My Cymbalta story by lundeliz

[lundeliz]

Hi Survivors, I've learned so much from this site. I was put on Cymbalta in 2006 as part of my

treatment for lyme disease, although I wasn't suffering from anxiety or depression. But I just blindly

took it without question. Two years ago when my husband lost his job and insurance, I could no longer

afford it, so I just quit. I had no idea of the consequences. After 6 weeks, full blown withdrawal hit me,

and I had no idea what was going on.

 

Because my anxiety was sky high, I went back on Cymbalta. I eventually figured out what I was

suffering was wd. I started tapering off. I've suffered horrible symptoms through the taper. It has

been almost 2 years and I'm now down to 37mg, coming down from 60.

 

I've been pretty much stuck for the last few months, unable to taper further.

I've been considering trying the crossover to another AD. Some days I'm ready to do it, but some days

I think I just can't risk it. I've never felt good since going back on Cymbalta and I don't think I ever will as long as I'm on it.

I sleep most of my life away and feel spacey all the time.

 

I want off this med so badly, I really feel like it's slowly killing me. I've had to keep adding blood

pressure meds since I have been tapering and keep having infections I never had before. Right now

I have a UTI. I've also gained about 25 lbs. I recently had bloodwork done, and for the first time,

it indicated some lung functioning problem. That is super scary. Has anyone had that, and does it

reverse after you get off? That's my biggest worry.

 

Right now my biggest dilemma is whether to risk trying to do a crossover to Celexa (prozac doesn't

agree with me.) If it worked it would be fantastic. What is the worst case scenario? That Celexa

doesn't work, then going back to Cymbalta doesn't work either? Then I'd be stuck in cold turkey

withdrawal for months? When is the risk worth taking? I really know that I have to make that decision

myself, but any thoughts on it would be greatly appreciated.

 

I'll keep reading and learning from this site. I'm on here every day to keep my hope alive. I pray for

success for each one of you.

[Shanti]

Hi lundeliz,

 

Welcome to the forum!

 

I was on Cymbalta too, for depression and fibro. I ended up with emergency surgery for an unrelated thing and that's when I had the withdrawals as they couldn't give it to me in an IV. At the time, I didn't know it was the Cymbalta, I thought I reacted to the anathesia or something. But now,knowing what I know, it was definitely w/d. I went back on after getting back on the hospital and everything was fine. I was switched to Paxil for other reasons and then I had poopout on that and went into withdrawals. Then I found myself at support groups.

 

I had a lot of difficulty getting below 20 mg of Paxil and I finally decided to try the Prozac switch near the end of November. The switch went great. I had no trouble at all. I was able to go down from 20 mg Prozac to 16 mg okay. But due to a lot of hard life events, such as my daughter getting a brain tumor and financial problems, I decided to stay at 20 mg Prozac for a couple of months to make good and sure I'm not going to have a delayed Paxil w/d. I just don't need that right now. But I just wanted to assure you that the switch was easy for me. If you decide to do it, I wish you the best. It seems to work for many.

[lundeliz]

Thank you so much, Shanti. That's exactly what I was hoping to hear, some personal experiences

with switching. That's great that it went so smoothly for you. I'm getting closer and closer to

deciding to try it. I read the link with the story of your switch. One thing I didn't quite understand

was the statement "If withdrawals are already underway, the switch won't work". Does that just

mean you need to be stable when you try it? Thanks again, Shanti.

[Altostrata]

Good to hear from you, lundeliz.

 

Switching is unpredictable. It may work and it may not. If you are already off the medication completely and been experiencing withdrawal syndrome with hypersensitivity to medication, taking another antidepressant is unlikely to be a cure for withdrawal syndrome and may make you worse.

 

When withdrawal from Paxil, Effexor, or Cymbalta is unbearable, some doctors will do the Prozac switch. We have some people hear who said this also worked with Celexa etc.

 

Prozac is used because it has a very long half-life and is easier to taper than other antidepressants. Celexa has a comparatively short half-life.

 

If you've had a bad experience with Prozac, switching to it might not be right for you. Or, taking a lower dosage might work.

 

What was your experience with Prozac before?

[lundeliz]

Hi Altostrata,

Thank you for your reply and words of wisdom. I tried adding in 5mg of Prozac for a few

days while I've been tapering. I really couldn't get out of bed and it made me feel kind of

angry and paranoid. I took Celexa for a very short period and I didn't notice any side effects.

Is there any other AD with a longer half-life than Celexa other than Prozac? I tried researching

and couldn't come up with anything. Thank you. I appreciate any comments.

[angie007]

hI lUNDELIZ,

 

Thank you for coming here and sharing your story with us, ok the switch over to another medication as you have already been told is pretty hit and miss,

for a lot of people it creates more issues than they had before, but for a small minority it can sometimes help.

 

I would have to say, that with your history of trying the 5mg of prozac with little success and knowing that all drugs in this class work in the same way, for me, i would be reluctant

to try another switch.

I know that your suffering right now, and doing your best to taper off, this is the hardest thing i ever did in my life, and although it isnt over just yet, things are far more manageable than they have been in many many yrs - which doesnt suggest at all, that i still dont have off days, because i do, but on those off days the symptoms are not 24/7 like they once were, and most of the symptoms have become a lot more tolerable for the most part. Yes of course i understand your need to get your life back, Paxil ( Seroxat) robbed me of the best part of 20years of my life, there qwere many many times, i was desperate, and so many times, id toyed with the idea of another med, maybe another ad or maybe a benzo to cushion the blow, believe me, i know the place well, guess im here to tell you it CAN be done, what changed my mind about switching???? The fact that i COULD end up in a worse position - as many are, and the fact that after i got off the paxil, it left me with another withdrawal.

 

I did a 14 yr 4 month use of Paxil, the non addictive wonder drug lol, and a 56month long taper, was it easy?? NO WAY on this earth was it, but im now clean for over 8months and can look ahead to a life FREE of psyche poisons.

 

Im sharing this, in the hope that it will help give you an angle to look at, from a diffrent perspective, and of course, no one here is condemned for taking meds, but at least, you are informed of the facts, and whichever way you choose to go, we are all here to support you.

 

To succeed at anything in life, you have to kiss many many frogs.

I wish you well whatever you decide.

[Shanti]

Lundeliz, it was quite scary dropping the Paxil. I felt like I was jumping off a bridge, hoping the Prozac would catch me. Fortunately for me, it did. But like Alto said, it's not for everyone. I was still in withdrawals and having brain zaps, but haven't had any since the first couple of days of the switch. I must say it does take some courage to try it but I am glad I gave it a try.

[Baxter]

lundeliz, I am in a very similar position. I have been on Cymbalta since 2005 after pooping out on Celexa, and a previous poopout on Paxil. Ii've been on ADs for over 20 years now. I weaned down from 60mg of Cymbalta and quit taking benzos, but I can't get below the 30mg point without really feeling horrible, unable to work, or leave the house.

 

So, I am pondering the Prozac switch too. It's a big decision. Just know that whatever your decide, there are people here to offer support.

[Jemima]

Would someone please tell me what a "poop-out" is? Does that mean that a person can reach a point where the drug no longer helps and has to switch to another drug?

[lundeliz]

Thank you so much to everyone who made comments or suggestions. I'll read back over

all of these many times before I make a decision. I know that nobody else can make the

decision for me, but I really appreciate the support.

[Shanti]

Would someone please tell me what a "poop-out" is? Does that mean that a person can reach a point where the drug no longer helps and has to switch to another drug?

 

Yes, it's when the drug stops working and you start going into withdrawals even at the high dose.

[Altostrata]

lundeliz, you may be a person for whom Prozac just isn't going to work.

 

It's the longest-acting new-generation antidepressant.

 

Some people do seem to be able to switch to other antidepressants and that enables them to taper.

 

It's a gamble. Nobody knows exactly what to do. And finding a doctor who is even slightly aware of the issues is very difficult.

[Shanti]

Lundeliz, I hope I didn't downplay your need for Geodon. I just personally couldn't take it because of akathisia, but we both know how antipsychotics are such a trial and error to find the right one. You have to do what you have to do to take care of illness. While I'm happy the Niacin helped with the hallucinations, I still have a lot of Schizophrenic symptoms that aren't being helped and I'm seriously thinking about going back on Latuda.

[lundeliz]

Well, after months of being unable to make progress on my taper off Cymbalta, I've decided to try the switch over to Celexa. If I felt okay on Cymbalta, I would

 

be willing to spend months or years more to wean off. I've spent two years tapering, and the side effects from Cymbalta haven't lessened any. So I'm taking the

 

plunge. I took a small plunge last night just to test how it might go. I added in 5 mg of Celexa and dropped Cymbalta from 36 to 30mg. If it goes well, next I will

 

add in 5 more mg of Celexa and drop to 20mg Cymbalta. This is just my own plan. My doctor is willing to let me try whatever I want to do. I really don't know how

 

to do the switch, but this is the plan I've decided to try. Keeping my fingers crossed that it will be doable.

[Nikki]

lundeliz...

 

I questioned sharing this, because as Alto has shared this stuff is hit or miss.

 

When I was tapering Lexapro I got down to 11 mgs. and I remember telling my mother that I would rather be dead than go thru w/d any longer. She knew I was suffering, however I think I scared her. She urged me to take the Imipramine which the MD had suggested to circumvent any more w/d agony.

 

I took it and it did help. I still had to get off the 11mgs. Lexapro, and W/D seems to supercede the benefits of any other medication.

 

I don't know if this is a viable solution for you. I could not take Prozac, ever because it exacerbated anxiety for me.

 

Comb thru all the posts on this site that have anything to do with Cymbalta.....feel for you

 

Hugs

[Altostrata]

Yep, it's hit or miss, but if you're having such difficulty on Cymbalta, it might be worth the risk to try a switch.

 

We have several people on this site who are suffering terribly tapering Cymbalta. What are your symptoms?

 

Please check in often and let us know how you're doing, Lundeliz.

[lundeliz]

Thank you everyone for the comments. This will be my fourth night since I reduced

 

Cymbalta to 30mg and added in 5mg Celexa. So far, so good. I was already having

 

some symptoms, and I don't think they have gotten any worse or better. Not sure how

 

long to wait to reduce again, but Altostrata says do it pretty quickly to keep the element

 

of surprise. So I'm thinking if all is ok, I'll drop again after a week. Still have my hopes

 

up that this will work.

[lundeliz]

Last night I dropped 10mg of Cymbalta, down to 20mg, and added in another

 

5mg of Celexa. So far, it's going very well. I'm actually feeling a little better.

 

Hope this drop goes well too. Feeling so hopeful..

[Altostrata]

I hope so too, lundeliz. Be sure to let us know how you're doing.

[lundeliz]

My 6th day on 20mg of Cymbalta. I've had a horrible burning headache today. I haven't wanted

 

to do anything but sleep. Have also been having all over muscle pain. If it doesn't get any worse,

 

I'll be thankful. Also wondering do I continue with my cross-over schedule, and drop another

 

10mg this week and add another 5mg Celexa? Or do I let symptoms settle a little? I really have

 

no idea if I'm doing any of this right.

[Altostrata]

Wow, you've got a lot to figure out.

 

You're taking 10mg Celexa and 20mg Cymbalta?

[lundeliz]

Well, symptoms didn't get too bad. Mostly just the headaches. That is pretty much gone.

 

So today, I added 5 mg to Celexa and dropped to 10mg Cymbalta. Woohoo! Next drop

 

will be to zero.

 

I'm now on 25mg Celexa, because I messed up a few months ago. I decided to try a crossover

 

and added 10mg Celexa. Then I chickened out and didn't do the crossover. So I was on the Cymbalta

 

plus 10mg Celexa for a few months before I got the nerve to do it. So far, I'm very happy I did it.

 

I know that I will now have to get off the Celexa. But I'm hoping I can have some quality of life

 

while tapering off it. On the Cymbalta, just the side effects from being on it, not to mention withdrawal,

 

made life miserable for many months.

[Altostrata]

That is excellent news, lundeliz. Hope it continues to go well for you.

[lundeliz]

The last drop was the worst. It has been two weeks. I've had pretty severe headaches

 

some hive like itchy bumps and a very hard time staying awake. I'm feeling better

 

today, and hope to make the final drop to zero soon. I'll add in another 5mg of

 

Celexa for a few days before I drop to zero. Hoping it will be bearable. Not sure how

 

long I should wait to start tapering the Celexa, but I'm thinking I'll wait till I hopefully

 

stabilize for a month or so.

[Altostrata]

What was the size of the decrease? Did you have those symptoms for the entire 2 weeks?

 

If you get a chance, please summarize how you did this, the dosages at each step. This is important for others who are having a hard time going off Cymbalta.

[lundeliz]

Hi Alto,

I tapered off for two years by counting beads. It got to a point where I couldn't

 

drop even one bead without suffering. I was down to 36mg from 60mg. I decided

 

I had to try switching over to Celexa (Prozac doesn't agree with me.)

 

• I added in 5mg Celexa for 3 days, then
• Drop 1----36 to 30 [Cymbalta] for about a week
• Added in 5mg more of Celexa for 3 days.
• Drop 2----30 to 20 [Cymbalta] for about a week
• Added in 5mg more of Celexa for 3 days.
• Drop 3----20 to 10 [Cymbalta] (2 weeks so far. Feeling better now.)

   

  As you can see, I didn't have a real plan. It has gone really well I think.

  I never could have done it without the Celexa.

• I will add in 5 more mg of Celexa soon for a few days, then

  make the drop to zero [Cymbalta].

Even though I still have to deal with getting off the Celexa, I will be very very happy to leave Cymbalta behind.

[Altostrata]

Thanks for the details, lundeliz. (I added "Cymbalta" in the post above and made it into steps for clarification.)

 

The way you did the cross-taper from Cymbalta to Celexa was very smart!

 

All together, looks like you'll have completed this over about a month, and you'll be on 20mg Celexa then. Do you plan to hold on the Celexa for a bit?

[lundeliz]

Oh, thank you, Alto. That makes me feel better about

 

my taper. Yes, I do plan to hold on the Celexa for a

 

while. Probably for a couple of months, depending on

 

the w/d symptoms after I drop to zero. Thank you so

 

much for all your comments and encouragement. This site

 

has been my main source of information.

[elizabeth11]

How do you feel on the Celexa? Does it make you sleepy or are you able to keep going?

 

Best wishes on your taper!!

[lundeliz]

Hi elizabeth, (I'm Elizabeth too I won't know for sure how I'll feel on

 

Celexa until I'm completely off Cymbalta and stabilized on Celexa. I don't

 

seem to have side effects from it, but I'll keep posting and let you know

 

as I finish my taper. Thanks!

[lundeliz]

Well, I have had killer headaches since my drop to 10mg Cymbalta. Monday I decided to

 

go ahead and add in the last 5mg of Celexa. I noticed that my headaches got even worse,

 

so I decided on Wed. to make that my last day of Cymbalta. So this is my second day of

 

no Cymbalta. My headaches have actually gotten better. Not much change otherwise, but I

 

will see what the next few weeks brings. Not feeling great, but absolutely nothing like

 

cold turkey. I sleep a LOT. And could sleep more. Achey, weak muscles, but hoping I'm

 

on my way to the finish line.

[Altostrata]

Thanks so much for checking in, lundeliz.

 

You are a problem-solver extraordinaire.

 

How much Celexa are you taking now? People often say it makes them sleepy.

[lundeliz]

Thank you, Alto. You make me feel better about my rather haphazard

 

taper. I'm on 30mg of Celexa, because I was already on 10mg when I

 

started this cross-over. I think 30mg is causing some side effects, and

 

I hope to reduce it pretty quickly, then do a slow taper. Thanks so

 

much for your support.

[Altostrata]

What kind of side effects from Celexa do you have?

[lundeliz]

Took my last Cymbalta 10 days ago. I'm amazed that I've had no

 

new symptoms(so far.) My major complaint is that I feel drugged

 

and very tired. I'm still having some headaches but not as bad.

 

I feel very sedated and sleep a lot. I've had no anxiety, no

 

depression,no brain zaps. I feel like the drugged feeling may

 

be from the Celexa, but I could be wrong. I don't know how long

 

to wait to reduce the dosage. I don't want to do it too soon and

 

have Cymbalta withdrawal show up. For now I guess I will just live

 

in a stupor until I feel it's safe to reduce the Celexa. If anyone

 

could offer an opinion on that, I would really appreciate it.

[Nikki]

Hi....

 

As far as Celexa goes, it makes me feel tired/drugged like you said. I caused more anxiety and I believe my thinking was like a busy mental chatter that I was unable to stop.

 

I found out from this site that 40mgs. of Celexa is alot and so is 30mgs. The maximum, initially when it came out was 20mgs. So, in essence we were overdrugged on it.

 

Some of site members told me I may be feel when I start to taper. Very true

 

I have only decreased about 6 days now, by 1/5th mL and there was an immediate difference for the better in all.

 

Maybe you should wait a bit due to getting off Cymbalta and then go for the Celexa taper.

Rhi impressed it upon me and Bless her heart for doing so....tiny cuts, long breaks in between.

 

My last taper was from Lexapro and I was in a hurry. Due to my impatience I would inevitably have to go back up in dose. I think it took longer for me to get off of it that way.

 

Good luck and hang in there. That was quite the accomplishment - getting off cymbalta

 

Hugs