[slant]

This is my third entry today....that in and of itself is amazing !

Ok....so after 1 week of the 30 mg taper I took 60 yesterday and a "modified dose " of a little less than 60 today. I will call my doctor tomorrow to ask him to phone in the 20 mg so I can try the 60/50/40/.....taper.
Here are my questions for those of you with experience......

How long might I want to hold at a dose before lowering again ?
Should I inquire about the Prozac one dose deal.....I am almost terrified at the thought of adding anything else.
Is it normal to still feel emotionally screwy even though I'm back on the original 60 ?
How long has it taken you to get off of this and feel "normal" again.

[schmb01]

slant said:

This is my third entry today....that in and of itself is amazing !

Ok....so after 1 week of the 30 mg taper I took 60 yesterday and a "modified dose " of a little less than 60 today. I will call my doctor tomorrow to ask him to phone in the 20 mg so I can try the 60/50/40/.....taper.
Here are my questions for those of you with experience......

How long might I want to hold at a dose before lowering again ?
Should I inquire about the Prozac one dose deal.....I am almost terrified at the thought of adding anything else.
Is it normal to still feel emotionally screwy even though I'm back on the original 60 ?
How long has it taken you to get off of this and feel "normal" again.

Withdrawal time frames are hard to pin down, there is just so much unknown. I would hold at each lower dose until you feel stable, then decrease, so, it may be a day or 2, or a week or 2, at each lowered dose, it really depends on how you respond.

I think once you start feeling emotinally screwy from Cymbalta, it is hard to really ever have it make you feel "good" again, though it may stop the intense mood swings. I've been off of it totally for coming up on 40 days, taking only an Omega 3 supplement. I felt I had "made it", but the last few days have not been so great. So, I am going to look into the 1 dose of prozac after speaking with my doctor tomorrow. Like you, I was terrified to add something else, but my emotions are still out of whack, and the brain zaps are becoming more frequent again. What I am feeling isn't what I would describe as depression, I just don't feel "right". So, I understand your hesitation, but if you are in the early stages of weaning, and taking prozac or Celexa will help you get through this, then I would give it a shot. Of course, work with your doctor.

I also wish I had an answer about when we will feel normal again. I really think each of us is different, and I also think, or wonder, if you don't have a better chance of getting to "normal" sooner, if you follow an good structured taper, and if needed, use Celexa or Prozac to help. I can't help but think that toughing it out with no help, for a long period of time, ultimately delays that "normal" goal.

[Sarah J]

The Prozac "one dose" deal might be right for if you were off completely of Cymbalta for around a week and were having a really hard time. Check out this post regarding a woman who weaned with Prozac and Cymbalta, you can private message her and ask her, she answered me back pretty quickly, I am no doctor nor can I say just go out and do this:
http://www.cymbaltaw...c.php?f=15&t=88

You are still on Cymbalta, and did not tolerate the 60 to 30 jump as you said in your first post - I put those dosage options up there to show what doses can be made from what is commercially available without resorting to counting pellets and halving the dosage by the eyeball method. You and your doctor need to decide. Those dosages may or may not be right for you, but do show you that you can drop to either 50 or 40 instead of going straight to 30.

Typically, you stay on a lower dose for a couple of weeks or more (feeling good on the newer dose, not crazy). Note, the key here is feeling stable and healthy for a good period of time before dropping another dose (always with your docs advice).

You felt bad the entire week you dropped down and it sounds like you "modified" your own dose just yesterday. It probably is not unreasonable that you feel a little emotionally screwy, but if you feel you are in danger of any kind, you need to go to a walk-in clinic or emergency room.

As soon as possible, you should get to your doctor to help you get on a safe track with this.

As for the answer as to how long does it take people to get off and feel normal again - everybody has a really different (but similar) experience. Some people feel better in a few days, a few weeks. Check out some of the posts, many people ON THEIR OWN reported feeling better this past week and it took them around a month.

And, lastly, some people do come off of this and have no problems at all!! They just don't post here because, why would they look for a support forum if they were feeling fine and dandy?

You might be lucky if you can get your doctor to work with you to find a gentle quick withdrawal program. Be careful and safe and please let us all know how you are doing, feeling, what your doc said, etc.