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Losing My Mind


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#1 mjury120

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Posted 12 March 2014 - 01:48 AM

Hey all, I've got a pretty long back story, so I'll try and keep this brief.
I'm 22, been on antidepressants for 2 years now after a failed suicide attempt and rehabilitation. I've pretty much turned my life around-- got married, got a career started. Everything is going great so I have been considering stopping my antidepressants (cymbalta and trazadone) for quite some time now, just never had the guts.
Well recently, my gyn told me I need to have kids now because in a few years, I won't be able to. She went in and did surgery to give me some time, but my husband and i basically have to start trying in 3 months. So, I figured since I'm out on medical leave, that now would be a good time--two weeks off is all I can afford right now.
so I went to the 30 mg on the cymbalta for a couple days (like my doc suggested) and IMMEDIATELY felt withdrawal. I'm so dizzy I can't stand up to walk across the room, let alone function. So I said, to hell with this, I'm already feeling shitty, let's just stop it all---I WANT THIS OUT OF ME
today is my second day--and I know I probably seem like a wimp-- but I'm LOSING MY MIND. I cry and scream for no reason, I can't stop shaking, I'm itchy, I look like I'm stoned out of my mind and the dizziness is worsened with nausea on top of it.
Is there ANY way to speed up this process? I keep reading posts on here and getting discouraged, cause fact is, I can't live like this for weeks on end! I need to get clean so I won't miss my shot at pregnancy
please help me :( I'm so discouraged and frustrated!

#2 Clara

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Posted 12 March 2014 - 06:47 AM

mjury120 welcome to the forum and congrats on your marriage and getting your life together. We all understand your frustrations. The best way to ease w/drawals is go back to your 30 mg dosage and begin the bead counting. Many here are doing it and you'll find the info on many post for bead counting. In my opinion, there just isn't a "quick fix" for the w/drawals, but the bead counting makes it easier. You've come to the right place for info, encouragement, and loving support. There are a couple of others pregnant or wanting to get pregnant, so you're not alone. I would also suggest coming off only one of the meds at a time. You ARE NOT a wimp! This med is nasty to come off of, but YOU CAN DO IT!!!! Others will jump in with support and info for you. Keep us posted. Ask, rant vent. whatever here.. we understand and will be here for you! Hugs and prayers for you!!!  clara :)


#3 fishinghat

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Posted 12 March 2014 - 08:27 AM

Welcome to the site mjury. No quick fixes here I am afraid. The standard withdrawal is from 8 to 12 weeks and a little longer if cold turkey. It is around the 3rd or 4th week before you start to see a break. I wish I could help. This is just a period of hell that we all seem to have to go through. Hang tough.

 

Best wishes.


#4 FiveNotions

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Posted 12 March 2014 - 09:22 AM

Hi MJ120, welcome! You'll find lots of support, info, and humor here....stick around and post often...you can do this! ...and we'll do everything we can to help you....

I agree with Clara and FH....please try bead counting rather than cold turkey...and quitting just one med at a time....starting with cymbalta, ...but others can comment on that...

Cymbalta....coming off cold turkey may seem like the fastest way, but it's not...at least not for me...I'm in my 13th week off, quit CT because I lost my insurance...so I had no choice...however if I cld do it all over, I'd bead count....I experienced what you're experiencing...for longer than was necessary....

Bead counting allows you to control the process, rather than having withdrawal control you...yes, you'll still feel crappy, but hopefully not in the overwhelming way that you do now....

Your doc is dead wrong on how to get off the poison...stepping down by half all at once is just too big a shock to your already delicate nervous system....very very few docs know anything about cymbalta withdrawal.....those of us here, individually and collectively, probably know more than any doc or scientist....because we're living it moment by moment....

Congratulations and blessings on your recovering life and your marriage, and wanting to have children! There are, have been, other members here who are also trying/preparing to get pregnant....and get off cymbalta in order to do so....

Starting a family...from getting pregnant on out...means you need to keep yourself as stable and as healthy...mentally, physically and spiritually....as possible....quitting cymbalta the hard way...stepping down or CT....won't help you do this....and, it will make getting pregnant that much harder, is my bet....be easy on yourself...you've come through an awful lot, and like it or not, you are still, may always be, a bit fragile.... :-)

It's great that you're on medical leave right now...you've got time to begin a careful withdrawal process and get settled into an understanding of how to take care of yourself during it....

My suggestion is to immediately go back up to your original dose...which sounds like it was 60 mg (since she cut it to 30 mg).... Get stable, and then begin bead counting....by removing a few...even just 1, beads at a time....EquusWoman is doing the one bead count...others here find that they can remove more...either each day, every few days, or once a week....

As to how many beads are in each capsule, it depends on what dose your counting down from, whether it's the brand or a generic, and if it's a generic, who the manufacturer is....to be absolutely certain, you can open one capsule...and count the number....that's a project in and of itself! Just yesterday, GinnyKim61 posted a question on this....https://www.cymbalta...bout-the-beads/

For example, EquusWoman said on that post that she started with 60 mg of the brand....and that it has 200 beads....if that's what you're taking, you'll have that many beads...plus or minus a few, given how the capsules are filled at the factory...I can't take this part much further, given that I didn't bead count...others here will help you with this...

There's a ton of info on how to do this posted here...start with the threads in the "weaning Off Cymbalta" topic area...https://www.cymbalta...g-off-cymbalta/

Also read through the "Nutritional Support" threads...https://www.cymbalta...tional-support/

#5 mjury120

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Posted 12 March 2014 - 12:27 PM

I think I'll go with the bead counting :/
I really just wanna do this as fast as possible

#6 xman

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Posted 12 March 2014 - 12:30 PM

Welcome to MJURY! You are BRAVE and young, so you have a lot going for you--tho it may not feels this way. I have been 22 :D-I don't think I was anywhere near that brave!

 

FiveNotions always has the best to give you. As do Fishinghat Clara, Clareeta et al.

 

My annoying advice today is directed to MJURY: make wise use of your medical leave (?FMLA) and go cold turkey. That is just me and I am not professing to be an expert. But I will say I do take the suicidal talk extremely seriously and want you to know without a doubt this is the nasty drug side effect talking to you! Perhaps you can get your doctor to call you in a small amount of Xanax (0.25 mg) or not. I sincerely think anything is better than Cymbalta and the entire class of SSRI, SSNRI drugs!!

Hold onto the trazadone for awhile if possible so that you can sleep...   XMan


#7 mjury120

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Posted 12 March 2014 - 01:05 PM

Xman
did u quit cold turkey? If so, how long were u incapacitated?

#8 mjury120

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Posted 12 March 2014 - 01:11 PM

Has anyone found acupuncture to be helpful??
It's helped me in the past with anxiety, but maybe it can help with the withdrawal symptoms too?

#9 thismoment

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Posted 12 March 2014 - 01:22 PM

mjury120

See my post. It's #7 under "Tampering Off", started  by nkrobal on 06 Mar 2014.

Best wishes.


#10 Carleeta

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Posted 12 March 2014 - 06:20 PM

Mjuty120..As others have posted on quitting Cymbalta cold turkey; I too have to agree with them..If you fall into the range of experiencing intolerable side effects from cymbalta c/t (which you have already described in your first post) then there is really no easy fix off this med...Bead counting maybe the way to go...There is really no hurry to getting back to yourself with the least tolerable symptoms through bead counting...You will feel symptoms through bead counting also but they are more tolerable than what you are experiencing at the moment, hopefully.

Please take into account what your feeling today and how difficult it is..I just saw your 2nd post stating you are going to try the bead counting...

This may be your best attempt at this time..

I'm all aboard and ready for you tapering off cymbalta and then starring to conceive! Yippee..

please keep us posted...

#11 equuswoman

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Posted 12 March 2014 - 09:54 PM

I think I'll go with the bead counting :/
I really just wanna do this as fast as possible

Hi welcome to the forum. I am weaning off Cymbalta using the bead counting method.

You are in my prayers as you make the journey thru hell. I did and made it back.

Let us know how you're doing. :hug: TheEquusWoman


#12 mjury120

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Posted 13 March 2014 - 08:50 PM

Hey all.
went back up to the 30mg, feeling LOADS better. Gonna decrease slower this time around, but at least im stable at 30 instead of sixty so there's less to come off of

#13 sodone61

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Posted 13 March 2014 - 09:03 PM

Do you guys think that coming off of "beads" is significantly more tolerable than a cold turkey quit?  Wouldn't I still go into withdrawal during the taper and then at the end?  It seems like prolonging the inevitable.  Or is it that the withdrawal is there but it's not as bad?  Day 6 cold turkey and I've slept most the day, with the added nightmares every time I fall asleep.  I have very little tolerance to irritating things, like the wind blowing and my mother breathing... lol    At least I notice it and I'm letting people know I have no patience or tolerance right now and to forgive me ahead of time... They are weirdly understanding! 

 I'm hesitating on even taking a partial dose because I hate this medication so much.  I feel like I'm eating poison.  :angry:  Pam


#14 Clara

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Posted 14 March 2014 - 07:34 AM

It's up to you, sodone. Imo, if you can continue c/t and tolerate the w/ds, go for it! Keep posting! All my best to you!!  clara


#15 fishinghat

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Posted 14 March 2014 - 08:01 AM

The withdrawal is still there sodone but it is lighter and over a longer period of time. Another advantage is that you can pause at a certain bead count, stabilize, and sort of catch your breath before tapering again. What makes it difficult to decide cold turkey or bead counting is that everyone is different. Some handle cold turkey fairly well but on the flip side some have suicidal thoughts and a few have actually committed suicide during withdrawal. That is something we are all concerned about here.


#16 FiveNotions

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Posted 14 March 2014 - 08:51 AM

MJ120, I think you might get some excellent info from the many pregnancy discussion forums in the internet....women who have actual experience to share....I've listed a few of them below...you could even join, like here, and post your specific questions....

Also, at the top of the list is something I had no idea existed....Eli Lilly and Co. Sponsors a "Cymbalta Pregnancy Registry" .....

The Cymbalta® Pregnancy Registry
www.cymbaltapregnancyregistry.com/
Eli Lilly and company, the manufacturer of Cymbalta, has established a voluntary Pregnancy Registry to learn more information about pregnant women who ...

Weaning off Cymbalta - ugh!! - 35+ Moms - WhatToExpect.com
www.whattoexpect.com › Groups › 35+ Moms › Archives
14 posts - ‎7 authors
Anyone else taking Cymbalta when they found out they were pregnant? ... I got off of it before I got pregnant because it was giving me my period every 2 weeks.

Cymbalta and Pregnancy - Mothering.com
www.mothering.com › ... › Pregnancy and Birth › I'm Pregnant
Sep 24, 2010 - 20 posts - ‎14 authors
I was on 60 mg of Cymbalta and when I discovered I was pregnant, ..... Can't remember what type, but I did have to switch before the third ...

Anyone tapering off Cymbalta during pregnancy? - BabyCenter
community.babycenter.com/.../anyone_tapering_off_cymbalta_during_pre...
Oct 19, 2012 - I've heard horror stories about people trying to get off of Cymbalta. I'm not sure if m nausea ... I tapered off a few months ago--before pregnant.

Cymbalta and Pregnancy - ConceiveEasy
www.conceiveeasy.com/get-pregnant/cymbalta-and-pregnancy/
by Christine Lee
Mar 16, 2013 - Since many pregnant women complain of depression, it is prescribed to them. However, you should talk to your doctor before going for it.

Cymbalta - InfantRisk Center
www.infantrisk.com › ... › Antidepressants
Jul 6, 2011 - 8 posts - ‎4 authors
Dr. Hale - I am curious if you have any thoughts about cymbalta and breastfeeding. ... doctor kept her on cymbalta through pregnancy and now breastfeeding. ... for your situation, as he will get and retain very limited quantities .



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