My PCM suggested I try taking Cymbalta to counter the effects of hyper-parathyroidism until I could get the overactive parathyroid removed. She said it would act as a painkiller for the bone and muscle pain I was experiencing as well as countering the depression that goes along with hyper-parathyroidism. When it did not work she up-ed the dose to 30 MG from 20 MG. Still didn't work but I am a good litte do-bee and did as I was told. Silly Me! The parathyroid has been gone for 2 weeks on Monday but I am having similar symptoms ie sweats, leg pain, horrible dreams etc. I cut myself back from 30 to 20 mg and asked to stop all together but my PCM wanted me to stay on this stuff until spring, "just to be sure." Well, I decided not to and went from 20 mg to none 2 days ago. Just did not trust this stuff. Then I found your site a few hours ago. My question is this; since I was never on the high dosage so many other were on, and was only on the stuff for maybe 8 or 9 weeks, will my withdrawl likely be as bad as some of the trials others have been through? I won't go back on this poison, now way, now how. Does the length of time the drug was taken along with the dosage size effect the withdrawal?? Cyndy
Hi cyndy,
sorry, but the answer's 'how long's a piece of string'. It took me 10 weeks of tapering to go from 20mg to zero, in order to minimize withdrawal symptoms - and I'd only been on 30 - 60 mg for about 10 weeks. Others have gone cold turkey from largish doses without too much difficulty.
I've no idea how long the symptoms would have lasted if I'd gone cold turkey.
It's not the drug still in your system causing the problems, it's the fact that your body got used to it, and now has to get used to being without it.
The best way therefore to minimize the symptoms is take a slowly reduced dose, giving your body time to adjust. That's why it's better to just see it as a drug your body needs to adjust to being without, rather than poison.
If you can tolerate the withdrawals - gofrit. If not, get back to us and we'll tell you how to taper. You can open the capsules and use empty gelatin capsules to make your own lower doses if that's the way you want to go.
regards, Maureen.
