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#1 maybeceejay

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Posted 27 June 2018 - 11:43 PM

Hello, I am 23 years old and I was put on Cymbalta in (roughly) 2014 for Chronic fatigue syndrome/Fibromyaglgia. The specialist's plan was to put me on it for a little while and then slowly wean me off, but shortly after I started it he got cancer and had to retire. My old GP had no idea on how to take me off of it, so I've been on it for much longer than I was meant to be. I now have a new GP and she has agreed that I can try weaning off some of my medications, one at a time. I am currently taking Lyrica, Endep and Cymbalta.

 

I recall that she suggested weaning off Cymbalta first, but I wanted to go off Lyrica to start because I have been on that the longest, since 2012 when I was 17, and I thought it would be the hardest. I am now on 50mg of Lyrica instead of 70mg and wish I had started weaning off Cymbalta instead, as I have been told that Lyrica and Cymbalta have some of the same ingredients and thought it might make it a little easier. My plan now is to keep taking 50mg of Lyrica and start to wean off of Cymbalta in August. 

I have read a lot of the forums here and am a little overwhelmed at the prospect of withdrawal symptoms, as I am already bedridden and alsp already emotional/angsty as my family is falling apart. I don't think I will cope but I know I have to do it.

 

 

My question...

 

I currently take 60mg of Cymbalta. I was wondering if I should start bead counting from 60mg, or drop from 60mg to 30mg and start bead counting after a while on 30mg, or if that drop would be too much. 
I also wondered wether it would be a little gentler to remove one bead a week instead of a bead a day, as when I started to wean off Lyrica I dropped from 70mg to 50mg, and stayed there for a month, and didn't notice any harsh withdrawal symptoms.

 

 

 

Thanks for taking the time to read this.


#2 gail

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Posted 28 June 2018 - 07:11 AM

Good morning Maybe,

Welcome to the forum. Yes, many do good by dropping straight from 60 to 30. You can try this and see.

Not all people suffer from withdrawal, I hope that is your case. After a while on the 30, you may bead count from there, unless you need to go back to 60mg. Same strategy, bead count.

One bead a week is a slow process. Unless you have only 6 big beads in your capsule. That's another story. How many beads in your 30mg ?

You say that your family is falling apart, are you sure that August would be ok with what's going on?

Others will chime in, so stay tuned!!! Don't forget to tell us the number of beads, it's important to do the right thing for you. See you later!

#3 fishinghat

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Posted 28 June 2018 - 08:20 AM

Welcome Maybe

 

I agree with Gail. Many can do 60 to 30 with little to no problems. The worse case scenario is that you have to go back to 60 and bead count from there. You know, I have been on this site for over 5 years and have seen all the suffering from this withdrawal. I am beginning to think that the 1 bead a week once you start having symptoms is the way to go. Time is a factor for many but those who have done that method do seem to suffer less.

 

By the way, I think you made the right choice to stay on the 50 mg of Lyrica and go ahead and do the Cymbalta next. Most who suffer from Fibro/arthritis/etc have what they call rebound pain during Cymbalta withdrawal. The pain from there condition (such as fibro) actually gets worse then before the meds were started so by staying on the Lyrica it may help reduce that pain level. This is also another reason to go very slowly to minimize this pain. By the way, that rebound pain is temporary.

 

Keep us posted on your progress and hang in there.


#4 maybeceejay

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Posted 11 July 2018 - 08:34 PM

Thank you for your replies.

 

My 30mg capsule had 56 beads, and my 60mg capsule had roughly 88 beads (some flew away and I think I lost count once). Counting them was a lot more difficult than I thought they'd be! They are so tiny and some are sort of melted together, neither of which I expected. If I end up having to bead count, I was wondering if other people tip all the beads out to remove one and tip the rest back in, or if they fish one of the slippery little suckers out of the capsule?

 

I spoke to my doctor about weaning off Cymbalta, and she recommended I go off Lyrica all together and stay on Cymbalta. Her reasoning was a lot of mumbo jumbo, and all I could make out was that she thinks the Cymbalta is helping me. I've never met a doctor who acknowledged the side effects of medications. But I am determined to go ahead with getting off of Cymbalta (with Lyrica still in play), in the hopes that I will feel at least somewhat better once I am off it for good. She suggested that if I do go ahead with it, I should drop to 30mg and then do alternate days until I'm off it completely, which doesn't sound like much fun withdrawal wise.

 

I am looking to drop to 30mg in the next couple of days. I will keep a journal for my own reference on how I am faring and have some 60mg on backup just in case. Does anyone have any advice on how long to stick it out on 30mg before going back to 60mg if I feel like I can't cope? For example, will I know by the third day if I should go back up to the 60mgs or am I just being a chicken?  :P

 

Hope you're all doing well.

 

#5 gail

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Posted 12 July 2018 - 07:26 AM

Hello Maybe,

Your first paragraph I will leave to Fishinghat as I never heard of that number of beads.

As for the rest, 60 to 30, a few days will tell. As we said before, so many do it with absolutely no symptoms. If you feel terrible in the first days, up to 60 and no looking back.

To you Sir Fishinghat!

#6 fishinghat

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Posted 12 July 2018 - 08:59 AM

Man, I just lost my post. That is so aggravating!!

I agree with Gail. It will take less than a week to know if the drop to 30 is successful. DO NOT DO THE EVERY OTHER DAY ROUTINE AS THIS JUST JACKS YOUR CYMBALTA LEVELS UP AND DOWN AND INCREASES THE WITHDRAWAL. The FDA warns against this method.

Most members pour out the beads, remove the number desired and then put the rest back. I always put my finger over the end of the capsule and a few would stick to the end of my finger. You just have to experiment with it and see what works best for you.
 


#7 fishinghat

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Posted 12 July 2018 - 09:01 AM

Sorry, but the above post locked up and I couldn't add anymore to it so I had to go ahead and post it.

 

I too am very surprised by the number of beads. Can you tell me what brand of Cymbalta you are using? It should be in small print on the prescriptions label.

 

Thank you


#8 maybeceejay

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Posted 13 July 2018 - 09:51 AM

Thank you for your replies, Gail.

Fishinghat, my box of 60mgs are Tixol and my box of 30mgs are Cymbalta. I should possibly point out that I only counted the beads in one capsule from each box.

#9 fishinghat

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Posted 13 July 2018 - 10:58 AM

Something strange. Members have reported a rather steady 280 to 320 beads in a 30 mg Cymbalta. Did you order these on line?

Tixol is the brand name for Cymbalta in Australia. It is manufactured by several companies for sake in Aussieland. These companies are located in USA, Germany, Spain and many others.

#10 maybeceejay

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Posted 12 September 2018 - 08:24 AM

Super late reply... I didn't get the 30mg Cymbalta online, my GP gave me a sample box. I also found in my cupboard a prescription box of ones called Andepra AN, 30mg, which is what I took tonight.

This is the first time I've taken one 30mg tablet. I'm afraid of the bumpy journey of weaning off, but I know I can't stay on them forever just because it's semi-comfortable. Anyway, I took the 30mg dose at 9pm and it is now 11pm. My mind and/or body is trying to trick me into thinking I am feeling a difference already, but surely that's crazy and it's just in my head. I feel a headache coming on, nausea, and also like I'm about to get the shakes. Surely it can't happen this fast...

#11 fishinghat

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Posted 12 September 2018 - 08:54 AM

Hi maybeceejay
 
So are you stable enough on the 30 mg to begin bead counting?
 
For those that don't know Andepra AN is the name for Cymbalta in Australia.

#12 maybeceejay

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Posted 12 September 2018 - 09:13 AM

Fishinghat,

No, not up to bead counting yet. I have only just dropped from 60mg to 30mg to see how that goes. If I can't cope I will go back up to 60, stabilize, and bead count from there. But my fingers are crossed that I will be able to get away with dropping this far.
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#13 maybeceejay

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Posted 20 September 2018 - 10:48 PM

Hey all,

It's now been a week and I'm happy to say so far so good on 30mg! I was definitely expecting the worst going into this but it hasn't been half as bad as I thought it would be.

I've had some random fibro pain like I used to get before I was put on Cymbalta, but I'm hoping it's temporary. I've had some nausea here and there and a little bit of irritability, which I've read on this forum is to be expected. So I'm breathing a big sigh of relief that I didn't have to start bread counting from 60mg!

Every now and then I think "hmm, maybe I will start bead counting soon", but then I remember that it's only been 8 days and that would be getting ahead of myself!
The plan for now is to stay at this dosage for a month and then see about progressing down.

Hope everyone is well.

#14 invalidusername

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Posted 21 September 2018 - 06:06 AM

Hi Maybe - I have recently come from 60mg down to 30mg, and it took 10 days for the withdrawal to kick in - but everyone is different. I consider 10 days to be quite a delayed reaction. It has now been a week since they started, and it has been very tough. I sincerely hope you remain without symptoms.

 

I don't know as much as Fishinghat and gail, but heed advice about not getting complacent with the progress. Listen to your body and look after yourself. You can do very little harm going the bead route, which I certainly will be doing from 30mg now (even though I have only had 3 months on these horrible things).

 

Wishing you all the best and look forward to more good news from you.


#15 invalidusername

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Posted 21 September 2018 - 06:29 AM

Also wanted to chime in on what Fishinghat said about the every other day method. Cymbalta has a very short half-life of 12 hours, and can be as little as 7 hours for some depending on what goes on in your gut. So if you can imagine that after 7 hours, you only have 50% of the Cymbalta in your system, and this decreases with every passing hour until around 2 or 2 and a half days when it has all gone. So by the end of the second day you are working on very little in your system, so it would be like mini withdrawals each time as Fishinghat says.

 

Prozac on the other hand has a very long half-life and would be a different story, and this is why it is easier to come off. It seems that the shorter the half-life, the more difficult the withdrawal. But always worth knowing this info when engaging in such processes.


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#16 fishinghat

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Posted 21 September 2018 - 08:49 AM

By the way IUN, I love the squirrel from Ice Age but never have heard it called by name. Does "it" have a name?

 

I don't have children but my wife says I have the mental attitude of a six year old so I guess it is right up my alley.  lol


#17 invalidusername

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Posted 21 September 2018 - 09:44 AM

LOL. Its called Scrat - he is a saber-toothed squirrel :)


#18 fishinghat

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Posted 21 September 2018 - 11:41 AM

Interesting choice for a name for a children's character.

Slang definition....

scrat

Slutty girl; girl who is always after sex from anywhere and anyone.

#19 invalidusername

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Posted 21 September 2018 - 03:14 PM

:o


#20 maybeceejay

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Posted 23 September 2018 - 06:51 AM

I have to say I'm a little scared that the pain from before I started Cymbalta that has started to come back while weaning might end up coming back for good, and I think it'll be a long time until I'm completely off of it to find out. I'm scared that if it does come back because I'm not taking Cymbalta, my doctor will tell me to just go back on it. She was always more keen on me going off Lyrica than Cymbalta. As much as I don't want the pain, I don't want to be on this! My mum said maybe I can go on something else that will help the pain - am I destined to be on medications forever?

#21 fishinghat

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Posted 23 September 2018 - 06:27 PM

Nearly all prescription pain meds are opioid derivatives. Cymbalta and Lyrica are the exceptions. Other than those two...I don't know what to suggest except nsaids which probably aren't strong enough and can tear up a liver.

#22 maybeceejay

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Posted 18 February 2019 - 12:05 AM

Hi friends. I'm nearing the end of my bead counting days, I've been going down by 5 beads each night with no problem and I'm down to 25 :)

Does anyone know if it's safe to put the beads in vegetable capsules? I've got plenty of beads but am almost out of capsules, and if possible would like to avoid buying another box of cymbalta since I'm almost off and they would go to waste.

Hope you're all well :)

#23 invalidusername

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Posted 18 February 2019 - 08:39 AM

Hi Maybe.

 

It is fine to put the beads in capsules, but they need to be acid-resistant (enteric) coated to survive the intestines for release in the stomach. Veg or getalin capsules will dissolve in the intestines and potentially release early. There is also potential for the beads to be harmful to the lining.

 

You can get enteric capsules online or at a specialist pharmacy.

 

Well done for getting to 25. Dropping 5 per night seems quite quick, but if it has worked for you, then great!


#24 fishinghat

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Posted 18 February 2019 - 10:29 AM

"to survive the intestines for release in the stomach."

I think IUN meant "to survive the stomach for release in the intestines." :)

 

And I agree.


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#25 invalidusername

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Posted 18 February 2019 - 03:24 PM

ooops! Thanks for correction :)


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#26 maybeceejay

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Posted 19 February 2019 - 06:41 PM

Ooh, I will buy another box then. Thank you :)

#27 invalidusername

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Posted 19 February 2019 - 06:47 PM

Definately better to err on the side of caution with such things...


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