20 replies to this topic

[BestIsYetToCome]

So after taking Cymbalta for two years @30mg (I found this to be the best for me, as 60 made me too drowsy), I have decided to move on.

My doctor has advised me to wean off by going one day on, one day off over the first two weeks, then twice a week for two weeks, then once a week for two weeks. This seems to contradict with everything I have found in this forum (i.e. bead counting, 10% reduction per month, and so on).

I know from previous experience that missing my pill means my next pill hits me harder - more drowsiness and so on. After alternating days (on and off 30mg) for almost a week, I am finding this to be true. I am also having minor trouble sleeping on the days that I'm off. Luckily, I haven't had any "brain zaps" or any major withdrawal symptoms yet.

My concern is that when I finally get down to taking it twice or once per week that the "yo-yo" effects might be amplified.

Would you guys recommend that I talk to my doc about 20mg as an alternative?

It should also be mentioned that I am switching to a small daily dose of marijuana as an alternative therapy, once I have completed my weaning from Cymbalta. For me, I have found that this medicine does more for my symptoms (anxiety/depression/insomnia), and luckily it is finally becoming more accepted as an alternative medicine in my part of the world. Ideally, I would like to transition with an overlap, but I want to comply with my doctor's plan to stop one and then start the other once complete.

Anyway, my main question is about the weaning. Should I talk to my doctor about counting beads?

This forum is great, by the way.

-TBIYTC

[TryinginFL]

Welcome BIYTC.... We are happy you have found us!    I'm sorry to say that your Dr's idea of weaning off of this poison is NOT going to be the best for you - you will be bouncing in and out of withdrawal as your dosage changes back and forth!  YIKES!!!

I am a 17 week cold turkey survivor and I definitely don't recommend you try this...talk about the trip to hell.  I'm sure that others here that have much experience with the bead counting method will chime in here to help you.  I wish I had known about it before I was 2 weeks into the cold turkey experience

The Drs (most, anyway) are totally clueless as to the withdrawal effects of this crap (crapalta, as it is known here) .  I will let our more knowledgeable members help you with the bead counting and it will keep your withdrawal to a minimum.

 

Good luck to you and please keep us posted!  Again, welcome   You will make some wonderful, caring, supportive and helpful friends on this site!

[fishinghat]

BYTC, welcome. I don't know any way to put this but that your dr (any many others) is a complete idiot. Cymbalta has a half life of 12 hours. If you skip a day by the second day your blood Cymbalta levels have dropped around 90%!! So what do they have you do? Take another pill, jack your Cymbalta levels back up and go through the same withdrawal all over again. Dumb. Most drs don't take this withdrawal seriously because when they are trained by the pharm company they are told it is no be deal. I know that none of the drs I have had was against bead counting. And if they are, so what, it is your health. You have to make the final decision. I would bet that if you explain how you are suffering and how the bead counting works then they won't have a problem with it.

[FiveNotions]

Fishinghat is absolutely correct!

Welcome to the forum, keep us posted!

[thismoment]

Ditto!

[Wagtail]

BestIsYetToCome ( wow that's a mouthful ) ha ha ...excuse my ignorance but you are starting on a low dose of something that begins with M !..... What is that please ??????? .

You have won the lottery when you found this site.... The more experienced members here are actually " ANGELS " in disguise of being human ... I won't name them as you will soon discover who they are ... Led by the very knowledgable & compassionate " fishinghat " ... If I lived in America , I would nominate him for some sort of award for the time he spends helping save & change many many lives ...
You will soon experience the empathy from these more experienced members .
Each & every one of them has held my hand through 6 harrowing & @ moments life threatening moments ...

Trust their advice please & you too will one day be rid of this killer chemical they call CRAPALTA...
WELCOME BiYtC ...

[BestIsYetToCome]

Thanks all for your warm wishes and advice. I have gone ahead with a 15% reduction in beads over each of the next 5 weeks to help me wean down from 30mg to zero.

I shouldn't really have mentioned the m** treatment. I didn't realize the word was forbidden in these forums. Let's just say it grows on plants, Wagtail.

I'll let you guys know how the weaning works out.

-BiYtC

[FiveNotions]

Back in the day, I had friends who used to refer to it as "Lefty".... I never met Lefty personally...as I was already into my adrenaline addiction...the "need for speed" ..... the last thing I wanted was to be "mellow" or "chill out". ....I bet it woulda played out better for me in the long run, tho....

;-@

[thismoment]

You can say pedophile baby-killer but not m********.  That's an interesting hierarchy of values.

[fishinghat]

The search for truth and clarity is not limited by political correctness.  Mary Jane (you can tell my age) has long been excepted as having medical uses and only limited by its social stigmas and legal issues. But like many issues we discuss here it should be addressed sensably and with consideration of its full characteristics, good or bad. And if you haven't figured out by now Mary Jane is another term for marijuana.

[FiveNotions]

TM, my legal brain tells me it's for the security of this forum, the fellow who designed it/administers it and each of us individually....lefty is illegal in many locations....and discussions of such items (whether or not they should be illegal, is a whole other issue) easily could get this place shut down and the admin in deep doo-doo....

and, my librarian brain says don't forget, NSA and federal law enforcement in general like to monitor life on the internet....law enforcement trolls a lot of forums where anything drug/rx related is discussed....and the M word for Lefty is one of the words programmed into their search algorithms....for both the net as a whole and specific forums...even our PMs can be tracked and monitored.....individual posts may not be directly monitored, but the meta data can be analyzed.....

And nope, I'm not wearing a tin foil hat....I'm serious...

[FiveNotions]

PS....the P word is "on the list" as well....at least, the code words used by real Ps are.....

[thismoment]

George Orwell nailed it 65 years ago!

[FiveNotions]

Hehehe.....now if we'd just stay on those meds they've "prescribed" for us, we'd all be happy and wouldn't need to worry ourselves about things such as this....gotta keep us docile, don't ya know.....

[thismoment]

Not just docile, but sending money!

[dlmj]

 Just wanted to say when I first started on this journey, my Dr. suggested withdrawal exactly as yours has. And of course I had no idea what I was in for.. It Literally put me into quite a whirlwind.. and drove me back to full dose to rid my self of the symptoms.. I've only been successful with the help of the information I've found on support sites like this one.. It really takes time to get of this crap... It's not easy at all...... All my very best. be patient and take into consideration what has been successful for others. I'm no DR. that is for sure.. But I had no luck with the way my Dr. suggested which leads me to know she has no clue in the matter of getting off this drug... Blessings...

[fishinghat]

PS....the P word is "on the list" as well....at least, the code words used by real Ps are.....

 

The "P" word? I am getting old.

[FiveNotions]

Peeee-do-file.....that's a word programmed into the Feds' search algorithms as well....see TMs 5:22 pm yesterday post.....

[fishinghat]

I see!! Live and learn. Thanks FN

[thismoment]

How the DHS Monitors You on the Internet

 

There's also a list of buzz words, secret squirrel words, nudge-nudge-wink-wink protocols, secret handshakes, and insider hand-jive moves.

 

http://www.scribd.co...nternet#page=21

 

Careful- if you look at those words they will be on your computer. Next thing you know there will be two linebackers all dressed in black coming through your front window!! Jeez Marsha it's the gubment!!

[FiveNotions]

Men in Black!