7 replies to this topic

[mooremom]

I am going off cymbalta cold turkey due to pregnancy. As if the pregnancy hormones weren't enough I now have this intense withdrawal. My whole body hurts, especially my head. My skin itches and I feel like I've got bugs crawling underneath. I can't stand anyone touching me, talking to me. Everything is irritating and I don't even leave my house. I make my husband take all my calls because I feel like noise irritates my brain. I went from 90mg daily to 20mg of Celexa instead. How long does the withdrawal last and has anyone had any luck with relief through magnesium supplements?

[TryinginFL]

Welcome, mooremom... we are happy you found us and you will find much support and kindness here. This forum has some of the most wonderful people I have ever been lucky enough to meet!  Have you discussed the withdrawal with your Dr.?  I also quit cold turkey but can't imagine doing this during pregnancy.  I understand what you are feeling, but I wonder if you know what a difficult trip you have ahead of you...  And, how will this affect your baby?  Please don't misunderstand me - I am only showing my concern for both of you.  I don't want to make you feel worse!

 

There is another way, called "bead counting".  There are many others on this forum who are much more knowledgeable than I, and I am sure they will be chiming in here soon.  Fishinghat has been through this as well as EquusWoman and can tell you much about the bead counting method. I am in my 12th week of cold turkey here and finally having many more good days than bad - I almost feel like a human again.

 

I offer all of my support and will keep you in my thoughts.  Please keep us posted as to how things are going...

Everyone here cares and wants to help!

 

Liz

[equuswoman]

moremom: Cold turkey is difficult. I couldn't do it CT. I had to wean off Cymbalta using the bead counting method. What has your OB physician said about coming off this drug? Prayers & support for you. TheEquusWoman

[fishinghat]

Moremom ,welcome to the site.

 

DURATION OF WITHDRAWAL

 

The first 3 or 4 weeks of withdrawal are the worse with some slow, and I mean slow improvements. By the 8th to 12th week usually see signs of good days followed by bad days but at least there is light at the end of the tunnel. Now that is the average. I have known people who actually quit cold turkey without a symptom. And others where the withdrawal last 6 months to over a year but these are rare. Research says between 30 to 80% of people do not experience withdrawal while other research shows that around 7% experience withdrawal of 6 months or more.

[mooremom]

Thank you, everyone. I haven't talked to my Dr. yet about withdrawal symptoms. It's my first week without. To be honest, I thought maybe I was just having a really rough pregnancy. I have gotten RLS in my other pregnancies and thought maybe it was just a little worse this time. But I'm sleeping around 16-20 hours a day. My nightmares are terrible. Apparently I've taken to talking in my sleep about horrible things. It sounds like I really need to get in touch with her before my appointment next week. Last year we lost a pregnancy and have always thought it was due to the medication. I feel like I was duped. I was never warned about the dangers of this medication and I didn't know anyone who was on it. I honestly thought it was great. I went from a deep medication-resistant depression to being functional again. Then last month I went to get my refill and found out the generic had been recalled and there hadn't been any notification. Almost immediately after we found out we were expecting and so I started to taper at home without dr. consent. She told me to just stop cold turkey and that it would be more beneficial to the baby to get it out of my system as soon as possible. I just can't believe the horror stories I'm reading. I've got a supplement called Natural Calm that I'm fixing to try. It almost works as a natural muscle relaxer/mood enhancer of sorts (at least that's what it feels like), so if I have any luck I'll make sure to post. Maybe it could help someone else. At this point I'm willing to try just about anything.

[thismoment]

Hi mooremom

 

As you've probably discovered by simply googling 'Cymbalta and pregnancy', there is a lot written on the subject, but few really useful recommendations. On the issue of Cymbalta, "talk to your doctor" is horrifyingly similar to "talk to your astrologer". 

 

This is from drugs.com, and it illustrates how little information is out there, and how nobody wants to talk about it:

 

"There are no controlled data in human pregnancy. Duloxetine should be given during pregnancy and particularly during the third trimester, only if the potential benefits outweigh the potential risks to the fetus (hey, where's the qualifier or reference???).  Lilly maintains a pregnancy registry to monitor the pregnancy outcomes of women exposed to Cymbalta while pregnant. Healthcare providers are encouraged to register any patient who is exposed to Cymbalta during pregnancy by calling the Cymbalta Pregnancy Registry at 1-866-814-6975 or by visiting www.cymbaltapregnancyregistry.com."

 

What the hell does that mean, and how is that going to ease the mind of someone like yourself? In light of this semantic looking-the-other-way by the manufacturer, the physician has but one line of advice available- "Stop taking Cymbalta immediately!"  However, any consideration for withdrawal difficulties will be lost because nobody knows about it.

 

We know that stress hormones like cortisol have an impact on the development of babies, so "Stop taking Cymbalta immediately" is correct, but it's only half of the solution. The extremely stressful physiological and psychological effects of withdrawal need urgent attention too.

 

The physician knows about the effects of stress during pregnancy, but precious few doctors know how stressful withdrawal from Cymbalta can be. I sincerely hope you can get medical attention to safely assist you through your withdrawal. 

 

Take care.

[xman]

As bad as it all sounds, if you don't stop the craplata it could get worse.

 

The drug goes straight thru the placenta to the fetus and so it will play a role in brain development. Cold turkey is the best answer.

 

I would call your OB GYN and ask her/ his nurse to look into options for symptom control, since they don't seem to have the time or knowledge to really help you thru this VERY difficult time.

 

And then I would call the number provided by thismoment and report this as well as your last pregnancy... Also the FDA has their own reporting. This may give you a distraction but it would also help to get the drug pushed into the spot light, possibly helping many others. 1-800-332-1088  and/ or search for: FDA consumer complaint coordinators  This will give you a list by state of direct reporting.

[FiveNotions]

Hi mooremom! Welcome and congratulations on your new baby-in-the-making!

Here's a link to another discussion we've had about pregnancy and cymbalta withdrawal.... if you scroll down about half way on the page, you'll see several journal articles discussing this that I posted.

https://www.cymbalta...ng/?hl=pregnant