Verity Posted February 15, 2015 Share Posted February 15, 2015 Just finished my first week of eight to taper off Cymbalta 60 mg. Started by taking 10 balls our of the capsule and increasing by 10 more each day. Today was -80. A full capsule has about 580 balls. I don't seem to be showing withdrawal symptoms. I drink lots of water, a quart of raspberry leaf tea a day, 2 Tablespoons ground flax and make a daily smoothie with plain yogurt and fruit. I've been walking during my lunch break. The side effects after 15 months on Cymbalta were too much. Extreme fatigue, irregular menstrual cycles, lack of motivation, forgetfulness, vivid dreams, night sweats and waking up many times a night. Link to comment
Moderator Emeritus Petunia Posted February 15, 2015 Moderator Emeritus Share Posted February 15, 2015 Welcome to SA Verity, I'm glad you found us when you did because you may be tapering too fast. Eight weeks is not long enough to taper off 60mg of Cymbalta and the method you are using is putting you at risk of experiencing some nasty withdrawal symptoms as the dose gets lower. We suggest reducing by no more than 10% of the current dose every 4 weeks, this reduces the risk of withdrawal symptoms arising. A slow taper will not only minimize withdrawal symptoms, it will give you the best chance at getting through the post-withdrawal year or two without having to go back on the drug. What we recommend is a taper that's based on a percentage of your current dose not of your original dose. Please read: Why taper by 10% of my dosage? (The general philosophy of gradual tapering) ...and this topic will give you specific tips for tapering off Cymbalta: Tips for tapering off Cymbalta Are you taking any other drugs? Please put your drug and withdrawal history in your signature. Putting a short version of your drug and tapering history in your signature helps people understand your context, it appears below each of your posts. Here are instructions for how to do it: http://survivinganti...your-signature/ You can use this thread as your ongoing journal to track progress, write about symptoms, ask questions and communicate with the community, add to it whenever you want. Please stay in touch and let us know what you decide. Petunia. 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
Moderator Emeritus Fresh Posted February 15, 2015 Moderator Emeritus Share Posted February 15, 2015 Hi there Verity , I'm so glad for you that you've found this site when you did. You may notice withdrawal symptoms starting in the next week or two if you continue your current protocol. Most everyone on the site has had this happen after tapering too fast , so this is a great place to gain knowledge from other people's experiences. Check out the "Symptoms and Self-Care section". Also the section on "Tapering". The explanations are pretty simple to follow. Glad to have you here. Best wishes , 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
Administrator Altostrata Posted February 15, 2015 Administrator Share Posted February 15, 2015 Welcome, Verity. We suggest a slower taper because it can take some time for withdrawal symptoms to show up. We suggest a greater interval between decreases to see how your nervous system is affected. You might stop tapering for a bit now, say 2 weeks, and see how reducing your daily dosage by 80 beads is working for you. If you get withdrawal symptoms, you know you're going too fast and you can adjust your schedule. 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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