Andy1027: Tapering Cymbalta 30mg

[andy1027]

Hi everyone, this is my first post. Just want to say thank you so much to Altostrata for creating this website and spending so much time over the years to develop this as a resource. 

 

I am a 26 year old with ADHD and I take dexamphetamine 2.5mg up to three times daily so that I can manage my focus and concentration on tasks throughout the day. 

I am also prescribed Cymbalta 30mg. I take this every evening for anxiety. Over the years since I started it in 2015 it has helped me along in life rather well. I am in a stable job in the IT sector and have had a reasonable social life also. 

 

However the time has come to rid myself of the sexual side effects. 

You will see in my signature (hopefully) the timeline of my tapering. 

 

Honestly, I wish I could do it faster but I am not sure that I can. For now I have not tapered since the 26-05-21 as I have decided to stay stable for July and August. 

 

Somthing that I have noticed is that, whilst tapering, maybe about 3 weeks into a taper I feel relatively stable etc and I might have some drinks at the weekend. But I have noticed, even 3 weeks after a taper (approx) I can be such a lightweight when it comes to alcohol. Has anyone else experienced this? Why would tapering cause such an effect like this?

 

Also, does anyone have any tips on dealing with the withdrawals that come within the first week of a taper? Such as the agitation, tiredness, apathy, grogginess. Does magnesium help, if so which type?

[getofflex]

Hello, and welcome to SA.  We are a peer owned and run forum of people who have been or are getting off of psychiatric drugs.  It sounds like you are doing a careful and prudent taper, which is very good.  We see too many come here after doing a fast taper who are in pretty bad shape.  I assume you mean Dextroamphetamine.  Just want to make sure we are talking about the same drug.  

 

We suggest you avoid alcohol during tapering.  Alcohol affects the nervous system, and it can cause or exacerbate withdrawal symptoms.  Here is a thread about other people's experience of alcohol while tapering psych drugs: 

 

Alcohol and Beer

 

Thank you for giving us your drug signature.  

 

26/12/20 - 0.168

17/01/21 - 0.165

05/03/21 - 0.163

25/04/21 - 0.161

26/05/21 - 0.160

 

The numbers above - are these the physical pill weight, or what?  It would help if you could instead give us the mg strength of your drug for each of your reductions instead.  

 

Here is some information about how these drugs actually work.  

 

How Psychiatric Drugs Remodel Your Brain

 

 

This helps you understand what withdrawal syndrome is: 

 

 Video on Recovery from Psych Drugs

 

What is Withdrawal Syndrome?

 

Tapering is best done extremely slowly, and we taper by 10% of the current dose no more than once every 4 weeks, so that the taper becomes exponentially smaller.

 

 Why Taper by 10% of my Dosage  

 

Tips for Tapering Cymbalta

 

 

Also, as we are recovering, we suggest keeping things slow, simple, and stable. This is extremely important. 

 

Considerations About Stability Stop Jumping Around

 

Keep it Simple, Slow, and Stable

 

 

When we recover, there are times of feeling OK mixed in with times of feeling bad.  This is called windows and waves.

 

Windows and Waves Pattern of Stabilization

 

Here are some techniques to cope with symptoms: 

 

Non Drug Ways to Cope with Withdrawal Symptoms

 

 

We don't suggest many supplements, but 2 that many of us find helpful are magnesium and omega-3 fish oil. Here are the links for info about those. It is suggested to add one at a time, and start with a low dose to see how it affects you. 

Magnesium

 

Omega 3 Fish Oil

 

I'm glad you are tapering off the Cymbalta, as there is a drug interaction between Cymbalta and Dextroamphetamine.  Drugs.com says "Duloxetine may increase the effects of dextroamphetamine, and side effects such as jitteriness, nervousness, anxiety, restlessness, and racing thoughts have been reported". It also says it can cause serotonin syndrome.  It doesn't sound like this is happening in your case though.  Are you having any other symptoms besides those you already listed?  How is your sleep?  

 

I've given you quite a bit of information here.  Please read through it, and mull it over, and we will take it from there. In the meantime, take care of yourself. Good job on doing a careful, thought out taper.  

[andy1027]

Thank you for getting back to me. Apologies for the late reply

 

On 6/30/2021 at 10:29 PM, getofflex said:

I assume you mean Dextroamphetamine.

Yes 

 

On 6/30/2021 at 10:29 PM, getofflex said:

The numbers above - are these the physical pill weight, or what?  It would help if you could instead give us the mg strength of your drug for each of your reductions instead.  

Those numbers are when I am measuring out my doses - those numbers represent the weight the beads in the tray on the scale. I am not sure how I would translate that into mg of a Cymbalta dose. But I am essentially tapering from 30mg Cymbalta. I the average weight of three caps for me was 0.170 so 0.168 was my starting taper. Does that make sense?

 

On 6/30/2021 at 10:29 PM, getofflex said:

I'm glad you are tapering off the Cymbalta, as there is a drug interaction between Cymbalta and Dextroamphetamine.  Drugs.com says "Duloxetine may increase the effects of dextroamphetamine, and side effects such as jitteriness, nervousness, anxiety, restlessness, and racing thoughts have been reported". It also says it can cause serotonin syndrome.  It doesn't sound like this is happening in your case though.  Are you having any other symptoms besides those you already listed?  How is your sleep?  

Its hard to know if I ever experienced any of those when I was taking Cymbalta and Dextroamphetamine but I have to say so far in my taper journey I am a generally more relaxed person and feel less jittery. So that is positive

Sleep for me is fine :) 

 

I don't think that I experience any other symptoms. 

 

I will have a read about the magnesium now because I want to check what is the best type to get. 

[getofflex]

On 7/14/2021 at 3:39 AM, andy1027 said:

Those numbers are when I am measuring out my doses - those numbers represent the weight the beads in the tray on the scale. I am not sure how I would translate that into mg of a Cymbalta dose. But I am essentially tapering from 30mg Cymbalta. I the average weight of three caps for me was 0.170 so 0.168 was my starting taper. Does that make sense?

Oh, I see.  No problem.  It helps to know a full capsule weighs an average of 0.170.  It sounds like you are doing a very gradual taper, which is great.  Good for you for being so careful and patient.  

 

I'm glad your symptoms are minimal, and only in the first week.  Have you checked the link I gave you in my first post "non drug coping techniques".  That has some good ideas for helping us cope with symptoms.  For me, what helps with agitation is walking, listening to relaxing music, prayer, trusting in God, and avoiding drama and toxic people whenever possible.  Also, I'm doing a self study course on CBT for anxiety.  Here are some links for that, and for anxiety as well.  

 

Audio:  First Aid for Panic (4 minutes)
 

CBT Course:  An Introductory Self-Help Course in Cognitive Behaviour Therapy
 

Audio:  How to Recover from Anxiety - Dr Claire Weekes
 

Anxiety Stuff - all kinds of stuff about anxiety attacks and things that help ...