Wean system my Dr. perscribed me..Please help!!
#1
Posted 09 September 2009 - 09:38 PM
Day 2 take 30mg
day 3 take 30mg
day4 skip
day 5 take 30mg
day 6 take 30mg
day 7 skip
day 8 skip
day 9 take 30mg
day10 skip
day 11 skip
day 12 take 30mg
day13 skip
day14 skip
day 15 take 30mg
day 16 skip
day 17 skip
day 18 skip
day 19 take 30mg
day 20 skip
day 21 skip
day 22 skip
day 23 take 30mg
day 24 skip
day 25 skip
day 26 skip
day 27 take 30mg
day 28 skip
day 29 skip
day 30 skip
day 31 skip!!! (1 full month)
No more cold turkey!!
(Please do not try my method unless your dr. has approved you to do so)
QUESTION??? does anyone have a wean system like this??? The Dr. wants me off Cymb. in 1 month!! that is equaled to 31 days! I seem to be the ONLY one here that has a wean off system like this!!? I have been on 30mg of Cymb for 1 year. Has the Dr. perscribed you too like this?? if so, please tell me how you are doing!! I'm on day 16 and feel like nease, vomitting, body hurts all over!!!, anxiety in the stomach and all over!! I think I'm going to pass out should i go to the Hospital??? and if i do go will i have to go back on the Cymb???
#2
Posted 09 September 2009 - 09:54 PM
Unfortunately most doctors don't have any more information than the drug companies choose to give them. When most drugs get tapered (eg steroids) the way you've listed is the way it would be done, and it would work.
You'll need to look into other posts here (and there are plenty) which explain why this doesn't work with Cymbalta (briefly: because it has a short half-life); I haven't seen anyone post here who's had success with the way you're doing it, but I have seen posts from those who've continually adjusted the dose down (by dividing the contents) successfully, which is what I'm now attempting to do. I'm now taking 15mg every day and feel very well, IN CONTRAST WITH when I was taking 30mg every second day, when I felt like absolute rubbish.
If you're doctor is a listener rather than a talker, tell her/him what you've found here; ask for evidence that the tapering method they're suggesting has been tried successfully on many people; ask how many people that actual doctor has had stop taking Cymbalta. Direct them to this site if they're the type to learn from their patients (the best ones do).
kind regards,Maureen.
p.s. if you're convinced your doctor won't listen you could just do it your own way. You can buy empty glycerin capsules and divide the contents.
#3
Posted 09 September 2009 - 10:00 PM
were do i bye the capsules at?? and how do I divide it?? I told the Dr. to put me on 20mg of Cymb, but he says no I want you off completley I dunno if i'm going to make it!!!!! my head hurts toooo much and crying. If i go on 20mg how long will that take me to get off?????
#8
Posted 09 September 2009 - 10:14 PM
They're completely transparent, so it's reasonably easy to measure.
You need to be reasonably sure which way you want to go with this though. I suspect many here would agree with me, and hope you get other responses so you can decide, and I've only been posting here a few weeks myself, but the longer term posters, some who've kindly stayed around to help others, say that the alternating just doesn't work.
Have a think and decide what you want to do. In a way you're at the same stage as me. It took me several days of being on a consistent dose before I started to feel better. All the withdrawal symptoms went away but I was very depressed. Now I feel great and am dropping from 20mg (I had 60mg AND 30mg caps) to 15mg.
How many 30mg capsules do you have left.
Please keep in mind this is all new knowledge to me, but believe me, I DO understand exactly what you're feeling. It's like someone's done a personality swap, right?
big hug,
Maureen.
#10
Posted 09 September 2009 - 10:26 PM
#12
Posted 09 September 2009 - 10:41 PM
Sleep well.
It's only 6.30p.m. here.
Remember there are dozens of others here suffering like us, so don't feel like you're in this alone. Thank God for this blog or I would have thought I'd lost the plot a few weeks ago.
Maureen.
#13
Posted 10 September 2009 - 07:04 AM
Probally spelled that wrong, but your really having a terrible time with withdrawls. Your studip doctor does not know how severe
some people have withsrawls from this stuff. If you read many of the post about weaning off cymbalta you will find so many
stories how others have gone down very slowly, even to where they are taking 2.5 mg of it to keep the horrible withdrawls some
what tolerable.
I have not been one of the lucky ones to go off it very quiclky as I have such terrible withdrawl symptoms, and this drug took away
so much of my life for over 3 years, I am not willing to let that happen while coming off it too.
I am not that great or that awful right now. I was actually able to move into my new apartment, and if I had been on the full dose I
never would have been able to leave my beeen due to no energy, motivation, mental crap it caused that I thought was untreatable
depression.
You can do this, but you have to do it so that it is comfortable for you. Yes get another doctor!!! Tell him about the side effects your
having, and show him the list of withdrawl symptoms.
http://prozactruth.com/cymbalta.htm
They are all there, look them up for yourself as well. It is so nice to read them, and to know it is not you, but the withdrawls!!!
Good luck,
Debbie
#14
Posted 10 September 2009 - 12:06 PM
Just wondering how you're doing today? I see from your list that you're up to about day 17, and that there are only two more days of taking Cymbalta.
I DO hope other people comment on what I'm about to suggest, as this is only my interpretation of any comments I've seen here in the past month - there are some who've been posting here for a year or more.
I haven't seen anyone here who's had success with the method your doctor is suggesting, and if you take the next 30mg Cymbalta after several days of NOT taking it, my bet is that you're actually going to be worse off.
Houdi, others with long experience of the blog? Do you agree?
The two 'successful' methods seem to be cold turkey (with all the associated problems, to be suffered for varying lengths of time) or taper down slowly with a dose EVERY DAY.
I notice there was an email from you to me, but didn't see that until this morning, so assume it was before we 'spoke' last night????
kind regards,
Maureen.
#15
Posted 10 September 2009 - 07:32 PM
I called my Dr. today and I asked him if I could go to 20mg and gradually go down mg's. instead of the 30mg off and on like i'm doing right now, and you know what he told me!!!! NO I'm not going to do it my method works. I don't care what you have heard from the internet users that this method is not going to work, I know it's going to work. I have used it with my other patients that have had no problems getting off using this method and it does work..Can you believe that??????? I can't believe this Dr.!! His name is Dr. Charles Oestreicher, MD his Lic. NO. G84088. I dont care if i'm putting him out for the world to see they should know what kind of Dr. he is...
#16
Posted 10 September 2009 - 08:08 PM
You need a new doctor, sorry. It doesn't matter if you are only the one in a hundred person to have this problem, you're an individual who deserves to be treated as such. Sounds like you're not.
How are you feeling today, any better than yesterday? How do you feel about what you want to now do?
regards, Maureen.
#17
Posted 10 September 2009 - 08:17 PM
Tomorrow is skip again and then i get to take...I can't wait to take!! I'm just going to stick with the list if i need to go to he Hospital and stay there I'm going to have to..I have no other choice..I don't have the money or the time to get another dr.
How are you doing? feeling?
#18
Posted 10 September 2009 - 08:57 PM
I'm doing extremely well on the 15mg per day. When I changed from alternating days to a smaller dose every day, the withdrawal symptoms disappeared completely after a day or two, but I was very depressed for a week or so. That has suddenly gone, and I feel great.
I know you say you can't wait until you take the next one, but remember that there's no Cymbalta much in your body now. Your body's reacting the way it is because Cymbalta changed the way your body worked, and now it has to get itself back together again.
By taking the 30mg again in a few days, you may just be adding 'reintroduction of drug' symptoms to add to your list of woes, as was happening to me.
Have you considered dividing up your remaining capsules into an amount you could take every day?
Cheers,
Maureen.
#19
Posted 10 September 2009 - 09:05 PM
Do I have to count the little white pieces to sperate them right?? or how?
-Cece
#20
Posted 10 September 2009 - 09:30 PM
I look at them very carefully to see if they're roughly even.
I know what you mean about being in tears; I would feel worse for about the first six hours after I took the next dose, then the next 24 hours were better, then the next 12 not good etc etc. (on the alternating days method.)
I have probably been taking an even dose per day now for about 10 days, and have felt excellent for the past few, and no more than depression for the previous ones - all the other withdrawal symptoms disappeared by the time of the second 15mg dose.
The way I see it, of the ways to get of Cymbalta the best is gradual withdrawal, the next best(!) is cold turkey and the worst is alternating days with increasing the skip days.
How many 30mg caps do you have left?
MV
#21
Posted 10 September 2009 - 10:43 PM
To be honest it's 1:40am here in America. I'm going to have to get back to you tomorrow. I'm soo dead tired! prolly from the tears, it makes you tired and slpeey.
I need sleep...nite
I hope i don't weak up in the sweats.. : (
-Cece
#23
Posted 11 September 2009 - 04:18 PM
I'm doing sweaty!! and anxiety!! when i touch something it feels like my fingers are tingeling, and my head has been hurting all day. I ate a little bit today not as usual. I take tomorrow...I dunno if it will help at all.
I don't know how to divide it...and I'm scared I will do it wrong.
really would 15 pills do it?? I think i'm gunna have to have my dr. Perscribe me more..If i run out during the weaning proccess.
Is it getting better for you?? your on 15mg a day right? how are you feeling?
#24
Posted 11 September 2009 - 06:04 PM
Don't panic about doing it wrong - I did too, but there are plenty here who can help you with it.
Have you tried googling 'empty gelatin/e capsules' on the website of your biggest local chemist?
I had a handful of 60mg capsules and about 15 x 30mg capsules when I decided to follow the advice I found on here rather than take the 30mg every second day (which I was then going to extent to every third, fourth etc).
It took a few days of 15mg for the withdrawal symptoms to ease pretty much completely, but I was then quite depressed for about a week.
I didn't know if the depression was remaining underlying depression, or if it was another withdrawal symptom which hadn't gone away, then after about a week I suddenly felt much better.
If you (eg) decide to go ahead and take the full capsule tomorrow, try to make a note of how you're feeling in the hours before and after. I found that when I was taking it every second day I actually felt quite bad for the first six hours or so after taking it. Then I felt not bad for about a day, then rotten until the next dose. All I was doing was going through withdrawal/reintroduction on a regular cycle.
At least now my body has a regular small dose of the Cymbalta.
If you have about 15 capsules left, that would let you use five of them for ten days of 15mg per day; by then you would well and truly know if you felt better that way, then you would still have ten capsules left. After a few more days of 15mg I'm going down to 10mg per day, that means you could use another five to give you fifteen days of 10mg etc.
That's 25 days, with still five capsules left.
This may not work for you - everyone's different (as your doctor said - then failed to treat you as an individual, the cretiin); However, I haven't seen anyone post here who's had success with the method you and I WERE using, but some have had success with the method I'm now using - that's all I'm going by.
The gelatin capsules are completely transparent. The caps just slide off the Cymbalta capsules. I'd suggest using a plate underneath in case the little balls escape.
The important thing to remember is that they're time release and should only be taken inside a capsule.
It IS a bit fiddly, but NOT exactly difficult.
Do you live on your own or do you have someone to support you going through this?
kind regards,
Maureen.
#25
Posted 11 September 2009 - 06:48 PM
I got paid today!! finally!! : ) so first thing in the moring I'm going to look for gelatin capsules, if this weaning off proccess worsens..I'm going to fallow ur method. Do u think ur proccess might be a little more harder since you came from 60mg and me 30mg?? or does it even matter? what's ur prospective?
write back gunna go to sleep in 3 more hrs. if not see u in the morning.
#26
Posted 11 September 2009 - 07:29 PM
Yep, it's very hard on those around use when we're in this state. At one stage I yelled to my husband and 17 yo daughter 'WILL YOU PLEASE STOP .....' I was going to say 'shouting' when I realized they were only talking in normal voices, but I seemed to be super sensitive to just normal noise around me. In the car I couldn't stand having the radio or CD player on, I just wanted silence (that was when I was doing the alternate days).
My Cymbalta look the same as yours; package says made in USA too. I think you'll find it's not too difficult to ease the top off the capsule - try twisting first rather than just pulling.
It's very easy to have the little balls inside fly everywhere, as I've discovered, so do it with a plate or somesuch underneath. Someone mentioned that 20mg capsules have 180 of the little balls, so presumably 30mg have 270!
I wasn't on 60mg for very long. I had 30mg for one month, had a few side effects (mostly just aggravating pre existing minor problems) then when I went to 60mg found the side effects too difficult.
I felt great otherwise on 30mg and if I'd been able to see my normal GP have do doubt she would have let me continue with that dose, but she had swine flu and was off for a few weeks, so I had to see another doctor who insisted 'oh no 30mg is just a step up dose, I can't even give you a repeat prescription for less than 60mg, so I reluctantly went on it. Was so constipated I didn't 'go' for three days, despite a very high fibre diet. I then took the 60mg only every one and a half days, and only until I could get back to my regular GP who gave me another script for 30m.
Finding out that 30mg wasn't considered a 'theraputic' dose made me think that I could manage without it, so once back on the 30mg I started taking it every 1 1/2 days, then every two days, which is when the really bad withdrawal symptoms hit me.
Obnoxious, aggressive, hyper, sensistive to noise, crying at nothing, muscle aches and pains, flushing, brain zaps etc etc all probably sound familiar to you. The only thing that's saved me is that I have actually slept reasonably well. That may be partly because I'm on HRT as well (I'm 56).
As soon as I started on 15mg per day all those withdrawal symptoms left me - perhaps a handful of very mild brain zaps per day. The only thing I then noticed was that I was quite depressed. As I mentioned earlier I didn't know whether that was underlying depression, or withdrawal. Because of that, instead of taking half the 30mg, I was dividing a 60mg capsule into three and taking 20mg. I now feel very well, not depressed, negligible other symptoms - so negligible If I hadn't had them more strongly I wouldn't even recognize them, if that makes sense.
About four days ago I dropped back to 15mg per day, and I will give this several more days (probably wait until I've seen my GP on Monday) before dropping to 10mg per day.
Sleep well, and let me know if you manage to get your hands on the capsules.
kind regards,
Maureen.
#27
Posted 12 September 2009 - 10:07 PM
Today is Day 19!! I'm suppose to take my Cymbalta....I don't even feel like taking it!! But I'm going to since the Dr. has me on that order. So, I was thinking totally of going cold turkey today!!! but my husband told me not to cuase what if i start feeling horrible then i should have took the Cymb today, So I had no other choice then to take the Cymb today. do you think if i didn't take it and going cold turkey i would have been fine??? it's been almost 5 days without it and doing good!....but i took it today.. the list doesn't continue at the end, i'm gunna have to go cold turkey sooner or later...Do u think that there's any difference now to how I'm gunna be then? when the list is up?? I just want to get it over with already!!!!!!! inpatient..cause I feel tierd and worn out already... I feel extra sleepy today since I took the Cymb. now........I dunno if it was the right choice since i was feeling good..I'm just listening to the Dr. and my husband has me convinced that he's right.....but then again my husband doesn't know how I feel and he's never been in my shoes before.....
I forgot to mention I have been haveing scary dreams at nite and has been for a while...But lastnigt was some freaky scary shit! Like example last night topped it off!!! I had a dream that some one locked me in a house held me hostage couldn't go anywhere lying in this bed!! and he had tubes in my throat and IV's everywhere on me!! and I couldn't move!! and this is just one of them I have had lots of more horrible dreams...and I have read from other users online that when getting off this drug you do tend to have nightmirrors...and I have been!!! weird....
So how are things with you????? TOOO darn hott here in the USA!!!!! well California!!
Nite Nite.....
#28
Posted 13 September 2009 - 02:40 PM
wondering how you're doing after taking the next dose?????
I've been doing well on the 15mg per day; the depression I felt for the first week of being on the continuous low dose has completely disappeared, so from tomorrow I'll be taking 12mg per day, by dividing a 60mg into five.
I'll see how I go with this dose. If I have no problems with that I'll go to 10mg.
kind regards, Maureen.
#29
Posted 13 September 2009 - 10:39 PM
By the way I can't sleep tonight.... : (
Did you ever think about it...Your taper and I'm weaning....witch will be best....??
Write back..
Cece
#30
Posted 13 September 2009 - 11:09 PM
Glad to hear you're fine after taking the 30mg - I do hope that continues once it's out of your system.
Don't get too excited about me! I still took 15mg today - same as all last week, but tomorrow's the first day of 12mg, so I'll see how it goes. I've just divvied up the 60mg pill into five empty capsules, which was amusing!
Have to confess I've had a bit of alcohol lately, too, so that may be responsible for the very mild brain zaps. Actually I'd hardly call them 'zaps' - more just as though someone's flicked the switch temporarily!
I saw my GP this morning, who is amazed that I'm tapering so slowly. Said I wasn't game to do it any faster after how I felt, and reading of other experiences. She said that she's learning from me.
I'm so glad to hear you're feeling good. Are you going to take the last one, or was yesterday's the last one you're going to take? Big round of applause for you.
kind regards, Maureen.
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