12 replies to this topic

[mamablue23]

I have been on 60mg Cymbalta for over 3 years now- yikes. Had terrible post-partum depression/anxiety that led to a long road of anti-depressants. I have found that I am very sensitive to Cymbalta decreases, just accidentally taking my dosage a few hours off and I can feel the difference. I have young kids so it is important for my not to go off the deep end. I was thinking of a super slow taper. 50mg for 2 mos., 40mg for 3 mos, then finally 30 mg and stay there until I feel I can go all the way off. I'm wondering if this will just lengthen my withdraw issues or make it more manageable. Anyone try this super slow method?

[MarkP]

Hello Mamablue23,

I just recently tapered my Cymbalta dose from 30mg to 20mg daily (I'm on day 6 now). I can tell a difference just going down by 10mg. The Good: NO BRAIN ZAPS!!! (Knock on wood!) and I feel a little better when I wake up in the morning. The bad: I'm a little more short tempered and get angered over minor things much more easily. I had to appologize to a family member for snapping at them this past weekend. All in all, I'm doing OK though.

I would talk with your doctor about how to approach the step-down. Perhaps you could go from one 60mg pill to two 20mg. per day for 40mg. After that, you might be able to step down to one 30mg. pill per day. I plan to remain at 20mg. for at least 2 weeks in order to stabilize.

Best wishes,
Mark

[MaureenV]

Hi There,

I'm such a newbie I can't add much except tell you what I've done, and what the result has been, but I've not been on it for long. 1M 30mg 1M 60m then back to 30m.

What I've tried to do is take it everyday for a bit, then every 1 1/2 days (I'm useless at remembering, so I have to have a sticky note on the box telling me when I need to take it next).

The responses for everyone seem so different - the first brain zaps I had were when I changed down from 60 to 30; If I start to get them now I just bring forward the next dose (so I'm sometimes taking it every day rather than 1 1/2).

Had planned to go to every two days, but the zaps usually start between 24 - 36 hours. I can't believe the variations in how the brain zaps affect people.

The zaps are what brought me here, despite the fact that it was a few other side effects which made me decide to try to get off them (that and the fact that the worst is very much over and I feel very positive).

[nursedeborah]

I opened my 60 mg cap this am, and poured out some of it, to a certain line so I will know. I am counting
that as 50 mg. I will them go to 40mg, and down to get off this terrible stuff. I had read somewhere on
here about buying the caps and doing that so you could make smaller doses, so I just did it myself.

I just want my life back that's all.

Debbie

[Houdi]

Hey friends:

Be very careful not to crush or destroy any of the Cymbalta beads (medication). It is time released, and if you crush or destroy the coating, you may get too much Cymbalta all at once. Not good. Please don't discard any of your old medication in the trash or down sink or toilet, we don't want it in our water supply or water table. Your pharmacy will do safe disposal for you. Hugs to all of you, it gets better...promise! Houdi

[mamablue23]

I talked to my doctor and he gave me a prescription for 20mg and 30mg Cymbalta. I had to pay 2 copay, ugh- but I want to do it right. I have an appt. with the Dr. to go down to 40mg when the month is up. I'm on day 5 with the lower dose and it sucks. Just 10mg decrease from 60 is noticeable. I'm irritated and yelling at the kids a lot. It is hard doing this with a 4 and 6 year old. Their mess and constant needs are too overwhelming. I'm going to make it through the month! Anybody know when I'll feel a little more stable?

[Houdi]

mamablue23:

You are going to feel more stable tomorrow. Know why; 'cuz you know why this is all happening. So, take it slow. Try some of the supplements suggested here on threads relating to health. Take this time to just enjoy the kids, cuz take if from a Mom who is taking her two 'babies' to college in the NE and the SE of the US; they grow up way too soon. You'll feel the 'love' ASAP...promise.

Don't change dosage until you are ok with the one you are taking. If you are moving from 60 mg once a day, change to 30 mg twice a day as in 30 mg am and then 30 mg pm. Move to 30 mg am then 20 mg pm. Then try 20 mg am and 20 mg pm until you are ok. You can try 30 mg once a day from there. Then 20 mg once a day... then there are some alternate step down choices when you get to that point.

Kiss the kids. Love on them, you need them right now. Hugs to you....Houdi

[renee]

Having little ones is hard.
Your post made me appreciate how easy things are for me (I do have the luxury of my own time to ease off of this stuff). It is much harder when you are trying to meet the needs and demands of small people.
Can you rest when you need to? Do you have a good support system?
I've been drinking a lot of water.
I also opened my caps and took some meds out- very carefully.
I've been hearing that Celexa might help, but you need to verify that. I know that I'm going to be much more careful about the next thing that I put into my body.
Am a bit anxious today- have been slowly tapering from 60mg for almost a week. I sweat a lot, but if I didn't I'd probably explode from the water I've been drinking.

[nursedeborah]

I didn't think about getting the doc to give me 30 mg, and 20 mg, that's why I am opening the caps, and just taking out a portion.

This is day two of what I call 50 mg, and I am being told I am cranky already! I got these zaps in my teeth!, but not in my head.
They have never happened before, only the clanging in my head. You call them brain zaps, but I just get a CLANGING noise, and
then it goes away.

Anyone ever get this?

Debbie

[mamablue23]

I appreciate all the replies I received. It's wonderful to have some people who understand how uncontrollable these withdrawl feelings are. Thanks to Hoodia, I spread my dosage out 30mg am & 20mg pm. It helped a ton and I started feeling a lot more stable. Actually, once the withdrawl symptoms subsided I actually felt better than normal. I think a twice daily regimen would have been better for me all along 30 & 30. Anyway, went back to the doc today for my check-in so I'm now on 40 mg a day 20am/20pm. I hugged my kids a lot today and gave them extra attention- knowing that tomorrow or the next I will probably be biting their heads off. I did take .5 mg Ativan for a couple evenings when things were really bad, just so I could calm down and control my anger a bit. I'm glad I had a few weeks of normalcy to rest and regroup mentally before making another step-down. It makes me feel stronger knowing that the mental anguish WILL actually subside. I also warned my hubby to hide the nintendo- I almost ripped it out of the wall last monther after I asked him to come home early from work because I was having a hard time mentally, only to have him plunk down in front of a video game for 4 hours. -leaving the kids to me. Grrrr..... I really thought I had a loving, supportive husband- but I don't think anyone can understand the strength of these withdrawls without having gone through it themselves.

Wish me luck!

[MarkP]

Good to hear you making progress...don't give up!

For about a 2 week period, I went from 30mg. Cymbalta down to 20mg. I was shocked about how quick even minor things made me angry. My Dr. switched me back to 20mg. of Lexapro. I'm doing MUCH better than when I was taking Cymbalta.

Good luck on your next step down!

Mark

[luv2lope]

Mark P is getting off lexapro easier? or are you going to stay on it?

[MaureenV]

I'm not Mark P., but I went from Lexapro 20mg to 10mg without a hiccup, then after two days washout of Lexapro started Cymbalta.


I noticed absolutely nothing, except that I was more 'alert' on Cymbalta - Lexapro certainly had a more 'calming' effect on me.

I have no idea how much of that was because I went straight on to Cymbalta, but just thought I'd share my experience with you.

(The reason I wanted to stop Lexapro is because I was seriously hungry all the time and had no luck losing a few extra kilos, and had had several scary nightmares - the vivid dreams on Cymbalta are not as bad, but I have lots of other side effects.)



Maureen.