17 replies to this topic

[Optimistic2016]

I'm in my 20's and have been on cymbalta for about 2 years. I have gone from 120mg/day to 60mg/day and now am on I believe day 6 or 7 of total cold turkey.

Quick comment, pretty cool forum, since the withdrawal from this fda approved medicine is something I hope to never experience again.

 

I recently broke my foot in 6 places and have been hobbling around with a couple plates.

I came to a point in my life where I am just sick and tired. Sick and tired of chronic fatigue, sick and tired of not eating, I feel like my entire soul and self was just on the brink of death.

This is no exaggeration.

 

I am quitting cold turkey from 2 months of daily oxycontin use (for legitimate chronic pain and for the legitimate pain of having 6 breakages in my foot).

Not sleeping and burning through 40 oxy's I have had enough. I'm tired of being a slave to medicines. Tired of being in pain. Tired of letting my happiness, that was so abundant in the not to far past, slip away completely.

 

So on Monday after running out of oxy and having ran out of cymbalta, I decided to not bother refilling either script. Not bother seeing anymore doctors for meds, since it's usually a couple questionnaire and mental health screenings or pain screenings and out the door with a script....

 

I apologies for my sub-par grammar and punctuation by the way.

 

I scheduled a therapy appointment with a therapist who seems like a superb guy whom I believe has 15 years of experience.

 

I have had two traumatic brain injuries, 5 intensive surgeries, suffer with chronic pain, depression, and anxiety and have lost a bit of hope.

 

Lying in bed pondering and sleepless Sunday/Monday morning, I said enough is enough. Cold turkey it is, as I have never been a believer in tapering. (It has not worked to well in the past).

I feel for anyone who is going through this endless cycle of, quite frankly, hell.

 

So, this is my first post, and I hope everyone is having a good day.

Will post more, and thanks for everyone who contributes on this forum.

 

Edit: Not my first time of withdrawal from prescribed pain meds but a first for cymbalta.

[fishinghat]

Welcome Optimistic. Luckily you have only been on it 2 years but still you it will be a rough ride. If it getstoo much let us know and we will help you get started with bead counting. Drink plenty of fluids, vit C , omega 3 and hold on.  A good therapist that can teach you some good relaxation techniques would definitely be a plus.

 

Best of luck and keep us posted.

[Carleeta]

Optimistic, welcome to the forum.  You've certainly made up to your mind to be medication free.  Since you don''t believe in tapering off any medications I'm guessing you won't stop and give this a second thought.  You've stated you have stopped both oxy and cymbalta on Monday. I too had stopped all my pain medications (with the exception of cymbalta/anti depressants) at once and did have some withdrawal symptoms which were very uncomfortable at times  As far as the Cymbalta discontinuation please take fishinghat's advice and drink plenty of fluids, Vitamin C, and your omega 3....and "Hold On". The therapist has a good amount of years in his career.  Hope all is going well with you and please keep us posted on your progress...  

[Gran23]

Welcome Optomistic.  First, I want to say I'm so sorry for all you have been thru.  It sounds as if you've had some pretty traumatic happenings in your life.  Second, I hope you have found a therapist that you can work with and is willing to listen to you and treat you as if you are the only person in the world.  It is hard to find someone who is not on the assembly line of treatment by medication, without ever really listening to what the patient wants to accomplish. 

 

Now to what I think, only my opinion, of what you need to do to start on a road to true health and wellness.  It's not easy but it has made me feel whole, and put me in control of my life. Get back on the Cymbalta just as fast as you can. Today.  Go back on at 60mg for a week or so, then start weaning yourself off.  Cymbalta is not like other medications, you can have severe, prolonged withdrawal.  going cold turkey can cause seizures and possibly death.  Others on this forum can speak to you of their experience with this devilish drug.  I have never withdrawn from pain medication so I'm not going to go there.  After you have been back on Cymbalta for a couple of weeks, only when you are feeling stable, then start to wean.  There's plenty of info on here about the process. Every generic brand has a different amount of beads/pellets, I happen to have the capsules that have tiny pellets, 60mg has 12 tiny pellets, making each one 5mg.  I started in January dropping one pellet every 2-4 weeks based on how I was feeling with the withdrawal.  It seems with me that each drop would cause different symptoms but none were unbearable and at this point I am on 10mg.  Open your capsule, count the beads in 2 or 3 capsules to see if they are all the same then start removing a few at a time, based on how you are feeling.  There are so many good people on here who have experience with all the different capsules, and all the different withdrawal symptoms. They also can do a better job of explaining the process than I can.  Read as much on here as you can. Go online and search for other sites, there are many, but don't let anyone tell you to cold turkey or drop quickly.  I wish you the best.  Be good to yourself, you have been thru a lot.  May God bless and keep you.

[TryinginFL]

Welcome Optimistic!

 

I will have to agree with Carleeta and Gran, as I am a cold turkey survivor after taking 60mg crapalta for 4 1/2 years.  I have now been off 2 1/2 years, but the entire year of 2014 was hell, to say the least.

 

I realize that you are much younger than I, and sometimes younger people have less or shorter withdrawal.  

 

I also feel that trying to cold turkey off of 2 meds at the same time is not a good idea.  There is no time line here - it is not a race, so I suggest also that you go back on the C until you feel stable and then start bead counting.  This process puts you in control and you can go at your own pace.  There are plenty here on the forum who have used this method - and all have been successful!

 

There are also others here, who like myself, have gone cold turkey, and all of us definitely DO NOT recommend it!

 

Please give this some consideration and please keep us updated - we are here for you!

 

Liz

[MattP]

This cymbalta crap is tough. I started in January on 30s and went to 20s a couple months ago. Now I'm on about 8-10 microbeads (my capsules have around 100 microbeads) a day and am having problems. The dizzy spells and spaced out feelings are frequent and make me nervous. I can't imagine going cold off 60s. The advice on this board from the "vets" is important. The bead counting they recommend has kept me sane and provided hope.

 

It has been a bumpy ride but I can see a light at the end of the tunnel. Thanks to all of you that have offered advice to not only me but others as well!

 

Best of luck Optimistic!

[fishinghat]

Hey Matt!! Bumpy it is but sounds like you are handling it. You are now down to the toughest part. I would take 2 to 4 months to come down the last part. It can really be a bear.

[Carleeta]

Matt sounds as though you are handling this although a bit rough at times.  Just listen to your body because you know your body best.....take care and keep us posted....

[Optimistic2016]

I appreciate everyone's comments, really. Day 4 and it's already getting better. I was going to pharmacy school at a local university but had to drop out, as such. I am well aware of the risks going cold turkey. The risks for me are far outweighed by the reward of being prescription medication free.

 

As a side note, I'm roughly 180lbs, quite fit, and in my 20's so not saying that as a put down to anyone, but I know this will make things far easier from a bio-physiological standpoint.

Also, I for years, have taken vitamin c, iodine supplementation, b-vitamins, and various omega's and other natural supplements.

 

As for now, presently, Asprin 3x325mg 3 times a day, vitamin c, and (iodine in tincture form 10%) are the only supplements and meds that I am currently using to ease the withdrawal symptoms.

As of this Sunday I'm going to attempt to quit cold turkey all caffeine and nicotine intake. ie. hot brewed tea and chewing tobacco that I presently have been using.

I have taken a couple roaring hot sauna's only to come out sweating and in a fetal position praying to any higher power for some relief lol.

 

Quite funny, well, will be in retrospect.

 

The opiate withdrawal symptoms are easing but the cymbalta... Ooof, brain zaps, feeling like I'm about to cry, sweating, as well as a few "common complaints". Hasn't stopped me from getting my ass up and about. Grilling for the family, playing with my dogs, just took down a ridiculously large hornet nest in the yard this morning.

 

Second post, and all in all things are looking up. The 6 breaks in the foot still kill, and I've been walking on it only month out of surgery (thank you titanium plates =p)... The pain from the foot is far lesser than that of the emotional/physiological pain of the withdrawal from oxy and cymbalta. To anyone out there going through some similar issues, godspeed and "you'll be out of the woods before you know it." (=

[fishinghat]

Your age and physical fitness will be a definite plus. The supplements seem appropriate but nearly 1,000 mg of aspirin a day? What is your clotting time? Do you even clot?  lol.

 

I never mean to insult anyone's intelligence but I never leave a stone unturned. I assume you know there is such a thing as Vitamin D poisoning and that you are having a routine Vitamin B test. just a thought.

 

I sympathize with you. My sister-in-law is going through something similar (including multiple surgeries). She is 70 and in poor physical shape and has been suffering for over 2 months with no improvement.

 

God Bless and hang in there.

[MattP]

Optimistic, sounds like you are off to a good start. The brain zaps are certainly no fun. It's interesting because on my journey things are not as rosey. I've now become an overly sensitive insomniac. Not sure if you're going through it or if anyone else has but I can't sleep and my kids are driving me up a wall...ugh. My wife has noticed I'm acting differently as well so it's about to get real in my house. fishinghat, I was debating not refilling my last prescription but if the last step is the longest I guess I'll refill and stay the course.

 

Thanks.

[Optimistic2016]

Responding to MattP,

Ohhh boy, the hypersensitivity is absolutely killer at times! Also, the insomnia is starting to get rather old, luckily and unluckily, I have been on leave from working since I'm a month and 2 days out of surgery for my foot. Still got another 4 weeks roughly before I can work again.

The last step is the longest. On a side note i've tried 30mg for a month on cymbalta and went right back up to 60 mg/day for some minor symptoms of cymbalta discontinuation syndrome.

Vitamin D poisoning as well as the fat soluble toxicity of certain b vitamins is a reality I do not ignore. I'm about an hour away from canada so I don't get too much sunshine =p .....

I've been considering enrolling and getting a medical marijuana card to alleviate some of the symptoms and complications chronic pain, chronic fatigue, and depression have. I'll tough it out a full month before considering any options besides a therapist for now.

[zivcha]

Hi, I was wondering - can THC alleviate some of the withdrawal symptoms?

I know its good for pain relief, but I'm not sure about insomnia or in cases of chronic adernergic tone (or allostatic load)

anyhow, ive been insomatic for 8 years more or less. not kidding. can't remember the last time i had a proper sleep. BUT cutting of c really does makes things harder in that regard.

i'm optimistic though (as your nickname ). I choose to belive things will be better eventually, and that I will be able to leave a fullfiling life (which are not very fullfilling at the moment).

 

regarding the hypersensitivity - not sure I understand you guys right (as my english is not my mother tougne), but if you are talking about emotional hypersensitivity - I can totally relate. went tot he gym a few days ago and started crying out of no where. luckily I was alone in the street

[fishinghat]

THC has shown effectiveness in helping with sleep and anxiety. The problem is that THC does not produce consistant results. In some people it causes excitotoxicity (hyper) after a period of time and looses all benefits. Others become tolerant quite easily and again it is not effective. Like I say not dependable.

[Bumblebee27]

Cymbalta started in July 2011 stopped in June 2016...cold turkey.  I can feel again, and even though the pain from the fibromyalgia is there...it's always been there.  Cymbalta didn't fix it, it just kept me asleep or numbed up...feeling again and getting my energy back is one of the reasons I wanted to stop taking Cymbalta.  The more I read and the more I understand, the more I realize that I've been living in a drug induced fog for 5 years and the very problems I thought was my depreciating health, turned out to be the medicine I was taking.   Frustrating part is that my doctors all just sat back and as I went down the rabbit hole, they just kept throwing higher doses of Cymbalta or more medications at the issues.  Nothing worked over the long term and living on that roller coaster is never fun. 

I just want to be better.  Looking forward to the day that I can be completely me again. Finding this forum was a God send.  No one else I know is dealing with this and it is so helpful to find this community.  I read your struggles, your observations, and your victories and I am amazed at the strength of the human spirit.  I respect and admire each of you.

 

Prayers for accomplished mornings, quiet afternoons, warm and happy evenings, and sweet dreams.  May you get your life back.  I'm taking mine and living it again.

[FiveNotions]

Welcome, Bumblebee, what a great post ! 

 

You went cold turkey in June of this year ? WOW ... you sound like you've come through it, are coming through it, with flying colors ... I (and others here) went CT, and it took me a year to get back to where I felt functional again ...

 

Please keep posting, we'd love to hear your story !

[Optimistic2016]

Well I'm still doing well, and hit two months today since I broke my foot. Working 5 days a week now, and doing quite alright. Still a lot of insomnia, and chronic fatigue symptoms. Tons of pain, but all in  all. I feel like I'm well over the hump of the cymbalta withdrawal, THANK GOD it didn't go on terribly for months on end.

Lugols Iodine tincture, vitamin c, aerobic excercise i.e. Recumbent bike, sauna-ing, and just a positive attitude have really gone the extra mile to speed through a really tough spot I am at.

Still 100% clean from prescriptions and any mind-altering chemicals. Still have quite a bit of optimism.... But, this too shall pass, some one said to me the other day. And the Chronic Pain, Severe Depression, and the few other issues I have been dealing with are not going away anytime soon. That's alright, not sure how much longer before a breakdown, but for these unfortunate circumstances, I'm doing almost the best I can.

Hope everyone has been enjoying the summer, I had a late start to it's enjoyment, nevertheless, it can only get better and worse. =p

[fishinghat]

Great report optimistic. Enjoy each day and try to stay pill free if you can. Congratulations.