3 replies to this topic

[Junior]

Hi Oz

I am from Australia and it appears you are not, so i find your name amusing. Sorry!!!

Anyhow, glad to hear that you have a dr with half a brain. So many Drs we hear about have no idea how to get off a/ds and just tell people to do the 'every other day' thing.

The best way to get off C - all ad/s in fact - is to wean slowly. By that I mean dropping no more than 10% of your current dose and waiting 3-6 weeks for wdl effects to subside before reducing further. Some people can go faster, some have to go slower. Many people find that Prozac alleviates many of the wdl effects but I wouldn't advocate just switching to it as your body still needs to get used to functioning without Cymbalta.

The bottom line is that these drugs chemically change the way our brains functions and it takes time for the brain to return to its pre med way of working.

Hope that helps
Junior

[nursedeborah]

Ok, so I have decided that I wanted to get of Cymbalta, was put on it September last year. For anxiety and depression caused by long term stress. I am hypothyroid and PCOS both of which cause major fatigue...which is my problem not depression, I have seen a psych who agrees with me on this. I felt better on Cymbalta for the first few weeks, but was under a terrible amount of stress at the time, so put my emotions down to that. Stress has improved, physical symptoms have deteriorated badly, and quite rapidly!

I was a mess when I was put on Cymbalta and needed it at the time...had one episode of forgetting tablets for a few days and it just about took my head off I was so ill, vertigo, couldn't walk, thought there was something very seriously wrong with me. Checked the packet the other day, as I am feeling so fatigued, I can't function...complete brain fog, feel like I have alzeihmers (I'm 39), aching joints, painful and weak muscles, plus I am having some of the withdrawal symptoms, so tired, but having trouble sleeping, irritable to the point of being a screaming banshee, buzzing in my head, sweats, vertigo and more...all symptoms of my hormone disorders, but apparently all side effects of this godawful drug as well!

I know that AD's need to be weaned off slowly to be safe, but thought it would take only a few weeks, but reading through posts here, it looks like it will be months and months! I can't continue to have the degree of problems I am having with this drug.

I saw a new PCP doctor this morning (we have moved to the country) and discussed weaning off Cymbalta in the future, he is researching it, plus waiting for results for a heap of blood tests that he had drawn and I will see him next Tuesday for my results. One thing he did suggest was taking Cymbalta in the morning not at night as I had been doing! But I wish I had seen this website before seeing him because I would have asked him to take me off this drug immediately as it is probably causing all the problems I am having!

Is there any other drug that you can switch to completely in order to stop taking Cymbalta cold turkey that you can then wean off easier? I read about the Prozac 20mg for weaning, is a higher dose possible to switch completely off Cymbalta?

Oh yeah, the Doctor I saw said Cymbalta is known for the weight gain it causes, and asked me how much I had gained. I havn't gained any, but havn't lost any either and I definitely should have as I had 2/3 of my stomach removed last year and should have lost about 16KG's since I have been on Cymbalta!

I really am in a bit of shock, I was under the impression that Cymbalta was a 'light' antidepressant:(

OZ,
There is no drug that you can just switch to to get off this noxious crap. I didn't do well
on it either! I had all the same withdrawl symptoms while I was on it after awhile.

Prozac 20 mg is taken to help with the withdrawls, it does not take them away 100%, it just
is longer acting, no matter what Cymbalta claims about the half life of Cymbalta, as I too
had missed a few doses, and oh did I ever get kicked in the butt.

What has been shown to work here, and on other site's for some of the other's that are demon;s
like this to get off is just to do a very slow wean, in fact I was just given a site that saya
to take 1 year to come off.

What I learned here was to just reduce by 10 beads every 2 weeks, make sure my withdrawls were
done from the first decrease, and then do the next decrease. Do this until done with the dose your on.

I was on 60 mg for 3 1/2 years, and I am still weaning. I started Aug 31, 09. It will take me at least
2 more month's if not longer to get off of the dose I am on. It got harder when I got down to a lower
dose, and even had to go bad up again.

Well good luck, and if you need the bead count just ask.

Debbie

[nursedeborah]

Ok, so I have decided that I wanted to get of Cymbalta, was put on it September last year. For anxiety and depression caused by long term stress. I am hypothyroid and PCOS both of which cause major fatigue...which is my problem not depression, I have seen a psych who agrees with me on this. I felt better on Cymbalta for the first few weeks, but was under a terrible amount of stress at the time, so put my emotions down to that. Stress has improved, physical symptoms have deteriorated badly, and quite rapidly!

I was a mess when I was put on Cymbalta and needed it at the time...had one episode of forgetting tablets for a few days and it just about took my head off I was so ill, vertigo, couldn't walk, thought there was something very seriously wrong with me. Checked the packet the other day, as I am feeling so fatigued, I can't function...complete brain fog, feel like I have alzeihmers (I'm 39), aching joints, painful and weak muscles, plus I am having some of the withdrawal symptoms, so tired, but having trouble sleeping, irritable to the point of being a screaming banshee, buzzing in my head, sweats, vertigo and more...all symptoms of my hormone disorders, but apparently all side effects of this godawful drug as well!

I know that AD's need to be weaned off slowly to be safe, but thought it would take only a few weeks, but reading through posts here, it looks like it will be months and months! I can't continue to have the degree of problems I am having with this drug.

I saw a new PCP doctor this morning (we have moved to the country) and discussed weaning off Cymbalta in the future, he is researching it, plus waiting for results for a heap of blood tests that he had drawn and I will see him next Tuesday for my results. One thing he did suggest was taking Cymbalta in the morning not at night as I had been doing! But I wish I had seen this website before seeing him because I would have asked him to take me off this drug immediately as it is probably causing all the problems I am having!

Is there any other drug that you can switch to completely in order to stop taking Cymbalta cold turkey that you can then wean off easier? I read about the Prozac 20mg for weaning, is a higher dose possible to switch completely off Cymbalta?

Oh yeah, the Doctor I saw said Cymbalta is known for the weight gain it causes, and asked me how much I had gained. I havn't gained any, but havn't lost any either and I definitely should have as I had 2/3 of my stomach removed last year and should have lost about 16KG's since I have been on Cymbalta!

I really am in a bit of shock, I was under the impression that Cymbalta was a 'light' antidepressant:(

OZ,
There is no drug that you can just switch to to get off this noxious crap. I didn't do well
on it either! I had all the same withdrawl symptoms while I was on it after awhile.

Prozac 20 mg is taken to help with the withdrawls, it does not take them away 100%, it just
is longer acting, no matter what Cymbalta claims about the half life of Cymbalta, as I too
had missed a few doses, and oh did I ever get kicked in the butt.

What has been shown to work here, and on other site's for some of the other's that are demon;s
like this to get off is just to do a very slow wean, in fact I was just given a site that saya
to take 1 year to come off.

What I learned here was to just reduce by 10 beads every 2 weeks, make sure my withdrawls were
done from the first decrease, and then do the next decrease. Do this until done with the dose your on.

I was on 60 mg for 3 1/2 years, and I am still weaning. I started Aug 31, 09. It will take me at least
2 more month's if not longer to get off of the dose I am on. It got harder when I got down to a lower
dose, and even had to go bad up again.

Well good luck, and if you need the bead count just ask.

Debbie

[nursedeborah]

Ok, so I have decided that I wanted to get of Cymbalta, was put on it September last year. For anxiety and depression caused by long term stress. I am hypothyroid and PCOS both of which cause major fatigue...which is my problem not depression, I have seen a psych who agrees with me on this. I felt better on Cymbalta for the first few weeks, but was under a terrible amount of stress at the time, so put my emotions down to that. Stress has improved, physical symptoms have deteriorated badly, and quite rapidly!

I was a mess when I was put on Cymbalta and needed it at the time...had one episode of forgetting tablets for a few days and it just about took my head off I was so ill, vertigo, couldn't walk, thought there was something very seriously wrong with me. Checked the packet the other day, as I am feeling so fatigued, I can't function...complete brain fog, feel like I have alzeihmers (I'm 39), aching joints, painful and weak muscles, plus I am having some of the withdrawal symptoms, so tired, but having trouble sleeping, irritable to the point of being a screaming banshee, buzzing in my head, sweats, vertigo and more...all symptoms of my hormone disorders, but apparently all side effects of this godawful drug as well!

I know that AD's need to be weaned off slowly to be safe, but thought it would take only a few weeks, but reading through posts here, it looks like it will be months and months! I can't continue to have the degree of problems I am having with this drug.

I saw a new PCP doctor this morning (we have moved to the country) and discussed weaning off Cymbalta in the future, he is researching it, plus waiting for results for a heap of blood tests that he had drawn and I will see him next Tuesday for my results. One thing he did suggest was taking Cymbalta in the morning not at night as I had been doing! But I wish I had seen this website before seeing him because I would have asked him to take me off this drug immediately as it is probably causing all the problems I am having!

Is there any other drug that you can switch to completely in order to stop taking Cymbalta cold turkey that you can then wean off easier? I read about the Prozac 20mg for weaning, is a higher dose possible to switch completely off Cymbalta?

Oh yeah, the Doctor I saw said Cymbalta is known for the weight gain it causes, and asked me how much I had gained. I havn't gained any, but havn't lost any either and I definitely should have as I had 2/3 of my stomach removed last year and should have lost about 16KG's since I have been on Cymbalta!

I really am in a bit of shock, I was under the impression that Cymbalta was a 'light' antidepressant:(

OZ,
There is no drug that you can just switch to to get off this noxious crap. I didn't do well
on it either! I had all the same withdrawl symptoms while I was on it after awhile.

Prozac 20 mg is taken to help with the withdrawls, it does not take them away 100%, it just
is longer acting, no matter what Cymbalta claims about the half life of Cymbalta, as I too
had missed a few doses, and oh did I ever get kicked in the butt.

What has been shown to work here, and on other site's for some of the other's that are demon;s
like this to get off is just to do a very slow wean, in fact I was just given a site that saya
to take 1 year to come off.

What I learned here was to just reduce by 10 beads every 2 weeks, make sure my withdrawls were
done from the first decrease, and then do the next decrease. Do this until done with the dose your on.

I was on 60 mg for 3 1/2 years, and I am still weaning. I started Aug 31, 09. It will take me at least
2 more month's if not longer to get off of the dose I am on. It got harder when I got down to a lower
dose, and even had to go bad up again.

Well good luck, and if you need the bead count just ask.

Debbie