77 replies to this topic

[Nikki2077]

Hi everyone,

 

I came across this website while doing a Google search on the withdrawal side effects of Cymbalta.  From everything that I'm reading...I HAD NO IDEA that you have to DETOX from this drug!!!!!!!!!  I've been on 60mg for the last 2 years and now that I can no longer afford to take this med since it's a tier 3 and my deductable is quite large..I just don't have that kind've money right now.  So, I guess I have to grab the bull by the horns and ride it out with prayer!!  I'm concerned that going off cold turkey could put a strain on my heart since I do have high blood pressure.  If anyone has any suggestions on how I can detox safely please let me know.  I'm planning on taking Advil for the body aches but can I purchase an anti nausea med over the counter?  I HATE being nauseous. Any other advice would be greatly appreciated!

[deb55]

Nauzen help with my nausea.   Good luck and keep us posted.  Remember, withdrawal affects everyone differently.  Don't think the worst

[memom]

Hi Nikki, I am a newbie too. Just joined yesterday. 

Became interested in using California Poppy extract for so many of my present "disorders".

After researching, decided to get off as many as my Rx as possible.

Cymbalta looks like it will be the hardest so I decided to do it first.

FYI- www.pharmstore.com you can get Cymbalta generic from Europe at much cheaper prices IF that is your only concern.

[Nikki2077]

Ok, it's day 3 without Cymbalta and I'm feeling the "brain zaps" begin a little bit and some slight dizziness.  I've prayed all weekend that God helps me thru this.  I remember once last year when I ran out for a few days and I was miserable!  Right now it's not so bad...God is Good!!!!

[deb55]

Ok, it's day 3 without Cymbalta and I'm feeling the "brain zaps" begin a little bit and some slight dizziness.  I've prayed all weekend that God helps me thru this.  I remember once last year when I ran out for a few days and I was miserable!  Right now it's not so bad...God is Good!!!!

Hang in there...  I am on day 15 and I finally know that every day brings healing to my body..  Everyday the poision is being cleansed away and I will survive this horrible hell that I have been going through.

[George1970]

I am also going " cold turkey " I am " lucky" enough to get these free on prescription, I must admit they calmed me down when I needed them but a year and a half later I feel like a zombie with no true feelings or goals in life. I would like to know how you are getting on with your withdrawal

[lady2882Nancy]

George1970

Not sure what dose you are on but if you still have pills or can get some I would advise the bead counting method of getting off the Crapalta (my name for it).

You can try the cold turkey from 30mg but I would advise against it from a higher dose. Some people manage from 30mg not too badly but anything higher is torture.

If you are one of the lucky ones and can get off with minimal withdrawals that's great, but if you are like most of us here then I suggest the easiest way is the bead counting. The side effects from coming off this can be bad. I did the 60mg to 30mg and had 4 really rough days but after 6 days at 30mg I started bead counting and it has been not too bad.

My 30mg have 280 beads inside so I took out 10 beads the first day, 20 beads the 2nd day, 30 beads the 3rd day and so on.

I will be on day 10 tomorrow so will take out 100 beads. Tedious yes, but much easier on the head.

All the best to you and if you need help or whatever that's what we do here, chat and help

[George1970]

Thanks for replying, I am on 60 mg so I will take your advice and try a gradual decrease, it's been a tough year or so on this drug and I am just so eager to get off it !!! I was on 120 a day due to nerve damage at base of spine and dropped to 60 with relitively no side effects but my gp is reluctant to see me drop any further......... Now I know why !! If I miss a dose even by a couple of hours I get major shakes and dizziness, I initially was put on this for depression and panick attacks, it worked but I have been left with basically no "feelings" time to step up and take control !!

[lady2882Nancy]

I can relate to both of those conditions. I feel like I go into fog mod after taking the drug. I try to do things around the house in the morning before the fog fills my head. The only real emotion I had was depressed while at 60mg. Glad I didn't take a higher dose than that.

This website literally saved my life as I was so down that I wanted to end it all.

Was searching for info on how much I needed to take to end the pain when I found this site.

It is the best one I found so far for help getting off crapbalta.

Glad you joined and good luck.

[GreenMachine]

Hey George, I just posted in another thread about my experience with going cold-turkey off *Crapalta* (TM by Nancy) before I had seen this thread...check it out.

[sadmoody]

I started going off of the 30mg over the past month, skipping a day or two and working up to a week straight now.  I have experienced brain zaps, headaches, all over muscle aches and now uncontrollable mood swings--mostly anger.   It's the mood swings that bother me most.  I can get very angry instantly.     How long do they last?  Anything I can do in the mean time.  I have been on this cr*p for about 3 years for depression and anxiety.  I felt dead and with no emotion or ambition.  All I wanted to do is lay around all day.  Glad to have found this group.

[lady2882Nancy]

oh man sadmoody cold turkey is the rough way to get off crapalta (my name for it). Your in for another week or maybe two yet but it should start getting better in the second week. There are a few guys been on here lately that are up around 4 weeks and still have some symptoms.

This crapalta can stay in your blood stream for around 6 weeks.

For the brain zaps try some flax oil or ground flax seed or other omega-3, I'm told that walnuts help too.

For me the lemon balm tea helps with the moodiness and the restlessness at night.

I ordered L-Theanine as GreenMachine says its great for headaches.

I'm tapering off by the bead counting way as when I went from 60mg to 30mg the symptoms were too much for me.

This is Day 12 of tapering off and I'm down to about 17mg now and not doing too bad.

Crapalta caused severe depression for me so have to get off.

You are probably going to have some bad days with anxiety but hang in there.

You can beat it

[sadmoody]

extremely exhausted yesterday and today, spent most of both sleeping.   I have been taking motrin for headaches and body aches.  I have had a lessening of the zaps, The dreams are very strange.  Very strange.  I have been having pain in one of my hands and both of my feet as well.  I think I'm moving along about as well as can be expected.  I am going to try some of the supplements mentioned above.  I have the munchies too, which is not a good thing.

[George1970]

I am 5 days in to my cold turkey sadmoody, I have been experiencing the exact same symptoms as you ! The dreams are totally freaky !! But I must admit, looking through this site has really helped me, if I hadn't I would be back on the medication thinking I needed it to be normal, now I know it's not me having another breakdown, it's the withdrawal from these horrible capsules !! I am really taking strength from seeing past the withdrawal stage and thinking how good it will be to have a life again !! I do have some lucid moments during the day and it's those that keep me going, I hope you find the strength to carry on with your fight, I know this crap won't beat me !!

[CymbaltaCrap]

Oh wow I really hope you're all doing ok, especially the people that are going cold turkey!! I don't know how you do it!! I also have to bead count. I got as far as three days off and had suicidal thoughts along with the severe nausea, dizziness and uncontrollable crying!!

 

Today I've been at the worst I've been for a week. I'm feeling a little nausea, but more so I'm just not feeling like me. I'm finding it hard to make decisions (mostly while driving, so I'm not going to be driving for the rest of the day), and I"ve hardly eaten anything (very unlike me). And touch is feeling strange also...

Will it ever end!!??

[George1970]

Cymbaltacrap, if I had suicidal thoughts I would be back on them, but knowing its the medication that's making me feel bad rather than having issues not related to the capsules keeps me going. The crying symptoms you speak about actually make me laugh !! I am 6 foot 3, I work in the construction industry and am probably considered to be a " mans man" and there I was last night bawling my eyes out at a fim I was watching !! I don't just mean dampness around the eyes, it was the full on sobbing cry !! Lol when I realised what I was doing it turned to laughter, it was a real tonic !! Try and take any little positives you can cymbaltacrap, I know how easy it is to focus on all that's wrong with you but try and take a small step back and look at the bigger picture, you need to go through this to take control of your life again and that's power to you, this is just a faze we have to go through to get where we want to be

[lady2882Nancy]

Hey there George1970, if this crap can make you cry I don't feel so bad about my crying.

Only problem with the depression and suicidal thoughts for me was I was getting them when I was on 60mg and that's why I'm getting off.

Oh joy   getting off of them causes the same depression/suicidal thoughts.

My mantra now is

"It's the Crapalta doing this, it's the Crapalta making me feel this way, I will not give in, I will beat it, I will win"

I am so jittery this morning I can hardly type lol

[George1970]

Lady2882nancy, I'm so sorry to hear your withdrawal symptoms are so bad, it will be a happy day when I hear you are getting over the worst of it, hang in there, remember, you know what your doing is the right thing. I am on day number six drug free and it's been the best day I have had in months !! Still a touch dizzy and the headache is banging away but I have cleaned my flat top to bottom, went shopping and generally having a bit more get up an go !! This is what I want more of, not letting life pass me by and taking a bit more interest in things, the more I think of what this drug has taken away the angrier I get !! Keep going lady2882nancy, it's not you who is suicidal and depressed its the drug MAKING you feel that way, try and separate yourself from the drug, it's the drug that's making you feel that way, it's the drugs fault, not yours, it makes me more positive

[CymbaltaCrap]

George1970 the only time ever in my life that I've had suicidal thoughts was that time a couple of weeks ago when I was trying to wean by lengthening out the time I was taking the capsules. Oh I absolutely know it was this drug that we've all put into our bodies, and my body and brain not wanting it to be gone... So thankfully for this website I now know how to wean safely!  I have 5 children, 2 from a previous marriage and 3 young children from my husband now and to think that I could have left them!!! Left them all alone without me!!!   It still makes me very sad but I know it was this drug!

As you say, for you to be so emotional is not 'you'? And that's good it made you laugh in the end. Thanks for the encouragement

 

I'm feeling quite a lot better today. A lot better than what I was yesterday! I had lots of flu like symptoms, it was really strange! And I had a really bad night sleep! It was like I was awake but not awake???!!! I don't know... I remember being awake a LOT but now at 3 o'clock in the afternoon I don't feel as though I had a really bad sleep..... I don't know.. I think I need to stop trying to work it all out, you know?..  I'm thinking about keeping a journal though (think I may have already said this in another post). Just to keep track of where I am and where I've been.

 

Take care everyone .

[George1970]

Just a quick check in guys, hope your all making progress with your withdrawal and getting your life back, in the last three days I have been doing GREAT !! I have made such great mental progress it's frightening !! The sore head and dizziness are still there and the odd chest pain but " inside" I feel..............yes, I actually FEEL !! I went to the gym and started a diet plan and I am feeling pretty positive about things, but you guys are partly responsible for this, without you sharing your experiences and symptoms I would have been really reluctant to come off this medication, knowing what to expect when starting withdrawal took away the fear and that's why I am so grateful to you guys for starting me on the road to recovery, still get moments of panick but I just keep my eyes on the prize and know it will be worth it

[fishinghat]

Good work George!! It takes a lot of guuts to hang in there. I am proud of you, keep up the good work.

[GreenMachine]

Right on George!

[lady2882Nancy]

Good stuff George - How many days has it been now?

Those pesky moments of panic and anxiety are a bummer but when you know it will pass, it makes it easier to deal with.

All the best to you.

Take care of you

Nancy

[George1970]

Thanks Nancy, it's been ten days now, am still up and down quite drastically but I know it will pass, hope your doing better Nancy, I was quite depressed today but that was because my son and I went fishing for the first time this year and it started snowing, it was bloody freezing !! Lol

[lady2882Nancy]

I know all about freezing.  Around here if you want to go fishing you still need to drill a hole in the ice. lol

We have way too much snow this year. We had to shovel off part of our roof and now I can't see over the snow bank if front of the bedroom window.

I'm really hoping to see some milder weather soon.

[George1970]

I feel guilty now !! If we get 5cm of snow in Britain our whole world grinds to a halt !! Lol you have my imagination running wild now, picture the seen nancy....... Trapped in house, isolated by terrible snow with a woman who is suffering severe withdrawal symptoms, lack of sleep coupled with headaches , dizziness violent mood swings makes her have that crazy look in her eyes !!!! Oh s**t, it's the shining !!! Lol

[CymbaltaCrap]

haha! Please send some snow this way guys!! It's way too hot for this time of year here! It's supposed to be getting cooler!! lol Plus we've never seen snow!

[lady2882Nancy]

You have to be tough to live here on the prairies in Canada. The snow rarely stops us from getting around but there is the odd time we get a storm with a bad wind that whips up the snowdrifts as high as the truck. Being that I live in farm country we can usually get out using a tractor but not always. For us the winter isn't over yet as we can get some heavy snowfalls in April too.

This morning it was -20C and no power from 7am until 1pm. A little cool in the house and was glad that it warmed up to -4C by 10:30

 

As for those snowstorms, don't forget that there can be some good things about being housebound for a couple of days.

[George1970]

You have to be tough to live here on the prairies in Canada. The snow rarely stops us from getting around but there is the odd time we get a storm with a bad wind that whips up the snowdrifts as high as the truck. Being that I live in farm country we can usually get out using a tractor but not always. For us the winter isn't over yet as we can get some heavy snowfalls in April too.
This morning it was -20C and no power from 7am until 1pm. A little cool in the house and was glad that it warmed up to -4C by 10:30
 
As for those snowstorms, don't forget that there can be some good things about being housebound for a couple of days.

.

Your new name is naughty nancy !! Lol

[lady2882Nancy]

LMAO