[mommax3]

hello everyone. I'm tapering off cymbalta 30mg. I started 6 days ago and was dumping 1/4th of the capsule out before I took it. I've just really gotten to the point in the last couple of days where at times I want to throw in the towel. I feel dizzy, have brain zaps, I'm nauzeated almost constantly, extremely irritable and then weepy, headaches, and overall feel kinda like poo. I get that overwhelming feeling of dread at times and am scared that i'm going to turn into a wreck by the time it's all done. The thing is I got my cymbalta from my dr in sample forms and I have a 4-5 week supply left and since I no longer have insurance,... I can't go to the dr and get anymore cymbalta to try to wean myself slower. I 've started taking 5htp, probiotics, fish oil and protazen (a natural supplement for anxiety/ depression.) Does anyone have any tips, tricks on what I can do to help myself through this mess? I have 3 little kiddos at home and I don't want to be worthless and all over the place while weaning. I took them to a drive in movie last night and felt terrible the whole time. I had a panic attack on the way home (full blown I'm gonna die feeling along with crying ect.) PLEASE HELP! I love my kids and don't want them to see me this way!

[MaureenV]

mommax3, on 02 May 2010 - 05:24 PM, said:

hello everyone. I'm tapering off cymbalta 30mg. I started 6 days ago and was dumping 1/4th of the capsule out before I took it. I've just really gotten to the point in the last couple of days where at times I want to throw in the towel. I feel dizzy, have brain zaps, I'm nauzeated almost constantly, extremely irritable and then weepy, headaches, and overall feel kinda like poo. I get that overwhelming feeling of dread at times and am scared that i'm going to turn into a wreck by the time it's all done. The thing is I got my cymbalta from my dr in sample forms and I have a 4-5 week supply left and since I no longer have insurance,... I can't go to the dr and get anymore cymbalta to try to wean myself slower. I 've started taking 5htp, probiotics, fish oil and protazen (a natural supplement for anxiety/ depression.) Does anyone have any tips, tricks on what I can do to help myself through this mess? I have 3 little kiddos at home and I don't want to be worthless and all over the place while weaning. I took them to a drive in movie last night and felt terrible the whole time. I had a panic attack on the way home (full blown I'm gonna die feeling along with crying ect.) PLEASE HELP! I love my kids and don't want them to see me this way!

Many people find that it takes about six days before the worst of the withdrawal side effects kick in, and it sounds like you're one of them. I assume you're keeping the beads you dump to use later?

As you're now on about 22mg, you've got a few options:


Stay at that dose until you feel the withdrawal symptoms become acceptable. It WILL get better, but it may take a few weeks. I know you only have twice that much left in supply, but keep in mind you've still got all the '8mg or so' that you're dumping out each day.

It's not recommended, but you may then have to make a bigger drop than most and take half, and remember that a week's worth of 30mg will last you two weeks at that rate. When you get to half you can leave half in each half of the capsule and stuff a bit of bread in the end.

Keep in touch here and someone will be able to suggest what to do.

The other alternative is to see if your doctor will agree to you taking Prozac (or a generic) at the same time.


On this site there are lots of success stories from people who've taken that path. Many find it dramatically reduces the withdrawal symptoms, and is then much easier to get off once you're off Cymbalta.


Hope that helps


regards, Maureen.

[Junior]

Hi Mommax3

As Maureen said, you may just be feeling the withdrawal effects now. It may indicate that you are weaning too fast. I'm also concerned that you are taking 5HTP as it alters serotonin. You are trying to come off a med that alters serotonin /norepinephrine but you are taking a supplement that alters serotonin. Ditch the 5HTP and see if it helps.

Cheers
Junior

[mommax3]

hey guys thanks for the tips. M- i never thought of using bread in the end, what an obvious but neat trick LOL! J- I wondered about the 5thp too, I just figured that it would help my brain produce more seratonin naturally so that it would regain normal fuction quicker. I do think that I may have tapered too quick, although the past couple of days have been ok. (I'm anxious and iritable, but all in all nothing like the weekend was.) I tell ya, after my melt down saturday Sunday morning and afternoon were apprehensive for me, I think that I was just setting myself up for failure with the mind set of "ok, so I'm gonna feel like crap from now until this poison is totally out of me" Idk, I guess the part that stinks the most is the unknown of the whole situation. You don't know how you'll react each time you taper down more (if you'll go into tail spin or not)Your doctors don't know jack about helping you off this junk without paying a high price for your freedom. Which brings me to the point- Why do doctors (trained medical professionals) put you on something that will be so evil to you at the end?! We're people, not lab rats or pin cushions! They get to hand pills out and go home never dealing with the consequences. If you go off of it and feel like most of us on here do, they don't care. They just collect the fee from your office visit and go about their merry way. - I must be in the anger part of my moodswing lol. Anyways, Thanks you guys for commenting back. It means sooooooo much to me to have people to connect with who know what I'm talking about and how I'm feeling. thank you!

[MaureenV]

mommax3, on 04 May 2010 - 07:31 PM, said:

hey guys thanks for the tips. M- i never thought of using bread in the end, what an obvious but neat trick LOL! J- I wondered about the 5thp too, I just figured that it would help my brain produce more seratonin naturally so that it would regain normal fuction quicker. I do think that I may have tapered too quick, although the past couple of days have been ok. (I'm anxious and iritable, but all in all nothing like the weekend was.) I tell ya, after my melt down saturday Sunday morning and afternoon were apprehensive for me, I think that I was just setting myself up for failure with the mind set of "ok, so I'm gonna feel like crap from now until this poison is totally out of me" Idk, I guess the part that stinks the most is the unknown of the whole situation. You don't know how you'll react each time you taper down more (if you'll go into tail spin or not)Your doctors don't know jack about helping you off this junk without paying a high price for your freedom. Which brings me to the point- Why do doctors (trained medical professionals) put you on something that will be so evil to you at the end?! We're people, not lab rats or pin cushions! They get to hand pills out and go home never dealing with the consequences. If you go off of it and feel like most of us on here do, they don't care. They just collect the fee from your office visit and go about their merry way. - I must be in the anger part of my moodswing lol. Anyways, Thanks you guys for commenting back. It means sooooooo much to me to have people to connect with who know what I'm talking about and how I'm feeling. thank you!

Hi Mommax3,


it IS a neat trick with the bread, isn't it? Someone posted that here a few months ago.

Don't be too hard on the doctors. They can only know what the drug companies tell them, and they're dealing with many, many hundreds of drugs. Unfortunately it's up to the drug companies to do the research and they're not obliged to do long term studies on withdrawal. Many people don't have any problem getting off Cymbalta, so doctor's think it's the wean system working, when it's in fact that person not having a problem withdrawing.

You mention getting this drug out of your system. The drug's out of your system before you even take the next dose. It's the changes to your brain (which are how they work) which have to be reset slowly, which is why these drugs should be tapered off slowly. Very slowly, for some.

The withdrawal effects are your body getting back to its pre cymbalta state. That's why it's important to keep taking SOME each day, and tapering down slowly so your body slowly adjusts.

regards, Maureen.