this way..Why were you put on Cymbalta in the first place? Was it depression? Sometimes I just have to say if we need medicine to function normally, than we need to be on it...There is nothing to be ashamed of, it's just the chemical imbalances in our brain...And of course, there is always CBT Therapy also..You have recently moved and this is a big change for you..Have you thought that possibly this change has added to your symptoms? You may have left your comfort zone and unable to find a new one yet...I'm always thinking of you and pray things turn upward for you..

Thoughts and prayers are with you...

[Wagtail]

Carleeta, your kindness & interest is very much appreciated.
I was put on Cymbalta after suffering from PTSD for most of my life. I managed to live without taking anything until I suffered a breakdown & was admitted to hospital. This was after the death of my mother who I looked after for years while she suffered from early onset Alziemers .
Your prayers are appreciated , I hope that a God is hearing you ...

[Daybyday]

I've been using Zyrtec for the allergy symptoms, melatonin to sleep, cholera septic throat spray for the swollen throat, aspirin for muscle pain, and maalox and oprazole for the stomach issues. Maalox and oprazole were originally prescribed by doctor but he's doubled the dosage since. I've only been water LOTS of water and just chick soup.

[FiveNotions]

Hi DBD, welcome! You've got a great system going to deal with the withdrawal!

Those are all excellent symptom-specific remedies.... Here are a couple other ideas that helped me...omega 3, multi vitamin, b complex and chelated magnesium supplements (the magnesium helps with sleep, muscle twitches/aches and a couple other things I can't remember).....Epsom salts bath soaks, excellent for the muscle aches and twitches as the magnesium gets I to the tissues transdermally....ginger for the nausea ....candied ginger, ginger tea, ginger ale, or a bit of the raw root itself chewed....I also took the occasional "double shot" of NyQuil, even during the day, when I had the shakes and/or bad muscle twitches....also helped me sleep....but I wasn't working, don't recommend it if you've got a job ;-)

Also, yogi detox tea....I got really sick of water, and this tasted good and made me feel like I was cleansing the liver...

And, Apple cider vinegar (Braggs is the best brand)....2 teaspoons or even a bit more....in water or as teas...with honey and cinnamon etc if that is to your taste....it cured my acid reflux (no more omeprazole!), helped with the flu like feeling...and fixed my arthritis...a number of us here continue to use this...

My first 4 weeks were completely a liquid diet....tea, water and broth...also v-8 juice with loads of Tabasco and horseradish....

So, all in all, what you're experiencing and what you're doing to deal with it are right on the mark!

Hang in there, you can do this....and life after the poison is so wonderful...makes every moment of the withdrawal worth it...