30 replies to this topic

[JellyRoy420]

Hi, my name is Melissa and I have been taking Cymbalta for about 4 years. I have been on some combination of medications for 13 years and I am only 30. I finally feel that I am in a safe place in my life, with enough support and I feel that it is finally time for me to wean off of my last remaining medication. I have been on just Cymbalta, 60 mgs a day, for a little over a year and have been doing very well. I am newly wed to my husband and he is amazing. My parents offer lots of support too but live a few hours away. 

I am very nervous about going off of all meds and I do have a new doctor who I am working with but after my time with mental health professionals I know to trust myself and what feels right for me before I trust what my doctor thinks is best. My new doctor suggested I do an immediate jump from 60 mgs to 30... I don't feel comfortable with that so I decided to weigh out my pills and make them into 45 mgs instead. I am planning on doing a month on each 15 mg increments so the withdrawals will be minimal. I just started with a new therapist and I am hoping that with the right coping skills I wont need to take anything after I'm done with this wean. I am hoping she will end up being someone I can trust and will help me become a happier, less stressed version of myself. I was very young when I was 'diagnosed' with my bipolar and now I wonder if I really ever was. My mom wonders if the meds have been harming me more then helping... I think we may both be right and now I am in a stable place to find out. I am very excited about being off this drug, I am excited to be medication free after 13 years! 

Any advice or support would be very much appreciated, I am currently going on to day 2 of dropping down to 45 mgs per day with no symptoms so far. In fact today was a great day, ordinary but I did everything with a smile and I feel kind of accomplished for that  Thank you all for reading my little post and I look forward to chatting with you all more. 

[ZappAlta]

Welcome Meilssa and you have come to the right place for guidance and support .You have a positive approach to getting off this medication and for some w/d can be tolerable in small increments of reducing slowly -many seasoned posters here with guidance and soon they will chime in .  So glad you have family support . Keep posting

[aMarie]

Hi Melissa, I was on 60mg and I gradually decreased to 40mg via taking out the beads from inside the capsule and closing it again, over 3 days. I felt pretty bad one day which i ended up sleeping, i have been tired but otherwise pretty good. apparently it's the last 20mg that is the worst for this i plan to remove 5mg every two days untill finished. I also take 2  B vitamin tablets a day to help with the brains zaps, a multi vitamin for women. ginger helps with nausea, redbull is supposed to be helpful too. listen to your body, and don't keep decreasing the amount until you feel better. hope that helps. A.

[Clara]

Welcome Melissa! Family support is a wonderful thing! I wouldn't have done well at all w/out my husband and the loving supportive people on this forum! It's great you have doctors you trust. I am NOT trying to be a pessimist, but some doctors do not know or understand just how bad w/drawals can be, so if things do get rough on you, slow your weaning process down a bit. I would advise coming off only one med at a time also. You are trusting your own judgement, and that's great! Just keep listening to your body and take care of you! You are doing great! A positive attitude like yours goes a long way during w/drawals! Keep posting! We're here for you! Hugs and prayers!!!  clara

[Leprechaun]

Welcome Melissa, You've come to the right place for information and support in your battle with Cymbalta. We're all in the same boat here more or less and these people are wonderful. Best of luck to you and thoughts and prayers as well. 

[FiveNotions]

Hi Melissa, welcome! Congratulations on your marriage and kudos to you for how you've gotten off the meds, and how you're approaching the cymbalta weaning!

One thought...have you considered using the bead counting method, and coming down a bit more gradually on dosage? I can't speak from experience, as I quit cold turkey...if I had it to do over again, I'd bead count for sure...others here have lots of experience with this and they'll be chiming in soon....

[JellyRoy420]

Thanks so much for the support and advice. I am going to definatley pick up some vitamins to help with the process like aMarie suggested. And to awnser fivenotions guestion about bead counting. I am doing that currently, sort of. I have been taking an india made genertic for about 4 years and when i looked at the beads they seem to be different sizes, which i know happens. So i got my scale out and the 60mg pills in the capsule weigh .24 grams so i divided the weight by 4 and just took out .06 of weight to get a 45 mg pill instead. Im going to take 45 mgs for now but im not too sure when i should transition to the 30 mgs? From the 30mgs i was thinking about going down by 10 mgs at a time. So now its 60 to 45 then onto 30, 20, 10. I still don't know if ill need to go to 5 mg before stopping completely but ill decide that when the time comes. So far on day 2 of 45 mgs, im doing very well.

[JellyRoy420]

Also can you all give me an idea of the amount of time you spent on each dose during your weaning process? Im still not too sure how long i should (approximately) stay on each new dose before going on to the next one.

[equuswoman]

Hi, my name is Melissa and I have been taking Cymbalta for about 4 years. I have been on some combination of medications for 13 years and I am only 30. I finally feel that I am in a safe place in my life, with enough support and I feel that it is finally time for me to wean off of my last remaining medication. I have been on just Cymbalta, 60 mgs a day, for a little over a year and have been doing very well. I am newly wed to my husband and he is amazing. My parents offer lots of support too but live a few hours away. 

I am very nervous about going off of all meds and I do have a new doctor who I am working with but after my time with mental health professionals I know to trust myself and what feels right for me before I trust what my doctor thinks is best. My new doctor suggested I do an immediate jump from 60 mgs to 30... I don't feel comfortable with that so I decided to weigh out my pills and make them into 45 mgs instead. I am planning on doing a month on each 15 mg increments so the withdrawals will be minimal. I just started with a new therapist and I am hoping that with the right coping skills I wont need to take anything after I'm done with this wean. I am hoping she will end up being someone I can trust and will help me become bega happier, less stressed version of myself. I was very young when I was 'diagnosed' with my bipolar and now I wonder if I really ever was. My mom wonders if the meds have been harming me more then helping... I think we may both be right and now I am in a stable place to find out. I am very excited about being off this drug, I am excited to be medication free after 13 years! 

Any advice or support would be very much appreciated, I am currently going on to day 2 of dropping down to 45 mgs per day with no symptoms so far. In fact today was a great day, ordinary but I did everything with a smile and I feel kind of accomplished for that  Thank you all foHir reading my little post and I look forward to chatting with you all more. 

Hi and welcome to the forum. I have been on Cymbalta 60mg Q day for almost 2 years. I began to wean off Cymbalta Thurs Nov 7th and will swallow my 'last' Cymbalta bead on March 18th. I will be so glad of this and will make the best of the rest of my life.

Please let us know how you're doing. TheEquusWoman

[FiveNotions]

Melissa, I can't help with the dose part, as I came of all at once...Fishinghat probably can assist....I'm amazed that you have a scale and can do that...like a jeweler weighing gold!

I do know about the generic made in India...I had a horrid reaction to it, which is why I stopped altogether...I'd been on the brand for about 8 yrs...and then lost my insurance....all in all, I'm grateful that I did lose insurance...otherwise I'd still be taking the poison!

Keep us posted!

[fishinghat]

Helo Mellisa, welcome. Most of us here recommend bead counting.

Bead counting is where you open the cymbalta capsule each day and remove a few beads, usually 2 or 3. So the first day you remove 3 beads, the next day 6 beads, the next 9 beads etc. This provides for a slow steady withdrawal. If symptoms get to bad you just hold at that dosage for a while until you stabilize. Then start dropping again. Be aware that for most the last few beads give the worse withdrawal. Be prepared to slow down when you get to the very end. Now this is just an example. Some can only remove 1 bead a day and others 7 or 8 beads a day. You will have to play with it a little bit to find what works for you. This doesn't mean you won't have withdrawal but it will be lighter and you will have some control over it. So if everything goes well you don't really stay at one dose. You slightly lower the dose each day. The only time you stay at one dose is when the withdrawal gets bad.Best of luck to you.

[JellyRoy420]

The bead counting is a great idea the only problem is now my meds are new weighed out to 45 mgs so the beads may not be the exact same number. Do they usually have the same number of beads from pill to pill? I just reordered my 30 mg meds so before those come I think Ill start counting out beads. Ive also bought a notebook so Im going to start keeping track of my moods, supplements and wd symptoms. I also picked up some b12 and a multivitamin which I started today. Next on my list is apple cyder vinagar and some ginger or ginger ale. Anything thing Ive missed or anyone would add or know that helps?

[FiveNotions]

Apple cider vinegar is wonderful....I got a bottle of the stuff by Braggs....excellent, as it has also the fiber or whatever the unpasteurized contents are...that's the healthiest part of it apparently...anyway, for the first month or so I was taking two tablespoons of it in the a.m....first mixed with water, then I actually started liking it straight...yikes...now my taste buds cringe at the thought, so I've slacked off in taking it....

You've reminded me to get back to it as a morning basic....

God, my list of "basics" is a mile long....I have a little something for each of my cymbalta related ailments....I've got all my bottles of vitamins and supplements in a small cardboard box...I carry it from place to place in my apartment so I can dip into it as needed....

Like your notebook idea....I just haven't been able to be that organized...you're way ahead of me!

[JellyRoy420]

I will be starting the apple cider, a centrum multi vit and b12 tomorrow morning with breakfast. I got my blood work done and I was prescribed Vit D so I started taking that once a week. I went by a organic grocery store today and found a few Hyland's brand product to help. Im using their nerve tonic for stress, nervousness, anxiety, IRRITABILTY and concintration. I also got their motion sickness relief tablets for the zaps and nausea and their tablets for insomnia. Ive had some mild zaps this afternoon and evening so I think Ill have to use the tablets every 4 hours or so. My biggest fear is dealing with SSRI withdrawl syndrome after being on medications for 13 years. My biggest goal is to learn more therapeutic ways of dealing with my emotions, frustrations and anxieties. I am certain my doctor will want to prescribe something else because she already mentioned something about adhd meds but I want to take a year or so to see how my brain adjusts without the meds. Just not too sure how long it will take to feel normal again.

[FreeSoon]

JellyRoy, I am new to this process like you.  I see that you live in sunny San Diego!  I spent many days there when I was a child.  At least you have sunshine!!  I live in Chicago, and it has been a tough winter!

 

I am excited to hear your story as you progress.  We can do this!  And only when we are off "the stuff" will we know how our bodies really feel!

[clearglass]

Hello JellyRoy, Welcome to the forum. 

 

I've been bead counting  for 55 days and haven’t experience a lot of withdrawal symptoms; a few brain zaps and some anxiety. I’ve been weaning off the 20 mg capsule and will take my last beads on March 22^nd. 

 

Please consider fishinghat’s advice of going slow.  My doctor told me the same thing.  

 

Keep us posted.

clearglass

[FiveNotions]

Just take the weaning process slowly....listen to your body, and if needed stay at one level a bit longer...or even go back up a level....you'll get a sense of your own pace and best process approach in a week or two....each of us is unique in that regard...while at the same time we have so many of the basics in common....

Check back here often...we want to know how you're doing!

Bravo!

[xman]

Melissa-you are wise! AND young, which is a good thing. The younger we are the easier we heal.

 

 I send you my full-on support! Makes me ever so disappointed in doctors and healthcare generally. I wont EVEN get started on the pharmcos...

[FiveNotions]

JR420: "I went by a organic grocery store today and found a few Hyland's brand product to help. Im using their nerve tonic for stress, nervousness, anxiety, IRRITABILTY and concintration."

Please be sure to check the ingredients in each and every one of the hyland's products....be sure that none of them have side effects of their own.....or interact with any of the other vitamins or supplements you're taking....when I get a chance later I'll go to their website and do the same....if I notice anything, I'll post it here and in the "nutritional support" forum....

[xman]

Great advise from FiveNotions.

[JellyRoy420]

Hi everyone... sorry I haven't posted in a couple days, its been getting harder. I am holding at 45 mgs but my emotions are sometimes overwhelming. I have only seen my new dr once and that was when I told her I eventually would like to wean off. She told me after about 20 minutes that she believes I was misdiagnosed and possible have ADHD instead of bi polar, which I had previously been diagnosed as for 13 years. She also said she then wanted to cut my dosage in half... a bit too drastic. I am so frustrated with paying so much for their 'care' and yet I am left feeling alienated and crazy. I am looking for a good therapist at a reasonable price who will actually listen, not judge and teach me the skills I need to deal with stress healthily. I feel like that is my best chance to get and stay off of these kinds of meds, but I wanted to be further along in therapy before making the commitment to weaning off meds. I wonder if I should hold at a smaller dose and wait for a few months to develop something to rely on in place of the Cymbalta. I don't want to put stress on my husband, our marriage and myself more then necessary. I am keeping up with my journal, even if I don't always eat right, get enough activity or take all my supplements each day. Those are all some of the many things I want to do better, I have a lot of goals I want to accomplish but for years I haven't had any motivation to do them, I have no idea if its me, the meds or a combination both. I guess only time will tell. But I wanted to thank you all, your advice, .it means so much to me! You all give me so much hope and btw I'm encouraging my parents and husband to sign up on here, I think it could be a big help to them too.

 

Namaste  

[fishinghat]

Solid plan JR, esp about having your family read some posts. Good Idea!! Finding a good psychiatrist is like winning the lottery!! Really. But if you have to just keep changing until you do. You have to have the right person in your corner. Keep up the good work and hand in there.

[xman]

JellyRoy,

 

The best time of my life was in my 30s. Having said this, my mom had recently passed away from complications r/t surgery. Instead of working on that, in hindsight, I looked to the doctors to give me something in order to kp. working at my job and to deal with the normal ups and downs of relationships. I didn't have time or the $$ to seek therapy--in my mind...So I relied on medication. This was where I personally went off the track.

 

You sound very determined and I would bet on you having positive outcome just based on your willingness to figure it out. You are here. We are here w/you.

 

Therapy...yes I went down this path and was unable to really get the benefit out of it that others have. It is largely about who you see pretty much like an MD. They aren't all good. The resources of the internet have been great for ppl as a whole. Perhaps you can review your local area therapists or SW. It seems like there may be a 611 service...or is that regional? Oh hell, I am sorry for rambling! It surely is the crapalta!

[FiveNotions]

JR, the best therapists I've ever had were bot licenses clinical social workers...they taught me coping skills, helped me change my behavior, and were my cheerleaders .... And referred me, towards the end of the process, when is was having depression we cldnt seem to work through, to a wonderful psychiatrist ....the only decent on I've ever had...she figured out in a flash that I've got dopamine deficient depression, and put me on the only med that treats just that...wellbutrin....I wish I cld have stayed with her, but insurance changes made it impossible...and I stupidly assumed that all witch docs wld be just as good....

So, going to an LCSW is my suggestion....finding one that you like and can grow to trust....I made sure I went to a woman, which works best for me....then, if you need to see a psych, the LCSW can refer you and act as your intermediary and advocate if necessary...

[JellyRoy420]

Hi all, sorry I've been absent, been busy with work and family visiting. I started counting beads out of my 45 mg pills last Wednesday and so far I am down 15 beads. I haven't really had any big effects but I've noticed that I feel zaps earlier and before my normal dose time. I am still taking my vitamins and I saw a naturopathy specialist who recommended a remedy for me. I start that tomorrow... I'm hoping it helps with my depression and anger issues that I was taking Cymbalta for in the first place. But I originally was a depressed teenager who was prescribed drugs but then I got angry and my parents wonder now if it is caused by the medication. I'm hoping the remedy paired with my therapist and meditation will help me through the next year. 15 beads down... a LOT more to go! I'm really hoping it continues to go smoothly.

[FiveNotions]

Hi JR, great to hear from you! You've made wonderful progress in just a few weeks, bravo!

It's a very encouraging sign that you don't seem to have been "slammed" with any major cymbalta withdrawal effects so far.....this doesn't mean that you won't have something, somewhere along the way...but many of us, even those who bead count, have more of a struggle earlier on than you seem to have had so far....yay for you!

Please tell us more, if you feel comfortable doing so, about what you learn from your naturopath..... A lot of us, myself definitely included, are either considering or have embarked on, using alternative therapies, etc. to manage our respective conditions....Xiaojie, for example, has found a good practitioner of Traditional Chinese Medicine and is having excellent results....I'm taking yoga lessons, and looking for a TCM practitioner near where I live....

Are you happy with the relationship developing with your therapist?

Just stay steady and take it slow and easy as you move through the withdrawal and into recovery....keep us posted!

[xman]

Way to go JR! Yes it would be great to know how you are doing t/o the process.

[Deeneedshelp]

Everyone here seems so wonderful & caring to us "Newbies". I'm really overwhelmed & believe I've found where I need to be to help me wean off this drug. My only issue is the beads are so tiny! Seeing them is a challenge, much less trying to count them!  But I will certainly try... Thank you all & Jelly...I'm praying for you!  Just as I'm praying for everyone else here...myself included!

[fishinghat]

Good luck and remember slow is the way. Give your body a chance to heal as it goes. Keep us posted on how you are doing.

[aschild]

Hi I am new on Here and just started reading about the bead counting. Does anyone know how many beads are in a 60 mg capsule of the Cymbalta? I just started my bead counting reduction last night. Also I really enjoyed getting some information off the site it was really helpful thank you!

Ashleigh