43 replies to this topic

[aloneNlost]

I've been on Cymbalta for two years and i am ready to get off of it I hate it and i've been on it much longer that I wanted to. I feel like my therapist is trying to keep me on it just to push this awful drug. Every time I tell her I want to start weaning myself off of it she persuades me to stay on it a little longer and then we'll talk again about it, but we never do. Therefore I really want to try and get off of it by myself but i'm really scared. In the past, i've tried to get off of it, the longest i made it was three days before I had to take it again because I was fearing for my life. I was crying constantly, naseous, could not stand up for long periods of time without getting dizzy, and the worst part was the suicidal thoughts i started to have. I do not want to go through this kind of withdrawal again, I can't afford it. I have a new job that I love and I don't want to mess anything up but I WANT off this drug immediately. Any suggestions? Any vitamins or supplements that can decrease the withdrawal and help me continue to lead a normal life while going through this. 

[fishinghat]

I was in the same boat as you just a few weeks ago. I read everything I could on this forum and what a help it was!! People who have went through this before us use a technique that they call "counting beads". It start by opening a capsule (which contains 200 total beads) and remove 5. So this leaves 195 beads in the capsule. The next day you open the capsules and take out 10 beads leaving 190 beads per capsule. Each day you remove 5 more beads then the day before. This is a slow process (and you get tired of counting beads lol) but it really works. I never had any withdrawal effects til I got down to the last few days. Now I won't lie to you...at that time it was pretty bad for the first week but the second week is starting to show signs of improvement. Don't be afraid to do this. You can do this. If you need any help just let us know. As far as the supplements are concerned you will see many references to Omega fish oil, milk thistle, vitiman B and many others I would be glad to help if I could but most of these just added to my nausea and diarrhea so I had to back off. A lot of people on here had success though and I am sure they will help you out. You might also do a "search" for the words supplements or vitamins...I am sure you will get a lot of good information that way as well. Good luck and let us know how you are doing.

[boscodad]

I agree with Fishinghat that bead counting is the ways to go.  The important thing is to be patient.  This poisonous drug

takes time to be purged out of your live and body.  I triess to follow my doctor's advice of weening off of this drug and

it DID NOT WORK.  The bead couting, even though it is tedious, works best.  Good luck and let us know if we can offer

additional support...  This is a great thing you are doing (getting off of this drug)... You are going to feel great !!!!

[aloneNlost]

Thank you both!! This is very helpful so I'm going to start the bead counting and hopefully this will be a step in the right direction

[fishinghat]

Good luck aloneNlost. Hang in there and keep us posted on how you are doing.

[lady2882Nancy]

Thank you for the information.

I have been taking 60mg and am getting more and more depressed all the time.

I have spent the last 2 weeks crying every afternoon and feeling that I was useless and a burden to everyone. I was thinking they would be better off without me. I have no desire or interest to do anything, even the things that I love. But after actually finding myself wondering how many pills I would need to end it all and then yesterday actually finding myself looking for that info online, I decided I need to get off this drug.

I missed one day for medical tests after only 2 weeks of being at 60mg and the next morning I was so dizzy I could hardly stand, I was shaking,  had a horrid headache, and felt very sick; so I knew I would need help to get off them.

I'm not sure how hard it will be to get down to 30mg. Can I do that right away or do I need to work down to it?

Any help will be wonderful.

[fishinghat]

I went from 60 mg/day to 60 mg every other day for a week (30 mg on the alternate days) and then 30 mg per day the next week. I didn't have any symptoms at all. I don't know if that is the rule or not though. I then started the bead counting method.

[aloneNlost]

I know today is only day two on the bead counting, but I don't feel any negative withdrawal symptoms, I actually feel great! i've tried the 60mg every other day and it was awful, i read somewhere that the half life of Cymbalta is 12 hours so even if you only skip a day your body goes into withdrawal mode right away and that's why the symptoms come so quickly. Even though it has only been two days on the bead counting it seems to be working, even though counting the beads is such a pain (haha), so i'm going to continue doing that and keep everyone updated. 

[lady2882Nancy]

I am going to try the bead counting way as I will feel better just knowing that I am doing something positive. I have spent the last 4 hours reading posts here and I am so grateful I found this site. The people who have posted here may just have saved my life.

[CymbaltaCrap]

Isn't this site wonderful!!! I don't know what I would have done last night and today if I hadn't found it!! Or to be back in the day without the internet or google! How bad would that be!!??  
 

 

I am going to try the bead counting way as I will feel better just knowing that I am doing something positive. I have spent the last 4 hours reading posts here and I am so grateful I found this site. The people who have posted here may just have saved my life.

 I am going to start bead counting in 2 days, so we can do this together!  We CAN do it!!

 

I know today is only day two on the bead counting, but I don't feel any negative withdrawal symptoms, I actually feel great! i've tried the 60mg every other day and it was awful, i read somewhere that the half life of Cymbalta is 12 hours so even if you only skip a day your body goes into withdrawal mode right away and that's why the symptoms come so quickly. Even though it has only been two days on the bead counting it seems to be working, even though counting the beads is such a pain (haha), so i'm going to continue doing that and keep everyone updated. 

You too aloneNlost! We all CAN do this!! Thanks to the wonderful support of people who have weaned off Cymbalta!

[lady2882Nancy]

Well day one with cutting back is today. I bought enough 30 mg for the next month. On the advice of my pharmacist I only took 30 mg today (I was on 60) I will see how I feel tomorrow and if it is rough I will do the bead counting with the 60 mg I have left. I am nervous and scared but determined.

That crap made me feel useless and worthless and I don't want to feel that way anymore.

After being on this site yesterday, I told my hubbie how I felt he would be better off if I was gone so I have his full support.

 

CymbaltaCrap and aloneNlost thanks for the encouragement. I hope things are going well for both of you

[aloneNlost]

lady2882 you are NOT useless or worthless. The fact that you are brave enough to try and get off this stuff shows just how strong of a person you are! Goodluck, i'm doing the same thing as you and so far so good, so keep it up and don't be scared, BE HOPEFUL

[fishinghat]

aloneNlost is right lady2882. Your drive to do this puts you ahead of most. You aren't just going to set around and let these drugs control you.

By the way aloneNlost...don't you need to change your name now? You sure aren't alone any more (you got all of us now, lol) and the way you are trying to get your life back you sure aren't lost!!! Hang in there now and keep the good fight.

[LINDAKAY]

I have been taking this crap for so long I can't remember when it was started. I did tell my Dr i wanted off about a year ago and he gave me a low dose of prozac for a month and I went off that with no problem at all. No side effects like Cymbalta has. Then my joints all started being stiff and achey and when I told him about it he said "well maybe the Cymbalta was helping them, since it is known to help Fubrimyalga" and he put me back on 30mg. (Little did I know until now that the joint pain is one of the withdrawel symptoms) Well now I am going off it again and this time he did not give me Prozac so it has been a struggle. As I am seeing on here I am not alone. I have been off for 3weeks now but I am nowhere back to normal. I know the feeling of no self worth and cring everytime someone looks at me. My joint pain is horrable! I am 54 and I should not be feeling like I am elderly. I am determined to get this crap out of my system and start living my life and enjoying my family. I have 6 grandkids that need a graandma that can enjoy life with them. i know it is a tough process and if I had known about the bead counting before now that is what I woulod have done, but I am too far along to start over. It is getting a little better each day but it is a slow process. I also have a low dose of Xanax to help me along but it just knocks me out, so I use it only at night when the feelings of doom are so high. I will DO THIS! And so can YOU!!  This site is an answer to prayer.

[fishinghat]

Hang tough LINDAKAY. We will all get through this together somehow. Evenings are horrible aren't they? At least you can take some xanax to help you sleep I can't take any benzos so sleep doesn't come easily. I do take some diphenhydramine (OTC sleeping pill) and it helps some. Don't lean on the xanax any more than you have to though as it is addictive too. I went through a year of benzo withdrawals before and it is even less fun than cymabalta. lol

[LINDAKAY]

Yes u are right fishinghat. The evenings are tough and I am very cautious about Xanax. I only use it if I see no other way out. they do knock me out and I only have to take 1/2 of one low dose. I am not good with that kind of meds. I just wish my joints would loosen up and stop trobing so much. Now that I know it is part of the withdrawels I can handle it a little better and not freak out thinking it is something worse. I spend a lot of time playing games on my ipad in the evening to keep my mind busy. Tv seems to make me cry..LOL! But Now i do see a light at the end of the tunnel!! Having others who have been there and done that or that are doing that now is great help. We just have to have the mentality of The Little Train That Could!!! I KNOW I CAN!! And so can you!!

[lady2882Nancy]

I'm on my second day on 30mg and it was a rough morning. Horrible, horrible headache; dizzy; noise in my head was making it so I couldn't hear; and very restless.

On the up side I was actually a little hungry this morning and the diarrhea wasn't as bad.

Head is still fuzzy and after taking med my appetite gone again.

I can't believe that I have only been on this crap for a month.

I really wonder why anyone (drug companies and doctors)   would think that giving a patient this med internally is a good idea when:

if it gets in your eye, it is corrosive;

if you accidently inhale it, it can cause longterm respiratory problems;

and if you get it on your skin, it can cause a severe rash

 

If I had known all of this before, I would have refused to take it.

 

But noooooo, my dr was concerned because I was taking 5 or 6 extra-strength (400mg each) Ibuprofen every day so wanted me on this crap for my chronic pain. 

 

I posted these comments elsewhere on the site because I couldn't find this thread. 

I told you my head was fuzzy today.

[fishinghat]

Boy I understand about the head being fuzzy!! It is real hard to think straight.Hang in there lady 2882. You got a ways to go but hopefully things will stabilize for you soon. Are you just taking the 30s each day? When do you start bead counting?

[lady2882Nancy]

Well friday (day 3) wasn't as bad to start with but by 2 pm I was sweating and feeling sick again. This is absolutely horrid and just makes me more determined to get off this crap completely. Feeling nauseated and heartburn at the same time woohoo.

Anyone have any suggestions on how to reduce the bloating?

By last night I looked like I was pregnant.  I'm 51 and I can't get pregnant anymore lol.

 

Stopped and saw my pharmicist yesterday to reassure her that I no longer felt like offing myself (well not as much). She says that it will take 6 weeks to get off this crap and if I need help to just call her. Wonderful lady. Also if I could keep track of how I felt and let her know so that if anyone else comes in and needs to get off this med she can prepare them for the withdrawals. I said I would as I wouldn't want anyone else to go cold turkey.

 

Today is day4 and I'm starting out bloated (wonderful   ). My head is pondering and I have the worst taste ever in my mouth. My guts are churning and I am making lots of trips to the bathroom.

 

fishinghat - I am going to stay on the 30 until things settle a bit then start the bead counting thing. No more drastic dose cutting for me.

[johanna7272]

Lady2882---you have made a drastic cut. You would feel a hole lot better it you continued on the 60 mg (two 30's) with beads taken out. If you are one day 4, remove 20-40 beads from a 30 and take it now. I initially tried removing 30mg every other day and ended up taking the extra ( missing) 30 by the end of the day. I plan on reducing by 10 a day until I start getting worse symptoms for the first 30 mg. Then go from there. I am on 90mg for back and leg nerve pain. Learning other methods to deal with the pain while getting off cymbalta and clonazapam.

[lady2882Nancy]

Unfortunately for me I had to do the sudden decrease as the cymbaltacrap was making me so depressed that I wanted to end it all. The only reason I didn't was because I found this site while searching for the information on how many mg I needed to take to make sure it worked.

They say that this crap is only supposed to have that effect on young people but I'm way passed being called young.

I am just extremely grateful that I found this site.

[aloneNlost]

DAY 10! The bead counting is doing wonders, thank God I got such helpful information from everyone or I would've went about this the completely wrong way. I've been at the bead counting for 10 days now, so 50 beads taken out. For the most part things have been going really good. Physically I feel great, except for the bloating! I thought I was imagining things but I've read on here that other people have experienced bloating too. Suggestions anyone? Mentally however i've had concerns. I have found lately that i keep thinking about my dog Bentley, he was 1 and got hit by a car in front of my house and died in my arms. This was several months ago but recently i keep thinking about him at random times throughout the day and just start balling uncontrollably. Also I have been having trouble staying asleep, waking up every couple hours and just having awful, disturbing dreams. Overall, I just find myself randomly becoming very emotional and crying, and I feel like i'm in my head all the time recently and feeling socially awkward around people and thinking i'm being judged. I don't know, but these thoughts make me feel like maybe I should stay on Cymbalta because I really am crazy or something. BUT I want off this drug because I have been on it for way too long and I don't want to keep putting these chemicals in my body and becoming dependent on them. So I will carry on with the bead counting, any words of encouragement are greatly needed and appreciated

[GreenMachine]

That's the withdrawal talking!  I was experiencing that as well...feeling oddly self-conscious and emotional (among other things), but, it was only temporary...21 days free of it now and as confident as ever.  Don't let it get to you, and don't define any states of being as you're new "normal" while you're beadcounting/withdrawaling.  After it's completely out we can see what our real normal is and go from there.

[lady2882Nancy]

Hey there aloneNlost good to hear from you.

Day 10 good for you, I went from 60mg to 30mg for 6 days and now I'm on day 3 of bead counting and so far so good.

 

I know quite a few people on here have mentioned nightmares and wierd dreams so that is normal, I never sleep deep enough to dream (sleep disorder) so for a change that is in my favour, but I know what you mean about the waking up, I'm waking up 5 or 6 times a night which is more than usual.

 

The emotional roller coaster is normal too as are the thoughts about your poor puppy. When our brain is in an anxious state (which it is when in withdrawals) the emotions roll and we tend to remember sad events in our life.

 

Don't let the Cymbalta win and it will level out in time so hang in there.

[aloneNlost]

Good for you Lady2882! Keep it up and hang in there too!

 

That's the withdrawal talking!  I was experiencing that as well...feeling oddly self-conscious and emotional (among other things), but, it was only temporary...21 days free of it now and as confident as ever.  Don't let it get to you, and don't define any states of being as you're new "normal" while you're beadcounting/withdrawaling.  After it's completely out we can see what our real normal is and go from there.

 I like your new "normal" example....i think i need to keep that in mind and realize that I am going through adjustments and changes, and try my best to not let the negative thoughts get to me

[fishinghat]

Just remember, no matter what you are not alone now. Anytime you need an ear we are here.

[michaelpinson]

Man, I'm just on my 3rd day after my last dose and after reading so many posts on this forum, I'm totally terrified of how this long I'm in for this tour of hell.I never wanted to take this drug in the first place. I had a new baby and my girlfriend told me that I was too anxious and that I had to do something about it. I've taken 60 mg a day for bout 2 to 2 1/2 yrs. My doctor told me to switch to 30 mg a day for a month and then stop which is what I've done. I'm determined to never let that poison into my body ever again so I'm gonna tough this out no matter what, but I'm very glad to know this forum exists as I am sure I'm gonna need some support as it gets worse. I've never felt this bad in my life and I was hit by an 18 wheeler in my car once. I definitely don't want to go on any other drug to help get off this one. Cymbalta was definitely invented by the Devil.

[fishinghat]

Welcome aboard MP. I know the ride is bumpy but it will get better. Just hang on!!! That is the tough way to come off. That stuff will eventually get out of your system.

[GreenMachine]

Man, I'm just on my 3rd day after my last dose and after reading so many posts on this forum, I'm totally terrified of how this long I'm in for this tour of hell.I never wanted to take this drug in the first place. I had a new baby and my girlfriend told me that I was too anxious and that I had to do something about it. I've taken 60 mg a day for bout 2 to 2 1/2 yrs. My doctor told me to switch to 30 mg a day for a month and then stop which is what I've done. I'm determined to never let that poison into my body ever again so I'm gonna tough this out no matter what, but I'm very glad to know this forum exists as I am sure I'm gonna need some support as it gets worse. I've never felt this bad in my life and I was hit by an 18 wheeler in my car once. I definitely don't want to go on any other drug to help get off this one. Cymbalta was definitely invented by the Devil.

 I went cold-turkey after 5 days at 30mg from normal dose of 60mg...the first couple weeks are rough, but, it can be done.  I had the same "tough it out" attitude when I made the decision to come off, and I made it.  Just remember, it will get better!  

[lady2882Nancy]

Wow good luck and hang in there Michael. We are here to help.

I'm doing the bead counting here as I had bad withdrawals going from 60 to 30mg. It's much easier but it can be done cold turkey.

Keep coming back there is lots of help here.