22 replies to this topic

[where is the light]

I am a week short of being a 22 y.o. female. I was originally taking lexapro at age 20 for about a year due to OCD and SAD mainly due to being away from home and the winter blues. After i gained quite a bit of weight, about 20 lbs, My doc figured that the weight gain i was seeing was from the lexapro so i got switched to 60mg of cymbalta daily. I experienced no withdrawal symptoms at all. it was a great transition, I wish i knew more about the cymbalta before starting it, otherwise i would have tried to figure something else out.

I have been on the cymbalta for about a year when the weight issue only got worse. My doc, who is a great doctor, decided to ween me off of the cymbalta and put me onto wellbutrin xl 300mg. i didn't do any research about how it would be coming off the cymbalta since my last transition was totally fine. I started by going from 60 to 30mg. i took 30 mg of cymbalta and 150mg of wellbutrin together for 1 week straight. the 2nd and 3rd week i took 30mg of cymbalta every other day and the wellbutrin every day. by the end of the 3rd week (sunday on my schedule) i was taking 150mg of wellbutrin only. by that wednesday i was feeling miserable, i called the doc and he recommended that I increase my dosage to 300mg and that these symptoms were normal. My head was hurting and i was an emotional wreck. the next two days i felt even worse, nausea, diarrhea, those brain zaps, crying for no reason, agitation, etc.

On saturday (yesterday) i took some omega 3 pills and the brain zaps for the most part went away. i still had all of the other symptoms. i took 1mg xanax and that calmed me down for a little but didnt do much.

Today (sunday), i woke up again miserable, the mornings seem to be the worst, and i seem to get not so bad as the day goes on. this is a false hope, i think that if i am getting better in the evening then i will wake up the next morning feeling great.

I am taking vitamin B pills, fish oil, and 300mg of wellbutrin every night and i have no idea if anything is helping, im so up and down.

after feeling this miserable horribleness that i am going through now, i want to stop the welbutrin. i dont want to ever have to go through this again. luckily my dad and mom are here to support me and be there for me and my dog can even sense my pain but there is only so much that they can do. I have a doctors appointment tuesday due to the long holiday weekend, (just my luck)

Ive read that people have been going through these symptoms for weeks and even months. I dont think i can deal with this for another week. i have not experienced any pain like this in my life, and it is much worse than the depression that i had that originally put me on the meds to begin with.


i try looking for info but theres so much everywhere and my brain just gets more scrambled.

does anyone have any advice, anything? i dont know anyone personally going through or have gone through what i am and what you all have. so to hear anything from anyone, hope, anything would be wonderful.

---by the way, i felt no withdrawal effects until 2 days of me being completely off the meds

if by taking a little more cymbalta will help me im not sure i wanna do that? i dont want to have to go through this horrible withdrawal ever again

thank you for your time,

C

[Psychgrad1]

C,
I wish I had better news for you, but I don't. You are correct, though. If you take more cymbalta, you will have to go through this again. That is what I have been thinking about every day since this whole withdrawal thing. I did not have the wellbutrin thing going on, but maybe that is becuse I was taking cymbalta for fibromyalgia. I was told by a fibro specialist that if you take a bath in a little epsom salt, it takes out some of the toxins from the body and helps the pain a bit. You can do it up to three times a day. Also, drink a lot of water. If your cells have toxins in them and they are too sticky to release them, they can't do that without more water. I hope these suggestions help a little and keep us posted!!

Love and hugs,
Valerie

[where is the light]

Val,

thanks for the reply, i greatly appreciate it. i am willing to try anything at this point and will take your advice into consideration of course.


I switched to welbutrin because of the weight gain from cymbalta, and had i known that these withdrawals would be this miserable, i would have never gone onto another med. now, i am scared that i will have to go through this again with the welbutrin. I am going to try to lower my 300mg to 200 tonight even though there are a pain to cut, its better than counting beads i guess.

does anyone think that this is a good idea? to try to get off the wellbutrin slowly, very slowly weening unlike my 3 week weening process from cymbalta?

after such a horrible experience i just want to flush my body of all antidepressants forever.



thanks
C

[sarah]

Hi C,

I'm new to this forum too, but I've spent a good deal of time on some other forums and have been doing a lot of reading about different people's experiences getting off of Cymbalta. I'm currently in the process of getting off of it, and am at 22.5mg, down from 60mg. I have tried a lot of different antidepressants in the last few years to help with depression and anxiety- I haven't experienced anything like the discontinuation symptoms I've been experiencing with Cymbalta. I had been taking 60 mg for about 8 months and my first drop was to 45mg a couple months ago, and then to 30mg a few weeks after that. I then dropped from 30 mg to 25 mg and things started to get really messy- the physical symptoms appear pretty quickly but the emotional stuff seems to hit me about a week after reducing my dose and it's scary... Luckily I have people supporting me and a doctor who listens and believes me when I tell her what I am going through. She prescribed me Prozac to help with my withdrawal- I was against taking anything else because, like you, I was feeling like I wanted to be completely free from medication since having such a bad experience, but I decided to take it and almost immediately felt relief. I'm on 10 mg of Prozac and plan to keep that constant as I start a tapering plan of about 10% Cymbalta reduction every week and a half or so. This means that I have to split open the capsules and actually count the beads. I read about people doing this when I first came online to look into Cymbalta withdrawal and thought it sounded crazy, but realize now why they were doing it... Lilly has been ridiculed for not offering dosages appropriate for people sensitive to the discontinuation process, so splitting the capsules is necessary for many patients trying to avoid the horrible withdrawal symptoms of dropping from 20 or 30mg to nothing.

Also- while you are tapering I've learned that the common advice from doctors to take the lowest dose 'every other day' is actually pretty rough to get through. Cymbalta's half-life is only 12 hours so by taking a dose every 48 hours, you're bound to feel the varying levels of the drug in your system which can make things feel pretty rocky... Like mini-withdrawals every other day... It sounds like it's better to take it every day to avoid the rollercoaster effect.

My advice would be to get back on a low dose of the Cymbalta, and then try take a much longer time getting off. I know it goes against your feelings of wanting to stay far away from this drug, but the bottom line is that it doesn't have to be as difficult as it's been for you so far. Also, Prozac has been a proven help in getting off Cymbalta, and it's made such a tremendous difference for me. I don't intend to stay on the Prozac forever, but it is helpful now and with it's very long half-life (and my past experience with it) I know that the discontinuation is much easier to tolerate... (Wellbutrin works differently than Cymbalta- it's an NDRI where Cymbalta is an SNRI- this might be why it hasn't been studied to help with Cymbalta withdrawal symptoms. Prozac is an SSRI so it's at least partly working on the same systems as Cymbalta...)

I'm probably giving you more information than you were looking for, but from what I've heard about people making huge reductions very quickly (or quitting 'cold turkey' as some do) versus people who've decided to taper very slowly and carefully, it seems that the latter is a less traumatic way to go.

Good luck and I'm glad you have family (and what sounds like a sweet dog) to help you through this.

Best,

Sarah

[where is the light]

Sarah,

thank you you for the response.

and no, any info is greatful and i take everything anyone says into consideration. it is much easier to listen and believe what is said by people that are or were in the same boat as me opposed to friends or family that are just there to comfort.

i do think that the slow and longer tapering would work better. i am just nervous that since i have been off of the cymbalta for about 6 almost 7 days now, if i go back onto 30mg and slowly decrease, once i hit zero i will be back to where i was the first day i felt the withdrawal effects. I'm still feeling pretty miserable during the day, but its slowly getting better each day. i am worried if i do that i am going to have to start this whole withdrawal effects all over again which is quite possibly the worse thing ive ever had to deal with.

do you think that i will still have as horrible symptoms that i had when i first got off of cymbalta if i do the slow tapering each bead at a time?


c

[cookie]

Dear C:
The thing that I don´t like about your story is all these medicine changes. Too many antidepressant in such a short period. The other thing that caught my attention is that your doctor switched lexapro for cymbalta due to the weight gain you had with lexapro. Didn´t your doctor know that you could gain weight while on cymbalta??? Imagine I gained 52lbs when I started taking cymbalta.

The other thing is that taking into account all the valuable advice i have learned through this site, I learned that taking cymbalta everyother day doesn´t work, it makes you have withdrawals. It is better to take cymbalta (a certain dose) everyday. Your weaning plan seems too fast. I am not a doctor though. But as a cymbalta user, I tell you that it took me a month to reduce from 60 to 30mg and will take me at least 3 months to get to zero.

I´ve also had the symptoms that you mentioned: head hurting, nausea, crying for no reason, agitation. For me the mornings are the worst too! This process is not linear. I mean, there are lots of mood changes from what I´ve experienced. If one feels well at night doesn´t mean you will feel well in the morning. Actually I´ve experienced a day in which I am totally fine and the next day I feel horrible. Just be patient.

It´s so good to know that omega 3 pills help you with the brain zaps!-

I wish I had the “magical solution” for this pain. But the only thing I can think of is maybe you can go back to a certain dose of cymbalta and start weaning from there????? (please read posts on how to do it). I´ve learn through this site that one can open the capsules and adjust dose by taking out some beads. So you don´t have to go from 60mg straight to 30mg. You can do small drops. For example: 60mg, 52mg, 45mg, 37mg, 30mg.

I am so glad you have your mom and dad to support you! I also have a dog, who brings so much happiness into my life!.

It is shocking to hear all these stories of people saying that withdrawals are worse than depression itself. Maybe it is a good idea going off the wellbutrin also. Ask your doctor. Maybe you could try to find any other natural therapies for your depression.

As I told you in my answer to your other post, there is HOPE!!!. I´ve seen people going through hell and then feeling better.

Hugs
Cookie

[MaureenV]

Val,

thanks for the reply, i greatly appreciate it. i am willing to try anything at this point and will take your advice into consideration of course.


I switched to welbutrin because of the weight gain from cymbalta, and had i known that these withdrawals would be this miserable, i would have never gone onto another med. now, i am scared that i will have to go through this again with the welbutrin. I am going to try to lower my 300mg to 200 tonight even though there are a pain to cut, its better than counting beads i guess.

does anyone think that this is a good idea? to try to get off the wellbutrin slowly, very slowly weening unlike my 3 week weening process from cymbalta?

after such a horrible experience i just want to flush my body of all antidepressants forever.



thanks
C

Hi Val,

sorry, but I think it's a terrible idea. From anecdotal evidence I've heard Wellbutrin is both well tolerated and not difficult to withdraw from, BUT, given you're still withdrawing from Cymbalta, who knows what the combination of both is.

You're concerned about the fact that IF you take Cymbalta again, you'll only have to withdraw again, but the way you withdrew doesn't work for MOST people. I spent 10 WEEKS tapering from 20mg to zero and had minimal withdrawal symptoms, and that's what many people have to do. Doing the every second day thing is useless with Cymbalta, so you've effectively stopped 30mg cold turkey.

IF I were you, I'd go back on to cymbalta, perhaps even 20mg would be enough to alleviate symptoms, then wean slowly from there. IF you also want to be off Wellbutrin, do that AFTER you have successfully withdrawn from Cymbalta.


regards, maureen.

[where is the light]

Maureen and val


i think that is what i should do. maybe go back up to 30mg and just slowly, i mean very very slowly work my way down to zero with no rush at all. ive endured the worst of the withdrawl symptoms so it doesnt seem as if they will get worse?

maureen would you be able to send me a personal message regarding your plan of how you got from 20 to zero in those 10 weeks? im seeing my doctor tomorrow and i hate to have to tell him that his tapering off plan was the worst but its something that has to be done, maybe its something that he will be able to avoid for other patients taking cymbalta.



im supposed to start my first day of work tomorrow and i am feeling like this, theres no chance i'm gonna be able to make it.


thanks

c

[sarah]

Maureen and val


i think that is what i should do. maybe go back up to 30mg and just slowly, i mean very very slowly work my way down to zero with no rush at all. ive endured the worst of the withdrawl symptoms so it doesnt seem as if they will get worse?

maureen would you be able to send me a personal message regarding your plan of how you got from 20 to zero in those 10 weeks? im seeing my doctor tomorrow and i hate to have to tell him that his tapering off plan was the worst but its something that has to be done, maybe its something that he will be able to avoid for other patients taking cymbalta.



im supposed to start my first day of work tomorrow and i am feeling like this, theres no chance i'm gonna be able to make it.


thanks

c

Hi C,

I don't know for sure that once you've completed a slower taper from a low dose you won't have some of the symptoms that you've experiencing for the past 6 or 7 days, but from everything I've been hearing from other people's experiences, it sounds like these symptoms are slightly less horrible.

I read on one of these sites that someone's doctor recommended the method of reducing his patient's dose by 10% each time it was time to go down in dosage. This is what I've decided to do, even though it's daunting to realize that this means it will be a much longer journey to be completely off of it than I would have imagined. This way each step is a bit smaller than the previous one, though, and it does seem that the jumps from 60mg to 30mg are much better tolerated than those from 30mg to 20mg, and then from 20mg down... (For me the real trouble began from 30mg to 25mg- I was shocked with how horrible I felt)

Everyone's different, though, so if you decide to go back on 30 mg (or 20mg, which is the lowest dose Lilly offers) you can feel it out for yourself. You could reduce 10% of the 30mg to 27 mg, take it for a week and see if you have any symptoms. If you do, but they're mild, this might be the right formula. If you feel nothing you could try taking 15 or 20% steps down instead... (I would wait at least a week, though, on each new dose. I'm not alone in finding that some symptoms don't hit me until a week after the reduction. My doctor has even told me she's seen this- people can't explain why, but it can happen...)

As for your doctor's appointment, hopefully he will be open-minded and able to hear what you are telling him. It sounds like a lot of doctors aren't, which is such a shame... About 10 years ago I went off Paxil and had a horrible reaction- my Dr. at the time treated me like I was crazy and it made me wonder if I was... It later came out that many people were going through the same thing, but without internet forums and support I was left to trust my Dr. and rely on my college roommates to help me through it...

If your doctor doesn't respect your decision to move more slowly with the tapering, I would suggest maybe finding a new doctor? Perhaps your family could help with this? The support I have from my doctor right now is incredible- she feels as betrayed as I do about all that I'm finding out about this drug and she's there with me as I take baby steps to get off of it- not once has she made me feel like I'm being hyper sensitive or irrational.

If your doctor is able to be open-minded and listen, then maybe he can help others going through something similar. (Or maybe he could avoid prescribing this drug in the first place!)

Good luck and hang in there.

You're not alone.

Best,

Sarah

[cookie]

Hi C,

I don't know for sure that once you've completed a slower taper from a low dose you won't have some of the symptoms that you've experiencing for the past 6 or 7 days, but from everything I've been hearing from other people's experiences, it sounds like these symptoms are slightly less horrible.

I read on one of these sites that someone's doctor recommended the method of reducing his patient's dose by 10% each time it was time to go down in dosage. This is what I've decided to do, even though it's daunting to realize that this means it will be a much longer journey to be completely off of it than I would have imagined. This way each step is a bit smaller than the previous one, though, and it does seem that the jumps from 60mg to 30mg are much better tolerated than those from 30mg to 20mg, and then from 20mg down... (For me the real trouble began from 30mg to 25mg- I was shocked with how horrible I felt)

Everyone's different, though, so if you decide to go back on 30 mg (or 20mg, which is the lowest dose Lilly offers) you can feel it out for yourself. You could reduce 10% of the 30mg to 27 mg, take it for a week and see if you have any symptoms. If you do, but they're mild, this might be the right formula. If you feel nothing you could try taking 15 or 20% steps down instead... (I would wait at least a week, though, on each new dose. I'm not alone in finding that some symptoms don't hit me until a week after the reduction. My doctor has even told me she's seen this- people can't explain why, but it can happen...)

As for your doctor's appointment, hopefully he will be open-minded and able to hear what you are telling him. It sounds like a lot of doctors aren't, which is such a shame... About 10 years ago I went off Paxil and had a horrible reaction- my Dr. at the time treated me like I was crazy and it made me wonder if I was... It later came out that many people were going through the same thing, but without internet forums and support I was left to trust my Dr. and rely on my college roommates to help me through it...

If your doctor doesn't respect your decision to move more slowly with the tapering, I would suggest maybe finding a new doctor? Perhaps your family could help with this? The support I have from my doctor right now is incredible- she feels as betrayed as I do about all that I'm finding out about this drug and she's there with me as I take baby steps to get off of it- not once has she made me feel like I'm being hyper sensitive or irrational.

If your doctor is able to be open-minded and listen, then maybe he can help others going through something similar. (Or maybe he could avoid prescribing this drug in the first place!)

Good luck and hang in there.

You're not alone.

Best,

Sarah

Hi Sarah:
Excellent summary. I totally agree. (except for changing doctors)
You are so lucky to have your doctor support.

Hi C:
I think Sarah´s advice is an excellent summary of what I´ve learned through this site.
It is important that your doctor understands that you want to slow wean. I wouldn´t change doctors though right now. Because, once you get to the end, it is important to differentiate if what you are feeling are withdrawal symptoms or symptoms or the illness SAD coming back. And I feel your actual doctor, knows the initial symptoms than a new doctor. However if he doesn´t agree with slow weaning then I would suggest going to another doctor.

Hugs to all!
Cookie

[where is the light]

Thank you cookie and sarah.

My doctor is very understanding and I know he wants what is best for me, he's a great man. My main worry is just going back on the 30 or 20mg again, I'm 7 days off so I'm scared that I'm going to start this vicious cycle all over again. I'm keeping my hopes up every day but when I wake up and I am just as miserable, it is hard to keep going with a smile.

My main symptoms are my head is killing me, I'm very agitated, the littlest thing makes me want to punch a hole in the wall, and the emotional ups and downs.

Has anyone every been off of cymbalta for a week then went back on to taper off it more carefully?? Has this worked? And anything on the prozac in aiding the withdrawal effects??

Thanks every for everything, I'm carefully analyzing every response and very greatful for the support!!

C

[cookie]

Thank you cookie and sarah.

My doctor is very understanding and I know he wants what is best for me, he's a great man. My main worry is just going back on the 30 or 20mg again, I'm 7 days off so I'm scared that I'm going to start this vicious cycle all over again. I'm keeping my hopes up every day but when I wake up and I am just as miserable, it is hard to keep going with a smile.

My main symptoms are my head is killing me, I'm very agitated, the littlest thing makes me want to punch a hole in the wall, and the emotional ups and downs.

Has anyone every been off of cymbalta for a week then went back on to taper off it more carefully?? Has this worked? And anything on the prozac in aiding the withdrawal effects??

Thanks every for everything, I'm carefully analyzing every response and very greatful for the support!!

C

Dear C:
It´s hard for me to give you an opinion because I am still on 20mg, never have missed a dose this 5 years, haven´t been down to zero. The advice I can give you is based on what I´ve read on this site. It “seems” that when one weans slowly withdrawals tend to be lesser than going cold turkey or weaning too fast. I know what you mean by saying “I´m scared that I´m going to stat this vicious cycle all over again”. But I´ve seen people doing minimum drops at the end, having little symptoms. For example you could reduce just one bead at a time at the end.

I read that you start your first day of work tomorrow. Sounds like it is going to be difficult to work having these symptoms. You could take a certain dose of cymbalta (30 or 20mg) and start weaning from there.

Keep me posted on your decision
Cookie

[MaureenV]

Maureen and val


i think that is what i should do. maybe go back up to 30mg and just slowly, i mean very very slowly work my way down to zero with no rush at all. ive endured the worst of the withdrawl symptoms so it doesnt seem as if they will get worse?

maureen would you be able to send me a personal message regarding your plan of how you got from 20 to zero in those 10 weeks? im seeing my doctor tomorrow and i hate to have to tell him that his tapering off plan was the worst but its something that has to be done, maybe its something that he will be able to avoid for other patients taking cymbalta.



im supposed to start my first day of work tomorrow and i am feeling like this, theres no chance i'm gonna be able to make it.


thanks

c

After being off for a week, chances are 20mg will be enough for you to feel much better. The ONLY good thing about Cymbalta withdrawal for those of us who are going to suffer symptoms is that it generally works pretty fast if you take it again.

They symptoms you've had in the past week are your brain adjusting to the lack of Cymbalta in your system, so if you take 30mg (and you only need 20mg) then all that means is having to get from 30 to 20 again unnecessarily. On the other hand, you MAY need 30mg, in which case, though, 20mg is going to make you feel a damned sight better than you do.

You may find symptoms with 20mg tolerable enough to be able to stay on that dose until all withdrawal symptoms disappear.

The way to then taper slowly (ONLY dropping the dose when ALL - hopefully mild - symptoms disappear) is to open and divide the beads in the capsule.

The capsules themselves are NOT slow release, but the beads are, so it's important to put the ones you take inside another capsule. You can buy empty gelatine capsules for this.

Everyone's routine is different, but for me the symptoms kicked in straight away (generally brain zaps, but MUCH MUCH milder than the ones when I was doing 30mg on alternate days) and I would feel better after about four days, then I would do another drop.

The way I did it may be not much help for you - you may be able to drop again after two days, or it may take two weeks between drops.

Remember though: the objective is to get to the point where you're not taking Cymbalta having felt like a human being in the process. What's the point of wasting several weeks of your life feeling the way you do?

I hope you have a doctor as receptive as mine was. I told her I'd found this site. Beware of any doctor who unilaterally derides internet information. Yes, there's a lot of sludge out there, but the best of the gold's at the bottom of barrels of crap, too. You'd hope your doctor would be intuitive enough to appreciate that you're intelligent enough to work out for yourself what's realistic and what's not.

If he derides my ideas as you believing 'what some person out there in cyberspace' said, then it's time to look for another doctor. Mine actually came on to this site to see the experiences SOME people withdrawing from Cymbalta experience.

feel free to ask any further questions you like.


regards, Maureen.

[where is the light]

Maureen,

So you were doing what I had done, the every other 30mg deal which clearly isn't a great idea, but then u dropped from 30 to 20? When you got to 20 u just waited until all the withdrawl headaches n zaps etc subsisded then dropped down say another 5mg my dividing the beads?

Sorry for the questions I'm just trying to figure everything out before I see the doc tomorrow to throw all these options to him to see what he says.

Ps. Is it strange every night I feel perfectly fine with a liTtle headache nothin too bad, its just in the morning when its horrid??

Thanks so much!!
C

[cookie]

Maureen,

So you were doing what I had done, the every other 30mg deal which clearly isn't a great idea, but then u dropped from 30 to 20? When you got to 20 u just waited until all the withdrawl headaches n zaps etc subsisded then dropped down say another 5mg my dividing the beads?

Sorry for the questions I'm just trying to figure everything out before I see the doc tomorrow to throw all these options to him to see what he says.

Ps. Is it strange every night I feel perfectly fine with a liTtle headache nothin too bad, its just in the morning when its horrid??

Thanks so much!!
C

Dear C:

The same happens to me!.....Every night I feel perfectly fine, and then mornings are terrible! I´m trying to figure out why??!?!!?

hugs
Cookie

[where is the light]

Dear C:

The same happens to me!.....Every night I feel perfectly fine, and then mornings are terrible! I´m trying to figure out why??!?!!?

hugs
Cookie

haha i wish it was opposite, here it is 10:30 my time and im ready to go, i could do anything, give it 12 hours and im shot!

[where is the light]

it's day 8 being off of cymbalta i guess cold turkey from what i thought was a tapering later to learn it wasnt.

im feeling better than i have before.

i stayed up til about 1am last night since i feel great at night i hate to go to sleep and wake up feeling like crap.

im heading to the doctors now to see what his best option for me is and to give him some ideas that i've learned from all of you!!

its about 100 degrees here so thats not helping the withdrawals much!!

ill post what the doc says when i arrive home, again thanks everyone so much!

[cookie]

Please keep us updated on what your doctor says!!
cookie

[where is the light]

Please keep us updated on what your doctor says!!
cookie

so i went to the doc today, got back a few hours ago.

it felt good to just let everything out.

for the most part he and i decided to stay off the cymbalta since my last dose of it was last monday. im going to continue on the wellbutrin and then taper off that (extremely slow) once the cymbalta symptoms subside. but, i can not be sure if the wellbutrin is helping for the cymbalta symptoms, i would say no but ive been on it for a month so im unsure.

ps i went on the wellbutrin for the cymbalta weight issues but i just told the doc that i want to rid myself of all mind altering medicine especially after this experience

he doesnt want me back in work until next monday so we'll see.

i woke up this morning feeling a little better, not so much of the heavy head, the usual stomach pain of being hungry but not being able to keep it settled in my stomach. im just trying to find things to do all day but its tough when its 100 degrees out and everyones working.


i am going to stay in contact with my doc and call him every morning and evening to update him on my status. if i am still feeling this bad by friday he has recommended me to a psychotherapist (who is on vacation until the 10th). HOPEFULLY i am not feeling too bad by friday so i wont have to see him but i do plan on seeing a therapist once all my symptoms go away.

my doctor hadnt had any patients who came off cymbalta as hard as i was, which i found shocking.

he said that the 3 weeks i tapered off was long enough and so was the every other day 30mg but clearly it wasn't right for me, and for most of you guys too!

im trying to keep my head up and keep busy.

i notice that reading is much easier on my eyes and head pain than watching tv. anyone else notice this?

once again any tips on the head cloudiness and fogginess? thats my main symptom minus the fact that its super hard to eat anything and feel comfortable about it which is the worst seeing that i loveeee food.


but for those of you who are feeling miserable like how i was the first few days it IS getting better and that light that i couldnt find at the end of the tunnel is shining a bit brighter each and every day.

any kind of feedback is greatly appreciated and i thank you all for being such a great support system as i try to get through one of the hardest things ive had to overcome! i hope i can do the same for you all and give you all that little bit of hope that keeps us going each and every day

my 22nd birthday is this weekend and the only thing i want is for myself and everyone who is suffering from cymbalta withdrawal to feel better and keep their heads up!!!

thanks

C

[MaureenV]

so i went to the doc today, got back a few hours ago.

it felt good to just let everything out.

for the most part he and i decided to stay off the cymbalta since my last dose of it was last monday. im going to continue on the wellbutrin and then taper off that (extremely slow) once the cymbalta symptoms subside. but, i can not be sure if the wellbutrin is helping for the cymbalta symptoms, i would say no but ive been on it for a month so im unsure.

ps i went on the wellbutrin for the cymbalta weight issues but i just told the doc that i want to rid myself of all mind altering medicine especially after this experience

he doesnt want me back in work until next monday so we'll see.

i woke up this morning feeling a little better, not so much of the heavy head, the usual stomach pain of being hungry but not being able to keep it settled in my stomach. im just trying to find things to do all day but its tough when its 100 degrees out and everyones working.


i am going to stay in contact with my doc and call him every morning and evening to update him on my status. if i am still feeling this bad by friday he has recommended me to a psychotherapist (who is on vacation until the 10th). HOPEFULLY i am not feeling too bad by friday so i wont have to see him but i do plan on seeing a therapist once all my symptoms go away.

my doctor hadnt had any patients who came off cymbalta as hard as i was, which i found shocking.

he said that the 3 weeks i tapered off was long enough and so was the every other day 30mg but clearly it wasn't right for me, and for most of you guys too!

im trying to keep my head up and keep busy.

i notice that reading is much easier on my eyes and head pain than watching tv. anyone else notice this?

once again any tips on the head cloudiness and fogginess? thats my main symptom minus the fact that its super hard to eat anything and feel comfortable about it which is the worst seeing that i loveeee food.


but for those of you who are feeling miserable like how i was the first few days it IS getting better and that light that i couldnt find at the end of the tunnel is shining a bit brighter each and every day.

any kind of feedback is greatly appreciated and i thank you all for being such a great support system as i try to get through one of the hardest things ive had to overcome! i hope i can do the same for you all and give you all that little bit of hope that keeps us going each and every day

my 22nd birthday is this weekend and the only thing i want is for myself and everyone who is suffering from cymbalta withdrawal to feel better and keep their heads up!!!

thanks

C

For all the talk on here from time to time about doctors being clueless, I really do believe that we're in the minority. There are too many anecdotal reports of doctors who are amazed and who have never had anyone (who knows how many people that IS) have difficulty getting off cymbalta.

I don't care if we're only 1%, that's a significant figure when you think of the number of Cymbalta prescriptions written, isn't it?

At least your doctor is pre-warned now, and will perhaps be ready the next time he strikes someone like us.

cheers, Maureen.

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so i went to the doc today, got back a few hours ago.

it felt good to just let everything out.

for the most part he and i decided to stay off the cymbalta since my last dose of it was last monday. im going to continue on the wellbutrin and then taper off that (extremely slow) once the cymbalta symptoms subside. but, i can not be sure if the wellbutrin is helping for the cymbalta symptoms, i would say no but ive been on it for a month so im unsure.

ps i went on the wellbutrin for the cymbalta weight issues but i just told the doc that i want to rid myself of all mind altering medicine especially after this experience

he doesnt want me back in work until next monday so we'll see.

i woke up this morning feeling a little better, not so much of the heavy head, the usual stomach pain of being hungry but not being able to keep it settled in my stomach. im just trying to find things to do all day but its tough when its 100 degrees out and everyones working.


i am going to stay in contact with my doc and call him every morning and evening to update him on my status. if i am still feeling this bad by friday he has recommended me to a psychotherapist (who is on vacation until the 10th). HOPEFULLY i am not feeling too bad by friday so i wont have to see him but i do plan on seeing a therapist once all my symptoms go away.

my doctor hadnt had any patients who came off cymbalta as hard as i was, which i found shocking.

he said that the 3 weeks i tapered off was long enough and so was the every other day 30mg but clearly it wasn't right for me, and for most of you guys too!

im trying to keep my head up and keep busy.

i notice that reading is much easier on my eyes and head pain than watching tv. anyone else notice this?

once again any tips on the head cloudiness and fogginess? thats my main symptom minus the fact that its super hard to eat anything and feel comfortable about it which is the worst seeing that i loveeee food.


but for those of you who are feeling miserable like how i was the first few days it IS getting better and that light that i couldnt find at the end of the tunnel is shining a bit brighter each and every day.

any kind of feedback is greatly appreciated and i thank you all for being such a great support system as i try to get through one of the hardest things ive had to overcome! i hope i can do the same for you all and give you all that little bit of hope that keeps us going each and every day

my 22nd birthday is this weekend and the only thing i want is for myself and everyone who is suffering from cymbalta withdrawal to feel better and keep their heads up!!!

thanks

C

Dear C:
It's so nice you were able to tell your doctor things as they really are. And that you made decisions together. Most doctors when they hear our symptoms tend to increase cymbalta. So you are lucky that he is with you in the decision of quitting cymbalta and wellbutrin. I like the name you are giving them" Mind altering medicines"!!!! I want to get rid of it too!!! It's important that when you are off meds look for a natural therapy alternative in case you need a little support.

Great that you wont have to work this week

You don't have to wait for others to do a plan. You can go exercising if symptoms allow you to. Go swimmimg in a pool. Yoga has been excelent for me! .

Great that you can call your doctor every morning to update him on your symptoms!

It will be useful to see a psychotherapist.

Yes, it is curious to hear that there are other people who have quit cymbalta, not having felt like this.
I still think that your taper was a bit fast. The good thing is that you are off cymbalta already!!! Maybe I"ll have to go through the exact same symptoms as you,when I get to zero mg, in spite of having weaned slowly

Yes for me is easier to read than watching TV. I am sensitive to light now.

Umm, i am sorry I do not have tips for fogginess specific symptom. Only exercise as a general advice.
You can take chamomile tea for your stomach

I am so glad to hear that you are seeing the light yourself!
And even if it gets dark sometimes, stay strong, this will pass.

Yes, my birthday wish for you is lots of health!!
I know this is the hardest thing you've had to overcome at such a young age. But this will make you stronger.

Thanks to you too for sharing your story, it is very valuable and useful for the rest of us!

Hugs!!!
Cookie.

[where is the light]

everyone thanks so much for the constant support

it is now day 9 or 10 im not sure how to count it but sunday june 27 was my last pill taken.

i woke up at 6am due to the dog barking but could tell right then and there that i had improved again another day!

im hoping this slight improvement goes like this day by day

there is hope and the light once again i getting brighter!! everyone going through these symptoms or soon to there is hope, it wont kill us! it just means we will be able to get through anything once overcoming this drug.

thank you everyone!! keep fighting the good fight, we will make it through.

c

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