55 replies to this topic

[Trichick1964]

Hi all...

 

I'm new to this forum, not new to Cymbalta.  I've been on this crazy drug for 6 years, 60 mg for the past 4 years.  I decided to wean off a few months ago mostly due to weight gain and inability to lose weight.  I was initially prescribed Cymbalta due to a severe depressive episode.  I'd say that episode was my brain simply exhausted after 10 years of a hellish marriage.  I got separated then 2 months later spiraled into "the pit of hell" as I describe it.  I do believe Cymbalta saved my life.  Since then though, all has been calm and I've been very stable and doing well.  There has been a part of me that's been afraid to go off Cymbalta for fear of experiencing depression again.  And then there's a part of me that has the fear of weaning off because of the side effects I've had with a missed dose or when I had reduced the dose in the past.

 

So here I am today...Weaned from 60 mg to 40 about 2 months ago.  I had the brain zaps, dizzies, etc. particularly at night (just before I'm due to take my next dose).  it wasn't too bad and all symptoms were gone after about 2 weeks.  I lowered the dose again down to 20 mg and holy cow!!  Starting at about 3pm every afternoon I feel like crap.  The withdrawal is SO bad. It's hard for me to get anything done at night because every turn of my head makes my brain zap and my stomach reel.  My stomach is getting worse now, being nauseas all day rather than just in the evening.

 

I want this to go away NOW and I have a pretty good feeling that I'm stuck for a while.  I just want to feel better.  At least I can function during the day...get my exercise in, work (thankfully I work at home and own my own business).  My sleep is messed up too.  I just need to complain I suppose so thank you for "listening"

 

Hoping this will pass sooner than later!

 

[FiveNotions]

Trichick, welcome! I'm so glad you found us!

I'm on my way back to bed after a bathroom run, and so I thought I'd check to see if anyone signed on and needed help or a greeting...and there you are, needing both!

Just briefly....you've done a wonderful wonderful weaning job to get yourself this far, bravo!

Now you need to slow down and let your body and brain have some time to settle before coming down further....you don't say how long you've been at the twenty, but if it's just a few days or so, I'd suggest going back up to the 30 and sitting at that dose until these symptoms subside....as you get to the lower doses, the weaning gets harder...and you've taken rather large steps down...too much for your system to handle .....

Get back up to the 30 on your next dose....then once you're stable, you can use bead counting to get the rest off the way off...remove just a bead or several every day or every few days...

Others will be arriving soon to greet you and they can tell you more about the bead counting....I did it cold turkey...60 to 0 in a day....so, I'm "hard way Hannah" and can't speak to the sensible way. ;-)

Stay here with us, it's a great group of folks, and we'll do everything we can to help you beat this stuff!

[Trichick1964]

Thank you Five Notions for the greeting!!  I wish I wasn't in good company, but glad I am, if you know what I mean.  I figured my 40 to 20 was too much, but now I'm over a week into it and I don't want to go back up so that I can come back down.  I'm going to try to stick this one out.  However, I will go MUCH slower as I continue to wean off.  I was shocked at how much harder it was to reduce once the dose got lower.  My body is screaming out for the drug.  Crazy stuff.

 

It's morning, which means I feel good, so I'm going to take advantage and get a bike ride in and then work on a quilt project.  I'll go until the brain zaps shut me down for the remainder of the day!

 

thanks again for popping in to say hello!

 

Carrie

[FiveNotions]

Oh my goodness, Trichick....that you are able to go bike riding and work on a quilt while in withdrawal, especially having made such a big drop in dose .... wow!

You may not realize it, feel it, but you are doing great!

Now just go slow from here on .... you're definitely going to get off this poison!

[Trichick1964]

After reading so many others' posts, I know I'm doing well considering.  I do well until afternoon, so I just get my stuff done.  But once afternoon  rolls around, the i feel like my brain is rolling around also.  Quilting is out of the question.  Besides it just feels miserable to be up, my ability to think disappears.  I make crazy mistakes.  It's so weird!

 

Anyway, thank you for the encouragement.  Although doing well compared others, I still feel like absolute crap half the time, so thank you!

[FiveNotions]

Trichick, it's actually pointless to compare our withdrawals...each of us has to go through what is for us, a tailor-made hell....knowing that someone else had it "worse" or "better" does nothing for what we ourselves are experiencing....and, it risks turning withdrawal into some sort of competition....it is, for each of us, a tremendous personal challenge....and each of us must go through it alone, I. The sense that we are the ones experiencing it....the gift of this forum is to have a place where we are welcomed, understood and encouraged by others who know this process personally, from the inside out....

If afternoons are your hard times, do everything you can to allow yourself that time to do nothing except rest, and take care of your own needs....try remedies for different symptoms, sleep, just lie down in a quiet darkened room...come here and vent....your body and brain need downtime in which they can heal and restore themselves....

And ah yes, the brain rolling around in the head feeling! I know that well....it felt like a marble inside a big wooden box....then, sometimes it felt like a basketball crammed into a little matchbox.....Alice in Wonderland had nothin on what we go through during this process! :-D

[tria]

Trichick - Welcome!  FN is right, you'll need to slow down the weaning process.  The wonderful folks here have told me that the lower you get, the slower you have to go and I have found that to be true.  I didn't do too bad until I started weaning down from 20mg.  I was dropping my dose too fast and the withdrawal got really bad - nightmares, anxiety, irrational fears, nausea, pounding headaches... all the other symptoms you've read about here.  I found this site and everyone told me to go back up on my dose a little, which I did and it helped.  I'm at approx. 10mg now and have been there for a couple weeks.  I feel stable now but giving myself a little longer on this dose bc I have other medical problems to contend with and just had oral surgery so can't face throwing withdrawal symptoms into the mix.  For me, I need to wean off very slowly, maybe taking out 5 or less beads every week or two.  But it seems like we are all different in how fast we can reduce our doses.  I hope you can hang in there and ride it out at your current dose.  Will keep my fingers crossed for you!!!  If the withdrawal does get too bad, just remember going back up is always an option.  And it's NOT a failure if you have to go back up on your dose for a little while.  It's really a balancing act.... weaning off this drug while trying to keep functioning and feel somewhat sane!

 

The nausea has been one of the worst of my symptoms.  A few things that have helped me with that are ice pops, room temperature root beer soda, and lately oatmeal.  Don't know why but I am just craving it and it settles my tummy.  (I make it with Silk Almond Vanilla "milk" - very tasty!).  That said, some days nothing helps. No matter what I try to eat or drink, it goes against me and I end up nauseated.  it's odd bc I often feel hungry but nauseated at the same time?  How weird is that??

 

Glad you found this group!! I am so grateful to have found it myself.  The people here have truly been wonderful!!

[Msprad]

Thanks everyone for being here. I am new too and am so grateful for all the support! I was on cymbalta 60 for many years. Went cold turkey yesterday due to lack of ins. I knew it would be bad from late doses before. Brain zaps- yes. That thing where you feel like your brain is sloshing around in your skull - yes. Dizzy- yes. Nausea and vomiting- yes. Also random abdominal pain. And today the back of my neck hurts. Luckily I don't work in the summer. I'm taking it easy, drinking lots of water, trying to do just a little at a time. Yesterday sobbed uncontrollably most of the day and also had a ton of rage- which is not like me at all. Does the fish oil really help? And why? Other things? And there's no way of knowing how long this will last?

[air3333]

Welcome Msprad. I was thinking the other day what happens when people can't afford this medicine anymore? The cold turkey is a dangerous game to play. I won't do it. 

 

I just went from 60 mg to 30 mg and I feel like I have a hangover..the cymbalta hangover lol. 

[Msprad]

Thanks air.Yes well unfortunately I didn't have a choice. Called my dr and he did call in something different- same family as Zoloft. But after some research decided I wanted to see what life is like w/o an antidepressant. My sister took antidepressants for years and now is just on a tiny bit of seraquil and OTC hormone cream. She says she feels better than ever. I too take a lose dose of the seriquel so... We'll see. I'm hoping for the best.

[air3333]

How long are you in the cold turkey withdrawal, some say it can last a very long time. I think the psychological effects will play out over time.

 

Another note. I don't base my decisions on how I feel, also pdocs do. I will feel amazing on 90mg of Cymbalta but I wouldn't know what the hell is going on. I wouldn't be able to work in the most menial jobs because my mental functions are inhibited. I would be like what? Huh? Did you say that? 

 

Cymbalta is a defective medicine and should be pulled from the market. I am addicted to the drug even though authorities say its not addictive. Do I care what they say anymore? I know what is has done to my body and mind and my whole life revolves around this drug for years. 

[Msprad]

Oh my gosh. Really super bad brain zaps tonight. Like constantly. I just keep asking when will they go away .
Anyhow, the last time I took it was 2 days ago. But here's my question, so yesterday I was full of rage but today it's gone. Might it come back? If the nausea goes away might it come back ?

[Msprad]

Oh my gosh. Really super bad brain zaps tonight. Like constantly. I just keep asking when will they go away .
Anyhow, the last time I took it was 2 days ago. But here's my question, so yesterday I was full of rage but today it's gone. Might it come back? If the nausea goes away might it come back ?

[thismoment]

Msprad

 

The brain zaps lasted about a week for me. They didn't return. However, other symptoms like rage, nausea, depression, anxiety, muscle and joint pain, sobbing, dizziness, fatigue etc came and went in waves. As time went on the waves became ripples and eventually it all went away.

 

Everyone's withdrawal is different, and hopefully you will have an easy time of it and it will be gone in 2 weeks like it says in the Eli Lilly brochure. It is possible, however, that it will take substantially more time to go away-- you could have a rough ride for 6-8 weeks with some easing toward week 12. Things improve quite a bit over the following couple of months and you will come out on the other side. By 6 months you will be well on your way to feeling like your old self.

 

Be patient, stay hydrated, stay off the booze, take an hour walk every day if you are able. Try to find distractions to keep you from constant self-analysis-- there is no way to figure out what's happening to you-- you just have to put in the time. We will be here to help where we can.

 

You may encounter symptoms that lead you to believe you have other medical conditions. Your physician may offer you another SSRI or similar to deal with your symptoms. But hang on, the symptoms will pass. You can talk about it here. But if you truly feel like you need help, go to the ER and tell them up front that you're withdrawing from Cymbalta.

 

You can do this! Take care.

[Msprad]

Thank you for your response thismoment. I thought today was kind of ok. But then couldn't sleep. Nausea, abdominal pain, anxiety and mind racing. I see where others have posted about various supplements, some of which I dont undetstand. Are they helpful? The charcoal, valerine, omegas? How do I know if they're safe w my other meds? AgainThanks. I feel like a total basket case.

[thismoment]

Msprad

I don't know about supplements, but others do and they feel they help. But still, Time is the critical element- you just have to put in the time as you would with a broken heart. Pass the time and do what you can to keep the stress low.

I would think most supplements are safe, but I really don't know.

A psychologist will help a great deal, and Mindfulness training is extremely beneficial in helping you calm your racing mind.

Take care.

[fishinghat]

Msprad

 

Here is a website for checking drug/supplement compatibility. Cleck on "I Agree" and a new page will pop up. Enter the two drugs/supplements in question and it will tell you if they are compatible.

 

http://www.drugs.com...teractions.html

[tria]

Msprad - welcome!  I've had all the symptoms and then some that you've described, and I have been weaning down from 20mg, not stopping cold turkey.  Others here have been thru cold turkey w/d and can probably advise you better there.  Have you checked with your pharmacy about paying for the Cym? My insurance doesn't cover some of my meds, and Target pharmacy has some type of discount they use on some that I pay cash for.  I never checked with other pharmacies, but I bet they may have some type of discount as well.  And, don't rule out local pharmacies.  My insurance is refusing to pay for one very expensive prescription, and a small, locally owned pharmacy had the best cash price of all!

 

I did a quick search for assistance in paying for Cymbalta - here is a link to an Eli Lilly assistance program, if you want to see if you qualify:

http://www.lillytruassist.com

 

Just a few options, if you feel the w/d is becoming too difficult.  You are in good company here, whether you need advice, support, or just somewhere to vent and rage against this miserable drug!  The people here are wonderful

[Msprad]

Thanks Tria. I have looked into some discount programs. So far nothing is going to be helpful enough. But I already decided I want to be done w cymbalta! This morning I wasn't so sure I was going to make it, but the day got better!

However, a psychiatrist acquaintance suggested that I try Prozac. She said it would help manage the wd symptoms but that it has a much shorter half life. Which I assume means it would leave your body more quickly than the cymbalta. But still, aren't I going to go through the same thing when I want to stop taking that??? Anyone have any thoughts on this ?
Also thanks fishinghat for the site re interactions and rx. It was helpful.

[tria]

Msprad - sorry none of the discount programs are helpful.  At least you thought to look into them.  Someone correct me if I am wrong on this, but I think Prozac has a longer half life than Cymbalta, meaning it stays in your system longer.  This is good because it makes it easier when you wean off of it.  If may be worth a try.  I know several people taking Prozac who have had good results with it and 2 people have come off it with no issues.   I would paste the link, but my computer has issues with copying and pasting on here (I don't know why). Go to http://rxlist.com and look up Prozac.  Under the Clinical Pharmacology section, there is a paragraph titled "Accumulation and Slow Elimination" that explains the half life.  Hope this helps!

[Msprad]

Thank you for the reccomendations. Although I do think each day is getting a little better. I may hold off on the Prozac.

But I wanted to tell you Tria, you'd mentioned the stomach upset. Have you ever tried drinking liquid aloe? It helps me a lot. Has for years w any kind of nausea. Doesn't taste great on it's own but I mix w just a bit of cranberry juice and it's very palatable.

[tria]

No, I never heard of liquid aloe.  I will have to look into it - thanks for the suggestion!

[MichB]

Hi everyone
I have spent the past few days perusing and this site has provided me with a lot of hope.
Here is a little bit about me. I'll try to keep it short. My main health issues are hypothyroidism, insomnia, depression and supposedly fibromyalgia. I've been on Wellbutrin for years, Trazodone for sleep, levothyroxine for thyroid and recently metoprolol for migraines. I've been able to function on all these drugs with the exception of metoprolol. I just started it as an experiment to see if it will help with the migraines. Not liking the effects so I'm going to quit with the assistance of my doc. I started cymbalta in February at 30mg then increased to twice a day. I felt human again!! I could function at 60% and thought I was on top of the world!! My body was so broken and in constant pain all day and here was my miracle. Although I noticed I felt weird at times it wasn't causing me any problems. By April I was in pain again. Felt like I developed a resistance to the drug. My doc changed me to 60mg twice a day. By the end of May my life had took a turn. I had every side effect you could imagine. Everything y'all describe while going through withdrawal!! I had no clue this poison had a half life so I began weaning from 60 twice a day to once a day after reading what a nightmare this drug is. From April to this day, my life has become unbearable!!
I am a single mother with the most amazing 16yr old son. I own a cleaning business so I clean houses for a living. I'm also a licensed nail tech and do nails part time. So imagine trying to work a physically demanding job everyday while being on this drug!! After more research I'm learning I screwed up in the weaning process but I'm down to one 60mg a day and beginning withdrawal from here. The hot flashes, nausea and migraines are the worst. Any physical activity and I'm drenched. Nauseous all day and though I've had daily migraines for years, they're more intense.
Worked 3 days out of 12 the last 2 weeks of June. I don't know to this day how I did it. That means I had 3 showers in 12 days!! Nas-Tay!!!! I was a walking zombie sick out of my mind. Barely eating did not help of course. Never slept so much ever. I didn't even know what day it was half the time. I've missed 2 doc appts because I just couldn't get myself out of the house.
I'm very angry that this drug was given to me and worse, angry that this drug hasn't been pulled! But it is what it is so I'm dealing with it. Hoping I can get to the doc tomorrow and discuss this withdrawal with her. I'm reading that mixing the name brand and generic isn't a good idea.
Is this true for anyone?
I started out on the name brand with the 30's then generic with the 60's. I didn't notice at first until I began reading up on this drug. I go to a clinic and I get what they have available. I don't have insurance so having a clinic to go to is such a help.
Also, my eye sight is screwed too. I find myself rubbing my eyes a lot. Like I have a film over them. By the end of the day they are sore and burn. Yup, thanks cymbalta!
Living life one day at a time, one hour at a time in survival mode is so difficult. I can't make plans and I've missed so much work and a lot of my son's games! Sorry for whining. I'll try not to in the future. I'm going to focus on my one day at a time, one pill at a time withdrawal process with my big girl pants on!
So glad I found this site. Any suggestions for questions for my doc tomorrow would be great. I'm feeling foggy at the moment and a migraine is creeping in.
Also, looks like I'm going to be bead counting soon. Any good info on that will help too. I looked under the section: bead counting. I will go back when my head is clearer and ask questions there.

Thanks again for this group!
Looking forward to learning more.

[FiveNotions]

Welcome, MichB! We'll do everything we can to help you sort through this! Others of us will be arriving soon to welcome you as well....

The symptoms you mention sound just like withdrawal.

Thank you for writing such a detailed summary of what your Cymbalta dosing has been, your symptoms, etc.... I need to read through it slowly to digest all of what you've said...

Hang in there, you can get through this!

[Wagtail]

Msprad
I don't know about supplements, but others do and they feel they help. But still, Time is the critical element- you just have to put in the time as you would with a broken heart. Pass the time and do what you can to keep the stress low.
I would think most supplements are safe, but I really don't know.
A psychologist will help a great deal, and Mindfulness training is extremely beneficial in helping you calm your racing mind.
Take care.

Hi TM, I have just started practicing mindfulness but find it very difficult when experiencing almost panic .. Does it get easier with practice ?..:-)

[thismoment]

Hi Gail

 

Regarding Mindfulness training (not Mindfulness Meditation).

 

Do what you can when you can. If you're experiencing anxiety, you just have to weather the anxiety storm- because as you and I know, anxiety trauma (panic) will occupy the entire bandwidth of your mind-- if you're driving, sword-swallowing, or chainsaw juggling-- you barely have enough mental bandwidth to stop the car, spit out the sword, or jump back and just let the chainsaws fall and self-extinguish. 

 

Mindfulness training is for when you are settled- it imprints strategies that (with practice) will become default mind-states. Therefore in the future instead of punching somebody in the face, you'll say in a clear controlled voice, "I disagree." Then you'll walk away and get an ice cream cone and take a calm walk on the beach.

 

Mindfulness training is practice making perfect. Neuroplasticity in action. Good work!

[FiveNotions]

Mich, does your doc at the clinic know about all this? If not, you need to get in touch with him/her right away...

Never take the generic version along with the brand Cymbalta...stick with either the generic or the brand.

By dropping from 120 to 60 mg the way you did, you put yourself into the equivalent of cold turkey withdrawal....it's the hard way to get off this drug...I speak from experience, that's what I did. Would never suggest it to anyone.

Did the symptoms start while you were on the Cymbalta, or after you cut back the dose? Have you been at the 60 mg once a day since April?

Any chance you were on the generic when it seemed to stop working and started causing problems? I ask because some people, myself included, have a bad reaction to the generic.

Ordinarily, one option might be to go back up to the last dose level at which you were stable, wait until you settle in again, and then do the bead counting. But you may have been at the 60 mg. and in withdrawal too long to make that feasible.

Another possibility would be to get the clinic to put you on another ssri to "cross over" as you get off the Cymbalta.... but as I understand it, the other ssri's also take a few weeks or more to fully kick in...so you've still got the Cymbalta withdrawal issues...

We need to hear from two of our more experienced members ...Fishinghat and ThisMoment...hopefully they'll see your post and join in here pretty soon....

Do you have anything on hand to help with the anxiety that may come along with the withdrawal/discontinuation symptoms?

[fishinghat]

Hi Gail

 

Regarding Mindfulness training (not Mindfulness Meditation).

 

Do what you can when you can. If you're experiencing anxiety, you just have to weather the anxiety storm- because as you and I know, anxiety trauma (panic) will occupy the entire bandwidth of your mind-- if you're driving, sword-swallowing, or chainsaw juggling-- you barely have enough mental bandwidth to stop the car, spit out the sword, or jump back and just let the chainsaws fall and self-extinguish. 

 

Mindfulness training is for when you are settled- it imprints strategies that (with practice) will become default mind-states. Therefore in the future instead of punching somebody in the face, you'll say in a clear controlled voice, "I disagree." Then you'll walk away and get an ice cream cone and take a calm walk on the beach.

 

Mindfulness training is practice making perfect. Neuroplasticity in action. Good work!

This is assuming that the other man doesn't want to go ahead and knock your head off!! lol

[fishinghat]

FN

 

I don't know what to add to that. You summed it up nicely.

[MichB]

FN,
No the doc at the clinic doesn't know yet. When I brilliantly started weaning myself from 120 to 60 I was so sick that I missed my check up. Rescheduled and missed the next one. So I'm going tomorrow.
I started having the symptoms after she raised my dosage in April. Im guessing that's when I ended up with the generic. It's not like me to not pay attention. But my Rx always came in a Rx bottle anyhow. I started the weaning the last week of May. I'm leveled out now at one 60 a day. I still have all the side effects and symptoms so I don't want to go back to the 120. The past 3 days have been tolerable with 1 day a little worse. I'm real excited that I didn't have a super nauseous day today and my migraine didn't last as long as normal. Could be a fluke but I'm not complaining!

I'm going to ask the pharmacy to keep me on generic since that's where I've been for 2 months. Like you said, stick with one or the other. This sucks that the doc and the pharmacy don't know about mixing name brand and generic on the cymbalta. Or maybe they do and don't care. Who knows. I'm definitely going to ask for another ssri to help me get through the withdrawal.

I have klonopin to help with anxiety. But can't take it during the day or I'd pass out! Even taking 1/4 of the lowest dose and I'm out like a light! lol. I will keep it handy for evening though.

Thanks so much for the advice and the welcome.
Looking forward to my withdrawal journey knowing I have folks to talk to who understand!