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Stopping 60Mg Of Duloxetine Abruptly


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#1 Christopherusly

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Posted 09 June 2010 - 07:49 AM

I have been suffering with major depressive disorder since September 2009 and pyschosis since October 2009.

Having been through the usual suspects of anti depressants which did more harm that good, i ended up taking Duloxetine, at first 30mg which increased to 60mg in January 2010, over time this has helped improve my mood, my paranoia and general out look on life to the point where i felt more like the old me.

Most recently i have been having periods of mania lasting from a few hours to a day or so, i discussed this with my consultant whos response was this is not good - we need to stop the duloxetine, so othe last 4 days i have taken nothing but my cardiac drugs (due to Velafaxine causing problems with my blood pressure and heart rate) and my antipsychotics and to be honest i am feeling dreadful and worry that stopping this so abrutly is going to pull away the crutch was duloxetine has essentially been in my depression.

I did not expect symptoms of withdrawl to appear to quickly, but my god am I feeling it at the moment. A friend of the family is a pharmacist who was shocked to hear that my consultant had me going cold turkey on duloxetine so here i am.

Would anyone be able to give me an idea how long i am likely top suffer the effects of withdrawl ? i have been taking it for around 9 months.

Is there anything i can be doing to help how i feel coming off duloxetine (preferably not asking for another drug) any suggestions are welcome.

I really cannot keep feeling like this as it seems tha i had been making good progress and now this has been a huge step backwards, to make matters worse when i feel low my psychosis is also at its worst - i hear voices and see things that just are not there. How i am supposed to pretend to be okay at work with all of this i do not know at the moment. I have been fortunate enough to be able to pick up a pile of work from the office and tell my boss i am working from home, but obviously cannot do so indefinately.

Just for info i am also taking the following:

Zopiclone - 7.5mg to help me sleep
Amisulpride 100mg - for my psychosis
Trifluroperazine - 15mg for my psychosis
Nebivolol - 5mg for my heart rate and blood pressure
Procyclindine - 5mg - to help with my twitchines due to my antipsychotics

and finally a stash of Diazepam 5mg to help me relax on those days where it is all too much.

#2 MaureenV

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    Am trying to get off Cymbalta 30mg and wondering about brain zaps.

Posted 09 June 2010 - 06:18 PM

I have been suffering with major depressive disorder since September 2009 and pyschosis since October 2009.

Having been through the usual suspects of anti depressants which did more harm that good, i ended up taking Duloxetine, at first 30mg which increased to 60mg in January 2010, over time this has helped improve my mood, my paranoia and general out look on life to the point where i felt more like the old me.

Most recently i have been having periods of mania lasting from a few hours to a day or so, i discussed this with my consultant whos response was this is not good - we need to stop the duloxetine, so othe last 4 days i have taken nothing but my cardiac drugs (due to Velafaxine causing problems with my blood pressure and heart rate) and my antipsychotics and to be honest i am feeling dreadful and worry that stopping this so abrutly is going to pull away the crutch was duloxetine has essentially been in my depression.

I did not expect symptoms of withdrawl to appear to quickly, but my god am I feeling it at the moment. A friend of the family is a pharmacist who was shocked to hear that my consultant had me going cold turkey on duloxetine so here i am.

Would anyone be able to give me an idea how long i am likely top suffer the effects of withdrawl ? i have been taking it for around 9 months.

Is there anything i can be doing to help how i feel coming off duloxetine (preferably not asking for another drug) any suggestions are welcome.

I really cannot keep feeling like this as it seems tha i had been making good progress and now this has been a huge step backwards, to make matters worse when i feel low my psychosis is also at its worst - i hear voices and see things that just are not there. How i am supposed to pretend to be okay at work with all of this i do not know at the moment. I have been fortunate enough to be able to pick up a pile of work from the office and tell my boss i am working from home, but obviously cannot do so indefinately.

Just for info i am also taking the following:

Zopiclone - 7.5mg to help me sleep
Amisulpride 100mg - for my psychosis
Trifluroperazine - 15mg for my psychosis
Nebivolol - 5mg for my heart rate and blood pressure
Procyclindine - 5mg - to help with my twitchines due to my antipsychotics

and finally a stash of Diazepam 5mg to help me relax on those days where it is all too much.





It's crazy to come off this drug cold turkey. Even those who are otherwise healthy and no longer need the drug can suffer terribly.


Your body has adjusted to the Cymbalta and needs time to get back to it's pre Cymbalta state. You must urgently contact your doctor and tell them that cold turkey is causing you a lot of grief and you need to taper off - that's the only REAL solution.

Many people suffer chest pain AND elevated blood pressure during (inappropriate) withdrawal too.


regards, Maureen.

#3 cookie

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    In the future I would like to stop cymbalta

Posted 22 June 2010 - 11:15 PM

I have been suffering with major depressive disorder since September 2009 and pyschosis since October 2009.

Having been through the usual suspects of anti depressants which did more harm that good, i ended up taking Duloxetine, at first 30mg which increased to 60mg in January 2010, over time this has helped improve my mood, my paranoia and general out look on life to the point where i felt more like the old me.

Most recently i have been having periods of mania lasting from a few hours to a day or so, i discussed this with my consultant whos response was this is not good - we need to stop the duloxetine, so othe last 4 days i have taken nothing but my cardiac drugs (due to Velafaxine causing problems with my blood pressure and heart rate) and my antipsychotics and to be honest i am feeling dreadful and worry that stopping this so abrutly is going to pull away the crutch was duloxetine has essentially been in my depression.

I did not expect symptoms of withdrawl to appear to quickly, but my god am I feeling it at the moment. A friend of the family is a pharmacist who was shocked to hear that my consultant had me going cold turkey on duloxetine so here i am.

Would anyone be able to give me an idea how long i am likely top suffer the effects of withdrawl ? i have been taking it for around 9 months.

Is there anything i can be doing to help how i feel coming off duloxetine (preferably not asking for another drug) any suggestions are welcome.

I really cannot keep feeling like this as it seems tha i had been making good progress and now this has been a huge step backwards, to make matters worse when i feel low my psychosis is also at its worst - i hear voices and see things that just are not there. How i am supposed to pretend to be okay at work with all of this i do not know at the moment. I have been fortunate enough to be able to pick up a pile of work from the office and tell my boss i am working from home, but obviously cannot do so indefinately.

Just for info i am also taking the following:

Zopiclone - 7.5mg to help me sleep
Amisulpride 100mg - for my psychosis
Trifluroperazine - 15mg for my psychosis
Nebivolol - 5mg for my heart rate and blood pressure
Procyclindine - 5mg - to help with my twitchines due to my antipsychotics

and finally a stash of Diazepam 5mg to help me relax on those days where it is all too much.



Dear Christopherusly:
I also have been suffering with major depressive disorder since 2005, and have had psychotic episodes (also heard voices). Cymbalta also helped me improve my mood. I admire you, because in spite of the major depression and psychosis, you have been able to work and have a productive life, that is a huge accomplishment. Congratulations for that!.

Yes, I agree that you having periods of mania, is not a good sign. However, from what I´ve read and learned on this site, quitting cold turkey is really horrible, an more if your actual dose is 60mg. Weaning slowly makes the withdrawal symptoms not that horrible. I also have been taking 60mg, and decided to do little drops (7mg each time). I can´t imagine what would have been like to stop 100% all at once.

I am not a doctor. But is sounds to me that you are taking too many meds (some to treat the illness and some to treat side effects of the medicines). I am each time more toward natural therapies. I know major depression and psychosis are serious illness, that need very specific and professional help. But worries me that you take pills to sleep and also to relax. One of the things that I´ve learned from this illness, is the need to learn other ways to relax other than pills. For example yoga is excellent.

I have a question/doubt……how can we be sure that is cymbalta what is causing the mania, and not another pill or interaction of the different pills you are taking???.....Sounds like antipsychotics are not the cause of mania because they indeed stabilize the moods. Perhaps since cymbalta works on serotonin or norephinephrine it is the cause.
Another question that I have is. Maybe the problem is not cymbalta but the dosage you are taking????. If cymbalta was so effective at treating your depression, could it be the high dosage your taking (60mg) what is causing the mania???.....How would you feel if you dropped to 30mg, maybe the mania could go away and still be able to take cymbalta???? I don´t know. I am just analysing your post.

In conclusion, if you want to quit cymbalta, it would be smart to wean slowly. There are many posts on this site, explaining how to do it.

Keep me posted on your decisión,
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#4 Christopherusly

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Posted 24 June 2010 - 01:16 AM

I tried to see my consultant last week to explain that going cold turkey has left me feeling worse than death warmed up , however she was away at a conference so went in to see a locum instead - they decided that they should give me some Duloxetine, rather than the whole dose i had been taking, so i came away with a script for 40mg, which i am told treats urinary incontience, rather than depression, but considered this to be better than the alternative.

The locum also decided that i should have my stellazine (trifluroperazine) increased to 5mg three times daily, since this i have had the most horrific headpain i have ever experienced in my life, the pain is still blinding bright its debillitating to the point of making it difficult to do anything, this has been reduced back down to 2mg three times daily by my usual consulant which does not seem to have helped things a great deal.

On top of all of this, my consultant has decided that Lithium would be a good way to go with the mania, so as a mood stabilliser it should enhance the effects of the anti depressant, but they are still doing little to treat the psychosis. :-(

I give up.

#5 cookie

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Posted 24 June 2010 - 01:30 AM

Hello:
Taking 40mg of Duloxetine sounds fine....maybe you can wean off slowly from there?

I´ve had horrible and blinding headaches while on cymbalta. Seems like it is cymbalta what is causing it. Maybe there is no need to increase the other med???

About the mood stabilizer, maybe you´ll want your doctor to come back before deciding to change your mood stabilizer?? since you are already taking meds for your psychosis.

Please do not give up!!!

In my case I suffer from Major Depression and psychotic symptoms. There was a time in which symptoms got really horrible. After 5 years, my doctor told me to quit the mood stabilizer that I took for psychosis. I suffered withdrawals. After 3 months I started to feel better and to take charge of my health. Started eating healthy, doing yoga. I haven´t had psychotic symptoms this year. And I have decreased cymbalta dosage from 60 to 25mg.

Be patient, things will get better. It is important that you and your doctor make the right decisions about medicines. But please try to complement with exercise and nutrition, vitamins.

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