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Weaning Off Of Cymbalta To Brintellix Anyone Else?


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#1 cajunpink

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Posted 17 June 2014 - 04:44 AM

I have been on cymbalta 60 mg for about 2 years for chronic pain and depression. Long story short
Brain tumor had surgery got it all out left me with many post op issues 2011
20 years fighting endometriosis last surgery 2012
Fibromyalgia appears in Jan 2013
Cymbalta helped at first but now having suicidal thoughts so went see my psych doctor who suggested I wean off cymbalta went from 60 mg to 30 mg for 7 days on day 7 added 5 mg of Brintellix
Today is day 15 first day with NO Cymbalta and 5 mg of Brintellix for a week if I tolerate it then I go up to 10 mg. the doctor said I should not feel as bloated, possible weight loss and increase energy. I hope and pray she is right. Couldn't sleep tonight been up from 1 am until now which is 5:45. Nauseated with very little energy. I am in mid phase which I heard was the worst time. Any comments would be great thanks

#2 fishinghat

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Posted 17 June 2014 - 08:34 AM

Welcome to the site Cajunpink. There are only a few here with experience switching to Brintellix. I did a search and found 3 who made the switch and they reported some mild nausea but nothing earth shaking. It has only been on the market for 9 mths. Brintellix is not and ssri/snri but a SMS (Seratonin Modulator and Stimulator).  This means it would be useful for depression but probably not anxiety.Sorry I can't help.


#3 FiveNotions

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Posted 17 June 2014 - 08:50 AM

Hi cajunpink, welcome! The rest of us will be adding their welcomes shortly!

My, what an incredible health story you have! And what a courageous survivor you are! We'll do everything we canto help you, and I have no doubt that your own experiences and wisdom added here will help others.

Like Fishinghat, I don't have personal experience with brintellix, but I think someone here has mentioned it, so I'll search the archives and see what I can find and post the link here if I do find it.

One thing I can comment on is that the reduction in cymbalta dose is, I think, way too abrupt....it'll bring on pretty immediate and difficult withdrawal symptoms...as I learned from Fishinghat, cymbalta has a short half life in the blood stream, about 12 hours....so the larger the change in the dose, the more and faster you feel the effects of withdrawal.....unless the brintellix ramps up fast to replace the large drop in serotonin from the drop in cymbalta....the recommended way to get off cymbalta is by bead counting, removing a few, even one, bead at a time....I went colt turkey,, so I can't speak about that from experience. (That was, I assure you, the hard way.)

Perhaps Fishinghat, who's a genius with research, can find you/us some info on brintellix and oh fast it acts on the serotonin when first started....

#4 FiveNotions

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Posted 17 June 2014 - 08:53 AM

Here's another discussion of brintellix from the archives...

https://www.cymbalta.../?hl=brintellix

#5 FiveNotions

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Posted 17 June 2014 - 08:55 AM

Looks like we've got two threads going for you on this, pink....this one, and this one...

https://www.cymbalta.../?hl=brintellix

We need to combine these somehow, to keep things organized for you/us to follow....how to do that, I'm not sure....

#6 TryinginFL

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Posted 17 June 2014 - 05:44 PM

Welcome Pink!  So happy to have you with us...

 

I can only share my experience with the Cymbalta withdrawal and applaud you for what you have been experiencing regarding your health.

 

I am on my way to 5 1/2 months off cold turkey, which I don't recommend to anyone.  Perhaps the links that FN posted regarding the new med might help you with that - I have not heard of it.  Please feel free to post any time - ask questions, share feelings or vent anger!  We have all been there and want to help you!  This is a wonderful group of caring, supportive and knowledgeable people - and we are at all different stages of withdrawal.

 

Again, welcome!  :)


#7 wayne

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Posted 23 June 2014 - 02:53 AM

hi id like to say thankyou to evryone for being so open. cymbalta is the 3rd drug my shrink has tryed with endep an valpro. and in having more side afects with cymbalta like hi hart rate hi blood pressure dizzy speels light headedness and the dreams thay have been dozzys. and im staking on the weight. iv dissided to go cold turkey im not to worreyed abut the depression but i would like to know haw bad can it get. its been 4 days an im feelin spaced out i see the shrink in 3 weeks do you think it will be out off my system by then. and any recomendations on sumthing els


#8 FiveNotions

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Posted 23 June 2014 - 10:26 AM

Wayne, cymbalta gave me high blood pressure and tachycardia ....when I asked my GP if they could be due to the cymbalta he laughed me off...and put me on two additional meds...to treat the cymbalta side effects....oh yeah, it also gave me horrid acid reflux...so he put me on another med for that....

I quit cymbalta, and boom...no high bp, no tachycardia and no acid reflux.....

I've been off the poison almost 7 full months now....my systolic pressure is still running a bit high, so I may need to take a little something for that....but no chronic hypertension or tachycardia anymore!

The nausea is typical....what helped me greatly was ginger...fresh ginger root, chewed or just smelled...ginger tea, ginger ale, candied ginger (that's yummy), even the ginger spice ...licked off the palm of my hand...almost instant relief...the stronger the ginger the better...

Weight gaining cymbalta is typical....I gained over thirty pounds....have now lost most of that...a lot of us here are in the process of losing the cymbalta weight...part of it is likely fluid retention....don't try to diet or deal with this while in active withdrawal....leave it for later....and it will either resolve itself, or we'll give you some remedies we've used....

My dreams while on cymbalta were doozies....I actually miss them, they were fun stuff....while in withdrawal I didn't have the dreams, but early on I had some visual and auditory hallucinations...a number of us have had them...they pass....I slept with a light on for a few weeks...that seemed to help....

Cymbalta has a short half life, about 12 hours...so the drug itself is out of your system in a few days...then, what we move into is "discontinuation"....it's the body and brain adjusting to life without the cymbalta serotonin boost...all the physical symptoms and mental fluctuations are due to the readjustment...I refer to it as the brain rewiring itself, re routing connections, replacing bad circuits...your whole system is rebooting itself...and yes, the sparks do fly!

Hang in there...talk to us about what you're experiencing as it happens, and be assured that you will get through this!

#9 ShadyLady

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Posted 12 September 2014 - 01:30 PM

Hi David, Welcome! Are you saying you cold turkey'd off Celexa or Cymbalta? What dose were you on when you stopped and how long ago? I am not familiar with Brintellix. Hopefully, the pros here on the forum will come aboard soon and be of more help.

I am almost 4 months off the CYM after cold turkeying at 30mg down from original 120mg dose. This has been a long, difficult summer of trying to rise above the withdrawal & discontinuation of this horrible drug for me. Through the support and wisdom of those further along in recovering, I am somewhat hopeful though I did start taking Wellbutrin a month ago as the depression was too crippling for me.

So sorry you are feeling very ill:( Hang in there and stay with us here to help you through this.

#10 fishinghat

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Posted 12 September 2014 - 02:07 PM

Welcome DG, This quote is from an earlier post...

 

"Brintellix has only been on the market here in the US since Sep 2013, There was a lot of discussions by the FDA whether to approve it or not. Seems like there were just as many studies saying it was not effective on depression or anxiety as there were studies that it worked.

 

The blogs/forums I found seem to indicate that the withdrawal from this new drug is pretty severe but only lasts a couple months."


#11 thismoment

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Posted 12 September 2014 - 05:26 PM

DG

 

Welcome. The side effects you are experiencing are on the Brintellix list. Hopefully you will get some relief soon.

 

What would you like to do?





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