2 replies to this topic

[Aarlie]

Hi! I'm new here....

I have been on 120mg of Cymbalta per day for almost 2 years. Initially I had some short term side effects but they settled very quickly. About 3 months ago I started getting quite severe side effects and asked my Dr to wean me off Cymbalta SLOWLY.

Fast forward to today (3 weeks later) and as instructed by my Dr I am completely off Cymbalta - I dropped to 90mg for 7 days then 60mg for 7 days then 30mg for 7 days (Dr's plan - he says that's slow enough). The ride hasn't been fun, especially the last 7 days as I got severe headaches and nausea every time I took the 30mg pill. Today I didn't take any and haven't had a headache or nausea at all but now (late at night in Australia) I've been hit with the worst dizziness I've had in the last 3 weeks and my moods are swinging pretty bad too. I have taken 5mg of diazepam to hopefully take the edge off but I'm starting to think that the worst is yet to come?

Thank you in advance for any advice

[fishinghat]

Holy crap that is way too fast. I would normally recommend a 3 month wean. These drs are idiots and don't even read the info from the manufacturer. With a 3 month wean I still recommend that anytime you get feeling bad just stay at that dose until you feel better and then continue weaning. Most take 6 to 8 months to complete the wean and even a few take a year or more. Remember that the diazepam is benzo, very addictive and carries a hefty withdrawal itself. One of the reasons I recommend the slow taper is so that extra meds may not be necessary. Instead of a benzo I would recommend hydroxyzine and/or clonidine for the anxiety/mood swings. They do not have withdrawal and are not addictive. At the psych dr office I go to they do not use benzos anymore and use only the hydroxyzine and clonidine where possible.

 

Go back to 30 mg and stabilize. When you get feeling better then start bead counting. When you get a chance count the beads in one of your capsules and let us know. We can help you develop a slow withdrawal rate.

 

Hang in there. We will all work together to get you through this.

[Aarlie]

Fishinghat, 'thank you' just doesn't seem enough for the information, advice and support you've provided!!!

I certainly felt that it was happening too quickly but then I found this site and was horrified that my Dr was trying to do this so quickly after what I had read!

I have gone back on 30mg and made an appointment to see another Dr. I had extreme symptoms today but finally got some relief after taking 2 Stemetil. I will count the grains in my 30mg capsule ASAP and let you know.

Many thanks for all of your help