5 replies to this topic

[cymbalta sux 2010]

Hi I am new here and never planed to join but was reading a few posts and saw things were actually recent and not several yers old. I am sure everyone has heard it all before but when you are going through withdralws you feel like (1) you are alone and (2) you are going crazy ..at least I do. I have been on anti depressants for aprox. 10 years. I have been on Cymbalta 60 mg. for over a year I can't tell you exaclty when? When I had meds not wroking the Dr. would increase or change them and I so regret ever going on this one but had no idea how hard it was going to be going off it. I started seeing a Dr. of Naturopathy a month ago and got off meds I didn't need and got on supplements I did need and a nutitional diet I also needed.
I called my p.dos office told the receptionist I wanted to go off teh Cymbalta and asked her to ask him how to go about it, he said to take one 60mg capsule every other day for a week, I did this and about lost my mind. I also take Topamax 100mg and did that every other day as well. (on my own, bad call!) Prior to this I reduced my
.05 Xanxa in half to the lowest doseage as well.
I called the p.doc after a week asked if he could reduce it slower so I could at least have 30mg. every day and he would do no more over the phone. I saw him the next week and I took the paper in for withdralws and how I wanted to reduce it 10 mg a week & it would be easy to do. He said no a week wasnt enough on each to take 30 mg. a day for a month- then 20 mg. a day for a month and come back to see him. Also to stay on the Topamax & we would reduce that so I can go off it later and to keep taking the Xanax. & That the first 7-10 days would be hard but to just deal with it.
This is my 4th day I have had insomnia for about 4 months when the Cymbalta stopped working for me but can not sleep more than 3 hours stragiht at all now. I awake with my heart pounding every time I wake which can be hourly and I lay there for 2 hours. I need sleep more than ever now and I can't get it. I have Ambien CR but do Not want to get hooked on that! I do take Melatonin or may not sleep at all. My mind races in circles, like a hamster on a wheel and I can not shut it off! I have mood swings , short fused, crying, tired,high stung, nervous and anxiety that my Xanax laughs at! I read some people go through withdralws for 3 weeks and to think I have to reduce again after a month scares me I will have to go through all this again once it gets better.
My loving son and husband are understanding but it is so unfair to them. My husband has serious health issues and works full time, my son has autisim ( AS) and adhd and I have always been the strong one now I feel like the weakinst link. I am trying but sometimes I want to just give up and go back to the drugs and take the easy way. This is Rx stuff not street drugs I did nothing wrong to endure this hell. I pray a lot and deep breathe and drink a lot of water and walk when I can get myself to go outside, today I couldnt. This is Not me! Someone who has been through this, tell me I will be better & me again..please.

[Ms_M]

The good news - you will feel better. The not so good news - it will take awhile. There are lots of suggestions on how to cope with the w/d symptoms and you seem to have all the "classic" ones. Check out the "What Are You Feeling?" section - lots of great ideas there!

For insomnia - if your doctor says the Ambien is ok - I'd use it. It worked for me and I didn't get addicted. I did send weird emails that I didn't remember and I cleaned house and didn't remember, but nothing serious. When I was weaned off Cymbalta - sort of, my doc didn't do a good job, but I digress - he gave me a new sleep med to help me sleep. It seriously did not work at all. I have used Benedryl, melatonin, and Unisom. Not all at once, but at different times and have found them to be helpful.

Stay strong and remember there are folks here ready to listen (read) and help.

[cymbalta sux 2010]

The good news - you will feel better. The not so good news - it will take awhile. There are lots of suggestions on how to cope with the w/d symptoms and you seem to have all the "classic" ones. Check out the "What Are You Feeling?" section - lots of great ideas there!

For insomnia - if your doctor says the Ambien is ok - I'd use it. It worked for me and I didn't get addicted. I did send weird emails that I didn't remember and I cleaned house and didn't remember, but nothing serious. When I was weaned off Cymbalta - sort of, my doc didn't do a good job, but I digress - he gave me a new sleep med to help me sleep. It seriously did not work at all. I have used Benedryl, melatonin, and Unisom. Not all at once, but at different times and have found them to be helpful.

Stay strong and remember there are folks here ready to listen (read) and help.

Thank You so much I never expected a reply so soon let alone on a weekend. Sorry my first post was so long and I do need a spell check lol. I don't type well.
The Ambien CR came from my old family Dr. who gave it to me for the insomnia a few motnhs ago.
I figured if nothing else I will take it on Saturday nights so I can get up for church and not be a zombie.
I don't care for the 60-30-20 idea from my p.doc but I can say at least he is willing to do that after the everyother day of 60mg withdralws as yesterday was a pretty good day on my 3rd day so who knows?
I know about taking the capsules apart and have saved the ret of my 60mg. ones for that as after 20 mg. to 0 scares me! Maybe I am wrong but I think 30mg. to 20mg. will be easier than this 60mg. to 30mg.
Again thank you and bless you~

[Ms_M]

Long posts are totally ok. For some people this is their ONLY place to vent. There is a thread somewhere - I hate that I can't remember it that has a chart about stepping down gradually. I didn't find this place until I was out of Cymbalta, so I went from 60 mg. to 30 mg. for a week, and then nothing. I wish I'd known to count beads, etc. Many people find that so very helpful.

Good luck!

[Psychgrad1]

PLEASE don't take the Ambien!!! I did that a while ago while I was still on the Cymbalta (regular ambien not CR)and I spent THOUSANDS on credit cards which I don't remember, I woke up in strange places around my house and I am not sure why, and I even woke up to find my nails well manicured with a different color polish than when I thought I went to sleep! And yes, that was also difficult to get off of. Insomnia, nightmares, and the like.
I am now on day 10 of no cymbalta and I can tell you that I did the 60mg for 7 years and then to 30mg for a week (which my loser doctor told me to do, and it is HELL! (See my post Cymbalta withdrawal is hell) The best idea is to stay on the dosage you were on and actually take out a few beads from the capsule at a time. Also, the nausea, if you have it, is helped GREATLY by dramamine. I tried the Omega 3 fish oil and vitamin E gels, but it didn't help the dizziness. I am still so dizzy that I can only look at the computer screen a little bit and I can't stand up yet. I REFUSE to give into this drug and go back on it. I know that once this is all over, I will be better off for it. If I went back on now, I'd have to do this again sometime. God knows, I don't want to ever feel like this again.

Big hugs and best wishes!!
-Valerie (Psychgrad1)

[Billy52]

Cold turkey from Cymbalta July 1st 2010 after daily dosages of 60 mg in AM and 30 mg after lunch. WOULD NOT recommend it to another,..but is what I needed to do. The Restoril (sp) and many other sleeping pills they had prescribed was my motivation for getting off. I'll not feel like a slug in the morning again. At day 7,...I can think like the old me did YEARS ago. I still have that "falling asleep" feeling at every turn of my head or eyes, dizziness and a slight tightness/head ache at the left temple area. It's hard to describe that "falling feeling" in your head to others that have not taken meds. It's a zoom-zoom sound with a spell of dizziness.

Dr. Frank Minirith of the Minirith Clinic in Richardson, TX told me in '04 that the justification for meds in the first place was for US to learn how to respond differently and build new brain channels from our decisions. I think Doctors in the sectular world look at 6-month/yearly prescriptions to their patience quite differently. How would their business be if they talked about a design for meds to learn a new balance. To rely on God's healing when we switch from self to serving others? Doesn't that take our focus off our problem?

Just a different view from someone right in the middle of a cold turkey from Cymbalta.