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Want To Stop This But Afraid


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#1 Grimalkin

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Posted 22 April 2017 - 02:20 PM

I'm so glad to have found this forum because I was thinking I was the only one having a terrible time with this awful drug. I've been on it for 8 and a half years. My doctor started me at 30mg and i am now on 90mg. I hate it. I don't know if it's helping my depression because I don't really feel much. As others have written, I fly into a rage easily, I'm tired all the time, anxious, and drink way too much. Given what cymbalta does to the liver already, I'm very worried about the effects of too much alcohol. If I accidentally miss one dose I go through a mini withdrawal that continues even when I take my regular dose the next day. I get brain zaps, headaches, shaky, dizzy, cramps, anxious. That's with just missing one dose. When I've run out of prescriptions I've been pretty much useless until I'm able to fill it. I plan to talk to my doctor about going off it when I see her next month but I'm afraid of her switching me to something else or lowering my dosage too quickly. I also am planning to sell my house soon and the stress of moving is hard when NOT withdrawing from anything. I am interested in the bead lowering method. Is it something those of you who've done it did on your own or did you get doctor approval first? I never thought I'd reach this point but I'm thinking having just regular depression without the anger, anxiety, nightmares, sweatiness, crazy brain issues, sleepiness AND insomnia would be an improvement. I wish I hadn't inherited this, but I wish more that I'd never heard of anti-depressants. Thank you to everyone posting on this forum. I'm glad I'm not going to be alone going through this unpleasantness.

#2 TryinginFL

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Posted 22 April 2017 - 02:53 PM

Welcome Grimalkin!

 

Happy that you have found us!  I was on 60mg for 4 1/2 yrs and made the big mistake of going cold turkey - Yikes what a year in hell!!

 

Good thing that you are planning on the bead counting (wish I had) and talking to your Dr. may or may not be a good idea - Many are asshats who have no idea of what this withdrawal is like.  

 

I have now been off for almost 3 1/2 years and like some others have stuck around to help the Newbies - this is a miserable experience and we are here for you.

 

Are you taking any other meds?  How about anxiety?

 

Please feel free to come back with whatever questions you may have - there is always someone who can give you the answer!

 

 

Liz


#3 gail

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Posted 22 April 2017 - 03:04 PM

Welcome Grimalkin,

Wow! Ok, most do good by jumping straight to 60mg. Then others that I know do also well from 60 to 30mg without bead counting. No one knows into which category you fit.

Here is what I think, jump straight to 60mg, like now. Let time pass, like, let's say, 2 weeks. If all is good, meaning, if you are not worse, jump to 30mg. This is tricky, all hell could break lose. If this should happen, back you go to the 60mg, and you wait a week or so, then the accountant in you begins the bead counting.

And, no, I have never heard of a doctor suggesting this. Most know nothing about this. They have diplomas, they studied real hard. But, most have not walked the walk. We have walked the walk, and this is more important than diplomas! My thoughts only.

Others will chime in, you are definitely at the right place!

#4 Grimalkin

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Posted 22 April 2017 - 04:54 PM

Thank you for your responses. I do have some anxiety, and my doctor had me on Xanax for awhile, but I couldn't stay awake. It made going to work hard. I had no problem stopping that. I think it's strange that doctors go out of their way to avoid prescribing pain meds because of their addictive qualities but think nothing of what anti-depressants will do.

Since I've only been on 90 mg since October maybe going to 60 mg won't be a huge problem. I don't mind bead counting though. It's the OCD in me.

#5 fishinghat

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Posted 22 April 2017 - 05:53 PM

Hi G

 

Bead counting is the best idea. If you will open up one of your capsules and let us know how many beads inside we can get you ready depending on what your dr says. Many drs would suggest Lexapro, Prozac or Zoloft as an alternative because they are easier to come off of. If he insists on that you might want to consider it as well.


#6 Raven72

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Posted 22 April 2017 - 10:14 PM

Welcome Grimalkin!
 
Good thing that you are planning on the bead counting (wish I had) and talking to your Dr. may or may not be a good idea - Many are asshats who have no idea of what this withdrawal is like.  


OMG!!!Asshats!!Priceless

Welcome new friend. You are in the right place. We have all been in that bad place. Mine started in March 2016 with 2 trips to the ER. The first was the beginning of my body rejecting Cymbalta which my doctor stared tapering down from the 120mg she herself had maxed me out of. I had been on it for about a year and a half. The 2nd trip was for wanting to hurt myself after a phone argument with my husband. After which we began bead counting which had me down to the 30mg by then. On 4/1/16 I flat out quit cold turkey.

It was not the best decision but for me at the time it was what I felt I needed to do. I have since fallen in to the trap of dependency upon prescription antidepressants. I quit Paxil cold turkey a couple of months ago and that is pure hell. But these wonderful people have never judged me for my mistakes. They have embraced me with open arms. They are my support family and I love them dearly.

Listen to them and don't be afraid to speak your mind. This one of the fee places you are never judged for speaking your mind.

Love,
Raven

#7 Grimalkin

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Posted 23 April 2017 - 08:03 AM

Again, I am so grateful to have found all of you! I opened one of my 30 mg capsules this morning and there are 6 beads, more like little pellets than the beads that are probably in the name brand. I assume each bead is 5 mg. Would it be advisable to reduce by 5 mg per week? I don't really want to jar my body too quickly especially after yesterday's mini-withdrawal episode.

I don't want my doctor to switch me to something else, having read some of the experiences others have had trying to come off of cymbalta while taking something new and then trying to come off of that.

My boyfriend has had major depressive order most of his life and has coped without taking anything, mainly because he had terrible reactions to drugs he was prescribed. He is very supportive of my trying to stop anti-depressants. I was prescribed Prozac 13 years ago when I went through my divorce, stopped it, but was prescribed cymbalta when I was having relationship difficulties with my mother. I feel as if they have been crutches that I kept using long after the problems ended. I need to learn some healthier ways to deal with depression.

Thank you all for your responses and support!

#8 fishinghat

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Posted 23 April 2017 - 10:32 AM

WOW, just 6 beads. We normally recommend 1% a day or less for the wean. One bead would be a little over 16% and will probably really raise cane with you. I would say that you have two choices...

 

1) go on the name brand which has around 300 +/- beads and wean slowly or

 

2) Switch to something like Prozac, Zoloft or Lexapro which does not have such a strong withdrawal (although still no cake walk). Weaning off of them is a little easier.

 

Others will probably join in and share their wisdom with you as well. But dropping 16% at one time is asking for trouble.


#9 Grimalkin

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Posted 23 April 2017 - 10:51 AM

I was on the name brand, but switched to generic for insurance reasons. I'll hold off on counting beads until I talk to my doctor about switching. She's a stubborn Russian woman who may or may not agree with me, but I'll see what happens.

Thank you!

#10 gail

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Posted 23 April 2017 - 12:04 PM

Ok, so I'm lost here. 6 pellets in the 30mg capsules. Have you decided to start at 90? Or jump
To 60mg?
Or could it be you my sweet Fisherman that is lost? The 16%, where does that come from?
You probably thought that the 6 beads were contained in a 90mg capsule. Right? Xxxx

#11 fishinghat

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Posted 23 April 2017 - 12:47 PM

6 beads/capsule and drop one equals a 16% drop. If you are taking 3capsules a day (total 90 mg) then removing one bead from one capsule that would be a 5.5% drop (one bead out of a total of 18 beads, 90 mg). Depends on your starting point. A 5.5% drop every week MAY not be too bad if you are from 90 to 30 but below 30 I would go way slower.


#12 Grimalkin

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Posted 23 April 2017 - 03:28 PM

Wow. I knew math was not my strong suit! To clarify, I am taking 3 30 mg capsules per day, equaling 90 mg. So removing 1 pellet I thought would be equal to 5 mg, which I guess is a 5.5% drop. I took one out this morning before reading that I might not want to do that. So far I have had no adverse effects. I probably would want to stay at this dosage for maybe 2 weeks or more before removing another 5 mg pellet? I don't care if it takes me 18 months, I HATE the withdrawal feeling so much I'd rather wean off in baby steps. The brain zaps and swooshes and vertigo make me feel like there's a 1970's horror film playing in my head.

Once I get down to 30 mg, would that be the time to switch to something or just start cutting them? Of course that is perhaps 10 months away and who knows what my doctor will stay.

I can't stop being grateful for all of your insight and helpfulness. Thank you!!!

#13 fishinghat

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Posted 23 April 2017 - 04:18 PM

Hey Grim, Two weeks after a drop is a good beginning. When you get down to 30 mg you will need to do much smaller drops. If you can't get on one of the brands with a lot of beads then you need to consider shaving the tablets and weighting them or getting something to help with the symptoms. Switching to Prozac, Lexapro or Zoloft is also an option. Remember they are typically pills too, no beads in a capsule so slowly tapering still means trimming pills by weight. With the longer half life of these meds they just sim[;y don't hit you as hard. But it still is not fun.





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