34 replies to this topic

[ThisBetterPass]

Just a quick update...

I'm surprisingly at the 14.0 mg mark without too many side effects, although I've been waiting for the other shoe to drop. The kids are back in school and we are all adjusting well to the routine.

[TryinginFL]

TBP...

 

Thanks for checking in!  Happy to hear that all is going well - hope your side effects remain at a minimum!

 

Liz

[ThisBetterPass]

Just posting a quick update.  I'm at 3.5 mg (32 beads with the generic version).  Lately I've had to take 3-4 days on average to drop even one bead at a time.  Friday and today kicked my butt and I have a ton of the usual muscle tightness and pain.  Overall, life outside of the taper process is very positive, so that confidence helps my outlook.  I am concerned about the possibility of withdrawal symptoms once the taper is complete and plan to continue what I've been doing all along to help over the last 9 months.  (Well geez, I might as well call this my Cymbalta baby.  There are days when the taper takes me back to the throes of pregnancy, for sure!)

 

I've also managed to drop about 20 pounds since April, so that keeps me going.  I figure the weight loss is 50% taper and 50% watching what I eat and drink.  I forgot whoever said it, but my tastes and preferences have undergone a drastic change.  It has been about a month since my last sip of soda and oddly enough, it's one of those things that unexpectedly dropped away and I haven't looked back.  In fact, my weight loss really started gaining momentum since giving up a lot of the sugar and sweeteners I used to consume.

[TryinginFL]

TBP,

 

Congratulations on sticking to your weaning...you're doing a great job!

 

If you remember, fishinghat said that the closer you come to the end of the beads, the rougher it can be.  Just remember to go slooooow......be sure that you are stabilized before you drop again.

 

Isn't the weight loss great?  I have lost more than 1/2 the weight I gained from this crap and also have found that my tastes have changed - weird, but it seems to happen to all of us at some point! 

 

After the withdrawal, the "discontinuation" stage sets in and no one knows how long it may last.   For ThisMoment, it lasted a year.  I still don't feel that I am totally finished with it and it's been almost 11 months for me.  Again, age is a factor and since we are all different, it is another one of those things that you can't measure against someone else's experiences.  It's simply over when it's over.  I'm sure this isn't what you were hoping to hear and I hope that it will not go on for such a long period of time for you.

 

I wish you the best and thanks so much for checking in!  Please keep posting so that we can continue to help you!

 

Take care and be well.

 

Liz

[ThisBetterPass]

Thanks, TFL.  It has been a year since my downward spiral started with my body raising the red flag with the Alprazolam I used to take.  That detox process happened about 45 days before commencing the Cymbalta taper.  I know a lot of people rely on benzos for the anxiety part, but I don't have that option available in my toolbox.  

 

It is only when I look back to this time last year that I appreciate the struggle being worth it.  I was getting involuntary muscle jerks and by body threw panic attacks like rice at a wedding -- all the while, not knowing what was behind these troubling developments.  My husband pretty much took care of the holidays last year and I found myself thanking him for it this morning.  Amusingly, he admitted to having selective memory of last year, not realizing he helped out so much.  Either way, I'm cool with reminding him of my thanks now and again. ;-)