Lily777 Posted February 3, 2015 Share Posted February 3, 2015 Hello everyone, I am very glad to have found a site for support. Today I am starting my journey to freedom from Cymbalta. I have used Cymbalta for 6 months now. I start with 30 mg and it was raised to 60 mg perday. I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia with an underlying generalized anxiety disorder. I feel like I am in a bubble most of the time, not fully here. The cost of the meds are horrendous. Weight gain.. just makes me want to hide. I've never been "chunky".. but since starting this med, I have gained weight consistently. I made up my mind today to come off this med, with the mind set to try anything other than pharm. meds for my needs. I would appreciate any help and/or advice you have to give. Thank you in advance... and blessing to each of you. Cymbalta 30 mg September 2014 Cymbalta 60 mg December 2014 Daily: Fish oil, Vitamin D, B Complex Significant weight gain, lethargic and cost has lead me to want to discontinue use of Cymbalta. Link to comment
Moderator Emeritus Fresh Posted February 4, 2015 Moderator Emeritus Share Posted February 4, 2015 Hi Lily , welcome to the site. There's loads of information on here that will help you to understand a safe and slow way to taper your Cymbalta gradually. Many are advised by their doc. that it's okay to cut the dose in half for a few day , then stop it , and that is just not true. You can get very sick doing that. Go to the main menu , then the section on Tapering. There's a thread specifically on Cymbalta (duloxetine). If you have any questions you can post then here on your thread. Best wishes for your Journey to Freedom , Fresh 1987-1997 pertofran , prothiaden , Prozac 1997-2002 Zoloft 2002-2004 effexor 2004-2010 Lexapro 40mg 2010-2012Cymbalta 120mg Sept. 2012 -decreased 90mg in 6months. Care taken over by Dr Lucire in March 2013 , decreased last 30mg at 2mg per week over 3 months. July 21 , 2013- last dose of Cymbalta Protracted withdrawal syndrome kicked in badly Jan.2014 Unrelenting akathisia until May 2014. Voluntary hosp. admission. Cocktail of Seroquel, Ativan and mirtazapine and I was well enough to go home after 14 days. Stopped all hosp. meds in next few months. July 2014 felt v.depressed - couldn't stop crying. Started pristiq 50mg. Felt improvement within days and continued to improve, so stayed on 50mg for 8 months. Began taper 28 Feb. 2015. Pristiq 50mg down to 45mg. Had one month of w/d symptoms. Started CES therapy in March. No w/d symptoms down to 30mg. October 2015 , taking 25mg Pristiq. Capsules compounded with slow-release additive. March 2016 , 21mg Link to comment
Moderator Emeritus mammaP Posted February 4, 2015 Moderator Emeritus Share Posted February 4, 2015 Hi Lilly, welcome to SA. It is great that you decided to investigate the best way to taper from cymbalta, this will mean that you can come off safely and hopefully without too much discomfort. We recommend tapering 10% of the current dose every 4 weeks. Cymbalta usually has little beads inside the capsule, people open up the capsule and count the beads, removing 10% of them each drop. Here is the topic for tapering cymbalta http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/283-tapering-off-cymbalta-duloxetine/ Why taper 10% http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/1024-why-taper-by-10-of-my-dosage/ This one is important, the 3 KIS. http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/6632-the-rule-of-3kis-keep-it-simple-keep-it-slow-keep-it-stable It would help us if you could fill out your signature with your drug history, including any over the counter drugs and supplements. This is because many things can affect a taper and if we can see at a glance what you are or have been taking we may spot things that may cause some reaction or symptoms. Here is how to fill out your signature. http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/893-please-put-your-withdrawal-history-in-your-signature/ **I am not a medical professional, if in doubt please consult a doctor with withdrawal knowledge. Different drugs occasionally (mostly benzos) 1976 - 1981 (no problem) 1993 - 2002 in and out of hospital. every type of drug + ECT. Staring with seroxat 2002 effexor. Tapered March 2012 to March 2013, ending with 5 beads. Withdrawal April 2013 . Reinstated 5 beads reduced to 4 beads May 2013 Restarted taper Nov 2013 OFF EFFEXOR Feb 2015 Tapered atenolol and omeprazole Dec 2013 - May 2014 Tapering tramadol, Feb 2015 100mg , March 2015 50mg July 2017 30mg. May 15 2018 25mg Taking fish oil, magnesium, B12, folic acid, bilberry eyebright for eye pressure. My story http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/4199-hello-mammap-checking-in/page-33 Lesson learned, slow down taper at lower doses. Taper no more than 10% of CURRENT dose if possible Link to comment
Lily777 Posted February 4, 2015 Author Share Posted February 4, 2015 Thank you very much.... I will read from the tapering forum. Must admit, I am not looking forward to this process the more I read Cymbalta 30 mg September 2014 Cymbalta 60 mg December 2014 Daily: Fish oil, Vitamin D, B Complex Significant weight gain, lethargic and cost has lead me to want to discontinue use of Cymbalta. Link to comment
Lily777 Posted February 4, 2015 Author Share Posted February 4, 2015 Hi everyone, thank you so much for reading. I am currently on Cymbalta 60 mg. Yesterday was day 1 of reducing by 20%, I am now on day 2. Is there an easier way than counting the pellets out ?? I found myself both laughing and frustrated with the process, and wondering how I got myself into this in the first place. Frustrated today........ seems like a long/hard process. Cymbalta 30 mg September 2014 Cymbalta 60 mg December 2014 Daily: Fish oil, Vitamin D, B Complex Significant weight gain, lethargic and cost has lead me to want to discontinue use of Cymbalta. Link to comment
Moderator Emeritus Petunia Posted February 5, 2015 Moderator Emeritus Share Posted February 5, 2015 Hi Lily, I joined your new post to your original introduction topic. Its one intro thread per member. You can use this thread as your ongoing journal to track progress and communicate with the community, add to it whenever you want. Thank you for filling out your signature. Is there an easier way than counting the pellets out ?? Did you read the link with the cymbalta tapering tips which MammaP posted? Opening capsules and weighing beadsEventually, as you remove more and more beads, it may become too confusing and time-consuming to count out them. You may wish to weigh them instead, see Using a digital scale to measure doses and Counting beads in a capsule versus weighing. Unfortunately, counting and weighing beads are the only two methods of safely tapering this drug for the reasons stated in the topic. You may want to consider tapering by 10% rather than 20%, especially as the dose gets lower, this is how we reduce the risk of withdrawal symptoms arising. I'm not a doctor. My comments are not medical advise. These are my opinions based on my own experience and what I've learned. Please discuss your situation with a medical practitioner who has knowledge of tapering and withdrawal...if you are lucky enough to find one. My Introduction Thread Full Drug and Withdrawal History Brief Summary Several SSRIs for 13 years starting 1997 (for mild to moderate partly situational anxiety) Xanax PRN ~ Various other drugs over the years for side effects 2 month 'taper' off Lexapro 2010 Short acute withdrawal, followed by 2 -3 months of improvement then delayed protracted withdrawal DX ADHD followed by several years of stimulants and other drugs trying to manage increasing symptoms Failed reinstatement of Lexapro and trial of Prozac (became suicidal) May 2013 Found SA, learned about withdrawal, stopped taking drugs...healing begins. Protracted withdrawal, with a very sensitized nervous system, slowly recovering as time passes Supplements which have helped: Vitamin C, Magnesium, Taurine Bad reactions: Many supplements but mostly fish oil and Vitamin D June 2016 - Started daily juicing, mostly vegetables and lots of greens. Aug 2016 - Oct 2016 Best window ever, felt almost completely recovered Oct 2016 -Symptoms returned - bad days and less bad days. April 2018 - No windows, but significant improvement, it feels like permanent full recovery is close. VIDEO: Where did the chemical imbalance theory come from? VIDEO: How are psychiatric diagnoses made? VIDEO: Why do psychiatric drugs have withdrawal syndromes? VIDEO: Can psychiatric drugs cause long-lasting negative effects? VIDEO: Dr. Claire Weekes Link to comment
Lily777 Posted February 5, 2015 Author Share Posted February 5, 2015 Thank you for combining my posts. I did read everything on tapering and feel fairly confident about the process. I am going to take your advice about going slower in reduction. How long do you wait safely til the next reduction? Hi Lily, I joined your new post to your original introduction topic. Its one intro thread per member. You can use this thread as your ongoing journal to track progress and communicate with the community, add to it whenever you want. Thank you for filling out your signature. Is there an easier way than counting the pellets out ?? Did you read the link with the cymbalta tapering tips which MammaP posted? Opening capsules and weighing beadsEventually, as you remove more and more beads, it may become too confusing and time-consuming to count out them. You may wish to weigh them instead, see Using a digital scale to measure doses and Counting beads in a capsule versus weighing. Unfortunately, counting and weighing beads are the only two methods of safely tapering this drug for the reasons stated in the topic. You may want to consider tapering by 10% rather than 20%, especially as the dose gets lower, this is how we reduce the risk of withdrawal symptoms arising. Cymbalta 30 mg September 2014 Cymbalta 60 mg December 2014 Daily: Fish oil, Vitamin D, B Complex Significant weight gain, lethargic and cost has lead me to want to discontinue use of Cymbalta. Link to comment
Moderator Emeritus Fresh Posted February 5, 2015 Moderator Emeritus Share Posted February 5, 2015 Hi Lilly , wait at least 4 weeks on each dose. Good idea to stick with the 10% rather than 20 %. Yay , you're doing it !! 1987-1997 pertofran , prothiaden , Prozac 1997-2002 Zoloft 2002-2004 effexor 2004-2010 Lexapro 40mg 2010-2012Cymbalta 120mg Sept. 2012 -decreased 90mg in 6months. Care taken over by Dr Lucire in March 2013 , decreased last 30mg at 2mg per week over 3 months. July 21 , 2013- last dose of Cymbalta Protracted withdrawal syndrome kicked in badly Jan.2014 Unrelenting akathisia until May 2014. Voluntary hosp. admission. Cocktail of Seroquel, Ativan and mirtazapine and I was well enough to go home after 14 days. Stopped all hosp. meds in next few months. July 2014 felt v.depressed - couldn't stop crying. Started pristiq 50mg. Felt improvement within days and continued to improve, so stayed on 50mg for 8 months. Began taper 28 Feb. 2015. Pristiq 50mg down to 45mg. Had one month of w/d symptoms. Started CES therapy in March. No w/d symptoms down to 30mg. October 2015 , taking 25mg Pristiq. Capsules compounded with slow-release additive. March 2016 , 21mg Link to comment
mcc2929 Posted March 29, 2015 Share Posted March 29, 2015 Hi everyone, thank you so much for reading. I am currently on Cymbalta 60 mg. Yesterday was day 1 of reducing by 20%, I am now on day 2. Is there an easier way than counting the pellets out ?? I found myself both laughing and frustrated with the process, and wondering how I got myself into this in the first place. Frustrated today........ seems like a long/hard process. Hi Lily, I am also tapering Cymbalta and sympathize with feeling the ridiculousness of the beads and the capsules and feeling like some kind of underground drug operation. I also have been feeling frustrated with this process. But I have to remind myself why I am doing this, and that I am not going to give in! Hope you are doing well. Fall 1998, age 15, prescribed Zoloft Various other medications, tried coming off multiple times (mostly cold turkey) but was put back on due to misdiagnosed withdrawal symptoms Fall 2013 60mg Cymbalta & .5mg lorazepam Fall 2014 60mg cymbalta & half of .5 mg tablet of lorazepam nightly for sleep and as needed for anxiety attacks (which was really misdiagnosed protracted withdrawal) Gradually weaned myself off of lorazepam throughout September and October 2014 March 15, 2015 .21g (actual weight of granules in single 60mg dose, without capsule) March 16, 2015 .189g (10% decrease) March 24, 2015 .17g (10% decrease) March 25, 2015 .18g (5% increase) April 8, 2015 .171g (5% decrease) Daily Supplements: 2 Nordic Naturals Complete Omega soft gels, 1 Whole Foods 2000 ius vitamin D, 1 Bluebonnet B-Complex 100, Bluebonnet Magnesium Citrate (400-500mg/day) Link to comment
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