15 replies to this topic

[Flossy]

Anyone else sweating it out? I'm drenched and it's smack bang in the middle of winter here! My last drop of cymbalta was 10 days ago, it was always a side effect of the drug itself for me, but seems to be worse than ever tapering down. I really hope it goes away, it's embarrassing and I'm avoiding going to warm shopping centers and peoples houses with fire places as I literally drip! Anyone else had this? Did it go away???

[FiveNotions]

Flossy, I just posted to you on another thread...and earlier this am. I posted somewhere else about the sweats... yes, it's a withdrawal effect...and a side effect while on the stuff...it's due to your brain and serotonin levels... and, as likely you're having it bad because you're doing huge drops in dose, rather than bead counting...you've put yourself into a very hard cold turkey withdrawal...bead count, and the symptoms will be a bit more manageable...

[thismoment]

Flossy

 

All of this is withdrawal. The only way to reduce the withdrawal effects is to taper off more slowly. 

 

You were on a high dosage, and if you were to re-instate until you are stable, then wean off slowly- it's possible you could have very few challenging symptoms. I mean wean off s-l-o-w-l-y using a gently sloping taper (no steps) and levelling off for a while if symptoms get tough. Wean off over 6 months.

[equuswoman]

:hug:Yes the sweating is part of the withdrawal process. I couldn't do the cold turkey and had to slowly wean off the Cymbalta poison using the bead

counting method. It took me over 4 months to rid myself of this crap drug. I did it with the help of the ppl here on the wonderful supportive forum.

I went through hell and back but I am now free of that vile, evil poison. Prayers for you during this most difficult time. TheEquusWoman

[Ladys]

Need to this cold turkey (3 weeks - 30 mg - 10 month use)  what is bead count...  2 week of crying.  Lost a great friend who will not talk to me now... Taking SAMe,  Vit D 50K, but was taking it before now and B-12.  Walking about 5 miles daily and have lost about 20 pounds.  Feel good one day, lousy the next.  HELP....

[fishinghat]

Welcome ladys. Bead counting is where you open the cymbalta capsule each day and remove a few beads, usually 2 or 3. So the first day you remove 3 beads, the next day 6 beads, the next 9 beads etc. This provides for a slow steady withdrawal. If symptoms get to bad you just hold at that dosage for a while until you stabilize. Then start dropping again. Be aware that for most the last few beads give the worse withdrawal. Be prepared to slow down when you get to the very end. Now this is just an example. Some can only remove 1 bead a day and others 7 or 8 beads a day. You will have to play with it a little bit to find what works for you. This doesn't mean you won't have withdrawal but it will be lighter and you will have some control over it.

[Flossy]

Hi Ladys
Know exactly how you feel, you think you're all better and then it hits you again! I think time is going to be our best friend at the moment! I'm taking magnesium, zinc, B6 and gaba, it's definitely helping me to see through the fog, is from a compound pharmacy, scripted by my psychiatrist! This is apparently new approach to mental health, it's called bio balance, if you google it'll give you some helpful hints to improve mental health with vitamin deficiency correction. I was very sceptical but I'm definitely improving and my anxiety has gone from a 12 (off the scale)to a 4 since starting 4 weeks ago! It's all about whatever gets you through and this is working for me! The withdrawals are good days and bad days I think. You must be very motivated to be running, I wish I had that, it's yet to return! Best of luck! Let me know when the good days overtake the bad!

[Flossy]

Ps: Ladys, real friends will be there through thick and thin, understanding and love needs to surround you at the moment, it's hard enough without the turmoil!

[equuswoman]

Bead counting was the ONLY way I was able to rid myself of the Cymbalta poison. I had to drop one bead per day and this took over 4 months to make it through hell and back. Thanks to the wonderful ppl here on this forum who helped me learn how to bead count! I tried to do cold turkey and it was just more than I could handle. Prayers and support for you as you continue on your journey to freedom. TheEquuswoman...

[Flossy]

Flossy, I just posted to you on another thread...and earlier this am. I posted somewhere else about the sweats... yes, it's a withdrawal effect...and a side effect while on the stuff...it's due to your brain and serotonin levels... and, as likely you're having it bad because you're doing huge drops in dose, rather than bead counting...you've put yourself into a very hard cold turkey withdrawal...bead count, and the symptoms will be a bit more manageable...

[Flossy]

Because I am on so much, I think I've had the "non luxurious luxury" of big drops, I'm pretty sure from now on it will be much worse! My withdrawal from 180 to 150 was fairly tolerable, I felt it, but could manage, the second drop from 150 to 120 was worse but I still could bare it with resting a lot, I was however unable to carry on as normal! I'm going to try 120 to 90 next week, however if I cannot tolerate withdrawals I will go back up and bead reduce! If I was bead reduce from 180 it would take me 2 years! Haha! I really want to lower as fast but also as safely as possible! I'm aware that it's going to get a lot worse before it gets better, which is why I'm so grateful to have somewhere like this to know I'm not alone, vent and also be able to seek reassurance if I'm scared, as it is really scary and emotional, and my family as incredibly supportive as they are, have become accustom to me being unwell and I'm loathed to drain them anymore than I have to. My teen kids have enough just being teens, I am very aware of not over burdening them! This has been a 41/2 year battle, they must be so so sick of me being sick! I know I am! Through the withdrawal and horrible side effects, I'm finally starting to see a little bit of me again, I was completely unaware that there was in fact a real "me"! After such turmoil and internal trauma, you actually forget think that it is you and it's not, it's always been this evil drug! It has stolen almost 5 years of my life, my children's childhoods, my self, my relationships, I've been manic, depressed, crazy and I had not a clue that it was cymbalta! I want off this shit asap!!! My scariest moments are when a new "unbeknownst to me" side effect occurs and my anxious nature thinks it's not normal and it's never going to go away and I might die! So irrational I know, but in my head, so real! This forum is like a diary, but one that offers advice and reassurance! And it's all anonymous! Social media, I love you!!! Thanks guys for reading my at best, erratic thoughts! I blame CYMBALTA!!!

[FiveNotions]

Great post, Flossy! I do understand you're wanting to get down from that ridiculous/dangerous 180 mg dose ASAP.... I still think you would be wisest to start bead counting right now, rather than try the next drop down to 90 ... but you're right, you can always go back up if it does turn out to be more than you want to / can deal with ... just don't wait too long before you go back up, as then you'll have to deal with waiting for the higher dose to kick back in .... IBS recently had to deal with that, and that was a whole 'nother rough ride for her ...

I apologize for not researching the 180 mg dose issue for you ... I got lost in my job search project... I'm going to sip my morning coffee and do the research now :-)

[FiveNotions]

Apparently, 180 mg dosing is categorized as "suprathreshold" dosing, and is used to treat extreme, otherwise "nonresponsive" depression that's accompanied by other "co-morbid" factors like OCD, anorexia, etc......

An updated review of antidepressants with marked serotonergic effects in obsessive–compulsive disorder [duloxetine 120 - 180 mg]
http://informahealth...566.2014.914493

Suprathreshold Duloxetine for Treatment-Resistant Depression, Anorexia Nervosa Binge-Purging type, and Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
http://www.ncbi.nlm....les/PMC3342990/

Although establishing a dose-response relationship for antidepressants in the treatment of depression is difficult, it is possible that for certain patterns of comorbidity, suprathreshold doses may be important to achieve remission. There is currently a paucity of literature regarding the use of suprathreshold doses of duloxetine in treatment refractory cases. This case report describes a clinical situation in which suprathreshold duloxetine was used to treat a patient with severe depression as well as co-morbid anorexia nervosa binge-purging type and obsessive compulsive disorder.

[Amybc7]

While this doesn't help you at all - I can add sweating to one of the side effects of withdrawing that I haven't had!  

 

Of course, if I jinx myself we know why.

 

I had horrible sweating while taking full doses though - and it smelled horrible.  

[Flossy]

Apparently, 180 mg dosing is categorized as "suprathreshold" dosing, and is used to treat extreme, otherwise "nonresponsive" depression that's accompanied by other "co-morbid" factors like OCD, anorexia, etc......

An updated review of antidepressants with marked serotonergic effects in obsessive–compulsive disorder [duloxetine 120 - 180 mg]
http://informahealth...566.2014.914493

Suprathreshold Duloxetine for Treatment-Resistant Depression, Anorexia Nervosa Binge-Purging type, and Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
http://www.ncbi.nlm....les/PMC3342990/

Although establishing a dose-response relationship for antidepressants in the treatment of depression is difficult, it is possible that for certain patterns of comorbidity, suprathreshold doses may be important to achieve remission. There is currently a paucity of literature regarding the use of suprathreshold doses of duloxetine in treatment refractory cases. This case report describes a clinical situation in which suprathreshold duloxetine was used to treat a patient with severe depression as well as co-morbid anorexia nervosa binge-purging type and obsessive compulsive disorder.

[Flossy]

Wow! Thank you so much for this, I had no idea, what an eye opener! I have none of the above illnesses but was being medicated for them nonetheless! I saw my doctor yesterday who is a psychiatrist and I swear she knows nothing of the pending lawsuits against drug company and the claims of undisclosed withdrawal and was grateful for the information. Drs are so uninformed to anything not listed in the clinical trials by the drug company itself. It really pays to do the research, or in this case a very caring person such as yourself! Thank you thank you! I will not take anything now without doing so!