Beeba Posted December 12, 2015 Share Posted December 12, 2015 I'm completely new to this forum. I've been in 12 step recovery for 20 years. When I had about 4 years clean, I was officially diagnosed with depression. I am not sure where I'm supposed to put this info, but I've been on antidepressants for 16 years. I tried St. John's Wort for a while with some success, but it stopped working. I proceeded to Zoloft for about 5 years after that. That worked as well, but then the efficacy was gone. Now I've been on Cymbalta for the rest of the time and it was fine. Lasted well until the last year or so. When I called my psychiatrist for an appointment, I found out he had been diagnosed with cancer. I saw his substitute who recommended genetic testing to see what ad would work best for me, but my insurance would not pay for that. By the time I was able to call back for follow up, the office was closed permanently. I was given a referral, but the reviews of the psychiatrist were frightening. I tried to make an appointment with my general practitioner, but I was told he had passed away suddenly. I now have an appointment for December 21 with a new gp. I've been without meds for about 2 weeks and the withdrawal symptoms are atrocious. I'm scared of my mind and all these thoughts in my head. It's a miracle that I haven't relapsed, hurt myself, or hurt anyone else. I need your support as much as possible. I've been off Cymbalta (60 mg daily) cold turkey since 30 Nov 15. Muscle cramps, malaise, crying jags, anger, heart palpitations, fear, fear, fear. Reinstated with duloxetine 60 mg every other day sometime in December, 2015 and added Viibryd at 10 mg for a week, then 20 mg daily. Tummy problems and nausea began. Started taper by taking out one bead from capsule of duloxetine per dose every other day for 4 weeks. Tummy problems and nausea subsided. Spasms in legs and eyelids. Continued taper by taking out 3 beads per dose every other day for 4 weeks. Continued taper by taking out 6 beads per dose every other day for 4 weeks. Continued taper by taking out 10 beads per dose every two days as of today 5/25/16. Rework taper by taking out 10 beads per dose and taking every day as of tomorrow 5/26/16. Link to comment
nz11 Posted December 12, 2015 Share Posted December 12, 2015 Beeba welcome i am so glad you have found sa. This is a most terrible place to be in. Any doctor can write a prescription for this stuff are you able to go to an emergency centre or any local doctors clinic and tell them your predicament and get an immediate prescription. Gosh even the drug companies say dont stop taking abruptly. Even plead your case to your pharmacist and they could give some to tie you over surely ...pharmacists seem to have a better insight into these drugs addictive nature than the docs imo. I saw his substitute who recommended genetic testing to see what ad would work best for me, imo this is just nonsense they are all doing the same thing causing emotional numbness....'same church different pew' Sorry to hear the local pdocs are dropping out of action faster than flies in an aerosol advert. Thought for the day: Lets stand up, and let’s speak out , together. G Olsen We have until the 14th. Feb 2018. URGENT REQUEST Please consider submitting for the petition on Prescribed Drug Dependence and Withdrawal currently awaiting its third consideration at the Scottish Parliament. You don't even have to be from Scotland. By clicking on the link below you can read some of the previous submissions but be warned many of them are quite harrowing. http://www.parliament.scot/GettingInvolved/Petitions/PE01651 Please tell them about your problems taking and withdrawing from antidepressants and/or benzos. Send by email to petitions@parliament.scot and quote PE01651 in the subject heading. Keep to a maximum of 3 sides of A4 and you can't name for legal reasons any doctor you have consulted. Tell them if you wish to remain anonymous. We need the numbers to help convince the committee members we are not isolated cases. You have until mid February. Thank you Recovering paxil addict None of the published articles shed light on what ssri's ... actually do or what their hazards might be. Healy 2013. This is so true, with anything you get on these drugs, dependance, tapering, withdrawal symptoms, side effects, just silent. And if there is something mentioned then their is a serious disconnect between what is said and reality! "Every time I read of a multi-person shooting, I always presume that person had just started a SSRI or had just stopped." Dr Mosher. Me too! Over two decades later, the number of antidepressant prescriptions a year is slightly more than the number of people in the Western world. Most (nine out of 10) prescriptions are for patients who faced difficulties on stopping, equating to about a tenth of the population. These patients are often advised to continue treatment because their difficulties indicate they need ongoing treatment, just as a person with diabetes needs insulin. Healy 2015 I believe the ssri era will soon stand as one of the most shameful in the history of medicine. Healy 2015 Let people help people ... in a natural, kind, non-addictive (and non-big pharma) way. J Broadley 2017 Link to comment
Moderator brassmonkey Posted December 12, 2015 Moderator Share Posted December 12, 2015 Hi Beeba-- welcome to the group. I'm so sorry to hear that you've been thrown into this situation. I had a similar one a few years ago when the manufacture of PaxilXR stopped for a few weeks and no one could get any, very painful and scary. Have you tried UrgentCare? they can sometimes give a small prescription to help tide you over until you can get to the doctor. Also sometimes your pharmacy can work with you to help out. Also understand that the symptoms you're feeling, although extremely uncomfortable, are not life threatening. Try to let them roll off and not add secondary fear to them. You can make it through this. Beat me by that much NZ11, but then again you're always a day ahead. LOL 20 years on Paxil starting at 20mg and working up to 40mg. Sept 2011 started 10% every 6 weeks taper (2.5% every week for 4 weeks then hold for 2 additional weeks), currently at 7.9mg. Oct 2011 CTed 15oz vodka a night, to only drinking 2 beers most nights, totally sober Feb 2013. Since I wrote this I have continued to decrease my dose by 10% every 6 weeks (2.5% every week for 4 weeks and then hold for an additional 2 weeks). I added in an extra 6 week hold when I hit 10mg to let things settle out even more. When I hit 3mgpw it became hard to split the drop into 4 parts so I switched to dropping 1mgpw (pill weight) every week for 3 weeks and then holding for another 3 weeks. The 3 + 3 schedule turned out to be too harsh so I cut back to dropping 1mgpw every 4 weeks which is working better. Final Dose 0.016mg. Current dose 0.000mg 04-15-2017 "It's also important not to become angry, no matter how difficult life is, because you can loose all hope if you can't laugh at yourself and at life in general." Stephen Hawking Link to comment
Beeba Posted December 12, 2015 Author Share Posted December 12, 2015 Thank you to both brassmonkey and nz11 for replying so quickly. I'll certainly look into the pharmacist helping me with a "tide me over". I never thought of that, but it makes perfect sense. Thank goodness I found this place! I've been off Cymbalta (60 mg daily) cold turkey since 30 Nov 15. Muscle cramps, malaise, crying jags, anger, heart palpitations, fear, fear, fear. Reinstated with duloxetine 60 mg every other day sometime in December, 2015 and added Viibryd at 10 mg for a week, then 20 mg daily. Tummy problems and nausea began. Started taper by taking out one bead from capsule of duloxetine per dose every other day for 4 weeks. Tummy problems and nausea subsided. Spasms in legs and eyelids. Continued taper by taking out 3 beads per dose every other day for 4 weeks. Continued taper by taking out 6 beads per dose every other day for 4 weeks. Continued taper by taking out 10 beads per dose every two days as of today 5/25/16. Rework taper by taking out 10 beads per dose and taking every day as of tomorrow 5/26/16. Link to comment
nz11 Posted December 12, 2015 Share Posted December 12, 2015 Or in this case 3 mins ahead.. (right now its 7am ..been up since 5 am and this is a good day ..i assume Brassmonkey this is sat night for you ) Anyway Beeba as you can see no matter what time of day or night you post ...sa has got its ears and eyes on. ok to be honest i may have more sympathy for the flies!. Hey since when has dragon been able to read my thoughts 'scratch that'...i said 'scratch that' ! Thought for the day: Lets stand up, and let’s speak out , together. G Olsen We have until the 14th. Feb 2018. URGENT REQUEST Please consider submitting for the petition on Prescribed Drug Dependence and Withdrawal currently awaiting its third consideration at the Scottish Parliament. You don't even have to be from Scotland. By clicking on the link below you can read some of the previous submissions but be warned many of them are quite harrowing. http://www.parliament.scot/GettingInvolved/Petitions/PE01651 Please tell them about your problems taking and withdrawing from antidepressants and/or benzos. Send by email to petitions@parliament.scot and quote PE01651 in the subject heading. Keep to a maximum of 3 sides of A4 and you can't name for legal reasons any doctor you have consulted. Tell them if you wish to remain anonymous. We need the numbers to help convince the committee members we are not isolated cases. You have until mid February. Thank you Recovering paxil addict None of the published articles shed light on what ssri's ... actually do or what their hazards might be. Healy 2013. This is so true, with anything you get on these drugs, dependance, tapering, withdrawal symptoms, side effects, just silent. And if there is something mentioned then their is a serious disconnect between what is said and reality! "Every time I read of a multi-person shooting, I always presume that person had just started a SSRI or had just stopped." Dr Mosher. Me too! Over two decades later, the number of antidepressant prescriptions a year is slightly more than the number of people in the Western world. Most (nine out of 10) prescriptions are for patients who faced difficulties on stopping, equating to about a tenth of the population. These patients are often advised to continue treatment because their difficulties indicate they need ongoing treatment, just as a person with diabetes needs insulin. Healy 2015 I believe the ssri era will soon stand as one of the most shameful in the history of medicine. Healy 2015 Let people help people ... in a natural, kind, non-addictive (and non-big pharma) way. J Broadley 2017 Link to comment
Moderator Emeritus KarenB Posted December 12, 2015 Moderator Emeritus Share Posted December 12, 2015 Hello Beeba, Just a quick thought: if you try a chemist and they say 'no', just try another one. Once I had an emergency need for my SSRI, and discovered that individual chemists have quite different attitudes. I tried 3 chemists before I found one who said 'yes - of course, we are the ones who put the stickers on saying do not stop taking this medicine.' And he thought it awful that the others had refused to help me. Let us know how you get on... Also, be really gentle to yourself, this is not an easy time for you. Eat some good food, minimise the caffeine/alcohol/sugar as much as possible. Rest plenty, drink heaps of water. Hugs, KarenB 2010 Fluoxetine 20mg. 2011 Escitalopram 20mg. 2013 Tapered badly and destabilised CNS. Effexor 150mg. 2015 Begin using info at SurvivingAntidepressants. Cut 10% - bad w/d 2 months, held 1 month. Micro-tapering: four weekly 0.4% cuts, hold 4 weeks (struggling with symptoms). 8 month hold. 2017 Micro-tapering: four weekly 1% cuts, hold 4 weeks (symptoms almost non-existent). 2020 Still micro-tapering. Just over 2/3 of the way off effexor. Minimal symptoms, - and sleeping well. Supplements: Fish oil, vitamin C, iron, oat-straw tea, nettle tea. 2023 December - Now on 5 micro-beads Effexor. Minimal symptoms but much more time needed between drops. Symptoms begin to increase. 2024 April - Updosed to 6 microbeads - immediate increase in symptoms for 4 days. Decreased to 5 microbeads. 'The possibility of renewal exists so long as life exists.' Dr Gabor Mate. Link to comment
Beeba Posted December 12, 2015 Author Share Posted December 12, 2015 Greetings! I was able to get some medicine today. Apparently the dr office sent the script in to the pharmacy but I never knew. I now have enough medicine to get me through until the 21 of December so I can see the new doctor. I'm seriously considering tapering off under doctor's supervision. I feel like I've been drugged for so long how am I supposed to know how I actually feel anymore. However, I will continue to be here to give updates. I'm going to look into saffron and other good things for me. Yoga, meditation, etc. Any and all guidance is welcome. I've been off Cymbalta (60 mg daily) cold turkey since 30 Nov 15. Muscle cramps, malaise, crying jags, anger, heart palpitations, fear, fear, fear. Reinstated with duloxetine 60 mg every other day sometime in December, 2015 and added Viibryd at 10 mg for a week, then 20 mg daily. Tummy problems and nausea began. Started taper by taking out one bead from capsule of duloxetine per dose every other day for 4 weeks. Tummy problems and nausea subsided. Spasms in legs and eyelids. Continued taper by taking out 3 beads per dose every other day for 4 weeks. Continued taper by taking out 6 beads per dose every other day for 4 weeks. Continued taper by taking out 10 beads per dose every two days as of today 5/25/16. Rework taper by taking out 10 beads per dose and taking every day as of tomorrow 5/26/16. Link to comment
nz11 Posted December 13, 2015 Share Posted December 13, 2015 Beeba that is great news. Be wise to pass all docs advice through sa for a second opinion cos there taper schedules generally set them up for repeat business. in the meantime here is a bit of light reading, Tips for tapering off Cymbalta (duloxetine) Thought for the day: Lets stand up, and let’s speak out , together. G Olsen We have until the 14th. Feb 2018. URGENT REQUEST Please consider submitting for the petition on Prescribed Drug Dependence and Withdrawal currently awaiting its third consideration at the Scottish Parliament. You don't even have to be from Scotland. By clicking on the link below you can read some of the previous submissions but be warned many of them are quite harrowing. http://www.parliament.scot/GettingInvolved/Petitions/PE01651 Please tell them about your problems taking and withdrawing from antidepressants and/or benzos. Send by email to petitions@parliament.scot and quote PE01651 in the subject heading. Keep to a maximum of 3 sides of A4 and you can't name for legal reasons any doctor you have consulted. Tell them if you wish to remain anonymous. We need the numbers to help convince the committee members we are not isolated cases. You have until mid February. Thank you Recovering paxil addict None of the published articles shed light on what ssri's ... actually do or what their hazards might be. Healy 2013. This is so true, with anything you get on these drugs, dependance, tapering, withdrawal symptoms, side effects, just silent. And if there is something mentioned then their is a serious disconnect between what is said and reality! "Every time I read of a multi-person shooting, I always presume that person had just started a SSRI or had just stopped." Dr Mosher. Me too! Over two decades later, the number of antidepressant prescriptions a year is slightly more than the number of people in the Western world. Most (nine out of 10) prescriptions are for patients who faced difficulties on stopping, equating to about a tenth of the population. These patients are often advised to continue treatment because their difficulties indicate they need ongoing treatment, just as a person with diabetes needs insulin. Healy 2015 I believe the ssri era will soon stand as one of the most shameful in the history of medicine. Healy 2015 Let people help people ... in a natural, kind, non-addictive (and non-big pharma) way. J Broadley 2017 Link to comment
Moderator Emeritus ChessieCat Posted December 13, 2015 Moderator Emeritus Share Posted December 13, 2015 Hi Beeba, That's great news about getting your script and medication. The best way to come off ADs is by doing a 10% taper of the current dose and holding for several weeks. Please be aware that a doctor may suggest a fast taper. This does not give the brain time to adapt to the lower dose. Why taper by 10% of my dosage? Tapering Off Cymbalta These help to explain what is happening: Video: Healing from Antidepressants: Patterns of Recovery Brain Remodelling You can use your Intro topic to post questions and as a journal of your progress as you taper. Best wishes. CC * NO LONGER ACTIVE on SA * MISSION ACCOMPLISHED: (6 year taper) 0mg Pristiq on 13th November 2021 ADs since ~1992: 25+ years - 1 unknown, Prozac (muscle weakness), Zoloft; citalopram (pooped out) CTed (very sick for 2.5 wks a few months after); Pristiq: 50mg 2012, 100mg beg 2013 (Serotonin Toxicity) Tapering from Oct 2015 - 13 Nov 2021 LAST DOSE 0.0025mg Post 0 updates start here My tapering program My Intro (goes to tapering graph) VIDEO: Antidepressant Withdrawal Syndrome and its Management Link to comment
Administrator Altostrata Posted December 13, 2015 Administrator Share Posted December 13, 2015 Welcome, Beeba. As the absence of the drug has upset your system, you'll want to let it settle down for some months before tapering. Please be aware that very, very few doctors of any kind know anything about tapering. Please consider our slow 10% tapering method. 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
Moderator Emeritus ChessieCat Posted December 13, 2015 Moderator Emeritus Share Posted December 13, 2015 Hi Beeba, Thanks for the PM. I usually double check my hyperlinks but didn't this time. Sorry. Tips for Tapering Off Cymbalta There we go. CC * NO LONGER ACTIVE on SA * MISSION ACCOMPLISHED: (6 year taper) 0mg Pristiq on 13th November 2021 ADs since ~1992: 25+ years - 1 unknown, Prozac (muscle weakness), Zoloft; citalopram (pooped out) CTed (very sick for 2.5 wks a few months after); Pristiq: 50mg 2012, 100mg beg 2013 (Serotonin Toxicity) Tapering from Oct 2015 - 13 Nov 2021 LAST DOSE 0.0025mg Post 0 updates start here My tapering program My Intro (goes to tapering graph) VIDEO: Antidepressant Withdrawal Syndrome and its Management Link to comment
Moderator Emeritus Fresh Posted December 13, 2015 Moderator Emeritus Share Posted December 13, 2015 Hi Beeba , welcome to the site. As you haven't had any cymbalta since 30 November , you may find 60mg too much - you might get an adverse reaction to such a big dose. I would be inclined to take a smaller dose for a few days and see how you go . . . maybe 30mg? Usually the recommended start-up dose when reinstating is 1-2mg , you may want to start as low as that. See About reinstating and stabilizing to reduce withdrawal symptoms Glad you got your meds sorted - you'll be feeling a lot better soon. 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
Moderator Emeritus JanCarol Posted December 20, 2015 Moderator Emeritus Share Posted December 20, 2015 Hey Beeba, did the reinstatement help? Did you get to feeling better before doc's appointment? (I know, that's day after tomorrow, but NZ11 and I live in tomorrow, so I get confused) Please let us know what new p-doc has to say, and if he says anything about tapering? "Easy, easy - just go easy and you'll finish." - Hawaiian Kapuna Holding is hard work, holding is a blessing. Give your brain time to heal before you try again. My suggestions are not medical advice, you are in charge of your own medical choices. A lifetime of being prescribed antidepressants that caused problems (30 years in total). At age 35 flipped to "bipolar," but was not diagnosed for 5 years. Started my journey in Midwest United States. Crossed the Pacific for love and hope; currently living in Australia. CT Seroquel 25 mg some time in 2013. Tapered Reboxetine 4 mg Oct 2013 to Sept 2014 = GONE (3 years on Reboxetine). Tapered Lithium 900 to 475 MG (alternating with the SNRI) Jan 2014 - Nov 2014, tapered Lithium 475 mg Jan 2015 - Feb 2016 = GONE (10 years on Lithium). Many mistakes in dry cutting dosages were made. The tedious thread (my intro): JanCarol ☼ Reboxetine first, then Lithium The happy thread (my success story): JanCarol - Undiagnosed Off all bipolar drugs My own blog: https://shamanexplorations.com/shamans-blog/ I have been psych drug FREE since 1 Feb 2016! Link to comment
Beeba Posted May 24, 2016 Author Share Posted May 24, 2016 I'm not sure where to put this, but I've been tapering from duloxetine (Cymbalta) since December, 2015. My doctor had suggested taking it every other day and then every other day while slowly tapering the amount in the capsule. I wanted to know if this is also suggested here. My mind is a little blurry today so I'm having trouble navigating where to find stuff like this. I've been taking out about 10 "balls" per capsule until I can get back to doctor and ask for a liquid prescription and I take it every two days. I'm also on Viibryd which I haven't tapered yet as I wanted to be off the duloxetine first. I've been off Cymbalta (60 mg daily) cold turkey since 30 Nov 15. Muscle cramps, malaise, crying jags, anger, heart palpitations, fear, fear, fear. Reinstated with duloxetine 60 mg every other day sometime in December, 2015 and added Viibryd at 10 mg for a week, then 20 mg daily. Tummy problems and nausea began. Started taper by taking out one bead from capsule of duloxetine per dose every other day for 4 weeks. Tummy problems and nausea subsided. Spasms in legs and eyelids. Continued taper by taking out 3 beads per dose every other day for 4 weeks. Continued taper by taking out 6 beads per dose every other day for 4 weeks. Continued taper by taking out 10 beads per dose every two days as of today 5/25/16. Rework taper by taking out 10 beads per dose and taking every day as of tomorrow 5/26/16. Link to comment
Moderator Emeritus mammaP Posted May 25, 2016 Moderator Emeritus Share Posted May 25, 2016 Hi Beeba, I merged your new topic with your first intro, we have one topic per person in the intro section, it keeps all your posts in one place and easy to follow. What dose did you start with when you got your prescription in December, and did you start to taper every other day straight away? We don't recommend skipping doses because it plays havoc with the brain and nervous system and you are now feeling it. As you are feeling withdrawal now I would suggest sticking with the 10 beads but taking them every day. Hold that dose until you have been stable for at least a month before restarting the taper. We recommend tapering no more than 10% of the current dose with at least 4 weeks between cuts Here is the topic for tapering cymbalta http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/1024-why-taper-by-10-of-my-dosage/ Many people find that fish oil and magnesium help with withdrawal symptoms, I soon feel it if I run out of them! http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/1300-magnesium-natures-calcium-channel-blocker/ http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/36-omega-3-fatty-acids-fish-oil/ **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
Beeba Posted May 25, 2016 Author Share Posted May 25, 2016 I started back with 60 mg duloxetine in December and he had me skip every other day for 2 weeks until I saw him again. I also started with 10 mg Viibryd at that time. I've had very few other side effects after I reinstated with the duloxetine other than some muscle spasms and bad memory. I find if I'm not getting enough rest, water, good food, etc. then the side effects increase. After I reinstated with the duloxetine at 60 mg, I didn't start tapering until about a month later. I took out 1 bead one month, then 3 beads, then 6 beads, and now ten beads. I will see the doctor again after this prescription runs out and have him write it as a 10% liquid taper that HEB (local pharmacy) can do for me. He is all about tapering as slowly as possible so that I don't have the bad side effects. I will be using the magnesium and fish oil to help out as well. I'll be in touch as much as possible. Also, how to I get my story to post at the bottom each time (signature)? I've been off Cymbalta (60 mg daily) cold turkey since 30 Nov 15. Muscle cramps, malaise, crying jags, anger, heart palpitations, fear, fear, fear. Reinstated with duloxetine 60 mg every other day sometime in December, 2015 and added Viibryd at 10 mg for a week, then 20 mg daily. Tummy problems and nausea began. Started taper by taking out one bead from capsule of duloxetine per dose every other day for 4 weeks. Tummy problems and nausea subsided. Spasms in legs and eyelids. Continued taper by taking out 3 beads per dose every other day for 4 weeks. Continued taper by taking out 6 beads per dose every other day for 4 weeks. Continued taper by taking out 10 beads per dose every two days as of today 5/25/16. Rework taper by taking out 10 beads per dose and taking every day as of tomorrow 5/26/16. Link to comment
Moderator Emeritus scallywag Posted May 25, 2016 Moderator Emeritus Share Posted May 25, 2016 ... I will see the doctor again after this prescription runs out and have him write it as a 10% liquid taper that HEB (local pharmacy) can do for me. He is all about tapering as slowly as possible so that I don't have the bad side effects. ... Also, how to I get my story to post at the bottom each time (signature)? Hi Beeba. It sounds like you have an educated, informed doctor. Lucky you! I'm tapering off Cymbalta as well. Unfortunately Cymbalta (duloxetine HCl) has to be protected from stomach acids with enteric coating. There isn't yet a liquid formulation. Here's an explanation about creating signatures: Please put your withdrawal history in your signature. This is not medical advice. Discuss any decisions about your medical care with a knowledgeable medical practitioner.1997-1999 Effexor; 2002-2005 Effexor XR 37.5 mg linear taper, dropping same #beads/week with bad results Cymbalta 60 mg 2012 - 2015; 2016: 20 mg to 7 mg exact doses and dates in this post; 2017: 6.3 mg to 0.0 mg Aug. 12; details here scallywag's IntroductionOnline spreadsheet for dose taper calculations and nz11's THE WORKS spreadsheet Link to comment
Moderator Emeritus SquirrellyGirl Posted May 25, 2016 Moderator Emeritus Share Posted May 25, 2016 Hi Beeba, We do not recommend alternating days on SA because it is like going cold turkey one day and back to full dose the next, very confusing for the nervous system to know how to respond. How many little beads are in each capsule? It would be best to count the number in at least three capsules, and then take the average (total # beads/number of capsules counted). This would be the number to base your calculations off of. Once you have done that, you can calculate the dosage of medicine per bead by dividing the dosage (60 mg) by the average number of beads. This gives you mgs/bead. Multiply that number by the number of beads you are now taking and let us know what dosage you are on now. You can edit your signature your signature by going up to your username at the top of the page (right), clicking on it, and then selecting "my settings." On the left side of the page you will see "Signature," which will then allow you to edit. How have you been feeling as you taper down with your doctor's method? We suggest taking the same dosage daily, making cuts every 4-6 weeks only as long as you are not experiencing withdrawal symptoms. I'm glad that your doctor is more conservative than most! SG Started ADs back around 1995 after bad break-up, starting with Prozac. Switched to Wellbutrin, and then to Effexor in 2002 Effexor XR 2002-2014 up to 225 mg at one point, down to 37.5 mg towards end but back up to 75 mg in 2014; now realize I had W/D as I dropped down, memory very poor about history. Extreme emotions, poor concentration as I stepped back down, didn't connect the dots! Summer 2014 reduced to 0 very quickly, was sick of anhedonia/sexual dysfunction due to meds, depression never controlled if not worse. Didn't recognize WD since symptoms built slowly (thought I had ADD! and menopausal on top of it), starting with severe sweats, very bad cog-fog and memory issues, culminating in weight loss, severe anxiety and depression, panic, severe apathy and insomnia by eight months off. Saw p-doc who put me on Remeron, increased from 7.5 mg/day to 37.5 mg by May 22, 2015; still doing very badly though able to sleep. June 1. 2015 Reinstated Effexor XR 37.5 mg, Remeron dropped to 30 mg PM. Immediate relief of symptoms, like nothing had ever happened! Joined SA and began on advice of friend who recognized it was WD all along! Began tapering in July 2015. Been tapering both meds ever since, focusing on one more than the other or doing no more than 5% of each per month. 12 mg Effexor and 5.8 mg Remeron (mirtazapine SolTabs to make a solution with OraPlus) as of 5/4/2017 Update 3/14/18: 2.9 mg Remeron and 6 mg Effexor; 6/10/18: 2.6 mg Remeron and 4.9 mg Effexor My intro: http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/9313-squirrellygirl-effexor-withdrawal-etc/page-2#entry196679 This is not medical advice. Discuss any decisions about your medical care with a knowledgeable medical practitioner. Link to comment
Moderator Emeritus scallywag Posted May 25, 2016 Moderator Emeritus Share Posted May 25, 2016 I started back with 60 mg duloxetine in December and he had me skip every other day for 2 weeks until I saw him again. Beeba - for some reason I didn't register that you had skipped doses per your doctor's advice. I'm sorry I missed that. As SquirrellyGirl says below & above, skipping doses is not a good idea, especially with a drug with a short half life, like Cymbalta which has a half-life of 12 hours. After you take it, Cymbalta takes on average 6 hours to absorb then 12 hours later there's 50% of the initial dose. Every 12 hours, your body metabolizes another 50%, so at 24 hours after absorption you've got 25% of the initial amount. 100% to 50% to 25% to 12.5% to 6.25% in 48 hours! A daily dose tops up the amount in your system so that after 3-4 days there's very little change in the amount of drug in your body. We do not recommend alternating days on SA because it is like going cold turkey one day and back to full dose the next, very confusing for the nervous system to know how to respond. This is not medical advice. Discuss any decisions about your medical care with a knowledgeable medical practitioner.1997-1999 Effexor; 2002-2005 Effexor XR 37.5 mg linear taper, dropping same #beads/week with bad results Cymbalta 60 mg 2012 - 2015; 2016: 20 mg to 7 mg exact doses and dates in this post; 2017: 6.3 mg to 0.0 mg Aug. 12; details here scallywag's IntroductionOnline spreadsheet for dose taper calculations and nz11's THE WORKS spreadsheet Link to comment
Beeba Posted May 26, 2016 Author Share Posted May 26, 2016 Okay so I'm going to take this advice to heart and go back to taking the duloxetine every day with still taking out 10 beads per capsule. I did a count of the beads and the capsule contained 175. However, I didn't do 3 capsules so I will do that over this weekend. I saw someone had used cupcake cups for counting and weighing which is brilliant. I was using a kid's Spiderman divided plate which had static electricity and created havoc on the counting process. For the most part, I've only had recurring symptoms when I run out of meds. This happened once when I had no money to buy the meds. I forgot that duloxetine isn't able to be liquefied so I'll have to reassess that thought. I forget a lot. I'm so grateful I have specific scripts to read at work. That helps so much. I have to write myself sticky notes and then I forget them in my purse or something like that. Still, despite all this, I remain hopeful that I can get off these meds and then taper the Viibryd after that. I want to feel myself again. Thank you for the encouraging words and help. I've been off Cymbalta (60 mg daily) cold turkey since 30 Nov 15. Muscle cramps, malaise, crying jags, anger, heart palpitations, fear, fear, fear. Reinstated with duloxetine 60 mg every other day sometime in December, 2015 and added Viibryd at 10 mg for a week, then 20 mg daily. Tummy problems and nausea began. Started taper by taking out one bead from capsule of duloxetine per dose every other day for 4 weeks. Tummy problems and nausea subsided. Spasms in legs and eyelids. Continued taper by taking out 3 beads per dose every other day for 4 weeks. Continued taper by taking out 6 beads per dose every other day for 4 weeks. Continued taper by taking out 10 beads per dose every two days as of today 5/25/16. Rework taper by taking out 10 beads per dose and taking every day as of tomorrow 5/26/16. Link to comment
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