WoodNymph46 Duloxetine tapering

[WoodNymph46]

Hello everyone,

 

My name is Shannon and I've been tapering off of Cymbalta/Duloxetine for approximately a year now. I began taking it for depression and I have to say it really helped and I thought that I'd be content taking it indefinitely. This was in the summer of 2009. While my depression symptoms had waned significantly I found myself to be super tired. Sleeping 12 hours a night and still feeling exhausted kinda tired. I attributed the fatigue to a lot of things: my husband was out of work, I switched jobs, we moved due to financial strain, 4 kids at home, etc. Once things settled the fatigue never waned, so I thought maybe I was suffering from adrenal fatigue and/or a rotten tooth. I treated both of those and I was still tired. It wasn't until last summer I made the connection that the extreme fatigue came on when I started taking the Cymbalta. I was also becoming disenchanted with the drug because if I missed a dose or was even a couple hours late in taking one I was slammed with a horrible chemical headache and severe nausea.

 

I wanted off the drug. So I saw my doctor (GP) who recommended dropping from 60mg to 30mg for one week, then 30mg every other day for another week, then dropping it entirely. Because of the symptoms I experienced from being late on a dose I was really afraid of his discontinuation schedule. He did give me a referral to a psychiatrist. I made the first available appointment which was 2 months out and then turned to Google and found this site.

 

After reading several threads on tapering I bought a microgram scale on Amazon and some gelatin capsules and began making my own pills. I cut each 21 day dosage by 10%. Each 60mg capsule contained 359 mg of Duloxetine "flakes". With the first 2-3 tapers I suffered from mild but tolerable headaches and g*d awful diarrhea. October of 2014 I began this journey and I've gone from 359mg to 80mg of the "flakes". I don't experience any tapering symptoms at all any more.

 

I'm approaching the end.... or so it feels and I am concerned about how to finally drop off. I've done my best to replace drugs with more natural options. I take turmeric capsules and probiotics daily. I also take zinc and magnesium as well as vitamin D. I've adopted the practice of Reiki which also helps with mental clarity and overall balance. If I can actually incorporate exercise I feel I will be covered for natural depression remedies.

 

I really want support on how to finally get off of this evil medication. I've read about omega 3 capsules and how they help with neurological health. Any support or advice is very much appreciated.

 

Thank you for reading ????

[Altostrata]

Welcome, WoodNymph.

 

Good to hear your taper is going well, and thanks for entering the info in your signature.

 

Very interesting that the initial withdrawal symptoms went away as you tapered further. How did you determine you could decrease every 21 days?

 

You've probably seen Tips for tapering off Cymbalta (duloxetine) Please add your observations about the weight of the capsule contents, how you use the scale, and how you manage your taper to that topic.

 

By my calculations, you are taking 13.37mg Cymbalta. You still have a way to go before going off altogether, see Tapering to zero -- when do you just drop off?

[WoodNymph46]

I made my decision to drop another 10% every 21 days from information I read here but I wouldn't be able to find it again since I don't think I've been on this site since last fall. I'm glad it worked out. Maybe it would have been safer to have waited a bit longer. It's really nuts that I've needed to glean the information necessary to get off these melds off of message boards and not from doctors :/

[bubble]

Hello Woodnymph and congratulations on your taper so far.

 

Most of us have come here after getting very ill and often disabled following the advice of our doctors so we don't find it so strange any more that we are following an online protocol.

 

In addition to this very useful article Alto posted for you I would just like to warn you of yet another "phenomenom" we often observe when dealing with these drugs: some people can reduce doses relatively symptom free for quite some time only to be hit with discontinuation symptoms quite out of the blue somewhere along the line. Some have to updose but even then suffer for quite some time. It's because these drugs come with a delayed response and cuts tend to have accummulative effect especially at lower doses.

 

That's why we can never emphasise enough the importance of periodical longer holds which allow our brains to catch up with necessary adjustment work.

 

This might be the link you found that time: Why taper by 10% of my dosage? It's important to note that we advise 10 % decreases on your current dose (and not on the original one) every 30 days. Some people have to go even slower than that and some who have been on the drugs for shorter periods of time can tolerate bigger cuts. The most important rule is just to pay a very close attention to your symptoms and slow down if they increase.

 

Wishing you the best of luck with the rest of your journey.

 

Bubble

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[WoodNymph46]

Thank you Bubble, I really appreciate your input. After reading many of the stories on here I'm realizing how very fortunate I am to not have experienced some of the more severe reactions/symptoms/side effects that others have. I also appreciate that you shared that many of the issues people are having are at the lower doses. I am feeling anxious to be off of this stuff and have toyed with moving more quickly particularly since I haven't had any symptoms recently. So I'm grateful for your warning. I will continue to move slowly. I have no desire to cripple myself.

[bubble]

It's very nice to hear from you. (and rewarding - many people hear about the experience of others but think they will be an exception which can be pretty frustrating to witness).

 

You have approached this whole process very responsibly from the very beginning and I'm so happy for you it has paid off and am convinced it will continue to be so.

 

Also you have been on this drug shorter than many of us and didn't stress your CNS with other drugs, discontinuing abruptly etc. as many of us have, advised by our doctors, so this will also contribute to the smoother journey.