15 replies to this topic

[lpilleweb]

Hello Forum,
I weened myself from 90 mg down to zero. I have been at zero for about 8 days. I am a single dad and I am not able to put up with much before I blow my lid. My daughter and I are so close and I pray that this will pass. I have been working out since I started the weening process and it seems like I am only happy when I am at the gym. I work from home thank goodness, because I would not be able to handle working in a standard office setting.

I am taking 5htp and started taking L-tyrosine as well. I am feeling very anxious and I cannot concentrate. The reason I went off the Cymbalta is because I just slept and I was constantly tired. I don't know what is worse. This is the first day that I have felt like going back on the meds...I don't want to, but I need some help here. Also, I have an appt with my dr tomorrow and she does not know that I have stopped using the medicine. I am afraid to tell her.

Any thoughts you have would really be appreciated!!!! Thanks.

[GrandPulse]

How long were you weaning off of the drug for? 90mg is a large dosage and you may be experiencing emotional side effects because you went too quickly.

[lpilleweb]

I weaned off 90 to 60 to 30 to zero in less than 3 weeks.

[GrandPulse]

I weaned off 90 to 60 to 30 to zero in less than 3 weeks.

That is insanely fast for 90mg, and is probably the reason why you're having those emotional effects.

[happyzapynot]

Hello Forum,
I weened myself from 90 mg down to zero. I have been at zero for about 8 days. I am a single dad and I am not able to put up with much before I blow my lid. My daughter and I are so close and I pray that this will pass. I have been working out since I started the weening process and it seems like I am only happy when I am at the gym. I work from home thank goodness, because I would not be able to handle working in a standard office setting.

I am taking 5htp and started taking L-tyrosine as well. I am feeling very anxious and I cannot concentrate. The reason I went off the Cymbalta is because I just slept and I was constantly tired. I don't know what is worse. This is the first day that I have felt like going back on the meds...I don't want to, but I need some help here. Also, I have an appt with my dr tomorrow and she does not know that I have stopped using the medicine. I am afraid to tell her.

Any thoughts you have would really be appreciated!!!! Thanks.

You may want to consider opening a capsule and counting out 50 or so globules and taking them in the morning. This helped me tremendously on days when I just couldn't tolerate the misery.

You mention that you feel best when exercising. IF $ymbalta or one of its metabolites is stored in the muscles then you are getting a 'hit' when you exercise. And if you have been at zero for over a week you may be exausting your store. IMO a little 'hit' would do you good. This is just a guess - I haven't researched it and I have a high school diploma.

I would LOVE to hear how the doctor's appointment went. I've yet to read a single post on this site that says a physician or psychiatrist had a clue about how nasty this drug really is.

Do you think the 5-HTP is helping? I started it several days ago but cut the dose form 100mg 2 times a day to 50mg 2 times/day. It initially caused nausea but that subsided around day five.

How anyone can cope with children while feeling this bad is beyond me. I can't even stand my precious, beautiful Alpine goats. I'm a rotten, mean person. Pain and misery can do that to a human being. I hope you are able to feel better very soon. Children are priceless.

[janz]

At 8 days you are likely at the lowest point. I went from 120mg to zero--cold turkey, although the withdrawals were horrible (understatement) I feel better now than I have in years. I was on Cymbalta since Aug 2005 so I was on of the early users of the drug, before the commercials started. I am dealing with more now (cancer diagnosis in 12/2011) but have been able to handle it without Cymbalta.

Women often deal with depression different than men---men blow; women cry. When I feel that coming on I stop take a breath and tell myself that is the depression talking and it will not win. I am stronger than the depression, and I will not listen to it or let it win.

I would recommend some "brain" exercises. If you are a creative person (right brained) do some math and other analytical activities; if you are analytical (left brained) do something creative. This helps give the brain balance--uses the side of the muscle that is usually resting. Also I find that doing memory exercises (computer games) helps too. I am attacking this whole depression thing with a different outlook (guess cancer does that to some people) and considering it physical so dealing with it physically.

You might need something temporary for the anxiety while you deal with the Cymbalta dropping out of your system, but please note that those can be addictive and choose wisely.

Good luck and stay strong.

[Shawn]

Hello Forum,
I weened myself from 90 mg down to zero. I have been at zero for about 8 days. I am a single dad and I am not able to put up with much before I blow my lid. My daughter and I are so close and I pray that this will pass. I have been working out since I started the weening process and it seems like I am only happy when I am at the gym. I work from home thank goodness, because I would not be able to handle working in a standard office setting.

I am taking 5htp and started taking L-tyrosine as well. I am feeling very anxious and I cannot concentrate. The reason I went off the Cymbalta is because I just slept and I was constantly tired. I don't know what is worse. This is the first day that I have felt like going back on the meds...I don't want to, but I need some help here. Also, I have an appt with my dr tomorrow and she does not know that I have stopped using the medicine. I am afraid to tell her.

Any thoughts you have would really be appreciated!!!! Thanks.

Well, first off make absolutely sure to get back on your normal dosage immediately. I've had to devote every day of an entire year to getting off of Cymbalta. If you take yourself off of this too drastically you will go through severe withdrawals and intense emotional roller coasters, and suicidal thoughts. Unfortunately this drug forces you to keep taking it for long periods of time before your brain chemistry gets back in line. I've had to take around 20 days off of work this past year just from this drug (withdrawal, severe and terrible), and a relationship has been ruined solely because of this drug, as well as a damper on all current relationships. You can get through it though and avoid some of these effects by taking longer and slowly weaning yourself off of Cymbalta.

From my doctor's visits and research, here is the best way to get off of this (and unfortunately it takes awhile).
-decrease in increments of 10 mg, and stay on that dosage for 1 month, and towards the end of your cycle by 5mg. So when you get to 20mg your next dosage would be 15mg. However, Eli Lilly is so publicly irresponsible that they don't even offer a dosage lower than 20mg, so you're forced to go through a drastic drop in dosage, and inevitably go through withdrawal. I found a compounding pharmacy that can decrease in increments of 5mg, however this is costly.

-Other things that you can be doing that have helped me immensely through this worst year of my life:
-sauna visits whenever you can
-a glass of wine every couple nights has helped me a lot
-having a high-carb diet
-increasing your Vitamin D (natural or a supplement)
-working out every day
-keep yourself busy
-L-Tyrosene and 5-HTP, as well as Lithium can help
-Or you can just goto rehab and get through the majority of everything in a 3-week plan and detox. I've came close to doing this multiple times.

Good luck, and let me know if I can help at all. This has been the hardest thing I've ever had to go through in my life, and I'm almost through it (2 months left), so anyone let me know if I can be encouragement. shenschel05@gmail.com

[lpilleweb]

Hello everyone,

I thought I would give an update. I am back on 90 mgs and after reading your posts, I think I will try it again and go SLOW. I cannot live in this cymbalta world anymore. I think your feedback has convinced me that I tried to do it all too fast. I did not even go to my dr appt I was so bummed out and terrified. Thanks for all the encouragement. I am going to keep you updated with a longer term approach to this. Many thanks.

[melly]

Hello everyone,

I thought I would give an update. I am back on 90 mgs and after reading your posts, I think I will try it again and go SLOW. I cannot live in this cymbalta world anymore. I think your feedback has convinced me that I tried to do it all too fast. I did not even go to my dr appt I was so bummed out and terrified. Thanks for all the encouragement. I am going to keep you updated with a longer term approach to this. Many thanks.

Hello lpilleweb ; I think that you have made a very wise decision. A slow wean works best for most people. I myself weaned down from 60mg to 30mg, then 15mg, then 7mg, and finally 3mg.I took all doses for 1 week. All in all it was not too bad. I took gravol for dizziness and nausea, omega 3.6.9 for the brain and drank lots of caffeine free camomile tea blends. This week I will be completely off cymbalta since September 2010.Best of luck to you.

[happyzapynot]

Hello everyone,

I thought I would give an update. I am back on 90 mgs and after reading your posts, I think I will try it again and go SLOW. I cannot live in this cymbalta world anymore. I think your feedback has convinced me that I tried to do it all too fast. I did not even go to my dr appt I was so bummed out and terrified. Thanks for all the encouragement. I am going to keep you updated with a longer term approach to this. Many thanks.

Thanks for the update - updates help everyone see what works and what doesn't. Wishing you the best path to full freedom from this wretched substance. I've been off since 3/17 with a few 50 granule hits when withdrawal was unbearable. I'm back to 'normal' now and it is WONDERFUL to feel like a human being again, free from the mind control of $ymbalta. You'll get there!

[lpilleweb]

Hello Everyone! I just got back from my dr appt. I decided to go back to the DR that is clueless about Cymbalta because I needed to get another refill in order to effectively ween off slowly. She recommended Wellbutrin along with the Cymbalta. I did not tell her that I want to ween off the Cymbalta completely because she is just so pro Cymbalta and pro Drugs in general. I want to see if anyone had thoughts on Wellbutrin. I have taken it in the past with paxil, but never solo. Anyone???

My recollection is that the Wellbutrin was a good drug. Does anyone have any input on this? I also finally talked to my sister about Cymbalta. She is a Nurse Practisioner and she was somewhat clueless. She said that her hospital give out Cymbalta like it is going out of style. SAD really.

Thanks again for everyone's help.

[cymbaltavictim1010]

Hello Forum,
I weened myself from 90 mg down to zero. I have been at zero for about 8 days. I am a single dad and I am not able to put up with much before I blow my lid. My daughter and I are so close and I pray that this will pass. I have been working out since I started the weening process and it seems like I am only happy when I am at the gym. I work from home thank goodness, because I would not be able to handle working in a standard office setting.

I am taking 5htp and started taking L-tyrosine as well. I am feeling very anxious and I cannot concentrate. The reason I went off the Cymbalta is because I just slept and I was constantly tired. I don't know what is worse. This is the first day that I have felt like going back on the meds...I don't want to, but I need some help here. Also, I have an appt with my dr tomorrow and she does not know that I have stopped using the medicine. I am afraid to tell her.

Any thoughts you have would really be appreciated!!!! Thanks.

Old chap. I was five years on 120mg thanks to my dumb psychiatrist. It destroyed my career and my very happy marriage. I too am a single father as a consequence (although I never see my son). I completely understand your anger and frustration. It is is truly intolerable. May I suggest that you take no alternative medication, not even 5 HTP (which is a very natural and good medication that you may wish to revert to in a few months). Please don't go back onto Cymbalta - the withdrawal symptoms are a dirty trick Eli Lilly put into the drug. I have now been off for three months. I get the zaps occasionally but very rarely and they don't bother me much - especially since every day they are less and less intrusive. DON'T GO BACK, GO FORWARD. Apart from the horror of my marital break-up, every day is better and better and better. I have lost 18 lbs in weight (I was skinny before Cymbalta). I drink vastly less than I did when on the drug. My brain is working faster than for a decade. One night, you will have a revelation - you will work out that IT IS FINALLY OVER. And you will be happier than when you were a kid with your parents. And you will sleep the sleep of the just. Stop going to the gym. Stay very, very calm and collected. Don't do anything. Watch movies. Have a beer with your pals (not too many!) You WILL SURVIVE. It will just be horrible for about a couple of months but just bear with it. Please contact me if you have any problems.

[melly]

Old chap. I was five years on 120mg thanks to my dumb psychiatrist. It destroyed my career and my very happy marriage. I too am a single father as a consequence (although I never see my son). I completely understand your anger and frustration. It is is truly intolerable. May I suggest that you take no alternative medication, not even 5 HTP (which is a very natural and good medication that you may wish to revert to in a few months). Please don't go back onto Cymbalta - the withdrawal symptoms are a dirty trick Eli Lilly put into the drug. I have now been off for three months. I get the zaps occasionally but very rarely and they don't bother me much - especially since every day they are less and less intrusive. DON'T GO BACK, GO FORWARD. Apart from the horror of my marital break-up, every day is better and better and better. I have lost 18 lbs in weight (I was skinny before Cymbalta). I drink vastly less than I did when on the drug. My brain is working faster than for a decade. One night, you will have a revelation - you will work out that IT IS FINALLY OVER. And you will be happier than when you were a kid with your parents. And you will sleep the sleep of the just. Stop going to the gym. Stay very, very calm and collected. Don't do anything. Watch movies. Have a beer with your pals (not too many!) You WILL SURVIVE. It will just be horrible for about a couple of months but just bear with it. Please contact me if you have any problems.

Hello cymbaltavictim1010, I just read your post and saw your comment (I drink vastly less than I did when on the drug). I to seemed to consume more on cymbalta, in fact I drank hard liquor which I never drank before. I wonder if anyone else noticed this while on this poison! Mel

[cymbaltavictim1010]

You may want to consider opening a capsule and counting out 50 or so globules and taking them in the morning. This helped me tremendously on days when I just couldn't tolerate the misery.

You mention that you feel best when exercising. IF $ymbalta or one of its metabolites is stored in the muscles then you are getting a 'hit' when you exercise. And if you have been at zero for over a week you may be exausting your store. IMO a little 'hit' would do you good. This is just a guess - I haven't researched it and I have a high school diploma.

I would LOVE to hear how the doctor's appointment went. I've yet to read a single post on this site that says a physician or psychiatrist had a clue about how nasty this drug really is.

Do you think the 5-HTP is helping? I started it several days ago but cut the dose form 100mg 2 times a day to 50mg 2 times/day. It initially caused nausea but that subsided around day five.

How anyone can cope with children while feeling this bad is beyond me. I can't even stand my precious, beautiful Alpine goats. I'm a rotten, mean person. Pain and misery can do that to a human being. I hope you are able to feel better very soon. Children are priceless.

My heart goes out to you. I lost my job and my marriage thanks to Cymbalta. I would suggest not touching Cymbalta once the withdrawal symptoms have subsided (which they do but it takes three months or so and you still get a bit of "zap" - but it's not achingly bad). I also found that not taking anything bar Omega 3 is the best way forward. 5-HTP is very useful but I would recommend you take it only after having withdrawn. Incidentally, my psychiatrist has answered none of my emails concerning why a university professor would prescribe this awful drug over Cipralex (which worked perfectly for me for five years).

I sympathise with you entirely about feeling rotten and mean. I absolutely loathe myself still and couldn't care less about anyone I ever loved. This is diminishing, however, and my life is reverting to something close to "normality" and I find myself liking myself a lot more - and am entering volunteer work in order to redeem myself. As I have said to many others on this site, please get back to me for any tips (I have hundreds after having finally been able to get away from Cymbalta) and, frankly, just to let loose because I fully understand the horrors of withdrawal and the aggression it generates (for the first few months) and am a good listener. I wish you only the best. Keep the faith.

[cymbaltavictim1010]

Hello cymbaltavictim1010, I just read your post and saw your comment (I drink vastly less than I did when on the drug). I to seemed to consume more on cymbalta, in fact I drank hard liquor which I never drank before. I wonder if anyone else noticed this while on this poison! Mel

I went from being a nice chap and a mild social drinker into being a living, walking nightmare and a hopeless drunk. I lost my job and I lost my wife (and son) in the process. I now (after three months) drink two glasses of red wine a day and am back in employment (very successfully, may I add, thanks to the support of my new boss, who is an MD and completely understood that behind the medication lay a man of great skill and intelligence - sorry to be immodest but we have to hang onto our better points, don't we? We survivors). I still burst into tears every hour or so for no reason. I think that is post-traumatic stress rather than a direct after-effect of the drug (but who's quibbling?) I am on a personal mission to have this drug withdrawn from sale and so, by the way, is Erin Brockovich and many other civil rights campaigners. So I have become highly "educated" about Cymbalta. I have received HUNDREDS of messages about Cymbalta and increased alcohol consumption. I suspect that it has to do with alcohol's blocking the drug in some vague and unsuccessful way. But, whatever the reason, you are not in any way "imagining" the syndrome.

[lpilleweb]

Hi Everyone,

I have an update. I have read all the recent posts and I am doing much better. Get this....my dr added the Welbutrin and it must help to counteract the Cymbalta because I am dropping a few pounds by doing nothing differently. Remember, I am down to 60mg from 90mg on the SLOW WEEN this time. Much better for me. I have a question for you guys:

I feel like I need to be dishonest with my dr in order to continue to get the needed meds in order to fully ween. IS THAT A BAD THING?? I just don't feel like she is really wanting me off the Cymbalta. I will also say that I have a few more aches and pains with a lower dose of the Cymbalta, but it is really worth it. I actually feel like again. I was a walking ZOMBIE before. I am trying to be off the Cymbalta completely within the next month if possible.

What should I do about my Dr??? As always, you guys are lifesavers.