14 replies to this topic

[kanodm]

I weaned the cymbalta down over a month and this is my secon week without it at all.  How long do you think I will be miserable?

[lady2882Nancy]

Hi kanodm

 

You should start to feel better by the end of the second week. For me the magic day when I realized I felt better was day 16 off, Day 17 off was not good, but day 18 off was good again.

 

Most of the side effects usually ease off or are gone for some by 4 weeks, others may take 6 weeks and a few as long as 12 weeks.

 

You are through the worst of it now and so can look for things to get better very soon

 

Let us know how you are doing

 

Take care

[fishinghat]

By the end of two more weeks you should be feeling much better. You will make it!!!

[GregoryInTheSkyWithDemons]

Hi Kanodm. It seems it depends on the person. It took longer for me (over a month) but I think I'm clear of the Crapalta. I am using Zoloft to ease my symptoms but I'm weaning off of that also. I would probably agree (based on what I've read) that two weeks is the average but it can stretch out to a month or maybe more. Everyone is different. There are a lot of symptoms I had that were in common with others but there were also some I didn't have. One things we all have in common though is the type of doctor who I term a "candyman" who gave us this crap in the first place.

[lady2882Nancy]

You are so much more polite than I am Gregory.

 

My name for the one I have is not nearly as polite as "candyman" is LOL but he fits into the type that you mean.

[Jones]

I on week three and I don't know....

[alli]

I'm new, but this support site is awesome and has help me understand what's going to happen next!!! And thati wasnt going crazy nor demetia. I was on cymbalta for enough time for it to peak in my body;, developed double pneumonia, then hooked to I.v.'s for a wk for severe dehydration, then took my dr. 3 more wks to figure that the cymbalta caused all this, by then my brain had gone to mush!!! Every single symptom that has been posted thur out the forum I have experienced!! HELL! !!!!! Im on wk 5 of weaning from 30 to 20mg, now taking every 4th day. But it is horrific when I take it and to recover the next day. When im thur weaning, only one more to go, am I going to feel the massive and intense withdrawal still? I just thank god my memory came back!!! Can anyone say when you will feel normal again?

[GregoryInTheSkyWithDemons]

Hi alli. Wow. You've had it and are having it rough. Your taper is much slower than mine. I went from 90 mg to 0 in a period of about 3-4 weeks. I then went through a month and half of my personal Hell. I'm glad your doctor recognized Cymbalta was the problem but your taper seems awfully prolonged (Note: This is my personal opinion. Please DO NOT take my advice on tapering over what your doctor recommends. Everyone is different.). But maybe mine was too quick but I got over the symptoms quicker. I was on Cymbalta for 6 months before getting off and went back on Zoloft to help with the symptoms and start a slow taper with it. It's not the greatest but I believe it or any other SSRI to replace Cymbalta and taper is better than tapering with Cymbalta. I'm now down to 25mg of Zoloft for the next week or so and will be going to 12.5 mg for the remaining two weeks. Then I'm saying goodbye to all anti-depressants, taking a baseline, and going the route of counseling and other therapies such as CBT or Mindfulness. I do believe I have underlying issues to deal with (anger, etc.) but I don't believe I have depression. If fact I think my Serotonin level is normal and it's my dopamine and/or norepinephrine level is low so taking an SSRI or SNRI (Cymbalta) actually hurt more than it helped (I've been on anti-depressants for 8+ years). My doctor is completely on-board with the no-med and therapy approach.
Regarding your question "Can anyone say when you will feel normal again?". I really wish I can answer when. But I believe it will happen so hang in there. It's a really rough road. I've never been through this kind of Hell in my life (I'm not too old but I'm no Spring chicken either). You will get better. However, consult with your doctor about weaning alternatives, get a second opinion, and definitely read this board because what everyone is saying here is true and you will gather that the length of symptoms vary.

You will get through this. I did but I do have to give a lot of credit to my wife who has put up with more than anyone should have and has had the strength to still seek out help (she introduced me to this board), and she has been there when I needed her. Although I've expressed, and others have too, that you can feel abandoned I now realize that others helping you (like my wife) need time away from the person suffering to recover so they can come back to help you again. My wife needed her time alone often but she always came back. Now that I've been feeling wonderful over the past two days I realize how much she cared because she always came back to my bedside.
I still need to wean off the last 25 mg of Zoloft and will need time to recover because although you will feel wonderful this experience exhausts you. I feel great today but very tired and worn down. But I'd rather feel tired and worn down than have the pain of Cymbalta withdrawal. When you do feel better, take it easy, give yourself time to mentally and physically recover. That's how I'm taking it.
I hope this (and other posts) help you realize that everyone comes out of this eventually and you will also. Allow time to work its magic and work with your doctor to get off Cymbalta, get a baseline of your "natural" emotional levels and move on from there.

You will recover and you will be a better person from this experience
 

[alli]

Just to note I was taking cymbalta for chronic pain due to sports injuries and surgeries. My dr. even called cymbalta for some help,was told to do what we were doing, also she spoke w the drug rep. that calls on her of this med., he knew nothing of the weaning process.

[lady2882Nancy]

Hi Alli

Unfortunately there is a huge misunderstanding about the tapering off process for this drug.

It is the dose size that needs to be slowly reduced, not how often you take it.

 

Traditional SSRI's can be tapered off by the method you are using because of their long 1/2 life.

Cymbalta has a very short 1/2 life (12 hours) and is almost completely out of your system after 2.5 days so that doesn't work. I am no longer surprised when a doctor doesn't know that as even Eli Lilly has not studied and developed a withdrawal protocol.

 

You will have side effects when you stop completely although they should not be as bad as someone who stops when taking the dose everyday.

 

There are a few places on the site where the essential supplements are posted and they really help with the withdrawal. Drink lots of water and eat your veggies and fruit to help your liver detox and you will get through it fine.

 

Let us know how you are doing.

 

Take care

[alli]

Good to know, thanks a million. I'll keep you posted.

[chimera]

I am about 4 and a half weeks off, improvement in some things, others are taking their time to diminish- but it seems very individual.

[fishinghat]

Really good to hear Chimera. The improvements should be steady now. Hang in there.

[chimera]

thanks fishinghat, great news about the testosterone btw! I am swearing a little less now:)

[albergo11]

The withdrawls can be extremely long lived.  Although I have not heard of too many people with symptoms past 6 months, so that may be the upper limit for 90-95% of the people.  I think 12 weeks is not unlikely.   It's been around 10 weeks for me, and I'm still feeling them pretty badly.