Gloria: tapering off Cymbalta after two months

[Gloria]

Can anyone give me advice. Cymbalta hasn’t worked for me. After two months of starting 20mg for two weeks then to 40mg back to 30mg my doctor  told me to stop taking it because of the side effects I was having with no benefit.

Now at 20 mg how do I stop? Any help would be welcome.

[ChessieCat]

Hi Gloria and welcome to SA,

 

Q:  Have you been on any psychiatric drugs previously?  If you have, then you may be experiencing withdrawal symptoms from stopping the previous drug.

 

 

Please create a drug signature using the following format.  Keep it simple by following these instructions (NO diagnoses or symptoms please - thank you):

 

• details for last 2 years - dates, ALL drugs, doses
• summary for older than 2 years - just years and drug/s
•  

Account Settings – Create or Edit a signature

 

 

If you have only ever been on Cymbalta

 

Q:  What side effects are you having from Cymbalta?

 

Because you have only been on Cymbalta for a short period of time you may be able to reduce quickly.  It is better to reduce quickly than to stop taking the drug cold turkey.  A suggestion would be to reduce your dose by 1/4 for a few days and then reduce by another 1/4 for a few more days.  If you start feeling worse then they will most probably be withdrawal symptoms so you might need to slow down.

 

Tips for tapering off Cymbalta (duloxetine)

 

Please also see this topic:

 

are-we-there-yet-how-long-is-withdrawal-going-to-take

 

Edited January 3, 2019 by ChessieCat

[Gloria]

No, I have never taken psychiatric drugs before. The side effects I feel could be from the norco because I take a low dose and I think I have reached my tolerance and need to increase it but want to stop it also. Trying to get off cymbalta first.

Thanks for your help. I will try your suggestion.

[ChessieCat]

Please put all the current drugs you are taking in Drug Interactions Checker and copy and paste the results here in a post.

 

Are you experiencing any of the symptoms they describe?

 

Have you been drinking any alcohol?

[ChessieCat]

What are your current symptoms? 

 

Do they follow any pattern related to when you take your drugs?

 

What time do you take the 3 drugs?

[Gloria]

I don’t drink alcohol. I take several anti- rejection drugs that I have been taking for two and a half years. My body seems to have adjusted to them. My side effects seems to have started after I was put on the current three drugs. My doctor checked to make sure there were no interactions with anything I was already taking.  According to her there were none.

 

When I wake up I am aching over most of my body like the flu and shaky and feel anxious. I take a 2.5mg norco and 1000 mg Tylenol. At noon I repeat same dose, then at 4pm just the norco and at 9 pm I take the cymbalta 20mg,Tylenol, norco and 2.5mg ambian.

When the Norco wears off around four hours between doses the side effect feeling comes back. I don’t need to take it anymore and need to stop it. My doctor thought the cymbalta would help me to stop the norco.

Hope this helps.

Thank you for your support.

Gloria

 

 

[Altostrata]

Please put the dates you started the drugs in your signature, and add the other drugs.

 

How long have you been taking 20mg Cymbalta this last time around? Have your symptoms changed since you reduced it from 30mg?

[Gloria]

I started on 20mg Nov.1st.2 weeks

Went to 40mg for approx 10 days. At this dose I became very shaky, anxiety and headaches 

went back down to 20mg. and felt better. I stayed there for another 2 weeks.

went to 30mg  for about a week.

Had a dr appt. and she said I should taper off.

Went back to 20mg  for 18 days which is where I am now.

 

No noticeable withdrawel symptoms at 20mg.

 

 

I will complete  my drug list with dates and amounts.

Still learning my way around the site.

 

My list of anti rejection drugs are because I had a bilateral lung transplant surgery in July 2016.

That is when I was put on them. The doses are occasionally adjusted,

¡

[Altostrata]

Generally, you reduce Cymbalta by opening the capsules and removing some of the beads. See Tips for tapering off Cymbalta (duloxetine)

[Gloria]

This is the second day I have reduced from 20mg cymbalta to 15mg by removing 25 beads of the 100 beads.

I take it in the evening.

This morning I have a headache, nausea, aching in my arms and legs and a little shaking.

Any advice would be appreciated 

Thanks

Gloria

 

[ChessieCat]

On 1/4/2019 at 8:12 AM, Altostrata said:

 

Please put the dates you started the drugs in your signature, and add the other drugs.



 

Account Settings – Create or Edit a signature

[ChessieCat]

On 1/3/2019 at 2:14 PM, ChessieCat said:

 

Please put all the current drugs you are taking in Drug Interactions Checker and copy and paste the results here in a post.

 

 

[Gloria]

I have completed my drug list as requested and was hoping someone could give me advice.

As I said in my last post, I reduced the cymbalta from 20mg to 15 mg two nights ago as suggested.

 

I had a rough night and today was not quite as bad although it may be because I took Norco and. Tylenol throughout the day.

It is evening on my third day now and don’t know if I should stay on the 15mg or switch back to 20mg and go slower because 

of the shakiness, headache and aching arms and legs I am having?

[ChessieCat]

On 1/4/2019 at 8:12 AM, Altostrata said:

 

Please put the dates you started the drugs in your signature, and add the other drugs.

 

 

Alto, this site's founder, has requested more information to be added to your drug signature.  Having the information in your drug signature means that we can see your drug history at a glance and not have to read back through your posts to get the information.

 

You have made some dose changes with Cymbalta.  Please include the doses and the dates you started on that dose.

 

Please include ALL other drugs you are taking.

 

This is the current information in your signature:

 

cymbalta 20mg,Norco 10mg,Ambian 2.5. mg.

 

 

This is what we need you to put in your drug signature:

 

• details for last 2 years - dates, ALL drugs, doses

 

• summary for older than 2 years - just years and drug/s

 

 

Account Settings – Create or Edit a signature

 

Thank you.

[Gloria]

I had my husband enter my medical history in my signature area. 

Please refer there

 

I took 15mg of cymbalta last night for the 3rd night.

This morning I have some shaking and my skin is crawling and sensitive to touch

The headache did not return. I am not steady on my feet

 

 

[Altostrata]

On 1/4/2019 at 8:21 AM, Gloria said:

This is the second day I have reduced from 20mg cymbalta to 15mg by removing 25 beads of the 100 beads.

I take it in the evening.

This morning I have a headache, nausea, aching in my arms and legs and a little shaking.

Any advice would be appreciated 

Thanks

Gloria

 

 

That would be a 25% reduction in Cymbalta. We generally recommend a 10% reduction. If I were you, I'd add back 5 beads in your next dose, see if that reduces the withdrawal symptoms. Please let us know how you're doing.

[Gloria]

Thanks and I will try that tomorrow if I don’t feel better. Will keep you informed 

[ChessieCat]

Please keep daily symptoms notes on paper so you can see how updosing is affecting the symptoms.  Doing this can help you to be more objective.  It can also help you to see things that you may not feel.  When we aren't feeling very good we don't always notice the small improvements because we just feel awful.

 

Example:

 

6 a.m. Woke with anxiety
8 a.m. Took 2.5mg Lexapro
10 a.m. Stomach is upset
10:30 a.m. Ate breakfast
11:35 a.m. Got a headache, lasted one hour
12:35 p.m. Ate lunch
4 p.m. Feel a bit better
5 p.m. Took 2.5mg Lexapro
6 p.m. Ate dinner
9:20 p.m. Headache
10:00 p.m. Took 50mg Seroquel
10:20 p.m. Feeling dizzy
10:30 p.m. Fell asleep
2:30 a.m. Woke, took 3mg Ambien (NOT "took 1/2 tablet Ambien")
2:45 a.m. Fell asleep
4:30 a.m. Woke but got back to sleep

[Gloria]

Have reduced cymbalta 20mg down 25% for the last five days. 

Having side effects and plan on changing to 20% hoping that will help.

New symptoms today are diarrhea and being emotional.

Still have body aches and anxiety.

My hope that I could do tapering fast after taking it two months is dwindling.

 

[Altostrata]

That's not good. Did you add the 5 beads back in?

[Gloria]

Tonight I am . Just finished counting..

thanks for responding

[Gloria]

This morning side effects are very minimal after adding 5 beads back 7 days ago.

Thinking of removing more beads.

Need advice as to how many or what percentage I should reduce.

My last reduction was 20% of 20mg for 7 days.

I am feeling ok with minimal side effects.

Thanks for any advice

Gloria

[ChessieCat]

I'll ask the other mods for their assistance.  Please don't lower your dose until a mod responds.

[Altostrata]

Gloria, please let your nervous system settle some more, give it a month to relax. You made a big change. You're lucky adding 5 beads back seems to have worked, don't rock the boat now.

[Gloria]

OK.

THANKS,

Gloria

 

 

 

[Gloria]

I take short acting cymbalta with a half life of I’ve read 12 hours.

Taking once a day at 8:30pm I’m noticing withdrawel effects start after 12 hours at

8:30am. Could I take split the dose to twice a day to avoid these side effects?

Currently tapering  20% of 20mg . On day 24 of taper.

Feel ok except after the 12 hours side effects become noticeable 

 

Thanks for any advice

Gloria.

 

 

 

[Altostrata]

On 1/12/2019 at 4:25 PM, Altostrata said:

Gloria, please let your nervous system settle some more, give it a month to relax. You made a big change. You're lucky adding 5 beads back seems to have worked, don't rock the boat now.

 

2 hours ago, Gloria said:

I take short acting cymbalta with a half life of I’ve read 12 hours.

Taking once a day at 8:30pm I’m noticing withdrawel effects start after 12 hours at

8:30am. Could I take split the dose to twice a day to avoid these side effects?

Currently tapering  20% of 20mg . On day 24 of taper.

Feel ok except after the 12 hours side effects become noticeable 

 

Thanks for any advice

Gloria.

 

Gloria, I'm confused. You said you were going to hold after adding 5 beads 12 days ago, did you reduce by 20% instead?

 

How much Cymbalta are you taking now? How are you measuring your dosage?

[Gloria]

I No  it’s the same 20%. I had previously dropped 25% and added 5% back. I am counting from when I dropped   The original 25% notwhen I added 5% back which makes it 24 days from the original date I dropped. Is that wrong? 

I take 20 beads out of a100 bead capsule.

[ChessieCat]

It's preferable to talk in mg doses, not percentages, so that there is no confusion.  Each time you make a dose change, you need to work from the new date.

[Gloria]

In that case I reduced  4mg of 20mg on Jan 12 th which makes it 13 days ago.

Is it possible to divide my current dose of 16mg into 2 doses, morning and evening?

Thanks for your help.

Gloria

[ChessieCat]

2 hours ago, Gloria said:

Is it possible to divide my current dose of 16mg into 2 doses, morning and evening?

 

The gentlest way to split a dose is to move part by 1 hour each day.

[Gloria]

Oh ok that sounds good.

thanks!

 

[Gloria]

Needing advice.

I have been following your advice and tapering 5 mg and my last drop was Feb 10th. After approx. a month

However my husband thinks I should taper  faster since I was on it for just a short time.

He feels I am making it harder by tapering so slow.

 

On Feb 13th he reduced my cymbalta another 10% thinking I wouldn’t notice.

That is 3 days after my 5% taper! I found out about this last night.

I started having withdraws the next day but didn’t understand why.It’s been 5 days today

 

Should I stay at this dose and try to ride it out now that I’m in to it 5 days already or try to add back?

I have body aches, headaches and nausea. I am taking nausea medicine which helps. Have General flu like symptoms.

No brain zaps

Also I take Norco and Tylenol which helps a little.

 

Thanks for any advice

Gloria

[Altostrata]

Please go back to the dosage before your husband sneakily reduced it. Let us know how you're doing.

 

Perhaps you can ask him to live somewhere else while you're tapering?

[Gloria]

hahaha

ok and ok!

thanks,

Gloria

[Gloria]

Can I take it early or do I need to wait 10 more hours??

My withdraws are getting worse