3 replies to this topic

[kokopelli]

Holy Cow- I was taking 60mg for a year...decided I'm sick of the meds that didn't help and weren't going to change my circumstances anyway, so I figured I'd quit. I 'weaned' myself by taking 30mg for about 10 days, then quit cold turky Jan 1.
Every day since, I have vertigo, upset stomach, chills and the 'brain buzzing' I read about here. The buzzing is the worst- it's like a small electrical shock in my head whenever I move my head. The other symptoms I can deal with, but this is getting ridiculous. How long until it goes away?
I'm also taking Trazadone, which the same Dr prescribed for insomnia, for what its worth; she doesn't like Ambien, etc for sleeping. I planned on getting off of that as well as soon as the withdrawl symptoms from Cym. subside.
Any idea how long this will last?
Should I go back to taking a low dose and tapering off slower, or am I better off just sticking it out?
Thanks- Ron

[MaureenV]

Holy Cow- I was taking 60mg for a year...decided I'm sick of the meds that didn't help and weren't going to change my circumstances anyway, so I figured I'd quit. I 'weaned' myself by taking 30mg for about 10 days, then quit cold turky Jan 1.
Every day since, I have vertigo, upset stomach, chills and the 'brain buzzing' I read about here. The buzzing is the worst- it's like a small electrical shock in my head whenever I move my head. The other symptoms I can deal with, but this is getting ridiculous. How long until it goes away?
I'm also taking Trazadone, which the same Dr prescribed for insomnia, for what its worth; she doesn't like Ambien, etc for sleeping. I planned on getting off of that as well as soon as the withdrawl symptoms from Cym. subside.
Any idea how long this will last?
Should I go back to taking a low dose and tapering off slower, or am I better off just sticking it out?
Thanks- Ron

Hi Ron,

no one knows how long it will last for each individual; some have little difficulty getting of larger doses that you're one; some have great difficulty getting of smaller doses than you're on - it depends on the individual.

If you want to avoid the worst of the withdrawal symptoms, the best way is to taper slowly.

Were you o.k. taking the 30mg? If so, you might have it a little easier than some others, many of whom could not do that drop without significant withdrawal effects.

If you WERE o.k. on 30mg, now that you've been off for several days, the dose you need to alleviate the symptoms may only be 20mg. In my opinion, it's best to start back on a conservative dose - you can always increase it if it's not enough. No point taking more than you need to alleviate symptoms.

By opening and dividing the contents of the capsules (which are slow release beads) you can taper as slowly as you like. You can buy clear gelatine capsules for this purpose (it's a good idea to get the beads to your stomach undamaged by teeth etc).

Alternatively, you might consider taking some Prozac for a while, which is easier to get off, and many people find helps greatly to ease the Cymbalta withdrawal.

[Elizabeth187]

When I quit cold turkey, the worst of the withdrawals didn't start until the second week of being off of it. Probably the worst were the brain zaps that woke me up because it sounded and felt like there was some sort of sci-fi war going on in my head with laser guns and explosions. However, it really only lasted about a month for me, and after that I felt fine (relatively, I guess -- let's just say I didn't feel like I was having any withdrawal symptoms after that, and it did slowly get better after the third week). Like other people have said and you've probably read, everybody is different. If you're still feeling unbearably and consistently crappy after a few weeks, then I would taper, just from what I've experienced myself.

Oh, and make sure you get your essential fatty acids (fish oil, or something like Udo's Oil <-- my preference). It really did help me with the zaps.

[Junior]

Hi Ron

Welcome to the forum.

Firstly, going cold turkey off ANY anti-depressant is not recommended. Not even by the drug companies themselves. What is worse is that doctors keep telling people to use the every other day method.

Second, it's not how long it takes to get the drug out of your system (as doctors seem to think), it's how long it takes your brain to return to its pre-medication way of functioning. That's why a slow taper is better. It's a gradual healing process with less symptoms.

You haven't been off Cymbalta long. It could be worth going back on a dose like, say 15mg.. waiting a week or two, then tapering more slowly.

Regards
Junior