8 replies to this topic

[Zeushead]

I'm two weeks into my step down from 120 to 90 mgs. The dizziness is almost gone but the nausea and fatigue is awful. My psychiatrist says the nausea isn't related to the withdrawal, so no help there. However, my general practitioner thought different. She uses a combination of eastern and western medicine and suggested acupuncture. Wow what an improvement. I had one treatment this morning and no nausea since. Even the fatigue is better and I feel like eating again. She also sent me home with some Chinese herbs to take until my next treatment. I know it's just one day but I have new hope that I'm going to get through this.

[FiveNotions]

Hello zeushead, welcome! Thanks for letting us know about your positive experience with the acupuncture and chinese herbs....another one of us, Xiaojie, is also using traditional chinese medicine and herbs with a great deal of success...I believe she's also considering acupuncture...she has a great TCM practitioner...sounds like you've got one as well!

If I may ask.....How long were you on crapalta, and for what condition? And why did you decide to get off it?

Please keep us posted on your progress....if there's anything we can do to help, we'll be happy to do so!

[fishinghat]

Yes, accupuncture can be very affective for nausea. You did well!!! Each step forward is a victory.

[Zeushead]

Hi fiveNotions. I've been on Wellbutrin (450 mgs then down to 300 mgs a year ago) and cymbalta for 7 years for depression and GAD. Before that I was on Wellbutrin and Lexapro, but switched the Lexapro to cymbalta in 2007 because of chronic neck and arm pain. At the time I definitely needed the meds. Following several years of deliberate life changes, psych therapy, physical therapy and (to be honest) some random luck, my psychiatrist suggested trying a lower dose. I was completely against it - I felt fine and didn't want to mess that up. That was about a month ago, but then I did some research and saw the terrible problems folks were having getting off this stuff. It made me wonder what the hell it was doing to my brain/body and decided then I wanted to get off it completely. My plan is to stay at 90 mgs through the summer (work related - need to be 100%) and then start a slower tapper in the fall.

I bought micro-scales and gel capsules to split the doses evenly between AM and PM. I saw another poster had suggested this. Quite a tedious process but worth it to avoid the bump from different levels of the drug. I think this was a contributor to the nausea. I've learned so much from everyone on this site and my heart goes out to those who continue to suffer long term withdrawal effects. I hope they find the treatment that works for them.

I'll check in during the summer to see how folks are doing and will post again when I start to taper in the fall.

[FiveNotions]

Sounds like a very sensible plan, ZH! Please do keep checking in, esp. when you start your weaning process this fall!

Did you have any trouble reducing the wellbutrin from 450 to 300 mg? The reason I ask is that I've been on it, 300 XL mg, for many years....and, now that I'm off cymbalta I'm thinking ahead to reducing or quitting the wellbutrin.... it's got a much longer half life, so, for example when I've forgotten to take it, I haven't felt withdrawal immediately like with cymbalta....but I'm just at a point where I'd really like to see if I can live without these drugs....

[Zeushead]

Reducing Wellbutrin was a piece of cake. Didn't notice anything except that my average heart rate dropped ~6 beats/minute, which is a good thing. If you're going to zero you might want to talk to your doc about a slow taper. It's available in 75 mg SR I believe. Even with the longer half life two steps seems pretty fast. Good luck.

[FiveNotions]

Thanks, ZH! Interesting about your heart rate..... cymbalta gave me high bp and tachycardia, which is pretty much normalized now that I'm off...as I posted elsewhere here today, my systolic still runs a bit high, and the damiana tea I drink seems to fix that...and help to moderate the anxiety....

The titration method that Fishinghat has described for getting off benzos might work for wellbutrin...I'll ask him....but I'm nowhere near ready to try reducing the wellbutrin yet....I need to be sure that I've stabilized after the cymbalta....maybe after I've been off c for a year....

[fishinghat]

The water titration method should work for wellbutrin as it is water soluble. The problem is it tastes like crap. Obvioously it can't be used on the continous release form. Looking at the wellbutrin withdrawal sites they say it is not necessary to do water titration. Wellbutrin withdrawal is mild. I have no experience with Wellbutrin so I can't argue the point about a mild withdrawal.

[FiveNotions]

Thanks, FH.....I'll put that in the memory bank (such as it is, ha!) for the future....for now, and likely the rest of this year, I'm focusing on just the post-cymbalta stabilization.... :-)