3 replies to this topic

[hopefaith]

I hope that this is the right forum to post this.

Brief background - I have been on Cymbalta for about 6 years. I was taking 30 mg at first and then 60 mg for about a year/2 years. I was also taking Wellbutrin XL 150 mg. I'm no longer on Wellbutrin (for almost a year now). And, went back down to 30 mg of Cymbalta (from 60 mg) about 2 years ago. I then went down to 20 mg in Nov 2009 and then started taking 20 mg every other day since about Jan. As of last week, I have been down to 10 mg of Cymbalta every day.

Now - I have been down from 20 mg to 10 mg of Cymbalta every day for about 1-1/2 week(s). My pills are the ones that have 180 beads. I have been dividing them in half and using empty Cymbalta, as well as empty gelatin caps. I have found that you can pick up the beads by just having them stick to the tip of your finger and then scraping them off the sides into the capsule halves.

At first, I was not feeling so great. The 1st couple days I was feeling more anxious, nauseated, stomach/bowl upset, headache/brain zaps, brain fog, slightly blurred vision. Also, I had a weird taste in my mouth. Also, I seem to be a little more sensitive to smells. I did better after the 1st couple days passed. I am having almost no symptoms now other than some anxiety (and a little depression). I eventually want to taper down to 5 mg and then to nothing.

I want to know when I can/should start taking nutritional supplements for support? What do people recommend? Like amino acids - 5-HTP, L-tyrosine, etc.? But, I am concerned about Serotonin syndrome, etc. Also, does anyone recommend a certain brand of amino acids? Do you take a supplement that has all amino acids or just certain ones like 5-HTP, etc? Also, what dose(s) should you start with?

Also, I notice that Junior does not recommend B complex right away bc it might increase anxiety. I don't know if I should be taking B complex right now or not. I am torn on this b/c I know it is supposed to help your nerves, but he may be right that it could be too stimulating.

I am also struggling with - do I really need Cymbalta for anxiety or is it causing me anxiety? I might need help with serotonin (and possibly dopamine), but I don't think I need the norepinephrine. I am now hoping to deal with my anxiety/depression with natural/nutritional/exercise solutions that target serotonin (and possibly dopamine).

Please let me know what you recommend/your suggestions. Thanks a lot

[cookie]

Dear Hopefaith:
Sounds that you have been weaning off of cymbalta in a very smart way, very slowly.
I am SO glad that you have been able to go from 60mg to 20mg with no problem. And that you are actually on 10mg. What you mentioned are actually withdrawal symptoms.

It is so good that you are planning ahead on what supplements to take when you are down to zero cymbalta. The same questions that you are making are the same questions that I ask myself. I also want to go off of cymbalta, but know I´ll need a little support from natural therapies to replace cymbalta.

Concerning B vitamins complex, I have been taking them along my weaning process with no problem. However take into account Junior´s advice.

I think cymbalta withdrawal is what is causing you anxiety. (Since I started weaning from cymbalta my anxiety increased).

What I can tell you is that is really important that you watch your nutrition, eat very healthy (veggies, fruist, nuts, not processed foods, flaxseed, soy milk, salmon, omega 3, etc). And exercise or do yoga (this helps with anxiety a lot, and improves mood). Linden tea is also useful for anxiety.

I do not know about 5HTP. In relation to brands, try to look for very natural products. The important thing about vitamins and minerals is that they are absorbed properly.

If you say you need help with serotonin and dopamine, and you don´t need help with norephinephrine, then the effect of you taking cymbalta on your neurotrasmitter norephinephrine was useless???? How are you sure which neurotrasmitters are the ones who are not working properly?

I would like to add you as friend. Because I am very interested in natural therapies once we quit cymbalta, and would like to learn from this posts and your experience

hugs
Cookie

[hopefaith]

Dear Cookie - Thanks so much for your response. You can definitely add me as a friend.

Re: going from 60 mg to 20 mg with no problem - well, I will say this particular post only has a brief background on me. I went from 60 to 30 with no problem, but that was a few years ago. I did have a little withdrawal, but it wasn't like trying to get off of it completely. I was also taking Wellbutrin at the time, which may have helped with the weaning. But, after I was on 30 mg, I didn't notice too much of a difference bt that and 60 (again was still on the Wellbutrin). But, from 30 to nothing and/or 30 to 20 was a whole other story for me.

I left out that I pretty much (stupidly) stopped taking Cymbalta pretty much cold turkey in April 2009. I started taking the 30 mg every other day for a few weeks and then I stopped completely, and my doc gave me Prozac to help wean me off. (Docs don't seem to know anything about this drug, esp not mine). The Prozac made me incredibly anxious, and I ended up right back on the Cymbalta. I was thinking maybe it was just my circumstances (and the Prozac) at the time and decided to try again in a few months.

I quit taking Wellbutrin early July 2009 and then in August started taking Cymbalta 30 mg every other day(again), then eventually stopped completely at end of August. I went through horrible withdrawal, anxiety and nightmares, but figured I'd get through it. To this day, I have no idea if I was actually through the withdrawal or not. Needless to say, my anxiety was just building and building ever since I got off of it. In early November, I had to go back on the Cymbalta for anxiety. This time, I asked for 20 mg. That is how I ended up on the 20 mg in Nov and now, 10. So, it really wasn't as slow or gradual as it should've been. However, I am much happier now on the 10 mg every day, I think . I think as slow and gradual as you can stand, is definitely the way to go.

I assume since it was beginning Nov and the last time I had Cymbalta was end of Aug, that I was actually out of withdrawal? But I experienced such anxiety and nightmares in Nov!!I had never experienced that kind of anxiety before. My thinking was it still had to be the Cymbalta. My doc said "no" and claimed that my anxiety has gotten worse and that the Cymbalta was actually helping me more than I thought, etc. So, I don't know. But, I would really like him to be wrong on that.

You are right - I have no idea what neurotransmitters I need help with. I am thinking mild dopamine and mild serotonin help - just based on my reaction to plain Wellbutrin (dopamine) and other just plain SSRIs (serotonin only). It just seems like the norephinephrine is the one that increases my anxiety (ie Cymbalta - SNRI). I read that it is responsible for "fight or flight" responses. I definitely don't need that. And, it is more of a stimulant/focus hormone. And, I think, as a whole, serotonin is supposed to be more pleasant/calming. And, from everything I've read on these boards - I think the norephinephrine is the cause of withdrawal problems, other negative issues, etc. I could be wrong, but this is my overall gut instinct. I am still getting serotonin help from Cymbalta though, so that is helping on one level, but I think the norephinephrine is not helping. But, I am not 100% sure.

Overall, like you and others on this board, I just want to rely on natural/nutritional methods/supplements to get me through this as long as I need them. I would prefer to take any of them over any antidepressants. Also, I have been on pretty much all of the antidepressants over the last 10 years. I don't want to go back to any of them except maybe Paxil or Celexa. I felt the best on Paxil, but I also gained about 25 lbs. (which I never fully lost. Or lost, and then gained back on Cymbalta) Celexa seemed to help me, too, but I actually received that by mistake!! by a pharmacist instead of Lexapro (he said it was the same; it's not!!) I took that for about a month and liked it, but my doc put me back on Lexapro, which was just ok. UGH!!!

On another note, I am still trying to lose the weight I have gained from all of these pills. Wellbutrin was the only one that I didn't gain weight on, I think. I think it's best not to be on anything if you can. Granted, it might not be an option for everyone, but if you think that you can manage it, I think you should try. I wish that I had known more about all of these drugs, esp Cymbalta.

5-HTP is an amino acid and the precursor for serotonin

http://en.wikipedia....droxytryptophan

They claim that this can help a lot with depression/anxiety. I have not tried it. I would like to start, but you need to be careful taking it with any SSRI/SNRI b/c of serotonin syndrome. I would like to figure out how much to start taking, etc. Also, supposedly, if 5-HTP doesn't help you, you may need to try just the straight up tryptophan (the stuff that's found in turkey) supplement instead.

I have not heard of Linden tea. Does that help? I have heard of passion flower/passion flower tea, but haven't tried it yet.

Anyway, please keep me posted. And, please let me know about any natural things that you try. Best of luck to you and everyone on this board. We deserve it!!

[cookie]

Dear Hopefaith:

It seems the story of you going from 60 to 20mg is longer than I thought.
Yes, Prozac makes some people anxious.

I´ve read on this site different stories of people developing anxiety after quitting cymbalta. So I could asume the anxiety you felt was withdrawal.

I am glad that you are down to 10mg now!!!

It is difficult to know which neurotrasmitter is not functioning properly. Doctors assume it is certain neurotrasmitter(s) based on our symptoms. I don´t know much about this subject. But I read that when serotonin doesn´t function one becomes depressed (low mood, sleep and appetite problems) and when dopamine doesn´t function properly one could have alucinations.

I am not a doctor, but I do agree, that maybe giving cymbalta to people who don´t need norephinephrine selective reuptake inhibitor could be causing problems. It is like taking a medicine you just don´t need. How can doctors be sure which neurotrasmitter is the one who is not functioning properly???

Thank you for the info on 5HTP and tryptophan. I had heard about it, but I am scared to take it without a doctor recommendation.

Linden tea, as any other natural alternative brings very mild relief to anxiety. Remember natural things are not like these modern super effective medicines. Natural things act very slowly and little by little, but do not give an instant answer to hide the symptoms.

Yes. I want to replace modern medicines, with natural alternatives.

Hugs
Cookie