13 replies to this topic

[Sarah J]

Because I was told to go cold turkey by my old doctor, I can't tell you if weaning is the way to stop, or if weaning is less painful. I really don't have any idea if weaning off of this crap makes a difference or not. I can only imagine it might make things easier.

I can tell you that cold turkey from 30mg was brutal, and the behaviour I adopted during the first few weeks of withdrawal did not resemble anything like I wanted to be or had ever been before in my life.

Not to discourage anybody at all, the woman who posted that taper, got down to the very end of the taper and then went on generic Prozac (she posts on another board with more frequency, you can PM her to see how she is doing now). The last post I saw from her on the other board was about a month ago, she was taking prozac and I don't know if her plan was to wean quick or not? Again, forgive me for speaking out of turn on her plan and what she is doing - she has a website too that you can see if she has updated, because other than "what I read on the internet" I really don't know what she is doing.

For my situation, going on another antidepressant SSRI class and weaning off of that quick was pretty uneventful as far as experiencing withdrawal symptoms. Well, going on the second antidepressant was frightening, I had never taken an anti before Cymbalta, so I was frightened I would be taking my "crazy gyrrrlll pills" forever. Not so - I think I am at over 40+ days of freedom from antidepressants.

JP and everybody else - I want you to get through this quickly, but there is no magic answer for any individual person. You might go cold turkey and be fine in two days. You are the one who has to live in your body so do what works well for you. I can only advise that a drop from near 30 to nothing was not a pleasant experience for me. Others get through in about 4-6 weeks. The "bait-and-switch method" of another antidepressant was good for me and it has worked for many others.

Best of luck to all of you embarking on this journey - may it be as uneventful and gentle as possible

[Sarah J]

the people who started this site also have a place for people to post, but it is a confusing link to follow. Catherine posted there probably over a few weeks ago, so it will be hard to find. I found this site through the link below, scroll back, back, back back and you will eventually find Catherine's posts. It sounded like she was doing well.
http://www.whatwinne...rawal-symptoms/

I hate to say this, because we are all very different in our chemical make-up, but for me, it was not until I got on the other antidepressant that I felt my brains "turn back on". This was when I was doing dosage drop downs on the other antidepressant, which was an SSRI. The people who seem to come through this really fast are ones who jump on another drug, which I thought was ridiculous and frightening. I don't know how many of those people come off of whatever they jump on to? Why? Because they get better and don't come back here and post.

I gave the cold turkey 45 days figuring that 6 weeks to get over a drug should be enough and for me, I was not seeing emotional improvement, in fact, I was 30x worse than before I ever started Cymbalta. I was not functioning and my life could not be put on hold any longer to "wait and see" if I was going to get better "one day" that nobody could seem to let me know what "day" that might be. Had to do what worked for me. I was too far into the withdrawal to try the one Prozac dose method of withdrawal.

I hope that the taper works well for you and gets you back on your feet. When I came off the other antidepressant, I would not drop the dosage until I was stable for a week, then I would introduce another drop. I am not sure if the Catherine Taper was dropping daily or weekly? I believe that you are doing this taper on your own? If you are working with a doctor, you might inquire if a compounding pharmacy could make doses of this less than 20mg (the lowest commerical dose).

Anyway, hope you are having a good day. Just remember, Cymbalta withdrawal is not about winning a race, this is your life, and if you are able to come off of this emotionally stable and functioning, that is the goal!

[schmb01]

What you are feeling is "normal" for withdrawal, as you know. Everything is exagerrated in your own mind. That is one of the hardest things to deal with. I don't mean to go into lecture mode, but I'm going to anyway: You should NOT be drinking while taking Cymbalta, for a couple of reasons. First, it is linked strongly to liver damage in people that drink. Don't let this drug take more from you than it already has. Second, as you also know, alcohol is a depressant, and is doing nothing to help your mind and body heal.

This is a hard road, but one that you can conquer, but you do have to actively take steps to help yourself. I'm glad you are eating well, but try to force yourself to get outside in the sun. If you don't want to go buy Omega 3, order it from drugstore.com. Yes, it is pricey, but on the other hand, so is a months worth of this drug. At least you will be putting something in your system that will likely help you feel stable.

B12 is an okay supplement, and the information that I posted was more to make people aware of the effects of a deficiency. Also, taking it orally doesn't do much for you, you need to take sublingual tabs, and those are really cheap, and I got them at GNC.

Okay, I'll step out of lecture mode now. You can do this, it is hard, but you can do this. Remember that all of these invasive thoughts are part of the brain rewiring itself. You really have to keep telling yourself that. Also, if you are having suicidal thoughts, even if you aren't contemplating DOING anything, you should still talk to someone, like a suicide line or something. Also, please don't discount using Celexa or Prozac to help you through this period. It worked wonders for some people, and you may be one that would benefit from some medical help.

I'm glad you updated, as I was wondering how you were doing. Please remember that everyone here is pulling for you to get through this, and we know you can do it.

Take care, and please update tomorrow too.

Babby

[schmb01]

During the early phase of my withdrawal, I became super sensitive to caffeine. (I drink tea) I still like to sip something hot, so I started alternating chamomile tea in between the plain old Lipton, and drinking a lesser strength too. Some people found that benedryl helped them, but I almost came out of my skin when I took it. What helped me a lot for sleep, and reduced my nightmares, was drinking the sleepytime tea with valerian, and listening to soft music instead of having the tv on.

Shopping for the birthday present will be good, it is so helpful to do normal things when you are feeling so whacked out. I would avoid really busy stores if you can, I came close to a couple of meltdowns at Wal-Mart. :mrgreen: :roll:

Just try to avoid stress if you can, even tv shows or movies. This is a good time to enjoy light hearted stuff.

Hang in there!!

[Sarah J]

to all of you who have quit cymbalta and are now either completely past the withdrawal phase or past the worst part:
was it worth it?
i just want to know, because i'm really questioning myself right now.

ABSOLUTELY WORTH IT! This I can happily write at 58 days antidepressant free.
Wish it would have been easier. Hope that you are feeling better today.
Let us know how you are doing today.

Also, just because this site is pretty much about being off of cymbalta, just know that if you need to be taking something and it helps you, then that is what you need to do. You are the one who has to live in your body.

[schmb01]

It was sooooo worth it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm very sorry about the added stress right now, what a horrid situation. As Sarah said, you have to determine what is best for you and your health, yet I've found over time, it is better to try to deal with those ugly things in life with my brain clear, because even though you are numbed from Cymbalta, the ugliness is still there. If you need something else, there are far less extreme medicines that could help you, that do not completely alter how your brain functions, and are much easier to come off of when/if the time is right.

[robyn_amber]

I'm only on day 9, but already it's worth it. I actually feel like doing stuff! No wonder my house has been a shambles! I used to be such a tidy person. I have been eating like a maniac, too, but having all that crap in the faculty room has NOT helped. Tomorrow is the last day of school, so that should stop. I'll be posting today's events tonight. I just barely posted yeterday's. I was late on it, and didn't feel like posting last night.

One thing I'm going to do is start interval training. According to what I've been reading, it actually makes you lose the body fat, not just get you in shape. Their webbie http://www.intervalt....net/index.html explains it nicely. I would recommend reading it. It's what I'm going to start tomorrow or Friday. I just have to get done with this school year! :roll:

[schmb01]

What a good post! It sounds like you are feeling so much more stable and are thinking more clearly! Isn't that a great feeling? Keep doing what you are doing, and know that we are here for you! Thanks for posting an update!

[robyn_amber]

Congratulations on your last day!!! w00t!!! It's so good to see others doing well, too. It makes me happy, and gives me hope. Take care!!!!

[schmb01]

JP, don't worry about whether you will or won't have further withdrawal issues. Just take each day as it comes, and if you have a poopy day, then you will deal with it. You may not have more issues. Everyone is so different, so please, don't assume that your experience will be as bad as some.

It is good that you cried because you are happy! Remember, you have been numbed to feeling much of anything with Cymbalta, so having any emotions at all is going to seem very strange for awhile. It is good that you are getting out in the sun, and that you are seeing friends.

Thanks for the heads up that you will be gone over the weekend. I hope you enjoy whatever you are planning. :mrgreen:

Take care!!

Babby

[robyn_amber]

Congratulations on getting further along! I'm like you are, some days just nothing new to report. That's why my journal has started being intermittent. But, I will keep posting if it helps even just one other person.

I'm actually closing on a condo on Thursday (hopefully, cuz I'm SOOOO not counting my chickens until I have the keys), so I wish you luck on your home purchase!

Keep chuggin along! We can all do this! ^.^

[robyn_amber]

argh! freak of nature! this eating has GOT to stop! lol but, i look at it this way: every time i mess up, it gives me one more chance to succeed the next time

[Sarah J]

argh! freak of nature! this eating has GOT to stop! lol but, i look at it this way: every time i mess up, it gives me one more chance to succeed the next time

robyn, blake and jp27 -
Try to see the eating as a good thing, your brain is asking for nutrition. Make sure you are feeding your body/brain with good brain foods to help the healing process along. The urge to eat everything that isn't nailed down does not last forever, just don't make the mistake of eating fast food or junk food. Fiber, apples, spinach, lettuce, tuna, avocado, tomatoes, eggs. Sorry, I can't think of more stuff that is vegetarian for those of you who are...Brain food, feed yourself well.

[robyn_amber]

thanks, sarah and jp, i will try some of that...i never have snacks in my house, it's just not something i buy, but i'll tell you what, i can sure find crap to eat anyway lol

i'm sorry you have to be without your little support kitty :/ it will be hard, so i hope the people around you are extra understanding <3