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Hello! I Am Beginning My Cymbalta Withdrawal Journey.


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#1 downtongirl

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Posted 29 June 2014 - 08:09 AM

I have been taking antidepressants and benzo's for almost 19 years.  The reason I started taking them was because of anxiety and depression.  Twice I have been able to come off of everything with the help of doctors but only stayed off for about a month because of anxiety and had to reinstate.  It took me a year to taper off of Effexor by going onto buspar and Prozac.  This is my second time being on Cymbalta.  I hate medicines to say the least.  I have had a few psychiatric hospitalizations after massive panic attacks.  Last summer I reached what I believe to be klonopin tolerance.  I have been in withdrawals for a year.  I took my last klonopin on April 9th, 2014.  I was put back on Cymbalta in late November 2013.  I was also put on risperidone and gabapentin for anxiety in March and April of this year.  I took my last dose of risperidone on May 30th and my last gabapentin on June 13th.  My current medications are supposed to be 60 mg of Cymbalta and 50 mg of trazadone and 1 mg of estradiol.  I have been telling my doctor since January that I did not think Cymbalta was doing me any good and that I wanted to switch to something else or get off of it.  He believes I will always need to be on psychiatric medicines.  What happens after I take my dose of Cymbalta is that for about 2 - 4 hours after taking it I feel very anxious.  My heart feels like it beats really fast.  I decided yesterday to cut my dose to 30 mg.  Yesterday afternoon I had some brain zaps and this intense pressure headache where it felt like someone had a tight band around my head beginning at the base of my skull to my ears.  Lots of ear pressure, pain, and the already existing tinnitus that I have developed from benzo tolerance/withdrawal was worse.  This morning I woke up feeling the same way.  I took a 30 mg capsule about 30 minutes ago and the headache is a little better.  I look forward to being off of this stuff and hopefully will never take another antidepressant again.


#2 youngnanaoftwo

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Posted 29 June 2014 - 11:05 PM

Hey girl..let's do this journey together..we can do this..I am going on day number 5 if stopping my cymbalta cold turkey due to reading so much about having withdrawal symptoms even when you taper off..so I'm the type..if it's bad let's do it and get it over with and not drag it out..lol..I'm sick to my stomach..brain zaps..electrical zaps in head, arms, hands, have a constant headache..have the house cooled to 70 and pouring sweat and then cold cause if the sweat..I have been on 60 mg of cymbalta for 3 years or so due to nerve pain damage due to 3 lower back surgeries and to help with my depression due to my limitations now due to the back surgery...I have came off of narcotic pain meds for my back and it was easy compared to this. The E Lily company should have listed all these horrible withdrawal symptoms in their booklet and I would have never taken this evil and horribly bad medication. Hang in there and may we get thru this horrible time quickly as possible.


#3 kiddykatt

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Posted 09 July 2014 - 02:44 PM

I am on 90 milligrams  of cymbalta for depression and fibro.  My cardiologist told me today he wants me off of it because of what it can do with the heart.  I am not sure yet if I should stop cold turkey or wean down.  Either way tonight I start my journey. 


#4 FiveNotions

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Posted 09 July 2014 - 04:01 PM

Hi Kiddykat, welcome! I'm totally impressed that your doc knows enuf about this poison to want you to get off of it... sounds like you've got a good ally to support you through the withdrawal/discontinuation process....

I was on 60 mg for 7-8 years, and quit cold turkey (cuz I had to) early last December.

It was the hard, hard way to go...at least for me... but, I'm in my early 60s, and was in lousy physical condition, so that likely worked against me.

I wouldn't recommend cold turkey to anyone.... my suggestion is to use the bead counting method, and reduce gradually over an extended period of time.

Do you have other health problems? Heart problems? Or is the doc anticipating possible problems?

What other meds are you taking?



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