Jojofromnewyork Posted March 17, 2023 Share Posted March 17, 2023 (edited) I’ve been on cymbalta for over 10 years now. Hearing about long term side effects and me not being able to pull up simple words during a conversation, I decided it’s time to get off. I’m in hell and what pisses me off is how the drug companies make it sound like it’s nothing at all. They decided to name it discontinuation syndrome, lol. how can they get away with this? How can the put a drug on the market that’s close to impossible to get off of. The first time I tried to switch my medication without going slowly I ended up in the Emergency room. I removed ten balls from my capsule and I’m crawling out of my skin. I’m frightened and I’m scared. I feel horrible sweaty and all I can do is lie down in bed. I’m confused and any task i mean any is a huge challenge for me. I can’t work at all and I’m going to loose my job. Ten measly balls. Edited March 25, 2023 by manymoretodays just getting the name right in title Link to comment
Moderator Emeritus manymoretodays Posted March 17, 2023 Moderator Emeritus Share Posted March 17, 2023 (edited) Hi Jojo and welcome, Can you tell us when you removed the 10 balls from your cymbalta capsule? And what you had been taking?......the full dose of cymbalta you had been on. Here's the topic with more on Cymbalta and tapering it: Tips for tapering off duloxetine(Cymbalta) You'll see the, "Why taper by 10%(or less) of my dose", topic in that link. And will also learn that 10 beads does not equal 10% at all. And oh, so sorry you've learned this all the hard way. Also: About reinstating and stabilizing to reduce withdrawal symptoms I might reinstate 9 beads, and/or go back to taking my original dose, if I were you. Sounds like other factors may be at play, such as previous tapers perhaps without really understanding the whole of it. And I've been there too, so am not putting you down. I am just glad you have arrived here. For you to see and do when able, and as soon as possible: How to Summarize Your Drug History in Your Signature include previous taper attempts with Cymbalta ^ Tell us more about you, and Cymbalta, as well as any other drugs now taken. I've put you into Introductions now, and if that change to your Cymbalta was recent, I'd sure proceed to reintroduce some or all of what you had taken out, with hopes of improvement. Let us know, keep us updated. Post again soon. L, P, H, and G, mmt Edited March 17, 2023 by manymoretodays a little more...... Late 2023- gone to emeritus status, inactive, don't @ me, I can check who I've posted on, and I'm not really here like I used to be......thanks. Started with psycho meds/psychiatric care circa 1988. In retrospect, and on contemplation, situational overwhelm. Rounding up to 30 years of medications(30 medication trials, poly-pharmacy maximum was 3 at one time). 5/28/2015-off Adderal salts 2.5mg. (I had been on that since hospital 10/2014) 12/2015---just holding, holding, holding, with trileptal/oxcarb at 75 mg. 1/2 tab at hs. My last psycho med ever! Tapered @ 10% every 4 weeks, sometimes 2 weeks to 2016 Dec 16, medication free!! Longer signature post here, with current supplements. Herb and alcohol free since 5/15/2016. And.....I quit smoking 11/2021. Lapsed. Redo of quit smoking 9/28/2022, and again finally 5/25/24. Can you say Hallelujah?(took me long enough)💜 None of my posts are intended as medical advice. Please discuss any decisions about your medical care with a knowledgeable medical provider. My success story: Blue skies ahead, clear sailing Link to comment
Administrator Altostrata Posted March 20, 2023 Administrator Share Posted March 20, 2023 Hello, @Jojofromnewyork How are you feeling now? This is not medical advice. Discuss any decisions about your medical care with a knowledgeable medical practitioner. "It has become appallingly obvious that our technology has surpassed our humanity." -- Albert Einstein All postings © copyrighted. Link to comment
Jojofromnewyork Posted March 21, 2023 Author Share Posted March 21, 2023 It took about two weeks to feel better today I’m going back to normal. 290 balls left Link to comment
Jojofromnewyork Posted March 21, 2023 Author Share Posted March 21, 2023 On 3/17/2023 at 1:10 PM, Jojofromnewyork said: I’ve been on cymbalta for over 10 years now. Hearing about long term side effects and me not being able to pull up simple words during a conversation, I decided it’s time to get off. I’m in hell and what pisses me off is how the drug companies make it sound like it’s nothing at all. They decided to name it discontinuation syndrome, lol. how can they get away with this? How can the put a drug on the market that’s close to impossible to get off of. The first time I tried to switch my medication without going slowly I ended up in the Emergency room. I removed ten balls from my capsule and I’m crawling out of my skin. I’m frightened and I’m scared. I feel horrible sweaty and all I can do is lie down in bed. I’m confused and any task i mean any is a huge challenge for me. I can’t work at all and I’m going to loose my job. Ten measly balls. Yes, I’m on the 60 Mg and .5 rexulti. Thank you for the support and responding to me. Today I feel almost normal. Forgot to say I’m also removing a tiny about off the rexulti as well. Rexulti made me gain 30 lbs, on .5 Mg. Link to comment
Moderator Emeritus manymoretodays Posted March 21, 2023 Moderator Emeritus Share Posted March 21, 2023 6 hours ago, Jojofromnewyork said: I removed ten balls from my capsule and I’m crawling out of my skin. I’m frightened and I’m scared. I feel horrible sweaty and all I can do is lie down in bed. I’m confused and any task i mean any is a huge challenge for me. I can’t work at all and I’m going to loose my job. Ten measly balls. Yes, I’m on the 60 Mg and .5 rexulti. Thank you for the support and responding to me. Today I feel almost normal. Forgot to say I’m also removing a tiny about off the rexulti as well. Rexulti made me gain 30 lbs, on .5 Mg. 6 hours ago, Jojofromnewyork said: It took about two weeks to feel better today I’m going back to normal. 290 balls left When did you start the Rexulti 0.5 mg? Why? Is 290 balls the equivalent of your 60 mg dose of Cymbalta? So 2 weeks after removing 10 balls you felt more normal, or 2 weeks after putting the 10 balls back you felt normal........I can't follow. I'm glad you are normalizing. While feeling better please attempt: Summarize your Drug History in Your Signature That will help us guide you. Hoping you got a look at the Cymbalta tapering topic too. That will help us help and guide further. Again, glad you are having a more normal day or so. L, P, H, and G, mmt Late 2023- gone to emeritus status, inactive, don't @ me, I can check who I've posted on, and I'm not really here like I used to be......thanks. Started with psycho meds/psychiatric care circa 1988. In retrospect, and on contemplation, situational overwhelm. Rounding up to 30 years of medications(30 medication trials, poly-pharmacy maximum was 3 at one time). 5/28/2015-off Adderal salts 2.5mg. (I had been on that since hospital 10/2014) 12/2015---just holding, holding, holding, with trileptal/oxcarb at 75 mg. 1/2 tab at hs. My last psycho med ever! Tapered @ 10% every 4 weeks, sometimes 2 weeks to 2016 Dec 16, medication free!! Longer signature post here, with current supplements. Herb and alcohol free since 5/15/2016. And.....I quit smoking 11/2021. Lapsed. Redo of quit smoking 9/28/2022, and again finally 5/25/24. Can you say Hallelujah?(took me long enough)💜 None of my posts are intended as medical advice. Please discuss any decisions about your medical care with a knowledgeable medical provider. My success story: Blue skies ahead, clear sailing Link to comment
Jojofromnewyork Posted March 22, 2023 Author Share Posted March 22, 2023 On 3/17/2023 at 1:10 PM, Jojofromnewyork said: I’ve been on cymbalta for over 10 years now. Hearing about long term side effects and me not being able to pull up simple words during a conversation, I decided it’s time to get off. I’m in hell and what pisses me off is how the drug companies make it sound like it’s nothing at all. They decided to name it discontinuation syndrome, lol. how can they get away with this? How can the put a drug on the market that’s close to impossible to get off of. The first time I tried to switch my medication without going slowly I ended up in the Emergency room. I removed ten balls from my capsule and I’m crawling out of my skin. I’m frightened and I’m scared. I feel horrible sweaty and all I can do is lie down in bed. I’m confused and any task i mean any is a huge challenge for me. I can’t work at all and I’m going to loose my job. Ten measly balls. Yes, I’m on the 60 Mg and .5 rexulti. Thank you for the support and responding to me. Today I feel almost normal. Forgot to say I’m also removing a tiny about off the rexulti as well. Rexulti made me gain 30 lbs, on .5 Mg. Link to comment
Jojofromnewyork Posted March 22, 2023 Author Share Posted March 22, 2023 I’m on cymbalta 60 and .5 rexalti Link to comment
j1290 Posted March 22, 2023 Share Posted March 22, 2023 On 3/17/2023 at 10:10 AM, Jojofromnewyork said: How can the put a drug on the market that’s close to impossible to get off of. The first time I tried to switch my medication without going slowly I ended up in the Emergency room. These are completely valid questions we all have to come to terms with in our own way. I actually wound up doing EMDR on this and it helped me a lot. On 3/17/2023 at 10:10 AM, Jojofromnewyork said: I can’t work at all and I’m going to loose my job. That's my personal line in the sand as suggested by Dr. Shipko. I drive myself to get off of these but when my job was in jeopardy I reinstated to keep it. Honestly though I think I ruined my reputation at work, but so be it. In July of '22 I was afraid I'd never get off these and I'd not be able to work anymore, and now I've reduced almost 80% and persuing new and better career options. I say that just to give an example of someone who felt hopeless and turned out to be incorrect about that. I just did a quick look at this printout here from the Royal College which is the best general guide to quitting ADs I've seen. I'm not familiar with ADs I've not been on but as soon as you said beads it reminded me of when I tapered Venlafaxine (Effexor). Sure enough, I see Duloxetine is right up there on the chart next to Effexor as difficult to stop. I took Effexor 10 or 15 years, and I've been off it about 6 years now. It was a long struggle, around 3.5 years of tapering, but I got off of it, and you can too! 2 I am not a doctor and do not offer any medical advice, only my own experience. Consult your physician. 2011-2015 tapered off 300MG of Effexor. Back in the Paxil Progress days. No rebound. 2005-2021: 450 mg Bupropion XL Daily 2021 Buporopion May 450mg/June 400mg/July 375mg/Aug 10th 360mg/ 2021 Dec - 150mg IR, 3x day = 450mg Bup, Heritage manufacturer-yellow color pill. 2022 May 3 - 3 x 150mg IR Bup, Avet brand(pharmacist said they merged with Heritage-orange color) -migraines REINSTATED-BACK TO MY LAST STABLE DOSE/TIME RELEASE 2022 June 5 - switched back to 3 x 150mg XL one time per day= 450 mg total Bup-Apotex brand FINISHED TAPER 2022 Aug 31 - 450MG to 412MG IR Bup//Sep. 28, 2022: 412mg to 375mg//Oct 26, 2022: 375mg to 365 mg//Nov 21, 2022: 365mg to 327mg//Dec 27, 2022: 327 mg to 290 mg//Dec 31, 2022: 290mg to 262mg//Jan 28, 2023: 262mg to 190mg//Feb. 19, 2023: 190mg to 140mg//Mar. 18, '23: 140mg to 100mg//can't remember the rest but jumped to zero Sept 5, 2023 CURRENT TAPER: Finasteride Link to comment
Administrator Altostrata Posted March 23, 2023 Administrator Share Posted March 23, 2023 Please do not taper 2 drugs at a time. Change the dosage of only one drug at a time. It could be your simultaneous reduction of Cymbalta and Rexulti caused your odd symptoms, not your Cymbalta reduction alone. Suggest you choose either Rexulti or Cymbalta to taper first. Before further discussion, to help us out, follow these instructions Please summarize your drug and withdrawal history in your signature You may need to use a computer to do this. 1 This is not medical advice. Discuss any decisions about your medical care with a knowledgeable medical practitioner. "It has become appallingly obvious that our technology has surpassed our humanity." -- Albert Einstein All postings © copyrighted. Link to comment
Jojofromnewyork Posted March 23, 2023 Author Share Posted March 23, 2023 Sorry everyone I didn’t know how to reply. Cymbalta 60mg has around 300 balls inside. I removed only ten balls. I’ve been on .5 rexulti for four yrs. I think that’s pretty straight forward. i started feeling back to normal now. I will level off for a few weeks before i remove five more. Not ten, I could not function. The brain zaps I got were strong but not many. Link to comment
Jojofromnewyork Posted March 23, 2023 Author Share Posted March 23, 2023 Ok, I’m getting the hang of this. I will only do one drug at a time. It took around ten days to feel almost back to normal again. the person who addressed the job, you made me cry. Thank you for the encouragement, I needed it so much right now. I’m slowing it down, people recommend ten percent reduction, I’m doing five so I keep my job. I aware that this is going to be a hard and long road for me. I going to see this through. just watched the how to count the beads correctly. you know what makes me furious. These doctors didn’t believe us. Could you imagine that. I told one psychiatrist, the withdrawal getting off Cymbalta is horrible. He said is that right!! Anyone know of a good lawsuit going. I want to sue these bastards for not educating the doctors. 1 Link to comment
Jojofromnewyork Posted March 23, 2023 Author Share Posted March 23, 2023 I wanted to share this story about what happened to me. I’ve been in and out of mental hospitals my whole life. Had a ten year bout with heroin. I medicated myself for years because I was in so much pain. This maybe off topic a little for what we do here but hear me out it just may help someone. Long story short, I was diagnosed with bipolar depression disorder and given all these drugs. But, I know something was wrong within my family but I didn’t know what it was and certainly didn’t have a name for what I experienced growing up. It wasn’t just growing up it was still happening. So I started doing research and found out about family scapegoating. It described my life to a t. I didn’t know any better because it stared so early in childhood. I didn’t have bipolar it was severe mental abuse that was still going on today. Im hoping this maybe can help someone. Maybe the doctors can ask a patient what happened to you, instead of how do you feel and let me give you drugs. 2 Link to comment
Administrator Altostrata Posted March 23, 2023 Administrator Share Posted March 23, 2023 Very good points! FYI Tips for tapering off duloxetine (Cymbalta) Please get to summarizing your drug and withdrawal history in your signature as soon as possible. 1 This is not medical advice. Discuss any decisions about your medical care with a knowledgeable medical practitioner. "It has become appallingly obvious that our technology has surpassed our humanity." -- Albert Einstein All postings © copyrighted. Link to comment
j1290 Posted March 24, 2023 Share Posted March 24, 2023 4 hours ago, Altostrata said: Very good points! FYI Tips for tapering off duloxetine (Cymbalta) Please get to summarizing your drug and withdrawal history in your signature as soon as possible. When I first came here a few years ago, @Jojofromnewyork, I didn't understand how important the signature is. People look at that so they can see what your history and situation is at a glance. Moderators donate their time and I needed to make it easy for them to help me. It was tough to wrap my head around when I was having a med situation, but people were super nice and walked me through it once I got something up there for them to work with. Really enjoy your thoughts, please post often! 1 I am not a doctor and do not offer any medical advice, only my own experience. Consult your physician. 2011-2015 tapered off 300MG of Effexor. Back in the Paxil Progress days. No rebound. 2005-2021: 450 mg Bupropion XL Daily 2021 Buporopion May 450mg/June 400mg/July 375mg/Aug 10th 360mg/ 2021 Dec - 150mg IR, 3x day = 450mg Bup, Heritage manufacturer-yellow color pill. 2022 May 3 - 3 x 150mg IR Bup, Avet brand(pharmacist said they merged with Heritage-orange color) -migraines REINSTATED-BACK TO MY LAST STABLE DOSE/TIME RELEASE 2022 June 5 - switched back to 3 x 150mg XL one time per day= 450 mg total Bup-Apotex brand FINISHED TAPER 2022 Aug 31 - 450MG to 412MG IR Bup//Sep. 28, 2022: 412mg to 375mg//Oct 26, 2022: 375mg to 365 mg//Nov 21, 2022: 365mg to 327mg//Dec 27, 2022: 327 mg to 290 mg//Dec 31, 2022: 290mg to 262mg//Jan 28, 2023: 262mg to 190mg//Feb. 19, 2023: 190mg to 140mg//Mar. 18, '23: 140mg to 100mg//can't remember the rest but jumped to zero Sept 5, 2023 CURRENT TAPER: Finasteride Link to comment
Jojofromnewyork Posted April 8, 2023 Author Share Posted April 8, 2023 Sorry this website confuses me. Hope I’m doing this right. Been weeks and still severely depressed. Removed ten balls from cymbalta pill. This can’t all be in my mind. I have no interest to do anything at all but I was depressed and pills weren’t working so wanted off this stuff. I’m not removing ant more until I feel better again. Link to comment
Administrator Altostrata Posted April 8, 2023 Administrator Share Posted April 8, 2023 You may be experiencing withdrawal. We need this before further discussion. Summarize your drug and withdrawal history in your signature. This is not medical advice. Discuss any decisions about your medical care with a knowledgeable medical practitioner. "It has become appallingly obvious that our technology has surpassed our humanity." -- Albert Einstein All postings © copyrighted. Link to comment
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