20 replies to this topic

[journeyer]

Hello everyone,

I thought I'd share my current experience attempting to quit this drug. I started taking Cymbalta in mid-June 08. After originally being put on 30mg, I was increased to 60mg after two weeks. While I feel that the drug has helped me get my depression under control, I know there's something wrong. I feel like I've been a zombie for the past two months. My emotions have been blunted and I no longer feel the highs or lows of life. That's no way to live, and that's why I'm choosing to stop. I did a lot of research on the withdrawal effects before making this decision, and I knew that I would be in for a hard time if I tried to quit cold turkey, but the reason I'm doing it this way is because I refuse to poison my body and my brain any longer. I'm also hoping that the withdrawal won't be as bad since I've only been taking it for 2.5 months.

I took my last dose on Thursday morning. Friday was uneventful - no noticeable symptoms. Yesterday is when I started feeling the withdrawal. It started with a general light-headedness in the afternoon and the occasional brain zaps. Now, I don't know if the brain zaps are going to get stronger, but so far, they haven't been too unbearable. And then last night , I had to go and do something stupid - I got really drunk, like two-bottles-of-wine drunk. I knew I'd be regretting it today, but I think that I was merely trying to blunt the withdrawal effects with some other substance, as bad as that sounds. BTW, I don't know if any of you have noticed that your drinking can get out of control on Cymbalta? I'm talking about drinking way more than you usually would, blacking out, and doing/saying crazy things while drunk. It's made me want to quit drinking... but I can't give up wine so the Cymbalta definitely has to go

Anyway, so today is Day 3 and I've been feeling a bit down. The brain zaps have gotten slightly more frequent and the light-headedness is also little stronger. There's also this annoying high-pitched buzz in my ears (kinda like when a TV is on and no, my TV's off ) Earlier today, I got in the shower with the intention of going out and grabbing some food and then, all of a sudden, I had an anxiety "moment." Weird, pre-Cymbalta-ish negative thoughts started creeping in my head and I had to consciously stop myself from spiraling down. Needless to say I didn't venture out after all, which really sucks because I was looking forward to having some pho (great for hangovers btw).

So I've pretty much been in bed all day. I find that the symptoms are lesser when you're lying down. I can't tell you what will work for you but this is what's working for me at the moment: staying in bed with my laptop - I don't know what I'd be doing without the internet. Keep your mind busy. Read about stuff that interests you. Listen to music that you like. Most of all, stay POSITIVE.

I'll try to post more updates in the next few days.

Take care all.

[Attorney_Victim]

SadCat and Journeyer, You guys both seem to be describing typical withdrawal experiences. Hang in there...it will get better! Since you are in similar stages, you may be able to provide great support to each other. Don't forget you can use the PM feature on here to communicate with other members in a non-public format.

SadCat, I took Prozac to help and I have done a lot of research about doing it that way. I am not a medical professional, but here is what I have learned. If you are taking the Prozac, you do not have to taper the Cymbalta (especially not all the way down to 0). Prozac's active ingredients will replace the Cymbalta completely...as long as the Prozac dose is high enough. I mention this because there are some risks to emptying out the pellets (and no dr should ever recommend that), and if you have the Prozac, why take that risk.

I tapered from 90mgs to 60 for 1 week (on my own), then stopped cold turkey. I couldn't get in to see my psychiatrist until Day 4 of withdrawals, and by that time,the symptoms were in full force. Luckily, she knew to prescribe the Prozac to relieve the symptoms. Within 24 hrs of my first 20 mgs dose, my symptoms were somewhat better. However, I still spent 4 days in bed and had some mild symptoms that lasted for about 2 weeks. Looking back, I think my symptoms would have been even less if I had used a higher dose of Prozac in the beginning.

Most drs who prescribe Prozac for withdrawals start you at 20mgs. My dr prescribed 20mgs for 1 week then up to 40mgs if I needed the increase. The 20mgs provided a lot of relief to me, but in hindsight, I wished I had just gone straight to 40mgs for a couple of weeks, then down to 20mgs. I think she just wanted to be sure my system didn't react badly to the Prozac (which it didn't and I had also taken it before without problem).

Again, I am not giving you medical advice, just sharing my experience and what I have learned. But, be careful emptying the pellets...a lot of people here have done that, but there are definite risks.

[iliao93]

Hello sad &journy, just wanted to point out something about drinking & Cymbalta(evil,filthy poison)! This is from a site I like:
www.crazymeds.us
You can find basically the same info on cymbalta.com but I didn't feel like sifting through all the other Lilly stuff. I included the info on smoking just in case( I'm a smoker) as I just found this out reciently. So here is the info on drinking and smoking with Cymbalta:
Interesting Stuff Your Doctor Probably Won't Tell You: Smoking decreases the bioavailability of Cymbalta (duloxetine hydrochloride) by about a third. While Lilly doesn't recommend a dosage adjustment for smokers, I wouldn't be surprised if smokers ultimately need higher dosages than non-smokers. That smokers need more Cymbalta (duloxetine hydrochloride) isn't surprising. This drug is metabolized by two enzymes, CYP2D6 and CYP1A2, and it's the second that nicotine induces. That is, when you smoke you get your liver to pump up the volume of certain enzymes. Most meds inhibit the action of enzymes as they get greedy with them, so that's why you often have to reduce the dosages when you mix drugs in a cocktail.

Cymbalta (duloxetine hydrochloride) works your liver pretty hard. So while drinking under the influence of this MED isn't going to make you any more drunk, I'd advise that you cut way back on the alcohol intake so you liver doesn't explode. You can't take this MED and drink regularly, period.

And because it works your liver pretty hard and needs two enzymes for metabolism, there are going to be plenty of drug-drug interactions. Check with your pharmacist and double-check at my preferred Drug-Drug Interactions site if you're taking any other medications, either prescription or over-the-counter.

Also because of the heavy load on your liver, Cymbalta (duloxetine hydrochloride) is more effective when taken in the morning than in the evening. This has nothing to do with meals and is seen in other meds that push your liver a lot. It all has to do with our circadian rhythms.
Hope this helps to keep you a bit safer, the hell we are all going through due to no fault of our own is quite enough.
:evil:
Be Well,
Bobbie

[journeyer]

Thanks everyone.

iliao93, thank your for the info. I've significantly cut down on my drinking ever since having a few embarrassing drunken moments while on the Cym. Also, I had an occasion when I got really drunk a few weeks ago and felt pain in my upper right belly the next day. That was a big scare. The pain only lasted a day or two but I hope that no permanent damage was done to my liver.

Here's an update on how I'm doing:
Day 4- Feeling electric!
Last night, I started having "electrical shocks" in my palms as well as a headache in the right part of my head. The electrical shocks were a bit unsettling (kinda like when you bump your elbow into something and feel that shock, except that it's localized in the palms of my hands only), and they would occur mostly when I was moving my hands. I even became afraid of touching things or holding a glass of water for fear of dropping it. I usually take ambien to help me sleep at night, and I was a little worried about how my behavior would be affected due to the withdrawal, but I took it anyway. Fortunately, I was able fall asleep without any trouble.

I woke up this morning feeling normal. In fact, I almost felt "good." I had no symptoms - no headache,no ringing in my ears, no brain zaps and no electrical sensations in my hands. Got out of bed at 8, made myself some breakfast (boiled eggs + coffee), and then went back to bed. I stayed in bed all morning and didn't notice much of the withdrawal effects. However, when I got up again to go grab lunch around noon, all the fore-mentioned symptoms were back in full force. So what I'm seeing from this is that, for me, I barely feel any symptoms when I'm lying, but as soon as I'm moving around, I get the brain zaps and the shocks. Every time I get these I feel like in cartoons - like how they draw the zigzagging lines around the characters The constant ringing in my ears and the headache are also back.

So I'm wondering if anybody can answer this, is there any correlation between the duration of the withdrawal period and the level of physical activity? Is it better to stay rested or should people go out and be active? Or does it not make any difference at all?

I went to the market this afternoon to get some benadryl because I read that it helps with the symptoms. I took 1 capsule a few minutes ago. I'll write a bit more later about the results.

Take care.

[mspat08]

Hi to everyone..this is day6 for me...still feeling shitty..no energy,my neck and back are so tense (DON'T KNOW WHY?)I've been drinking green tea,sometimes I feel like I have no energy at all..bad muscle aches..joints are stiff..(cause Im 51 yrs old )or cause of withdrawal symptoms? Whatever I eat..less than an hour I gotta go poop. anything else good for these bad withdrawal symptoms? :?:

[journeyer]

Day 5 - Get out of my effin way!
Following my update yesterday, I'd like to report on the effects of benadryl on my withdrawal symptoms:
Brain zaps - not affected
Electrical sensations in hands - gone
Headache - gone
Ringing in ears - still present

Today is day 5 of me going cold turkey. What has changed from yesterday:
1. Brain zaps appear to be more frequent (several a minute)
2. Level of irritability - I went to the market today and wow, I had this incredible urge to yell at anyone and everyone for no particular reason, although this beeotch in line in front of me did keep talking to the cashier about how nice her labor day weekend was even after having paid - the nerve.

On the brain zaps: please read
Can somebody verify that brain zaps are less frequent/less noticeable when you close your eyes? It seems to be the case for me. I tried walking around (in my living room) while keeping my eyes closed and I don't seem to feel the brain zaps as much. Something to do with visuospatial stimulus maybe?

[journeyer]

@Houdi: I hear ya about the driving part. I'm dreading a long motorcycle trip that's coming up in a few weeks. Driving a car already seems bad enough these days..

@Greybeard: Thanks for confirming that keeping your eyes closed does help. I can also confirm that it works during driving, although I don't recommend it. :twisted:

so here's today's update:
Day 6 - Getting better?
I feel better today. The brain zaps are still here, but either they're getting weaker or I'm becoming more used to them. No headache or electrical sensations in the hands, possibly due to the fact that I took a benadryl in the morning.

Btw, I failed to mention that I failed to mention this whole cold turkey thing to my pdoc, and I'm seeing her tomorrow - for 1 (one) last visit I hope. Any advice on how to break the news to her? Will she understand or will she try to get me back on it? And from those of you in the profession, how does that work? Do you have to accept your patient's will or must you insist otherwise? I reckon there would be no way of forcing someone to keep taking drugs if they didn't want to.

On another note, I'd like to make a humble observation about quitting cymbalta (or other ADs for that matter) if I may. I've read many posts here where people are trying to wean off or quit after having been on some form of antidepressant for several years. Now, I'm not an expert on the subject, but from what I gather, depression can stem from several factors, including chemical imbalance, personal situation or other illnesses. Speaking as someone that started taking it because of depression, it's important to know what's causing yours. Antidepressants give us the illusion of having been cured of our condition, but if it's a chemical problem or an illness, it needs to be addressed with drugs. Likewise, if you were in a situation that was causing your depression in the first place, has the situation changed since? If it hasn't, there's a chance you might sink back to the same, if not worser level than you were before you started the drug.

Man, I feel preachy after this. Please forgive me.

[Xenia]

I feel better today.

I think that's all that matters. I don't know you, but I feel happy for you

[Holly]

**steps on before Greybeard completely steps off**

Hear! Hear! Greybeard is correct. It's true that many of us started out with a depression issue and our "depression journey" led us to Cymbalta. But, looking back at my journey through ADs, I see what I think Greybeard is trying to say: If I could've stopped and sought some peace and TIME to heal through some of my issues, I wouldn't have had to take a drug to get through. Society pushes us to perform & produce at such a pace that there is no time to stop and heal. We've got to go to our doctor to get something, anything, so that we can continue to "function" without losing any ground. This is true whether your illness is mental or physical. But, in many cases, we never learn to truly "function", as healed and whole individuals. In my mid-20's, I found myself suddenly having panic attacks. I was put on imipramine and it worked great. I really was truly depressed and having scary physical symptoms. But, I had to get back to work, had a family to raise, and so I took the drug, and felt better, but all the issues that were weighing me down 20 years ago, are still there today. After twenty years off and on low-doses of different ADs, (as soon as I started to feel anxiety, I went to my doctor to get on something before it escalated) my psychiatrist has concluded that there is NO WAY I can ever go without one. Maybe she's right, maybe it's like that movie, "As Good as it Gets," we just have to find somehting to get us through life. But, maybe if I'd been able to take time to heal with therapy, nutrition and exercise, and the help of a caring in-the-know doctor (a fantasy), I wouldn't be in the Cymbalta-withdrawals-from-hell.

**steps from box, to hurry off and produce something quickly before someone says she's a slacker***

[iliao93]

Can I hear an Amen! Absolutly to Holly & Graybeard, I agree completely. I was given Cymbalta mostly for FM pain and secondarily as stated on my pill bottle "to help with mood" which was a complete disaster on both counts. I am including the Wikpedia def of Cymbalta along with my highlighting in color:
Duloxetine (brand names Cymbalta, Yentreve) is a serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor (SNRI) used for major depressive disorder (MDD), generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), pain related to diabetic neuropathy and in some countries for stress urinary incontinence (SUI). It is manufactured and marketed by Eli Lilly. Large number of side effects occurring during duloxetine treatment and lack of clear advantage over existing medications prompted critical reviews concluding that duloxetine "should not be used" for stress urinary incontinence[1] and "currently has no place in the treatment of depression or diabetic neuropathy" as well.[2][3]

1.^ "Duloxetine: new drug. For stress urinary incontinence: too much risk, too little benefit" (December 2005). Prescrire Int 14 (80): 218–20. PMID 16400743.
2.^ "Duloxetine: new indication. Depression and diabetic neuropathy: too many adverse effects" (October 2006). Prescrire Int 15 (85): 168–72. PMID 17121211.
3.^ Drug and Therapeutics Bulletin concurs: "There is insufficient published evidence of its comparative efficacy to judge its duloxetine place in depression among many other longer-established antidepressant drugs, or how it compares with other therapy for diabetic peripheral neuropathic pain. Therefore we can see no place for it in either indication." "Is there a place for duloxetine?" (April 2007). Drug Ther Bull 45 (4): 29–32. PMID 17451072.

If you check Wikpedia there is lots more, they have just concluded a European study(funded by Lilly, natch) for Cymbalta use in low back pain & of course it was a hit. So we will soon be seeing doc's giving it to everyone with a sore back!
Disgusting....you bet.
Be Well,
Bobbie

[journeyer]

dammit! I was typing a reply and I got logged out... *sigh*
Short summary form it is then...

** who the F left the soapbox in the middle of the room!? **

Day 6 & 7
Wow, guys, be careful what you wish for, wanting to feel the highs and lows of life and what not... been on an emotional roller coaster ride since yesterday.
Went to see my pdoc for the last time yesterday and told her about my decision to quit. She was very accepting. In fact, had a nice, open talk about life.
Felt great after the visit, happy - happiest i've been in a long time and for me, it's all part of the process of liberating myself from a lot of things.
Couldn't fall asleep last night even on 1 ambien and for those who know what that's like ...
Felt really down this morning. Glad one of my friends got my spirits back up.
As far as symptoms are concerned: brain zaps still here. feel foggy-headed. mood swings.

I'm gonna try some fish oil supplements today. I just hope my brain hasn't been permanently Cymbaltered.

[Jenofhearts]

Hi,
Just a note on the Omega Fish Oil caps, I have been taking them religiously everyday 2 with each meal 1200mg, I have been feeling better, now I don't know if it is because of the fish oil or maybe my body has finally adjusted to the 20mgs of cymbalta after 5 weeks... in any case I am going to continue to take them.
Hope they work for you!
Jenny

[Holly]

I'm gonna try some fish oil supplements today. I just hope my brain hasn't been permanently Cymbaltered.[/quote]

Ha! Ha! "Cymbaltered!" I love it! Thank God we've still got some sense of humor left. Good one!

[pharmarunner]

I am also cold turkey off 60mg of cymbalta. I have found that diphenhydramine / benadryl has been easing the shocks a little. I notice that when I exert myself - ie walking or just up and about - the shivers are worsened. I am going to get some sleeping pills tonight from the pharmacy. I hope that will help with my sleeping. Once I recieve the OmegaBrite I will let you know how that has helped. I am fortunate that the food here is very healthy so that will help with my diet. In addition lots of water is in the forecast for my system!! I also know how important positive affirmations are, especially during this hard time - so I am going to be very diligent with those. Since I am traveling in SE ASIA I don't have an option to get prozac so cold turkey it must be. Keep me in your prayers.

[journeyer]

Day 11 - Just when I thought I was out...
I haven't written any updates in the past few days. I wish I could say I was feeling better, but the reality is, I just can't tell. I do believe that the worst day (so far) was two days ago. Felt sick, not only physically but mentally/emotionally. I've been feeling very irritable. Don't wanna deal with anybody. Any noise drives me nuts. On a slightly positive note, the brain zaps seem to be getting better...

RIP Evan Tanner

[pharmarunner]

If only the brain shivers would go away! Did any one experience a viral infection - fever, sniffles, sneezing, etc. when they went off cymbalta? I have felt so sick this week - I just finished day 6. Hope all is well with everyone...congrats on making it another day!!

[journeyer]

@pharmarunner: Hang in there!

Day 13? - Losing track of days, can't even count right, but...
I feel a LOT better now. Like I said in my previous update, I think that Sunday (three days ago) was the worst. Since then, brain zaps have drastically reduced both in frequency and magnitude. What have I been doing differently? I haven't been taking benadryl anymore since I felt the benefits were minimal (although it helped in the beginning), but I'm still taking the omega 3 fish oil supplements (2400mg daily). I started exercising again two days ago. I've also made a big change to my diet, which used to consist of fast food for lunch and sometimes for dinner as well. I'm eating a lot healthier these past 3 days - salads, sandwiches, pasta, etc - and I've cut down significantly on my sodium intake. In short, I'm feeling really good. Let's see how long this lasts!

[pharmarunner]

ohhh how i just needed to read these tonight! thank you so much. i had a day from h###! i thought i was going to lose it! the flu symptoms suck!!! i just wanted my director to tell me to go home -- that doesn't happen in asia - even if you are puking! so i had to tough it out! it was horrible.
i feel like my friends and coworkers think i am making these symptoms up and i feel like they think i am a drama queen because it is going on day 7....in my mind i am thinking this is ONLY day 7. i wish the people around me were a little bit more understanding! ugghhh!!!
thank you so much for being there guys - i can't even tell you how nice it is to have people dealing with these same issues - it makes me feel SANE!!!
I know tomorrow is another day - and friday - thank goodness!! I will try and keep my head up!!

[journeyer]

hey Sadcat
I can see how writing here can become somewhat of an obsession, but it does help - to get things off your chest and to be understood by people who are going through the same thing. I mean, how do you explain brain zaps to someone? This concept was foreign to me before my withdrawal symptoms started, but I now know what it feels like. Btw, I really think we oughta find another word for "brain zaps", kinda like how Umami is the fifth sense of taste. If it's a new feeling, it should have its own name dammit! I like to call my brain zaps "Kzzzts!" Don't know if I'm making any sense here lol
Kudos on starting to exercise again! You should try blogging as well, if you don't already. It helps to release your feelings.

re: Changing your username from Sadcat to Cat... The fact that you're already thinking about it means that you've accepted yourself and are ready to make changes. So, why wait?

[iliao93]

I am 4' 11" and weigh 150lbs. It sucks being short.
At least I am not sleeping 24/7 and I exercised today! YEAH!
Cat

Hey Cat I'm 4'11" too but I've gone up to 170...now don't you feel a little better? As to the sleeping please don't get down on yourself for that. We heal when we sleep and in the threads here somewhere GB posted something about Cymbalta keeping us from reaching the stage of sleep where our healing takes place. Your not being neglectful , lazy nor anything of the sort. Your body is just in need from all the depravation the Cymbalta has caused. I'm trying to get the exercising in but not diong so hot. :roll:
Be Well !

[journeyer]

DAY 27
Hey guys, I haven't posted in a while, and this will probably be my last post here. Today is Day 27 of me quitting cymbalta cold turkey after having been on it for 2.5 months, and I'm happy to say that I'm 95% free of all withdrawal symptoms. The only lingering symptoms are the very slight, occasional brain zaps, but they are nowhere near as frequent or as strong as before.

What I've been taking: 1200 mg fish oil supplements twice daily.

I just hope that I've been able to give courage to some people that are going through this.

Good luck everyone!

Take care.