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#1 Holyhell

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Posted 27 July 2012 - 04:44 AM

I have only been on Cymbalta for about 2 months. Started at 30mg, and then I was moved to 60mg for chronic lower back pain. I will have to say that it has done the trick in reducing or almost eliminating 1.5 years of constant back pain. However, I ran out and didn't refill my prescription for almost three days. Holly God. I got home last night and the brain zaps were so bad that I thought I was dying. I had strange and horrible thoughts as well. I actually called a friend who came and picked me up and I stayed at their house until my wife picked up my prescription and I took 60mg.

In about an hour I was fine. I want off this crap so bad. While I was freaking out last night, I found this forum. This drug should not be prescribed to anyone. That said, that is not why I am posting. I am getting off this stuff PERIOD. I would rather have the back pain.

Today I am going to 30mg, starting tonight around the same time that I took the 60mgs last night. I will work from there. I have not been on 60 that long, so hopefully the reduction won't be so bad. After that, I have vowed to be done with it within the month.

I will let you all know. I am going to try a method that I would not recommend to anyone, but we will see how it goes. More to come on that.

All I can say is.....dear God....give me strength...

#2 Holyhell

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Posted 28 July 2012 - 03:23 AM

Well Day 1 - I I went 36 hours before taking another 60mg. I didn't have much of a choice, as I have an important training class all day today, and I can't be all emotional or having Brain Zaps.

I do have a small headache, but I might have to blame that on the white wine that I had with Dinner last night.

Anyway, more to come tomorrow. I am going to wait 36 hours again to take another dose with the hopes that I can put myself back on evening times for taking the medication. Then I will do 60mg, wait 24, and then 30mg. Let's see how it goes

#3 Lazydaizy

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    I recently weaned off Cymbalta, after using it for 2 years for depression. The depression is gone, but now I'm in the withdrawal horrors

Posted 28 July 2012 - 02:47 PM

Well Day 1 - I I went 36 hours before taking another 60mg. I didn't have much of a choice, as I have an important training class all day today, and I can't be all emotional or having Brain Zaps.

I do have a small headache, but I might have to blame that on the white wine that I had with Dinner last night.

Anyway, more to come tomorrow. I am going to wait 36 hours again to take another dose with the hopes that I can put myself back on evening times for taking the medication. Then I will do 60mg, wait 24, and then 30mg. Let's see how it goes


It's horrific (I'm day 12 free of Cymbalta) but I'm clinging desperately onto the hope that it will pass.
All my dizziness, brain zaps and disorientation have completely gone...I'm just in bits with anxiety.
I'm no expert, but as Cymbalta has a very short half-life of 12 hrs, stretching out the time between doses only serves to put you into a serotonin crash over and over again. The wise owls on these pages advocate weaning by gradually lowering the daily dose, instead of taking it on alternate days.
I'll be following your progress closely! Let's keep strong together X

#4 Holyhell

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Posted 01 August 2012 - 02:47 AM

Today is my third day at 30mg. I dropped from 60mg to 30mgs three days ago. I have had a few minor headaches, but no brain zaps and no emotional outbursts, etc. I am planning to stay on 30mgs for a week, and then I will start removing the tiny balls 4 or so a day until they are all gone. I figure I can roughly be done with this drug in about a month.....hopefully without going through any crazy withdrawal symptoms.

#5 Holyhell

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Posted 01 August 2012 - 02:48 AM

It's horrific (I'm day 12 free of Cymbalta) but I'm clinging desperately onto the hope that it will pass.
All my dizziness, brain zaps and disorientation have completely gone...I'm just in bits with anxiety.
I'm no expert, but as Cymbalta has a very short half-life of 12 hrs, stretching out the time between doses only serves to put you into a serotonin crash over and over again. The wise owls on these pages advocate weaning by gradually lowering the daily dose, instead of taking it on alternate days.
I'll be following your progress closely! Let's keep strong together X


I stopped that idea. I am now now weaning the daily dose.

Good Luck to you as well!!!

#6 Holyhell

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Posted 05 August 2012 - 10:04 AM

Well, still going strong. I have been on 30mg for a week now. Nothing major to report in terms of withdrawal, but I was only really on 60mg for about 2 weeks. I have already prepped tomorrow's pill by removing 4 of the tiny balls. I am not sure how long I am going to stay at that dose. I figure maybe a couple of days, and then I will remove another 4. My thought is 4x2 days, then 8x2 days, then 12x2days and so on. I don't want this process to take forever, but I don't want to go too fast.

Any thoughts would be appreciated.

#7 Lazydaizy

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    I recently weaned off Cymbalta, after using it for 2 years for depression. The depression is gone, but now I'm in the withdrawal horrors

Posted 07 August 2012 - 11:48 AM

That sounds really sensible and achievable. Keep us posted XX

#8 Holyhell

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Posted 08 August 2012 - 03:12 AM

Day 1 of 8 tiny balls removed. So far I have not had any withdrawal systems. No emotions, brain zaps, nada. Everything feels normal. However, my back pain is returning which is truly a real downer. I was really enjoying not having any back pain. I am now really questioning whether I want to stop taking Cymbalta. It has been since long since I had the back pain, that I had forgotten how painful it really was.....oh well.....I will continue to wean of Cymbalta.

#9 Holyhell

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Posted 09 August 2012 - 06:11 AM

Day 2 of 8 balls removed. No side effects to report. Tomorrow will be 12 out for 2 x days. I will report back when I go to 16 out.

#10 Holyhell

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Posted 15 August 2012 - 05:27 AM

I am now at 24 tiny balls removed from the capsule. All seems well. I was a little anxious yesterday, but it has been a tough week at work, so I can't say the Cymbalta is to blame. All in all, no real side effects. I will do 24 balls again tomorrow, and then we are off to 28 for 2 days. At this rate it seems like it is going to take forever, but I am glad I have not had any real side effects (well, except my back pain coming back).

#11 Holyhell

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Posted 17 August 2012 - 06:19 AM

Started 28 Balls out today. So far so good. This is a long process, but hopefully at the end I will be Cymbalta and side effect free. I will chime back in around 40 balls out unless I run into some side effects. I don't want this post to be too long so that other can read it as a guide if it works.... I am keeping my fingers crossed.

#12 Holyhell

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Posted 25 August 2012 - 05:53 AM

I am at 44 balls removed. No side effects whatsoever. I did take one pill 8 hours later than normal, but really couldn't tell that I was experiencing anything. It took 3 days of no pills for the withdraw symptoms to appear when I went cold turkey. All is well though.. I will report back when I get around 60 balls removed.

#13 Holyhell

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Posted 29 August 2012 - 05:19 AM

Update: I am at 60 balls removed. I have sped the process up a little, as I don't seem to be having any real withdrawal systems. I will be taking 4 out a day to see how that goes. I am tired of counting, hence why I am speeding things up a bit. LOL

I will say that the back pain is back, not in full force, but I defiantly can feel it now. Oh well, I still would rather be in pain htan stuck on some drug.

64 tomorrow.

#14 Holyhell

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Posted 02 September 2012 - 11:01 AM

I am now at 78 balls out. I did have a morning where I thought I was just about short of some brain zaps, but I didn't get any. I am still holding to my accelerated schedule, as I really want off this drug. I will check back in once I get over 100 balls removed. That should be some time late next weekend. Hope everyone is having a good holiday weekend. I am off to see a play tonight! Enjoying life....soon to be without Cymbalta!!!

#15 Holyhell

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Posted 10 September 2012 - 12:17 PM

Today has not been great, but I do not blame Cymbalta. I have been working too hard on school and work. I am now at 120 tiny balls out. I have had a few of the head movement brain zaps, but nothing that I really was concerned about. They hit me in the middle of the night while, technically, I should have been sleeping. I was trying to finish a proposal and some school work. To that end, I was up a lot earlier than I would have been normally. So, I am going to off to bed! Everything has been submitted and I am beat. More to come, but all is well.

#16 salvadora

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Posted 12 September 2012 - 11:06 AM

Like they say, if you're going through hell... keep going.

Just wanted to let you know someone's reading and you're doing well.

#17 Holyhell

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Posted 16 September 2012 - 05:56 AM

Thanks for reading. Things are progressing smoothly. I am now at 140 tiny balls removed. No real brain Zaps, but sometimes I feel like I have medicine head. Almost as if I took Cold medicine. It is not bad, but that is the feeling that I get early in the morning before I count out the tiny balls and take my next dose. Honestly it is not something that I am that concerned about, as it is barely noticeable. I am taking out about 5 balls a day at this point.

#18 Holyhell

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Posted 16 September 2012 - 05:57 AM

Like they say, if you're going through hell... keep going.

Just wanted to let you know someone's reading and you're doing well.


Thanks, I appreciate your note!

#19 Holyhell

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Posted 23 September 2012 - 06:36 AM

Well, I have hit a hiccup in my progress. My company changed insurance providers at the first of the month. I went to get a refill on my prescription, and the new provider denied it. So, last Friday was my last pill. I am defiantly feeling the withdrawal systems at this time. Brain zaps and very irritable. I am going to attempt to see if I can get two pills and pay for them out of pocket until I go back to the doctor's on Tuesday (the earliest he could see me). That said, even if I get the two pills, at this point, I might not even take them. I was down to less than 1/2 of a 30mg pill. I guess I should have saved the tiny balls that I have been throwing out. LOL.

Well, more to come as I progress through day two with nothing......

#20 Holyhell

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Posted 24 September 2012 - 05:35 AM

Well, it is morning of day three, and even though I did pick up three pills, I don't think that I am going to take them. I defiantly don't feel normal, but it is not bad enough that I really care. I did go to sleep early yesterday as I just felt drained, and I was tired of the brain zaps ever every time I shifted my eyes. I am a bit more anxious, and I suspect that I will talk to the doctor about that tomorrow.

The worst part, my back pain is back in almost full swing. I will say that the Cymbalta did work in relieving that, but at what expense??? I hope nothing long term.....

Has anyone had experience taking something (short term) for anxiety after coming off Cymbalta?

#21 Holyhell

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Posted 26 September 2012 - 05:50 AM

Went to see the doctor yesterday, and we had a very long talk about the withdrawal effects and whether I wanted to continue with Cymbalta. I have not made a decision, but he did write me new prescriptions should I decide to go back. It is a tough choice, the back pain is back and I am now questioning whether I want the pain or Cymbalta. I have drill this weekend, so hopefully that will keep my mind off of it. Secondly, I am hoping that we don't do anything too strenuous, as my back is killing me and I will need to hide the pain to continue to serve. I have my fingers crossed.



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