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Got Off One, On To The Next!


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#1 jennjak

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Posted 02 June 2016 - 09:04 PM

I find these forums to be SO SUPPORTIVE and HELPFUL!
I am one month Saturday off of xanax! That was a BITCH during the withdrawal, still is. I was treated in-patient for that, and as my treatment was started on Cymbalta, Remeron, and Neurotin. Totally pissed I got off one and came out with 3, and feel tricked that I was prescribed these in a time of absolute desperation!
Now that I can think somewhat coherently, I want to begin getting off those 3. I know they will all have their withdrawal, but I'm gonna knock the cymbalta out first. I was initially prescribed 20 for 1 week, then the doc tried to up me to 60mgs. I refused (can you tell yet that I am NOT a pill popper?! I settled for 30mgs reluctantly for anxiety/depression and what they CALLED fibromyalgia, which I firmly believe was just the muscle/nerve reactions to benzo withdrawal.
My psych told me to go to 20mgs for a week or 2, then every other day for a week, then stop. I'm reading that this is a horrible idea, esp after just ONE DAY at the 20 I got a huge headache and very jittery. Today I took my 30 again but took out 10 beads. Still very headachy and jittery. I counted about 200 beads in the 30 (give or take, some were the size of a pinhead, others the size of a grain of salt). Am I going too fast? My thinking is that after only a month on, this SHOULD be relatively easy, and I hate to go so slow that I take 3 months to get off something I was only on about 5 weeks.
I DO have the help of gabapentin for pain and Remeron for sleep and appetite. I find it hard to believe ANYTHING could be worse than benzo hell but I feel like I'm torturing my poor brain!!

#2 fishinghat

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Posted 03 June 2016 - 08:21 AM

Welcome Jen

 

Just my opinion but I found Cymbalta far worse to get off of than benzos. I have been on and off benzos 4 times with little problems using water titration. Maybe that is why. I applaude your efforts and am glad to see that you will work on Cymbalta next.  Please use the bead counting method and take your time. Time and patience is what it is all about.


#3 gail

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    5 months on cymbalta, scary side effects, to get help and to return the favor if I can.

Posted 03 June 2016 - 03:55 PM

Hello Jen,

Lost my previous post, I hate this.

So I was saying that given your almost five weeks with this crap, that I would cold turkey it.

Get yourself some Benadryl for the anxiety and grind your teeth for a short while. I see no need to bead count and keep ingesting this s*** any longer. Almost five weeks is not three months.

Sure,there may be some uncomfortableness, and you will do OK.

I, at times, do not see eye to eye with our beloved Fishinghat, this is what I would say to my best friend though! Get this out of your system!

It remains your choice at the end, right?

Keep us posted Jen.

#4 fishinghat

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Posted 03 June 2016 - 04:50 PM

Gail, that is what I love about you and many on this site. Lay it out there. There is no absolute way to do this because there is so many variables like age, weight, time on it, etc. If you cold turkey it and things get too bad you can always go back up some on the C until you stabilize and then start back down again. No matter how you do it we are here to help and one thing is for sure. YOU CAN DO THIS!!


#5 jennjak

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Posted 04 June 2016 - 10:10 AM

Thank you both for your input! I respect your opinions as I have read a lot from each of you on this site!
I think I'll try the middle ground and not cold turkey, tho not gradual. The last couple days I've been reducing more based on what I need to get done that day. On a workday when I have a volleyball game that note, I'm playing it safe. Now that the weekend is here I will be more aggressive and see how it goes.
I DO have benadryl..in fact, I actually have Visteral (prescribed for my panic attacks now that I'm Xanax-free (one month today !) . From what I've read, the Visteral is as good if not better than Benadryl...correct? Fortunately i haven't taken it yet...lil nervous (I'm 6'1, 175, 36 years old, but one little benadryl knocks me OUT for at least 4 hours!).
As I said, I'm VERY sensitive to medications and their side effects. In my situation from your experience will that make my body more sensitive to withdrawal effects or more adaptable to a quick taper? And how do you feel about Visteral for symptoms?

#6 fishinghat

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Posted 04 June 2016 - 10:19 AM

I also take Visteral and it can be an excellent antianxiety drug. Also known as hydroxyzine, it can NOT be taken with Benadryl  (diphenhydramine) because they are both antihistamines. Like many anxiety drugs it can lower bp some as well as cause sleepiness. Start out slow and at bedtime would be my suggestion. As you adapt then you can increase dose. One thing I dearly love about Visteral is that it is not habit forming. I can up my dose 25 mg if having a bad day and then drop it back down the next day if I want to with no ill effects. But like so many medicines it works for some and not others.


#7 jennjak

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Posted 12 June 2016 - 09:07 PM

Been away for a bit.
Combined what you both said and attempted an aggressive taper.
Made it down 40 beads (so about 24mgs) in a week. And there I hit a brick wall.
I'm not getting brain zaps too badly (maybe 1 /night, thanks to my Remeron I think). However, I am having HORRIBLE muscle pains in my stomach. Gas, bloating, but mostly pains,as if I've done 1000 sit ups that day. I also have cramping in my left leg. I had this during my xanax withdrawal as well. I'm wondering...is this common for Cymbalta withdrawal too? Or could it just be PAWS from my Xanax? I slammed on the brakes and added 10 beads of my Cymbalta back, which didn't seem to help. Not sure if its the rapid tapering and my body is now catching up, or if you think it has nothing to do with the Cymbalta in which case I'll resume the taper...
Words of experienced wisdom please???!!!

#8 FiveNotions

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Posted 14 June 2016 - 09:08 AM

Hi Jenn !

 

First off, BRAVO on getting off the benzos ... and I second FH in that I found crapalta far worse to get off of than the benzos ... altho' they were awful for sure (took me 2 years and a few months) ... I made the crapalta withdrawal the hardest possible, as I went cold turkey (lost insurance, blah blah blah, so had to go that route) ...

 

Your current symptoms are what I also had ... and my bet (subject to what others here have to add) is that all of it's related to the cymbalta ...

 

My suggestion is that you stay right where you are, or even go up a few more beads ... then hold there for a good while, until you're completely stabilized ... then resume the bead counting, and go slowly ...

 

Remember, this isn't a race ... give your poor brain and body all the time they need to gradually adjust and normalize ... it takes time ... and the goal is for you to have quality of life ... as much as possible during withdrawal, and definitely after withdrawal ....

 

Chelated magnesium supplements may help with the muscle cramping ... are you taking it currently? You can read up on it here by searching the archives.

 

Also, I found that hot baths / soaks with Epsom Salts helped me a lot ... it's magnesium, and crosses the trans-dermal barrier to get into the muscles immediately.

 

Give yourself permission to rest and relax as much as possible ... and be patient with yourself ... you're doing great !  :)





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