13 replies to this topic

[QueenTimely]

I saw someone on this board refer to a sure fire weaning plan -- I think it might have been Maureen or Nurse Deborah. I've been looking for where that might be listed on the site and I don't see it. I'm on 60mg and would like to wean off -- I'll be talking to a doctor about it today. What do you recommend -- tried and true -- for weaning off without the dreadful symptoms? The last time I weaned off a drug - Effexor - I was so sick I had to go back on. But I really think my Cymbalta side effects of fatigue and foggy brain are as bad as the depression it was meant to treat. Thanks all.

[nursedeborah]

I saw someone on this board refer to a sure fire weaning plan -- I think it might have been Maureen or Nurse Deborah. I've been looking for where that might be listed on the site and I don't see it. I'm on 60mg and would like to wean off -- I'll be talking to a doctor about it today. What do you recommend -- tried and true -- for weaning off without the dreadful symptoms? The last time I weaned off a drug - Effexor - I was so sick I had to go back on. But I really think my Cymbalta side effects of fatigue and foggy brain are as bad as the depression it was meant to treat. Thanks all.

Queen Timely,
Welcome to the Form,
That's the dose I was on for 3 years, and have been weaning off of since
Aug 31,09.

What I did was just use the same caps until I got to 30 mg, and then had
the doc write the rx for 30 mg, and then when I got to 20 mg , had him write
it for 20 mg.

Here is the beads count
60 mg = 540 beads
30 mg = 270 beads
20 mg = 180 beads
10 mg = 90 beads
5 mg = 45 beads
1 mg = 9 beads
All you do is open the cap, and remove 1 mg, and wait 2 weeks,and
then keep doing this until done.

If the withdrawls are too unbearable, you can add a few beads, and see it
that helps.

Also keep the beads you pour out in a baggie, just in case you may need them,
some insurances are no longer covering this med, and some are having to go
cold turkey!!!

After awhile you might find that your not having a hard time at all, and you
might be able to do this other method of removing 20 beads at a time, but don't
try this until you have done the other first!!!!

Let me know how this goes.

Debbie

[QueenTimely]

Thanks, Deb. That's really helpful. I'm grateful for this board -- truly.


quote="nursedeborah"][quote name="QueenTimely"]I saw someone on this board refer to a sure fire weaning plan -- I think it might have been Maureen or Nurse Deborah. I've been looking for where that might be listed on the site and I don't see it. I'm on 60mg and would like to wean off -- I'll be talking to a doctor about it today. What do you recommend -- tried and true -- for weaning off without the dreadful symptoms? The last time I weaned off a drug - Effexor - I was so sick I had to go back on. But I really think my Cymbalta side effects of fatigue and foggy brain are as bad as the depression it was meant to treat. Thanks all.[/quote]

Queen Timely,
Welcome to the Form,
That's the dose I was on for 3 years, and have been weaning off of since
Aug 31,09.

What I did was just use the same caps until I got to 30 mg, and then had
the doc write the rx for 30 mg, and then when I got to 20 mg , had him write
it for 20 mg.

Here is the beads count
60 mg = 540 beads
30 mg = 270 beads
20 mg = 180 beads
10 mg = 90 beads
5 mg = 45 beads
1 mg = 9 beads
All you do is open the cap, and remove 1 mg, and wait 2 weeks,and
then keep doing this until done.

If the withdrawls are too unbearable, you can add a few beads, and see it
that helps.

Also keep the beads you pour out in a baggie, just in case you may need them,
some insurances are no longer covering this med, and some are having to go
cold turkey!!!

After awhile you might find that your not having a hard time at all, and you
might be able to do this other method of removing 20 beads at a time, but don't
try this until you have done the other first!!!!

Let me know how this goes.

Debbie[/quote]

[nursedeborah]

Queen,
No problem, that's what it's all about. Please let me know how you doing.
Keep us posted, it's also a great way to look back at you progress.

Happy Turkey Day!

Debbie

[Costcat]

I have been on Cymbalta for over two years. I recently fell and ruptured a ligament in my ankle and will be out of work for some time. I decided now or never. Better to deal with the weaning out of work than at work. I am a nurse.
My dose has varied up to 90 mgm which was intolerable. I remained on 40 mgm for > 1 year. My weaning has progressed well. I went 40 mg to 20 mgm for 4 days, then 10 mgm for 4 days then 5 mgm for 4 days then 2.5 mgm for 4 days which I'm on now.
My only problem was when I went from 40>30>20>10 in which I experienced spatial disorientation. That has now resolved.
The capsules can be pulled apart. Each capsule contains approx 180 tiny pellets. I divided them up to get the desired dose going all the way down to 2.5.mg. putting each new # of pellets in a new capsule. It's a much slower but more tolerable process.
The good effects with the dosage weaning: no more headaches, my dreams have returned, sexual dysfunction improved.
I will write to let you know how I do totally off. Costcat

[nursedeborah]

Costcat,
I am a nurse too, but had no idea how to titrate this crap until I got here.
Also your doing much better than anyone I have ever seen come down so
quickly, and feel better. Also to have the withdrawls go away.

Just for the heck of it read lots of posts here, and you really will be ever so
grateful.

I know for most the withdrawls to not hit for 6-9 days, and the withdrawls can
come back at a later date.

Here is one site with all the withdrawl symptoms http://prozactruth.com/cymbalta.htm

So happy for you!

Debbie

[Costcat]

Costcat,
I am a nurse too, but had no idea how to titrate this crap until I got here.
Also your doing much better than anyone I have ever seen come down so
quickly, and feel better. Also to have the withdrawls go away.

Just for the heck of it read lots of posts here, and you really will be ever so
grateful.

I know for most the withdrawls to not hit for 6-9 days, and the withdrawls can
come back at a later date.

Here is one site with all the withdrawl symptoms <!-- m -->http://prozactruth.com/cymbalta.htm<!-- m -->

So happy for you!

Debbie

[Costcat]

Debbie:
As I mentioned before the weaning wasn't to bad through the process until I was off for 2 days. Then I got hit with the real deal. Luckily, my responsibilities have been minimal as I am out of work the the ruptured ligament. I found the oculomotor spatial disorientation awful. It was dangerous as I am on crutches. I dealt with the eye and vertigo symptoms by wearing sleep/eye patches over my eyes which blocked out the light. I didn't move my head and used my IPOD to stop the buzzing in my head. I went to my doctor (driving was scary, especially at night and I shouldn't have done it). She gave me Prozac for 3 days to ease the symptoms. This is day three. Yesterday was an awful day. I find the symptoms worsen as my brain wakes up so the early morning is not to bad. Then it starts. I read one of your posts regarding the symptoms can persist for months, years. VERY distressing. I will try the Omega 3 noted by another post. The day is still early, we'll see what happens today. Thanks, Cathy

[nursedeborah]

Debbie:
As I mentioned before the weaning wasn't to bad through the process until I was off for 2 days. Then I got hit with the real deal. Luckily, my responsibilities have been minimal as I am out of work the the ruptured ligament. I found the oculomotor spatial disorientation awful. It was dangerous as I am on crutches. I dealt with the eye and vertigo symptoms by wearing sleep/eye patches over my eyes which blocked out the light. I didn't move my head and used my IPOD to stop the buzzing in my head. I went to my doctor (driving was scary, especially at night and I shouldn't have done it). She gave me Prozac for 3 days to ease the symptoms. This is day three. Yesterday was an awful day. I find the symptoms worsen as my brain wakes up so the early morning is not to bad. Then it starts. I read one of your posts regarding the symptoms can persist for months, years. VERY distressing. I will try the Omega 3 noted by another post. The day is still early, we'll see what happens today. Thanks, Cathy

Costcat,
I am so sorry it has taken me this long to even get back on the boards.
I still don't know how you weaned off the Cymbalta. It sounds by what
your saying thazt you came off way to fast, and the withdrawls do not
usuallly hit until day 6 anyway. Even when I have been doing the wean
system, it still takes about 6 days or 9 for me to finally get the
withdrawls of the new decrease.


Three days of Prozac is not what is the trick, but just staying on the
20 mg, until your done weaning off this crap.

You can't hurry this process without ending up in a nut farm, and just
wanting to die. That's just how I see it, as for me I have had some
really miserable times even during the slow wean.

Doctors know nothing about how to get you off of this. We are the ones
who are going in, and letting them know about all the side effects,
withdrawls, and how we are decreasing our doses to get off this crap.

There is a FDA report here, it's back in Sept 18,09, print that out, and
take it to your doc, they will trust that info more than if it's just
some web site, but my doc was very open to this on http://prozactruth.com/cymbalta.htm

Look at that site, it will blow you away. This is also when I found out that so much of
what had been going on with me was due to the just being on the stupid drug!!

let me know how you did get off Cymbalta, and if you want I really can help you with a
much better titrating to get off this, and not feel like your feeling!

Take care, I know where your at, and just how you feel.

Debbie

[Costcat]

Debbie: Thanks, I printed out and read the web site you noted. The Pharmaceutical industry is driven by economics, greed, bad decisions. I had the Steven's Johnson Syndrome to all NSAIDS/Sulfa which nearly killed me. It's still hard 10 years later to convince new physicians, rheumatologists that I cannot take them. They are also being pushed by the Pharmaceuticals to prescribe the drugs, especially the new ones which are much the same as the old ones. Cymbalta is the first time I took any type of drug for depression. It's been a learning experience for me, especially being a nurse and seeing patients everyday who are on the drugs.
It's noon and so far I feel ok. I may venture out and go to the pool for my ankle therapy. . Will post more as days go by. Now I'm worried I'll be crashing from the prozac. It's sort of like the smokers who quit cigarettes and then get addicted to the gum. Hopefully 3 days of it won't cause a problem. Thanks, Cathy

[caith]

Last time I checked, it can be dangerous to handle those beads/separate the capsules. I stepped down by increasing my time between dosages. I started by increasing to 36 hours between doses, then moved to 48, then every 72, and eventually it got easier to increase the time until I was taking one a week. You can micromanage it so increase the intervals by less, say taking one every 28 hours. I'm not a very good micro-manager so this didn't work for me.

*Disclaimer: I am not a doctor or a nurse, this is only my experience! Make sure you have a support system(family and friends or rehab/community outreach) and professional help(doctor or psych) before attempting any change in your meds! Constant external monitoring is required.*

[nursedeborah]

Last time I checked, it can be dangerous to handle those beads/separate the capsules. I stepped down by increasing my time between dosages. I started by increasing to 36 hours between doses, then moved to 48, then every 72, and eventually it got easier to increase the time until I was taking one a week. You can micromanage it so increase the intervals by less, say taking one every 28 hours. I'm not a very good micro-manager so this didn't work for me.

*Disclaimer: I am not a doctor or a nurse, this is only my experience! Make sure you have a support system(family and friends or rehab/community outreach) and professional help(doctor or psych) before attempting any change in your meds! Constant external monitoring is required.*

caith,
All your doing is the every other day method, which does not work. I don't know where you are as far as
how many days off the drug you are, or what it must have been like for you to use that method.

The brain is addicted to this drug, and the way you did it, was to not give the drug to the brain, anmd then
reintroduce it. this only is like giving herion to the junkie, and then not giving it to him the next day.

One has to go down off this drug very slowly, and take it everyday in order to keep the withdrawls down to a
bare minimun. Even for some there are still bad, and they willl add Prozac 20 mg, and also decrease by lower
amounts.

This forn has been here for sometime, and has had a wonder success rate with the way they all suggest,
please read lots of posts, and read teh FDA reports that are here too.

Wishing you the best,
Debbie

[caith]

Actually, there's an enormous difference between Cymbalta and other drugs, such as heroin, as you said. A drug like Cymbalta(and similar anti-d medicines) actually stays in your system, and additionally the capsules release the drug into your system over a period of time, rather than being metabolized all at a time. I assume a drug like heroin is metabolized by your body fairly quickly, and does not reside as Cymbalta does. Granted, it ends up being somewhat of a roller coaster, but far better than quitting cold turkey. As I said, this was my experience, and what I did worked very well for me. I attempted a step down once, and it was far far worse than the method I used to quit permanently. Read my above post, these were my results, and I had a reasonable level of support. I would never recommend quitting this medicine without people who will look after you day and night. It can be hairy.

[nursedeborah]

Actually, there's an enormous difference between Cymbalta and other drugs, such as heroin, as you said. A drug like Cymbalta(and similar anti-d medicines) actually stays in your system, and additionally the capsules release the drug into your system over a period of time, rather than being metabolized all at a time. I assume a drug like heroin is metabolized by your body fairly quickly, and does not reside as Cymbalta does. Granted, it ends up being somewhat of a roller coaster, but far better than quitting cold turkey. As I said, this was my experience, and what I did worked very well for me. I attempted a step down once, and it was far far worse than the method I used to quit permanently. Read my above post, these were my results, and I had a reasonable level of support. I would never recommend quitting this medicine without people who will look after you day and night. It can be hairy.

Caith,
Take one of your Cymbalta's and drop it in a glass of water, it disolves right on the spot.
What I was talking about as far a Herion, and Cymbalta is that both are highly addictive, and that it's easier to get off herion than it is to get off Cymbalta. I know as I am in recovery, and have had to do both.

You method again has been proven by many here that have tried it, that is does not work, you did have a awful time getting off this stuff, as where the slow wean does not cause this, and one can add or decrease the amt from the dose that your using until you have no withdrals like you had to suff.

I am doing this, as are the rest of the people here, and not needing all the people to sit with us. We are able to get out, and do life that's to the people who came up with this method.
That's great it worked for you, but this is for people who are going through a horrible time, and want to know how we are getting off this crap. We just want to make sure they get the right information.

Being that one can't take this everyother day, as all it does is give some to the brain, and then take it away from the brain, does not in anyway make it a useful method. The brain is addicted to this drug, and thus needs it everyday, then to have it decreased slowly so that the brain does not notice is so much.
I am just glad you got off the stuff, that's what matters

Debbie