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Using Prozac To Assist To Get Off Cymbalta


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#1 Shelbel

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Posted 25 August 2014 - 09:02 PM

I have gotten down to 20 mg Cymbalta that I take at night. I've tried to taper using bead and it still resulted in severe withdraw. My physician has prescribed my 20mg prozac to help get off this nasty drug. She said to research the best way to do it as she has no experience doing it. Those out there that have used prozac to wean off Cymbalta, please give me some ideas. Thanks!

#2 thismoment

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Posted 25 August 2014 - 09:09 PM

Hi Shelbel

 

Welcome. Fishinghat can certainly answer this best, and hopefully he will respond before too long.

 

Here's what I would do: I'd stay on the 20 mg Cymbalta until the Prozac was fully uploaded. Allow 6 weeks for that process, then wean off the Cymbalta over a period of another 6 weeks by reducing approximately .5 mg per day. If the symptoms become too rough (even with the Prozac on board), go slower; there's no rush to get the Cymbalta out.

 

Best wishes with this; keep us posted.


#3 Shelbel

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Posted 25 August 2014 - 09:13 PM

Thank you so much. This is the first forum that has actual people that respond and have some knowledge of the subject because doctors do not. I'm an ER nurse and I don't know anything about it. All I know is that I need to be able to work and get off this med. But I am worried any serotonin syndrome even though I'm on low doses and taking one at night and one in the morning.

#4 thismoment

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Posted 25 August 2014 - 09:25 PM

Shel

 

My understanding is the Prozac takes 4-6 weeks to fully upload. Get it on board before weaning off the Cymbalta. Sometime afterwards you can consider withdrawing from the Prozac-- but again, not too fast. Let the withdrawal symptoms be your guide-- if they are too strong slow down. If your go really really slow, there may be no WD symptoms at all.

 

Take care.


#5 Shelbel

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Posted 25 August 2014 - 09:29 PM

That's my plan. My MD said and my research confirmed that withdraw from Prozac is cake compared to Cymbalta. I was missed diagnosed with anxiety when I actually have atrial fibrillation, so I'm not worried about depression or anxiety effects. Just this crazy withdraw!!! Has anyone been successful with using prozac and how did you do it?

#6 FiveNotions

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Posted 25 August 2014 - 09:59 PM

Hi Shelbel, welcome! That's a real kick in the butt ... misdiagnosed for anxiety and put on Cymbalta when it's atrial fib you've got ... so now you've got the "gift that keeps on giving" ... crapalta withdrawal ... sheesh ...

 

I don't have any experience with Prozac, but I know FishingHat does ... others here are taking it, I think all are in the early stages of "uploading" it into their systems ... and that's not quite the info you need ... FH will be around soon ... he "does rounds" several times a day ...

 

One thing for sure, Shelbel.... that you're a nurse, combined with what you're learning and experiencing with Cymbalta, can be used to help an awful lot of other people ... educate other docs/nurses etc., help "users" get off the stuff and warn non-users not to get on it ...


#7 TryinginFL

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Posted 25 August 2014 - 10:17 PM

Welcome, Shelbel!

 

Yep, you've found a great place with some wonderful, caring people - you will get the help you need here.

 

I have no experience with Prozac - I am a cold turkey Cymbalta survivor and still having some problems - almost 8 months off!

 

Hang in there - help Is coming!

 

Please keep us posted as you will be a great help to others on the forum.  I wish you the best. :)


#8 thismoment

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Posted 25 August 2014 - 11:46 PM

Shelbel

 

I can't believe I forgot to ask the most important question: "How long have you been on Cymbalta and at what dosages?"

 

Has anyone been successful with using prozac and how did you do it?

 

Yes, many people have been successful using this method (hopefully someone will reply). Here's how you do it:  stay on the 20 mg Cymbalta until the Prozac was fully uploaded. Allow 6 weeks for that process, then wean off the Cymbalta over a period of another 6 weeks by reducing approximately .5 mg per day.

 

Best wishes!


#9 Shelbel

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Posted 26 August 2014 - 08:56 AM

3 years approx. was on Effexor and switched to Cymbalta. In reality all I needed was a heart monitor attached. Lol

#10 fishinghat

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Posted 26 August 2014 - 09:00 AM

Hi Shelbel. Welcome to the site.

 

ThisMoment got it right. I see you have already got a lot of good advice from the others. Prozac is definitely an easier withdrawal than Cymbalta. It does however take 6 to 8 weeks to reach full strength, 4 weeks to begin to kick in. This means that TM is right. Let the Prozac kick in before cutting the cymbalta. This SHOULD be an easier way to go but let me ask you this, have you tried reducing 1 or 2 beads a week? Those last few beads can be very wicked little devils. How slow have you been reducing?


#11 Shelbel

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Posted 26 August 2014 - 09:06 AM

I have not tried the bead method. My doctor tried the every other day thing and that lasted all but 48 hours. I'm planning on taking the Prozac and starting to taper doing the beads while the prozac is building up. Thoughts?

#12 fishinghat

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Posted 26 August 2014 - 09:33 AM

No problem with that idea but I wonder if it just wouldn't be easier to just use the bead method to finish off the cymbalta. At the end you have to go slower but it should work. Most drop 1 to 3 beads a day. It is your choice but I would try the slow bead count before I enter another variable into things like Prozac (But the Prozac should work).

 

The use of pills every other day is ...well let me just say 'idiot dr.'

 

What you are doing is booting up your cymbalta on the day you take the pill and then dropping over the next 48 hours (withdrawal). Then you boot you level levels back up again. You are repeating your withdrawal over and over. Not a good move by your dr. The half life of cymbalta is 12 hours so by the end of 48 hours you only have about 6% of the cymbalta left in your blood.


#13 thismoment

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Posted 26 August 2014 - 09:38 AM

Shelbel

As you've learned, every other day doesn't work-- it puts you in-and-out of withdrawal due to the short half-life of duloxetine (12 hours). Doctors make this mistake often.

Don't take out any Cymbalta beads for 6 weeks. Then taper off by reducing slowly (say 1/2 mg per day -approx- over 40 days or so). You can take a longer period of time depending how strong the symptoms are. You could take 6 months or a year to wean off; there's no rule except how much can you tolerate? Strong symptoms means slow down your weaning.

Three years of exposure could yield long-term and persistent symptoms that continue into the discontinuation phase (after the drug is out of your system-- about a week after your last dosing). The Prozac should help to reduce that, but there is little data available (the first SSRI -Prozac- appeared just 25 years ago). The long-term effects of these drugs is not known.

Good luck with this-- you can do it!

#14 thismoment

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Posted 26 August 2014 - 07:55 PM

Having said that (which is an opinion, of course), when in doubt, follow the advice of fishinghat! I would-- in fact I did!!


#15 fishinghat

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Posted 27 August 2014 - 07:55 AM

There is nothing wrong with TMs method either. More than one way to skin a cat. (sorry cat owners).  Oh, I will change that to "More than one way to skin a rat." Only one letter difference. Nobody will notice!!  

 

Good luck and keep us posted.


#16 Shelbel

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Posted 25 September 2014 - 12:31 PM

I wanted to post an update as I am a month into the weaning process. Good news is that it is working!!!!! I have been on the prozac now for about a month. 2 weeks ago I started decreasing my dose of Cymbalta. I take the generic version that has 4 beads. I took one bead out for about 5 days. My only withdraw symptom was nausea and minor brain zaps that were quickly relieved with an omega fish oil complex. Praise Jesus! Expecting it to be to good to be true, I went ahead and took another bead out. So that essentially has cut my dose on half. Again about 4 days of nausea and minor brain zaps. I did have some sudden panic feelings but worked through them with breathing. So now I'm down to it 1 bead left. Woohoo!!!! Not having any withdraw symptoms with the 3rd bead removal. I'm going to give it another few days and I will be off this horrible drug!!!! Years and years of trying to get off it. I truly believe the prozac and fish oil are my success story! Oh and a perk! I've somehow dropped 10lbs. Thank you thank you for all your guidance and support!!!!

#17 fishinghat

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Posted 25 September 2014 - 12:33 PM

Great News Shelbel!!!  I am so glad things are working out. Once you get stable on Prozac are yoou going to try and wean off of it too?

 

By the way....the 10 lbs you lost...I found them. If you want them back just let me know.  lol


#18 Shelbel

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Posted 25 September 2014 - 12:40 PM

Absolutely going to get off the Prozac. I'm on 20mg tabs and obviously the dosing is so much easier to taper down. I haven't heard of Prozac being hard to get off of which is why my doctor is using it. I'm guessing my weight loss is from decreasing the cymbalta because it caused a sudden 15lb increase when I started it. I'll let everyone know when it's official and I'm off the cymbalta. Hoping by next week!!!

#19 thismoment

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Posted 25 September 2014 - 01:08 PM

Shelbel

I'm happy for you! If Prozac is helping in other ways (aside from piggy-backing you off Cymbalta) there's no rush to get off it. Go slow and reassemble other aspects of your life before taking this on.



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