Jenjay: 5 months off Cymbalta and still have withdrawals

[Jenjay]

Bit of med history first 

I was on Zoloft for 20years for anxiety/panic disorder and depression .

It became ineffective and I was taken off in just 7 days and put straight on over to Cymbalta 30mg. I was extremely sick on this drug and needed to get off. I found out I needed to go very slow and started bead counting and tapered like this over 18mths. I was bed ridden for most of this time felt lethargic dizzy blurry vision and aching muscles joints GI issues and more. I got to 15mg and couldn't take anymore bead counting and decided to jump off cold Turkey the last 15mg rip the bandaid off.  This was last October.  It was very hard I went through a worse hell , but it did get better with time and I had some good days. I thought I was out of the woods but now 5 months on its back! I have had some stressful family issues, which may have  bought it back again. But I have brain zaps back,  ringing in my ears, headaches  dizziness anxiety and depression is chronic.  I would like to know anyone who has come off long term antidepressant use like me ever gets well again without using another medication.  I really wanted to be med free but I feel like I'm going crazy 

[ChessieCat]

Hi Jenjay and welcome to SA,

 

I will give you some information which might help you to understand what is happening.

 

You have tapered too quickly and what you are experiencing are withdrawal symptoms.  SA recommends tapering by no more than 10% of the current dose followed by a hold of about 4 weeks to allow the brain to adapt to not getting as much of the drug.  Why taper by 10% of my dosage?

 

When reducing using the harm reduction protocol we might experience mild withdrawal symptoms.  However if the drug is taken away too quickly the withdrawal symptoms may be more than mild:  Dr Joseph Glenmullen's Withdrawal Symptoms

 

I will provide you with the information about reinstating so that you know what your options are.  Please note that if you did decide to reinstate we would suggest a very small dose (possibly as little as 1mg) because you have been off the drug for about 5 months.  If you take too much it might make things worse.  It is better to start with a small amount and increase if needed than to risk taking too much.  Please read Post #1:  About reinstating and stabilizing to reduce withdrawal symptoms

 

Tips for tapering off Cymbalta (duloxetine)

 

Please create your drug signature using the following format.   Keep it simple.  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

 

 

I will provide some additional information in the next post.  This is your own introductions topic where your can ask questions about your own situation and journal your progress.

[ChessieCat]

Here's some additional information which might help you to understand what is happening:

 

Recovery isn't linear it happens in a Windows and Waves Pattern

 

Withdrawal Normal Description

When we take a psychiatric drug, we are adding chemical/s to the brain.  The brain then has to change to adapt to getting the chemical/s.  It might have to change something to do with A and then once that change has been made it affects B so another change has to be made and so on down the line.  It is a chain reaction, a domino effect.

 

The same thing happens when we take the drug away.  That's why it's possible to experience such a vast array of withdrawal symptoms, and they can change, and be of different intensity.

 

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

 

These explain it really well:

 

Video:  Healing From Antidepressants - Patterns of Recovery

 

On 8/31/2011 at 5:28 AM, Rhiannon said:

When we stop taking the drug, we have a brain that has designed itself so that it works in the presence of the drug; now it can't work properly without the drug because it's designed itself so that the drug is part of its chemistry and structure. It's like a plant that has grown on a trellis; you can't just yank out the trellis and expect the plant to be okay. When the drug is removed, the remodeling process has to take place in reverse. SO--it's not a matter of just getting the drug out of your system and moving on. If it were that simple, none of us would be here. It's a matter of, as I describe it, having to grow a new brain. I believe this growing-a-new-brain happens throughout the taper process if the taper is slow enough. (If it's too fast, then there's not a lot of time for actually rebalancing things, and basically the brain is just pedaling fast trying to keep us alive.) It also continues to happen, probably for longer than the symptoms actually last, throughout the time of recovery after we are completely off the drug, which is why recovery takes so long.

 

AND

 

On 12/4/2015 at 2:41 AM, apace41 said:

Basically- you have a building where the MAJOR steel structures are trying to be rebuilt at different times - ALL while people are coming and going in the building and attempting to work.

It would be like if the World Trade Center Towers hadn't completely fallen - but had crumbled inside in different places.. Imagine if you were trying to rebuild the tower - WHILE people were coming and going and trying to work in the building!  You'd have to set up a temporary elevator - but when you needed to fix part of that area, you'd have to tear down that elevator and set up a temporary elevator somewhere else. And so on. You'd have to build, work around, then tear down, then build again, then work around, then build... ALL while people are coming and going, ALL while the furniture is being replaced, ALL while the walls are getting repainted... ALL while life is going on INSIDE the building. No doubt it would be chaotic. That is EXACTLY what is happening with windows and waves.  The windows are where the body has "got it right" for a day or so - but then the building shifts and the brain works on something else - and it's chaos again while another temporary pathway is set up to reroute function until repairs are made.