gardenlady

[gardenlady]

2 hours ago, Gridley said:

I asked the other mods for their thoughts.  The advice was either to hold, since it's so soon after the benzo taper--or to do a micro-taper of the Cymbalta,   It's very possible that the AD is stimulating and perhaps a slight reduction might help.  

 

 

Thanks for your kind help and response, Gridley.  What would a micro taper of Cymbalta look like?  Right now, I'm using the weight method with a gram scale.  I'm down to about 48.3 mg which weighs .411 g on my scale.  I've been there for about 9 months.  My 60 mg capsules are Teva brand duloxetine and have varying numbers of beads in them.  I counted several and no two had the same number.  The average number of beads in a 60 mg capsule was about 315.   

[Gridley]

Sorry, I neglected to include the link.  Here it is:

Micro-taper instead of 10% or 5% decreases

 

You'll see that Alto, who wrote the post, uses Cymbalta as an example, which is helpful.  She gives specific instructions in the section, "How to do a micro-taper."  So you would take the numbers of beads out that you normally do to get from 60 to 48.3.  Then take out one more.  And continue as she instructs.

 

 

 

[Altostrata]

gardenlady, since you removed the "brake" of Valium, it is indeed possible that now your body is finding Cymbalta too stimulating.

 

What time of day do you take Cymbalta? Does your sense of overstimulation or other symptoms follow any daily pattern?

[gardenlady]

1 hour ago, Altostrata said:

gardenlady, since you removed the "brake" of Valium, it is indeed possible that now your body is finding Cymbalta too stimulating.

 

What time of day do you take Cymbalta? Does your sense of overstimulation or other symptoms follow any daily pattern?

I take the Cymbalta mid morning.  I am experiencing depression, fear and terror 24/7, but it's even worse upon waking.  The existential fear and sense of impending doom is indescribable. It takes quite awhile to recover from waking up.  I'm sleeping only about 2-3 hours/night, so try to go back to sleep when I can.  On days when I don't fall asleep till 5 am or so, I stay in bed till 11 am or later just trying to drift off again, which I usually do, although I wake up every hour or so.  

 

How would I micro taper the Cymbalta using a scale?  I checked out the link Gridley provided, but didn't see your example using Cymbalta that he referenced.  I'm 65 and it's too hard for me to count hundreds of beads, so I am using a gram scale.  My current dose of 48.3 mg weighs .411 g.  How would I do a micro taper from this point and using a scale?  The scales aren't really accurate to the .001 as they claim...there is variation even after calibrating.  Just wonder how a micro taper would work when the scale isn't as accurate as it needs to be.  

 

In May 2017, I decreased from 60 mg to 54 mg without too much difficulty.  But, the cut from 54 mg to 48.3 mg was brutal as I was also tapering a benzo.  So, I had to stop.  I became frighteningly despondent and agitated with suicidal ideation.  I live alone with no family or friends to support me, so I'm scared to put myself in that position again.  However, I think the Cymbalta is making me sick, so it's a dilemma.  Thanks for any help you can offer. 

[gardenlady]

4 hours ago, Gridley said:

So you would take the numbers of beads out that you normally do to get from 60 to 48.3.  Then take out one more.  And continue as she instructs.

Gridley, Since I'm using a scale, I'm not taking out beads...I weigh them.  How does this micro taper work when using the weight method?  I'm not able to count beads as it's too difficult...I'm 65 with no one to help.  I understand how to weigh beads for a regular cut of 10% or 5%, but am unsure of how to micro taper with the scale as the cuts are so tiny and the scale has to be more accurate than mine is.  My scale allegedly is accurate to .001, but it isn't, even after calibrating.  Just wondering if someone could explain to me how to micro taper using a scale that isn't precise to the .001 degree.  All of this is increasing my anxiety even more as I remember how scary it was cutting the Cymbalta while in benzo withdrawal.  I really feel the need to get off the agitating Cymbalta, but am so scared since I'm unstable from benzo withdrawal. 

[Gridley]

I understand your concern about getting off the Cymbalta. I have asked the other mods for counsel and we will be be getting back to you with advice,

[brassmonkey]

Hi Gardenlady--  Trying to make sense of the numbers can be really frustrating, especially when we are worried that any little slip up could cause a lot pf pain.  For the sake of our other readers a "microtaper" is achieved by doing reductions that are very small, frequently less than 1%.  This is often done using the liquid version of the drug in question, but can be done very nicely using the scales that we are all use to using.  A microtaper done using the scales can not be as finely tuned as one done with liquid, but with a little care surprisingly small reductions can be achieved.

 

The key to doing a microtaper with scales is to use the Active Ingredient Concentration as the basis for your calculations.  The Active Ingredient Concentration is the weight of the pill divided by the strength of the full dose.  If we use the numbers that Gardenlady provided above it would look like this;

 

411mgpw / 48.3 mgai = 8.5  (it's best to use the weight of a whole pill and the listed strength from the bottle, but this will get us surprisingly close.)

 

This means that for every 8.5mg of pill material you get 1mg of active ingredient.  To take it one step further, we divide that 1mgai by 8.5 mgpw and get 0.12. Which means that every 1mgpw contains 0.12mgai.  That's just over 1/10 of 1mgai or written out in long form 0.00012mgai.  However you write it, there's not a whole lot of active ingredient in 1mgpw of pill material.

 

This is telling us that the small fluctuations in the scales accuracy don't make a whole lot of difference in the actual dose that you weigh out.

 

You can figure out the weight of a specific dose using the Active Ingredient Concentration.  Again  I will use the numbers Gardenlady provided above for an example.  Say she wants to do a 1/2% drop for her next taper.  She is currently taking 48.3mgai for her dose. We would multiply that by .995 to get the new dose.  48.3mgai X .995 = 48.0mgai

 

We then multiply the new dose by the Active Ingredient Concentration of 8.5.    48.0 X 8.5 = 408  So the weight that we measure out on the scale for the new dose is 408mgpw. The only tricky part now is manipulating the little beads to get the correct weight.

 

Hope that helps.

 

Brassmonkey

[gardenlady]

Thanks, brass!  Very understandable, I think.   Would it be logical to also subtract 1/2% (.005) from the original weight of .411?  So, .411 * .005 = .002005.  .411 - .002005 = .408995.  Rounded it would be .409 which is pretty close to what you came up with.  In other words, couldn't I just subtract the percentage cut from the previous bead weight?   Seems like it would be a more direct calculation without having to bring the Active Ingredient into the equation.  But, perhaps I'm missing something, which wouldn't at all surprise me!  

 

How often should such small/micro taper cuts be made?  And what percentage cut would you recommend for me given that I'm in benzo withdrawal?

[brassmonkey]

The easiest method would be to multiply the previous dose weight by .995 for a 1/2% reduction. Which would give you 408.9mgpw. But as you noticed there will be a bit of rounding error.  This doesn't count for much on any one drop, but can accumulate and have an affect that way.  Using the Active Ingredient Concentration is the most accurate way to calculate it. I used a percentage of the dose weight for most of my taper, but I was doing 2.5% for each drop.

 

We have an excellent discussion on microtapering here   Micro-taper instead of 10% or 5% decreases

Considering that you just finished your valium taper a few days ago, I wouldn't do anything for a couple of months to let things have some time to stabilize. Then we can see how you're feeling and decide what would be a good percentage to start with.

[gardenlady]

Brass, What's your opinion of crossing from Cymbalta to another AD that's longer acting?  Is Cymbalta unique in that it's particularly difficult to cross from?  It seems like that's what many think, but would like your and the other mods' views.  I was thinking perhaps I'd feel better if I could switch to another AD I've tolerated well before and then taper at a later date.  I've tried many ADs over time, and haven't had problems until Cymbalta.  None of them ever helped with the depression, which is situational, so that's why I want off.  Research has shown that long term use can actually lead to chronic depression. 

 

I've been off of the valium for a month and 3 days.  So, you think I should wait another month before doing anything?

[brassmonkey]

The drug of choice for doing a "bridge" is prozac.  It is a very iffy proposition though.  Some times it works bout more often than not the person has more trouble with the new drug than they had with the old.  The change is done with a several month cross taper.  This leaves the person with symptoms from a too fast taper of the original drug that are trying to be masked by the new drug.  They also get start up symptoms from the new drug.  During the cross taper there can be severe drug interactions.  Many people are left sensitized to the original drug so going back is not an option because it would cause an adverse reaction.  It can take a very long time to cross taper and stabilize before an actual taper can be started.  All in all, in my mind, there are just too many things that can go wrong to warrant the change.

 

Any taper should be started from a place of stability.  After reaching "0" on any drug there will still be a lot of activity going on that we are not fully aware of.  There will be windows and waves for quite some time after stopping as the body sorts out unfinished business.  To start a new taper while that is happening just adds to the chaos and can cause new and unpleasant symptoms that will take longer to settle than it would have taken to wait in the first place.

[gardenlady]

Thanks for the info, Brass.  I took Prozac for a long time and never had an issue with it, so I'm not worried about my reaction to it since it's technically not a "new" drug for me.  I have crossed from one AD to another AD many times and never had a problem.  But, I wasn't in benzo withdrawal.  I have successfully taken and crossed from/to Prozac, Paxil, Lexapro, Pristiq, Zoloft.  I couldn't tolerate Remeron as it caused Restless Leg Syndrome.  I was always on normal doses of the AD....I wasn't crossing to increasingly higher doses.  I kept changing because none of them ever helped with my depression....not because of side effects, except for Remeron.  I finally figured out that because my depression is caused by a life situation, a pill can't help.  That's why I want off. 

 

The trick is how to cross over without causing serotonin syndrome. Perhaps you can advise me on this after I've been off the benzo for awhile longer.  

 

Do you have any info about Cymbalta being harder than other ADs to bridge/cross from to another AD?

[Altostrata]

23 hours ago, gardenlady said:

I take the Cymbalta mid morning.

 

Do you mean around 10 a.m.? What is your symptom pattern in the afternoon?

 

How much Valium were you taking when you jumped off? Did your symptoms get worse afterward?

[gardenlady]

2 hours ago, Altostrata said:

 

Do you mean around 10 a.m.? What is your symptom pattern in the afternoon?

 

How much Valium were you taking when you jumped off? Did your symptoms get worse afterward?

Yes, I take Cymbalta around 10 am.  I am anxious with terror all day....it's particularly bad in the morning upon waking and it takes awhile for me to get back to "baseline terror" after getting up.  The sxs stay with me all day.  They aren't different in the afternoon or evening. 

 

While tapering, I had symptoms the day after a cut, very quickly...more so than most do on valium as it has such a long half life.  That surprised me....when I got under about 7 mg, I started getting symptoms the day after a cut.  Very odd.  

 

I jumped from about .11 mg valium on Jan 11, 2018.   Symptoms didn't start getting worse till I was about 3 or 4 weeks off.  The sxs seem to be getting worse with each passing day.  As of today, I've been off valium 1 month and 3 days. 

 

Do you have any info about Cymbalta being harder than other ADs to bridge/cross from to another AD?

[Altostrata]

What sxs are you talking about? sxs means side effects.

 

Going on and off drugs can make your nervous system hypersensitive to reductions. You have been rushing your tapers along. You had difficulty reducing Cymbalta in May 2017 -- although you did reduce about 20% within a month, which may have triggered the problems. You are very recently off Valium. Reductions were difficult.

 

Since your symptoms are getting worse the longer you're off Valium -- it takes several weeks for Valium to wash out of your system -- it looks like you have withdrawal symptoms from that.

 

When you started Cymbalta, you were already taking a benzo (Ativan).  It also may be that the benzo (Ativan or Valium) was masking adverse effects of Cymbalta all along, and you are now experiencing Cymbalta side effects. You may have both Cymbalta side effects and Valium withdrawal.

 

Do you have any Valium left?

[gardenlady]

Thanks so much, Alto, for responding!  I was hoping you would!  

 

Sorry....I thought sxs meant symptoms!  I don't have side effects, except agitation from Cymbalta.  The valium did make me very depressed, but I'm off of it now. 

 

Yes, I do have valium, but have vowed to never take another benzo.  I was sick the whole time I was on it and cannot fathom ever taking that poison again.  I tapered for over a year, so I don't consider that a rushed taper.  Valium made me horribly depressed.

 

My psychologist who also has an advanced degree in psychopharmocology said he's never seen anyone as sensitive to drugs as I am and that I should never had taken any of them at all.  

 

I think you are correct in writing that I am experiencing Cymbalta side effects and benzo withdrawal.  What should I do?  Reinstating the benzo is not an option as I've already learned the hard way that it just makes things worse.  Been there done that.  Huge mistake. 

 

Do you have any info about Cymbalta being harder than other ADs to bridge/cross from to another AD?

[Altostrata]

If you have benzo withdrawal, making additional drug changes might be very difficult, making the nervous system upset even worse.

 

Withdrawal syndrome means your nervous system is already stressed. See What is withdrawal syndrome?

 

Bridging off Cymbalta is unpredictable. Cymbalta is not related to other drugs. I heard a psychiatrist once say Savella was possibly a plausible bridge, but it's rarely prescribed and I don't know anything else about it.

 

We suggest a bridge, such as Prozac, only when there is no other alternative. You can count beads to reduce Cymbalta.

 

So your guess is as good as any in terms of switching drugs. Personally, I don't think that's a good idea, but it's up to you. Since March 2017, we've cautioned you several times about various moves, but you've made your own decisions.

[brassmonkey]

It's an SSNRI used to treat fibromyalgia based on the chemical imbalance model of neurotransmitters. It affects both serotonin and norepinephrine so you get twice the trouble from a single drug. It is very expensive, costing 25 times what Cymbalta does, and for treating fibro. it is known to not be very effective.  It plays badly with just about every drug category there is, especially the ones we are commonly exposed to.  It causes liver disease,  renal disease, and seizures to name just a few.  I would stay as far away from Savella as possible.

 

 

[Altostrata]

Thanks, brassmonkey. Savella is like Cymbalta's weaker evil cousin.

[gardenlady]

1 hour ago, Altostrata said:

Since March 2017, we've cautioned you several times about various moves, but you've made your own decisions.

Thanks, Alto.  I am going to wait until I'm more stable to taper Cymbalta and will weigh beads as I've done in the past. 

 

I'm sorry if you are frustrated with me....I'm trying to remember what I did that caused offense.  I do value your and the others mods' advice, but have been so sick on these drugs that I had to get off in as reasonable a timeframe as possible.  I am much better off the valium that I was on it, so am glad to have that one checked off.   I think perhaps I was advised to taper directly from Ativan, but that proved impossible for me as I couldn't tolerate the interpose withdrawals.  As depressed as valium made me, it was my only choice.  Still trying to remember what else I did that went against advice. 

 

Will you and the other mods be willing to help me when I start the taper?  I get the feeling that I've alienated myself from you all and very sorry if that's the case.  I certainly didn't intend to be unappreciative....I am thankful for all that you do as this is completely a volunteer effort for all of you and I am humbled by your being willing to reach and help me and others.  

 

I was concerned by your statement, "Cymbalta is not related to other drugs."  What does that mean?  Is it in a dangerous class by itself?   

 

Thank you again for your kind help and please know how grateful I am.

[Altostrata]

I'm glad you're feeling better off Valium, but my sense is you're suffering from benzo withdrawal. I'm not sure what we can do for you within those parameters. We did caution you to go slower, to avoid benzo withdrawal.

 

So you're stuck dealing with benzo withdrawal. Ordinarily, one would make a tiny reinstatement in this situation.

 

Reducing the Cymbalta dosage or switching from Cymbalta to another drug is not going to relieve benzo withdrawal and may add to it. Cymbalta, an SNRI, is not in a particularly dangerous class, it just doesn't have any near relatives. Effexor is an SNRI, but I haven't seen it be an effective bridge off Cymbalta. Prozac, an SSRI, is in another class.

 

As I said before, with Cymbalta, you've got bead-counting. You don't need a bridge unless you find reducing bead by bead is intolerable.

[gardenlady]

Thanks, Alto.  Yes, I'm in benzo withdrawal, but I think it was inevitable as I couldn't have tolerated being on it longer.  I do think the taper of 15 months wasn't rapid and was in fact pretty slow and reasonable given how sick the reinstatement made me.  

 

 

[Altostrata]

As I've said, you've made your own decisions for your own reasons.

 

A tiny reinstatement may relieve the benzo withdrawal symptoms. Otherwise, you'll have to wait for the symptoms to go away. I do not know how long that will take.

 

Many people do better with fish oil and magnesium supplements, see
http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/36-king-of-supplements-omega-3-fatty-acids-fish-oil/

http://survivingantidepressants.org/topic/15483-magnesium-natures-calcium-channel-blocker/

 

A lot of people find them helpful. Try a little bit of one at a time to see how it affects you.

 

[gardenlady]

I'm having a really hard time with my Cymbalta taper.  I'm weighing beads. I'm just shy of being off of a benzo for six months, so that is probably making it harder.  In June, I tried to cut at a rate of 2.5% a week which amounts to 10% a month.  But, I hit a wall 3 weeks ago and had to hold at 39 mg.  I'm just now cutting again to 38 mg and may have to hold it for a couple of weeks.  It seems odd to be having such a hard time cutting at a relatively high dose.  Is this unusual?  I thought it didn't get this hard till below 20 mg or so.

 

From what I can tell so far, the AD taper is as hard if not harder than the benzo taper, but since I'm probably still in benzo withdrawal, it's difficult to tell.  I thought the benzo taper and withdrawal would be worse.

 

My symptoms are dp/dr, fear, terror, black chemical depression, paranoia, agoraphobia, insomnia, tinnitus.  They are constant and do not follow any pattern...food or other such things don't affect it.  I feel the same level of horror all the time. I've lost my family, friends and home due to this nightmare.  I'm 65 and alone with no husband or children. 

 

I am taking 350 mg of magnesium and 1 tsp Nordic Natural Omega 3 fish oil a day, but it hasn't helped.  I do walk about 2 miles a day, but that doesn't help either.  I haven't found anything that helps, even on the non-drug Coping Skills link. 

 

Sorry to be so negative, but that's just the way it is.  The only positive is that I must be healing from the benzo taper and at least I'm down from 60 mg of Cymbalta a year ago to 38 mg so I'm ingesting less of the poison. 

[Altostrata]

Hello, gardenlady.

 

Your nervous system is still sensitive and it's asking for a rest. It's no shame to hold for a good while. Enjoy the summer and take care of yourself. Let your system settle down and you'll be able to taper later.

[gardenlady]

I have tapered from 60 mg Cymbalta to 34 mg and am now reducing the dosage by 1 bead every other day.  It's been brutal since I got down to 39 mg.  At this rate, it may take me 2+ years to get off, so I am considering a Prozac bridge.  I have an appointment with my doctor on Aug 20 to discuss it, but am concerned as he doesn't understand/believe how difficult AD withdrawal can be for some people.  

 

If I'm having trouble dropping 1 bead every other day at 34 mg, how would I go about cutting if and when I've started the Prozac bridge and been taking it for a couple of weeks?  Should I continue bead counting the Cymbalta?  I'm very afraid of how bad I'll get....I live alone and have no one to help.  I'm 65 years old.  Should I expect the Cymbalta withdrawal to be as bad with the Prozac as without it?  Just wondering what others have experienced when doing a Prozac bridge at such a high dose of Cymbalta. How big a risk is serotonin syndrome? 

[gardenlady]

Ever since I started Cymbalta, I've felt an internal clawing and agitation....it's odd because it's both emotional and physical...hard to explain.  I feel it in my chest/heart area.  I never felt it before Cymbalta nor with any other AD.  I feel like I'm poisoned.  Does anyone else have this?  

[FarmGirlWorks]

I was never on Cymbalta but def had the "hurting heart" problem which felt like a dull pain that ached across my chest. It has diminished the longer I am off ADs. Sorry you are feeling this, it made me feel sad as I didn't understand it. I guess I still don't but it is now a tiny pain, not a huge one.

[Altostrata]

On 8/10/2018 at 7:34 PM, gardenlady said:

I have tapered from 60 mg Cymbalta to 34 mg and am now reducing the dosage by 1 bead every other day.  It's been brutal since I got down to 39 mg.  At this rate, it may take me 2+ years to get off, so I am considering a Prozac bridge.  I have an appointment with my doctor on Aug 20 to discuss it, but am concerned as he doesn't understand/believe how difficult AD withdrawal can be for some people.  

 

If I'm having trouble dropping 1 bead every other day at 34 mg, how would I go about cutting if and when I've started the Prozac bridge and been taking it for a couple of weeks?  Should I continue bead counting the Cymbalta?  I'm very afraid of how bad I'll get....I live alone and have no one to help.  I'm 65 years old.  Should I expect the Cymbalta withdrawal to be as bad with the Prozac as without it?  Just wondering what others have experienced when doing a Prozac bridge at such a high dose of Cymbalta. How big a risk is serotonin syndrome? 

 

Hi, gardenlady. I moved your post here from the Prozac bridge topic.

 

If I were you, I'd stop tapering Cymbalta immediately. On June 28, I suggested a hold. Did you try this? What happened?

 

It could be that at this lower dose of Cymbalta, you won't have the adverse effects.

 

Yes, there are risks in switching to Prozac. Ascertaining a daily symptom pattern on your current Cymbalta dosage will help determine the best course. Please keep daily notes on paper about your symptoms, when you take your drugs, and their dosages. Use a simple list format with time of day on the left and notation (symptom, drug and dosage) on the right.

[Iatrogenesis]

Hi, Gardenlady. I can say Prozac for me is brutal and was even more brutal at 40mg that I needed to bridge from around 50-60mg, I guess, of Zoloft that was the dose below which I started experiencing withdrawal symptoms.

Tension, insomnia, fatigue and "spaced-outedness" inducing, however I guess the tension/akathisia problem for me has been aggravated by many years of AP usage.

However, since it allows me to quit ADs, I still don't mind.

That being said, it's not certain by any means you would experience any of those effects. Online search told me some people indeed find it quite disruptive, while some don't.

Yes, there sure is a difference between 40mg and 14 that I'm at now, even though sleep still isn't normal (and I doubt at this point it's going to be before I'm done, but again, don't let that discourage you)

[gardenlady]

On 8/14/2018 at 3:07 PM, Altostrata said:

 

Hi, gardenlady. I moved your post here from the Prozac bridge topic.

 

If I were you, I'd stop tapering Cymbalta immediately. On June 28, I suggested a hold. Did you try this? What happened?

 

It could be that at this lower dose of Cymbalta, you won't have the adverse effects.

 

Yes, there are risks in switching to Prozac. Ascertaining a daily symptom pattern on your current Cymbalta dosage will help determine the best course. Please keep daily notes on paper about your symptoms, when you take your drugs, and their dosages. Use a simple list format with time of day on the left and notation (symptom, drug and dosage) on the right.

Yes, I did hold earlier in the summer and nothing much happened....similar to when I held for a year at 48 mg.  I restarted the micro taper after several weeks and each cut was brutal.  I hit the wall at 34 mg and felt the worst ever at that dose.  The lower I go, the more extreme the symptoms.  

 

I'm holding again now.  The symptoms do not change during they day, so there is no "pattern."  I am in a continual state of anhendonia, fear, black chemical depression with the inability to experience pleasure or satisfaction in anything.  I do walk each day, but it doesn't help.  I'm not able to relate to people so am isolated.  Akathisia is a problem along with a horrible sensation of "aluminim foil on fillings" throughout my body.  I've felt this systemic, poisoned sensation ever since starting Cymbalta. 

 

I take the pill 1 hour after waking as I take my Synthroid upon waking and must wait an hour before taking anything else.  Food has no effect on me nor does anything else.  Just a constant state of merely existing.   I lie awake all night and then doze off and on between the very early hours of the morning and noon.  I've tried every non-drug coping technique there is and nothing helps with the insomnia and anhedonia. 

 

I went to my doctor yesterday and he gave me 10 mg Prozac.  I took the first one today and hope to manage a bridge to it from Cymbalta as Cymbalta is proving impossible for me to taper.   I realize the bridge may not work, but I don't know what else to do. 

[Altostrata]

In 3 days, I would cut the Cymbalta in half. Prozac and Cymbalta in combination can cause serotonin toxicity. You'll need to drop it completely within 2 weeks.

 

You might have a bumpy ride while the Prozac takes effect over the next couple of weeks. Please let us know how you're doing. Please keep daily notes on paper about your symptoms, when you take your drugs, and their dosages. Use a simple list format with time of day on the left and notation (symptom, drug and dosage) on the right.

 

It is possible your symptoms come from your thyroid medication needing to be adjusted. Don't do this until you are stable on the antidepressant.

[gardenlady]

I chickened out on the cross taper to Prozac as I didn't think I could make the huge Cymbalta cuts fast enough to get off it in a short amount of time.  I'm sensitive to even 2.5 mg cuts and doubt the 10 mg Prozac would have been much of a buffer.  Perhaps I'll try again when I'm at a lower dose.  

 

I'm now down to 30.5 mg of Cymbalta.  The disturbing thing is that my entire personality changed for the worse during the course of the taper and I wonder if I'll ever be normal again.  It's really scary. 

[gardenlady]

Has anyone else had a total personality change for the worse when tapering an AD?  I'm wondering how to survive this as I have another 1+ year of tapering and then the recovery after that.  I have lost my family and friends because of it.  I've turned into someone I've never known before and am sorry I've met her. 

[Gridley]

garden lady,

 

Please Google "SurvivingAntidepressants personality change"  What you describe is quite common. There's encouragement to be found in the thread, with one poster describing how his old personality returned as he came out of withdrawal.  

[gardenlady]

gridley, , Thanks so much for directing me to Sertramean's thread in which he mentions personality disintegration.  He experienced it when in withdrawal after an AD cold turkey.  I am experiencing it now (among many other symptoms) in my Cymbalta taper and  am down to 29 mg from 60 mg.  This taper will take at year more or longer, I'm guessing, and then I'll have to go thru withdrawal after that.  I haven't read of anyone who didn't have withdrawals even after a slow taper of Cymbalta.  It scares me to think I have years of living with personality disintegration ahead of me.  I'm just existing now and not living as I'm so detached from myself & others.  I'm so frightened.