3 replies to this topic

[keirsey66]

Hi all!
I have been on Cymbalta for years because of fibromyalgia and it worked for my depression. My dosage was increased to 120 mg about 2 months ago. I recently changed jobs and moved, which has been both exciting and scary. This past week I had some family down to visit and never got my script refilled. After I realized that I was having withdrawal symptoms I decided that I wanted to be off this drug now.

I am on day 5 and it has been hell! I thought that I could go cold turkey but after reading some of the other posts I realized that it is not doable for me. So I am going to get the script refilled today and start the weaning process. I am wondering what dosage to put myself back on to start the weaning process? I was on 120 mg but I am not sure if I should go right back to that doasge (fear of getting sick for taking too high of a dosage). Does anyone have any suggestions and/or thoughts?

Thanks.
Sandy

[keirsey66]

Hi all!
I have been on Cymbalta for years because of fibromyalgia and it worked for my depression. My dosage was increased to 120 mg about 2 months ago. I recently changed jobs and moved, which has been both exciting and scary. This past week I had some family down to visit and never got my script refilled. After I realized that I was having withdrawal symptoms I decided that I wanted to be off this drug now.

I am on day 5 and it has been hell! I thought that I could go cold turkey but after reading some of the other posts I realized that it is not doable for me. So I am going to get the script refilled today and start the weaning process. I am wondering what dosage to put myself back on to start the weaning process? I was on 120 mg but I am not sure if I should go right back to that doasge (fear of getting sick for taking too high of a dosage). Does anyone have any suggestions and/or thoughts?

Thanks.
Sandy

Well I went and filled my script and took my regular dosage. Once I figure out how to count the beads I will then start decreasing my dosage.

I would love some direction on learning about the beads. Once my brain can function better I will take look through the site to see if I can't find any info that has been posted about the beads.

[keirsey66]

Hi, Sandy

I just now saw your message. I'm new at the weaning process myself, but I'll tell you what I'm doing since I was also on 120mg like you are. I started taking it the end of May for pepripheral neuropathy, which is a feeling of pins and needles in my feet when I walk. It's basically nerve damage.

This is day 12 for me, and I've dropped 30% and am now at 84mg. There are a lot of messages saying not to do more than a 10% drop at a time and that you should stay on that for a week or so and see how you feel before you make another drop. I started at 5% and dropped a few days later. I've only had morning headaches, so I'd say I'm not a normal withdrawal and have gone faster since I feel fine. It's probably because I wasn't on it very long. I always took the entire 120mg in the morning, because it did not make me drowsy, and I was getting very little sleep - only a few minutes at a time. I'm now sleeping better since I'm weaing off of it. It wasn't doing much for my pain, so I didn't want the expense and insomnia anymore.

I have to count the beads in all of my 60mg capsules, because my # of beads have varied from 189-217. A lot of people say their capsules all have the same number. You'll just have to see how yours are. I will say that I'm finding even with the variation, that it's not more than a 5 or 6 bead diffenence in the number I take out. At this high dosage that doesn't matter, but I hear it will when you get down to the low dosages.

I count my beads for both 60mg capsules and take out 10% if them. I've been counting them on a folded dark blue sheet of construction paper, and it's easy to pour them back in the capsules that way too. I do that over a big black skillet I have, so it can catch any beads that roll out. I put the extra beads in an empty prescription bottle to save for later. You can buy empty gelcaps to put those in when you're down to a smaller dosage.

Everyone stresses to take it very slowly, because w/d symptoms might not start for 6 days or so, and you've gotten a taste of what those can be like. I think taking you going back to your regular dose was a good thing to do. Maybe see how you feel for a day or two, and if you're ok start taking out 5 or 10% of the beads. Do that when you're feeling ok.

Karen

Thanks Karen!
I also take the whole 120mg in the morning and I have probably on a 60mg dosage for over 5 years. Since the started a new and move to a new area my doctor and I thought that it would be good to up the dosage because while I take C. for the fibromyalgia I also have suffered from depression for many years. I can say that my depression was going up and down with this move (leaving my 21 year old daughter and a town I spent my entire life in) and starting a whole new life. Exciting and scary all at once :-)

I have gone back to the 120mg today and am hoping that I would be too sick from going back on Cymbalta too fast. I think that I am going to stay on this for about 2 weeks to get to being my "normal" self and then start the weaning process.

I haven't gone through these types of withdrawal since I came off of Paxil. I am not sure what one is worst, Paxil or this! This has absolutely been the worst weekend of my life and I am just hoping that I can make it into work tomorrow. I just started a new job back in April and if I have to call off tomorrow would just not look too good. So far my new boss has been really great with everything so I am just not going to worry about it. I need to get this crap back in my system.

Can I ask how you determined how many beads equals 1mg? Was there a post on here about that? There are so many posts that I tend to find myself getting lost in them, LOL.

Thanks for the advice. I am going to need it to get off of this med!
Sandy

[cookie]

Dear Sandy:
Stopping cold turkey from 120mg to zero, sounds insane. Even in cymbalta package says not to quit cold turkey. I can´t imagine what it would be to quit from such a high dose abruptly.

It´s great that you went back to 120mg and will wait to stabilize and then start weaning slowly.
There are lots of posts/threats on this site explaining how to wean. Karen pretty much summarized them. Her explanation sounds very detailed and she also started at 120mg

hugs
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