Hi, I am new to this so bear with me. I have been on 60mg Cymbalta for about six years. I have been tapering off of it for a while now. I am down to 20mg. I took the 20 mg for a month and I am now down to every other day with it. I did fine till I got to the every other day and it’s been hard. I am crying and having panic attacks, so my Dr has prescribed Zoloft 50mg. I am confused and I am not sure on the best way to so this. How long do I take the Zoloft before stopping the Cymbalta? Then how do I taper off the Zoloft?
Anybody out there that has used this method and succeeded, I sure could use some advice.
Thanks
Need Advice On Tapering Using Zoloft
Started by pkass1, Aug 15 2018 06:07 PM
9 replies to this topic
#2
fishinghat
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Posted 16 August 2018 - 08:25 AM
Welcome pkass
Your dr has put you in a bad spot. The FDA has warned against the every other day thing. Cymbalta has a half life of 12 hours so by the time a new dose is due your blood levels of Cymbalta are nearly zero. That is almost like going cold turkey. When you do take your next capsule the blood levels shoot back up again and you wind up repeating the same withdrawal all over again. I would strongly suggest that you go back on 20 mg and stabilize and then consider weaning by the bead count method. Each capsule contains so many beads (usually around 300 but it can vary from manufacturer to manufacturer). Each day open a capsule and take out about 1% or less of the beads and that is your dose for the day. So for a brand with 300 beads inside I would recommend taking out 3 beads more each day (or less). Anytime the symptoms get bad just stay at your current dose until you feel better. The last 4 or 5 mgs are tough so be prepared to slow down when you get to that level.
If you do switch to Zoloft (which will take a month or so) stay with it until nice and stable. When you feel ready you weight out your normal dose on a good set of scales. Dose reductions can be made using a razor blade to remove a slightly greater amount from your dose. Most people drop there dose every week as Zoloft has a longer half life and it takes a few days for any withdrawal symptoms to appear.
Your dr has put you in a bad spot. The FDA has warned against the every other day thing. Cymbalta has a half life of 12 hours so by the time a new dose is due your blood levels of Cymbalta are nearly zero. That is almost like going cold turkey. When you do take your next capsule the blood levels shoot back up again and you wind up repeating the same withdrawal all over again. I would strongly suggest that you go back on 20 mg and stabilize and then consider weaning by the bead count method. Each capsule contains so many beads (usually around 300 but it can vary from manufacturer to manufacturer). Each day open a capsule and take out about 1% or less of the beads and that is your dose for the day. So for a brand with 300 beads inside I would recommend taking out 3 beads more each day (or less). Anytime the symptoms get bad just stay at your current dose until you feel better. The last 4 or 5 mgs are tough so be prepared to slow down when you get to that level.
If you do switch to Zoloft (which will take a month or so) stay with it until nice and stable. When you feel ready you weight out your normal dose on a good set of scales. Dose reductions can be made using a razor blade to remove a slightly greater amount from your dose. Most people drop there dose every week as Zoloft has a longer half life and it takes a few days for any withdrawal symptoms to appear.
#3
pkass1
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Posted 22 August 2018 - 03:44 PM
Thank you so much. I have been on Zolft for a week and it has helped a lot. I feel I am going to stay on it while I count beads as you suggest on the Cymbalta. It’s the best method I have heard so far. I will worry about tapering off the Zoloft at a later date. I know I
need it right now to help me through this.
need it right now to help me through this.
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#5
gail
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Posted 23 August 2018 - 06:26 AM
Hello PKass,
That is wonderful news, thank you for updating. Have you started the bead count for Cymbalta?
You are absolutely right about the Zoloft, worry about it later. It's an easy one to withdraw from.
Fishinghat explained pretty well about the fact that the every other day method is a killer.
Just hope to see you again!
That is wonderful news, thank you for updating. Have you started the bead count for Cymbalta?
You are absolutely right about the Zoloft, worry about it later. It's an easy one to withdraw from.
Fishinghat explained pretty well about the fact that the every other day method is a killer.
Just hope to see you again!
#10
pkass1
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