11 replies to this topic

[IknowHow2GetOffCym]

I wanted to share my experience safely coming off of Cymbalta with everyone. If I can help just one person with this very difficult process, than I will be happy! Please use the following advice only under the supervision of an understanding Physician-- if your Physician (or PA) isn't understanding... find a new one! Basically, this method involves slowly going down in dosage by counting out the white balls in the capsules. It is time consuming, but I guarantee that it's worth it!!

What you will need:
Time
Patience
Empty Gelatin Capsules (search 'empty capsules' on google)
a small dark dish to pour the balls in
a pin or safety pin to help count
a chart to keep track of how many balls you're removing that week

How to do it:
Do not simply go from 60 mg to 30mg or 30 to 20, and do not just stop taking your 20 mg pills just because that is the smallest dose. It is a crime that they don't offer a smaller dose, but that is what we have to deal with, unfortunately. Also, do not simply pour out part of the balls in the capsule, because you will have erratic milligrams every day, and this will only make withdrawal worse.

Whatever dosage you are taking (60, 40, 30, 20), I recommend asking your doctor for the 20 mg. pills, this will make counting much easier! Using my method, you go down 20 'balls' it will take 8 weeks to completely withdraw from 20 mg, 16 weeks from 40, ect. Yes, it takes time, but I promise its worth it. Slow wins the race! If you find you're still having withdrawal symptoms, try reducing by only 15 or 10 balls instead of 20.

In the beginning, when you are keeping more balls in the capsule than removing, just pour some of the balls out and count. They stick to your fingers, so they are fairly easy to put back in if you miscount. If you have trouble, use the bigger gelatin capsules. Each week, remove 20 additional balls from the capsule. Once you are removing more balls than you are leaving in, pour the entire capsule out, and add the number of balls that you need to take back in. It helps to have a small square dish so you can pour them in using the corner. It is MUCH easier to work with the larger gelatin capsules. Also, using gelatin capsules, you can prepare your entire weeks worth of pills in one sitting.
cymbaltawithdrawal.com, Depression Forums: IknowHow2GetOffCym strbrstgrl

Here is a sample schedule for going off the 20 mg. pills: (which have ~180 balls)

week 1 160
week 2 140
week 3 120
week 4 100
week 5 80
week 6 60
week 7 40
week 8 20
week 9 Off!! congrats :)

This method worked for me and I had only mild withdrawal symptoms. GOOD LUCK!!!

[whathaveIdone]

Bless you....I did the weaning and counted every freaking one of those little balls.............I am so glad I will never have to do that again or ever have to take another piece of this poison.....7 days without...

[MaureenV]

Thank you for this; I've progressed a bit with my withdrawal or I would try this from scratch. As I'm about to go from 20mg per day to 15mg but if 5mg at a time doesn't work for me I'd definitely be doing what you did.


kind regards, Maureen.

[cindyslink2125]

I am 5 weeks pregnant today and have been on Cymbalta for 2 1/2 yrs, my doctor wants me to quit cold turkey!! I am on my first day of no Cymbalta and can already feel the with draw, does anyone have any suggestions for me. I think I may try and wean myself off......

[nursedeborah]

cindy,
I would not go cold turkey even if my doc told me too. It is hard enough just doing a decrease.
Also you have to find out what you can handle, not what the doc thinks is right. They know nothing about
this drug at all.

Please go to http://prozactruth.com/cymbalta.htm
Do it now, and see what it's like doing it with a decrease anyway, let alone cold turkey. Also go to you tube depression hurts cymbalta hurts more.

Please let us know what you decide, either way we are here for you, and will walk through it with you.

Debbie

[vibgyor8888]

I wanted to share my experience safely coming off of Cymbalta with everyone. If I can help just one person with this very difficult process, than I will be happy! Please use the following advice only under the supervision of an understanding Physician-- if your Physician (or PA) isn't understanding... find a new one! Basically, this method involves slowly going down in dosage by counting out the white balls in the capsules. It is time consuming, but I guarantee that it's worth it!!

What you will need:
Time
Patience
Empty Gelatin Capsules (search 'empty capsules' on google)
a small dark dish to pour the balls in
a pin or safety pin to help count
a chart to keep track of how many balls you're removing that week

How to do it:
Do not simply go from 60 mg to 30mg or 30 to 20, and do not just stop taking your 20 mg pills just because that is the smallest dose. It is a crime that they don't offer a smaller dose, but that is what we have to deal with, unfortunately. Also, do not simply pour out part of the balls in the capsule, because you will have erratic milligrams every day, and this will only make withdrawal worse.

Whatever dosage you are taking (60, 40, 30, 20), I recommend asking your doctor for the 20 mg. pills, this will make counting much easier! Using my method, you go down 20 'balls' it will take 8 weeks to completely withdraw from 20 mg, 16 weeks from 40, ect. Yes, it takes time, but I promise its worth it. Slow wins the race! If you find you're still having withdrawal symptoms, try reducing by only 15 or 10 balls instead of 20.

In the beginning, when you are keeping more balls in the capsule than removing, just pour some of the balls out and count. They stick to your fingers, so they are fairly easy to put back in if you miscount. If you have trouble, use the bigger gelatin capsules. Each week, remove 20 additional balls from the capsule. Once you are removing more balls than you are leaving in, pour the entire capsule out, and add the number of balls that you need to take back in. It helps to have a small square dish so you can pour them in using the corner. It is MUCH easier to work with the larger gelatin capsules. Also, using gelatin capsules, you can prepare your entire weeks worth of pills in one sitting.
cymbaltawithdrawal.com, Depression Forums: IknowHow2GetOffCym strbrstgrl

Here is a sample schedule for going off the 20 mg. pills: (which have ~180 balls)

week 1 160
week 2 140
week 3 120
week 4 100
week 5 80
week 6 60
week 7 40
week 8 20
week 9 Off!! congrats :)

This method worked for me and I had only mild withdrawal symptoms. GOOD LUCK!!!

According to this 60mg has 540 balls. So going down 20 balls a week would take a little over 6 months. What about adding a mild ant-depressant or anti-anxiety med.

vibgyor8888

[vibgyor8888]

According to this 60mg has 540 balls. So going down 20 balls a week would take a little over 6 months. What about adding a mild ant-depressant or anti-anxiety med.

vibgyor8888

[nursedeborah]

According to this 60mg has 540 balls. So going down 20 balls a week would take a little over 6 months. What about adding a mild ant-depressant or anti-anxiety med.

vibgyor8888

Welcom to the form vibgyor8888,
I know for myself that when I was going to fast I did end up having to go on Prozac,
and I also have to take something for anziety, but as time passes, the anxiety is not
as bad as it was.

I am glad that I finally got clear enough finally to be able to keep track of my decreases
and now it's not as hard as it was before.

Onething I will say is that we alll go down at our own pace, and 20 beads a week I could
never do, that would be way to fast, and I couldn't deal with the withdrawls, they are
really brutal, you won't know about them until you start your decrease.

What most do is decrease a small amount, and stay there for about 2 weeks, and then if all is
well, go for the next decrease. If your having withdrawls just add a few beads until you get it
just right. Some still have withdrawls with each decrease, for me I don't feel them until the 6
-9 the day.

Please read lots of posts, and see how others are doing it, but most are going very slow.
There is no race, just a goal, and that's to get off this noxious stuff, and find the real "ME"

Debbie

[debbieb]

Thank you NurseDeborah for your info. I have been having these currents down the left side and under the foot when I move my eyes to the right or left, and feel off balance. I was thinking I had an inner ear infection, but I did go from 60mg to 20 in the last 3 weeks. I'm thinking that I should do your system with the 20's for a while.
My siblings and I are caring for my 84 yr. old dad who has bladder cancer and while he was in Florida, the dr. there put him on 90 mgs of cymbalta. We decided to wean him off, but I think it's too fast. He is already down to 20 mg once a day, but he is so nauseous and I think it may have harmed him more than helped. Do these side effects go away eventually?
I was on zoloft years ago and the weaning off was so much easier. I can tell you I will never go on this again simply for the weaning off process.

[nursedeborah]

Thank you NurseDeborah for your info. I have been having these currents down the left side and under the foot when I move my eyes to the right or left, and feel off balance. I was thinking I had an inner ear infection, but I did go from 60mg to 20 in the last 3 weeks. I'm thinking that I should do your system with the 20's for a while.
My siblings and I are caring for my 84 yr. old dad who has bladder cancer and while he was in Florida, the dr. there put him on 90 mgs of cymbalta. We decided to wean him off, but I think it's too fast. He is already down to 20 mg once a day, but he is so nauseous and I think it may have harmed him more than helped. Do these side effects go away eventually?
I was on zoloft years ago and the weaning off was so much easier. I can tell you I will never go on this again simply for the weaning off process.

debbie,
I think that you should put him back on the 90 mg, and start the weaning process from there.
The way you have done it is way to fast, and also for his age he probally has a hard enough
time with concentration, memory, anf focusing.

When we say a slow taper we really mean that.

So what I would do is just start him on the 90 mg, and let him stay on that for about 1 week
just to get rid of all the withdrawl symptoms, as I am sure he is having some that he just
can't even tell you about.

Then after a week just open the cap and take out about 10 % of that from one of the 30 mg caps=1/2
and give him that for about 2 weeks. Then just keep decreasing the same amount every 2 weeks, ask
him how is he feeling, if he is good at being able to tell you.

The withdrawls are brutal, usually one can't sleep, has nightmares, sweats, abdominal pain, and so
much more . Here is the site as you need to see all the possible things that he could be going thru.

http://prozactruth.com/cymbalta.htm

Let me know how it goes,or what you decide to do.

Always here to help, and support.

Debbie

[MaureenV]

I agree with Debbie, although I think you may not have to go back up to the full 90mg to get rid of the withdrawl symptoms. All the symtpoms are your body trying to right itself, so after you've gone through a period of that, your body's 'need' for the drug is reduce proportionally. I would suggest going back up slowly, to a point where he feels o.k. That might 'only' be 60, and then you don't have so far to come back down again.

Once he feels o.k. you can then wean as slowly as you like - 1mg a month if you so choose - what's the rush? Unless you have a compelling reason for him to be off sooner rather than later?/??


regards, Maureen.

[nursedeborah]

debbieb,
How is it going? What did you decide to do? How is he doing?
Is he alert enough to get him to answer questions for you?

Please let us know what's going on, and what you have decided
to do.

Debbie