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Apparently What Goes Up, Must Come Down


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#1 tfaff

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    I've taken 60 mg. Of Cymbalta for over 9 yrs. After feeling extreme fatigue for a long time, along with several other side effects, I am very motivated to slowly wean off of it and say goodbye to an aweful drug.

Posted 14 April 2017 - 09:00 PM

All it took was my doctor cancelling my appointment this week, it threw me way off for two days. Like way off. I ended up going in a day early, the same day they called, and had to go to a different office. Normally wouldn't have been a big deal, but I'm having to relearn living with emotions.

I'm much better now, I am still able to be up and productive all day around the house. I'm planting gardens, got the pool up and runnng, working on a quilt for our soon to be grand daughter. Getting out of the house too. Still a night and day difference from the last nine years!

I do have some depression creeping in, especially before bed and when I wake up, hopefully that won't get too bad.

#2 gail

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Posted 15 April 2017 - 09:48 AM

Hello there,

Still looking good to me. You must be leading such a different life than before. Getting used to it?

#3 TryinginFL

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Posted 15 April 2017 - 11:47 AM

Welcome tfaff!

 

Sounding pretty good at this point! 

 

Hang in there - you apparently are one tough cookie!

 

Liz


#4 tfaff

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    I've taken 60 mg. Of Cymbalta for over 9 yrs. After feeling extreme fatigue for a long time, along with several other side effects, I am very motivated to slowly wean off of it and say goodbye to an aweful drug.

Posted 16 April 2017 - 10:25 PM

Gail - If things stay like this, I'll be a happy camper. For now, I will work at getting caught up in so many areas, and enjoy whatever "normal" I get right now. I wonder what it will be like as I am approaching the final milligrams and beads...

You all here are such a source of encouragement I can't tell you how good it is to feel understood and how much I appreciate the helpful resources you share.

#5 tfaff

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    I've taken 60 mg. Of Cymbalta for over 9 yrs. After feeling extreme fatigue for a long time, along with several other side effects, I am very motivated to slowly wean off of it and say goodbye to an aweful drug.

Posted 21 April 2017 - 09:01 PM

Oh boy, it's been a different story this week. The depression has gotten worse each day, and maybe it's anxiety, but I am so intense, I feel like a freak. And really obsessive, Im getting so obsessive about anything, I can barely talk to anyone for fear of embarrassing myself, and probably scaring them. As of today, I am at 7 mg. and I'll hold here for a few days until I get a grip.

Our daughter-in-law is having a problematic pregnancy and this week I told them I'd drive up (1,000 miles) to help with their three boys. A few hours later I realized there was no way I could do that. I don't even know when I'll be good enough to go visit and see our new granddaughter. It was shocking to realize I need help making decisions right now.

Thankfully my husband is very understanding, I feel bad for him though, this has been a long, long haul. He agrees that I should sit at 7 mg. for now. Deep down I hope I can survive this.

#6 gail

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Posted 22 April 2017 - 07:15 AM

Tfaff,

Night and day as I see. What was the last dosage that you felt ok?
At what rate are you dropping?

You can go back up to this dosage if you want. I you decide to stay at seven mg, stay there for at least one week at the less till you stabilize.

Of course, there is no way for you to drive so far till all has settled.

There are no decisions to make, only to listen to your body. The family understands, I am sure. You come first for the moment. I know that you feel bad about not going, normal. Don't add burden to an already great burden. Xxx

#7 fishinghat

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Posted 22 April 2017 - 07:47 AM

Gail is right. When you do settle down be sure and start dropping at an even slower rate. Those last few mg are real tough.

#8 tfaff

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    I've taken 60 mg. Of Cymbalta for over 9 yrs. After feeling extreme fatigue for a long time, along with several other side effects, I am very motivated to slowly wean off of it and say goodbye to an aweful drug.

Posted 22 April 2017 - 09:27 AM

Gail and FH, thank you, I chart my symptoms every day, good and bad ones. I'll go back to where I was when the depression really started to take over, last Monday, and hold there. There were two pretty intense nights where my emotions and thots took over so fast, I had to be alone in a quiet place and not even talk about it, or it would escalate more. I took Benedryl and fell asleep.

#9 fishinghat

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Posted 22 April 2017 - 10:05 AM

Boy can I understand that situation. Been there and done that.

#10 tfaff

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Posted 23 April 2017 - 01:16 PM

FH, it helps to hear that it is common to have more symptoms once you taper below 10 mg. I can remind myself that this is progress and that IS a comfort.

I am not doing much better since I put a hold on the tapering, I'm actually just under 7 mg. at 34 beads, considering bumping back up to 8 mg and see if that helps. I am noticing a lot of obsessive thinking so I looked that up today. Turns out there is some instance of that with Ambien, especially when taking mirapex. My GP just prescribed that for me this week for some shoulder pain I've had! Hence the anxiety attack I had that night. My doctors are not much help here. I think I'm probably very sensitive to everything right now, I have to rethink anything I take.

I want to get off of Ambien too. It's been a good six weeks of sleeping, but the side affects are creeping up. I need to go as natural as possible so I'll be focused on the sleep hygiene to start.

#11 fishinghat

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Posted 23 April 2017 - 01:20 PM

The OCD is worse with the Ambien if you are also on a benzo. If you are sleeping well with it then I wouldn't stop it but just cut back a little. That sleep is important for your ability to handle the withdrawal.


#12 tfaff

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Posted 23 April 2017 - 02:46 PM

So embarrassed, I got meds confused, I was not prescribed Mirapex ( another family member took it for a while) but I was prescribed Meloxicam this week. So I'm guessing, ( haven't looked it up yet) that it doesn't interact with Ambien. Sorry, I am a basket case this week, and Ireally feel bad for my sweet husband, for my emotional and nervous swings all over the place. I'm realizing I have a fear of doctors at this point, so many of them let me down, telling me to stay on my meds, don't change anything, while I was wasting away on Cymbalta.
FH, I will seriously consider staying on Ambien, thank you, as always for your well researched information.

#13 tfaff

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Posted 02 May 2017 - 01:45 AM

I want to thank you, Fishinghat, Liz and Gail for helping me get back on level ground a couple weeks back. I don't know if this is common but I was doing just fine and out of the blue, my emotions hit the fan and I was not ok especially the next two evenings. But really a mess for several days. It's scary how quickly it can change. I went back from just under 7 mg. up to 8 mg. for several days. I stayed in calm situations as much as possible and did some gardening. Now, instead of sitting and vegetating, like I did for several years while on 60 mg of Cymbalta, I have to stay busy and not think about how anxious I feel. It is still better now, though as I am DOING things, and I can think and remember words I want to say.

Since I am now at 36 beads, I am going to taper one bead at a time and take as long as it takes. I can stop when I see my brain, soul and body need to catch up. We have a grand baby being born probably tomorrow. It's been a high risk pregnancy and they've been trying to induce her for two weeks with no success. In my heart I want to be there so badly like I normally would, and help with their three boys, but it's 1000 miles away and I don't think I can do that. Not sure when I'll get to see her, these are the things I have to rethink these days.

#14 gail

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Posted 02 May 2017 - 06:05 AM

Hi Tfaff,

Doing the good thing, stay there as long as it takes. No fire anywhere, so no hurry.

When you have stabalized for a week or so, another bead. What crazy meds!

Yes, in this situation, things need to be rethough. They understand, there will be a right time. Come back and tell us how the delivery went. Is this your daughter?

#15 tfaff

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Posted 09 May 2017 - 12:59 PM

Hi, just checking in.
Today is a pretty good day so I'm able to be productive.

Our daughter in law had her baby girl without a c section and all went well, thank the Lord. But it was so hard for me worrying about their possibly serious situation that my anxiety was bad, and then I goofed up my bead counting ( totally don't even know how many beads I took one day!) so there were a couple of pretty scary days. I'm back up to 38 beads, and will decrease about one bead a week, not in a hurry.



Life is still better than when I was taking 60 mg the last nine years. I could just sit for hours thinking about nothing. Now, its changed where I can't really sit still, even on bad days, I have to stay busy and stay out of my negative thoughts, but still much better I know I can get well.

My husband and I are planning to go away for a week, we've been back and forth on whether we should go, if I can handle it, but we're going to go for it. We'll just do as much as I can handle. It will be good to see some different scenery.

#16 TryinginFL

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Posted 09 May 2017 - 01:29 PM

Cheers for you!  Yes, things really do get better..

 

Enjoy your trip :D





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