Yettid: Trying to get off this stuff! FM/GAD From Celexa to Cymbalta

[Yettid]

Hi. I have fibromyalgia. Was on celexa for 10+ years dosage 20-30mg. My major FM symptoms are pain, unrefreshed sleep/chronic fatigue, anxiety. Celexa worked ok for years then pooped out. 6 months ago started Cymbalta. 20mg up to 60mg. Hated it, too many side effects. Decided I wanted off AD's. I'm at the point where I don't know what are symptoms of my illness and what are side effects. I wanted a clear base line of what I'm treating. With Dr approval she weaned me off from 60mg titrating down over about 5 weeks. Within days I had horrible withdrawal. Dr put me on 10mg prozac daily for 2 weeks, then 10 mg every other day. I'm due to stop prozac next week. Although the extreme physical side effects stopped almost immediately following taking prozac, I still feel pretty bad emotionally. I'm exhausted, restless, anxious, super irritable, and at moments depressed. I want to eat sugar by the pound???? is this relapse or withdrawal? I still hv prozac in my system so I'm confused. Maybe even side effects from prozac?? Idk!

 

43 yr fe, 10mg prozac 3x wk, 30mg adderall xr, .25mg klonopin

[Yettid]

Trying to get off this stuff! FM/GAD From Celexa to Cymbalta-yettid

28 October 2014 - 09:13 AM

Hi. I have fibromyalgia. Was on celexa for 10+ years dosage 20-30mg. My major FM symptoms are pain, unrefreshed sleep/chronic fatigue, anxiety. Celexa worked ok for years then pooped out. 6 months ago started Cymbalta. 20mg up to 60mg. Hated it, too many side effects. Decided I wanted off AD's. I'm at the point where I don't know what are symptoms of my illness and what are side effects. I wanted a clear base line of what I'm treating. With Dr approval she weaned me off from 60mg titrating down over about 5 weeks. Within days I had horrible withdrawal. Dr put me on 10mg prozac daily for 2 weeks, then 10 mg every other day. I'm due to stop prozac next week. Although the extreme physical side effects stopped almost immediately following taking prozac, I still feel pretty bad emotionally. I'm exhausted, restless, anxious, super irritable, and at moments depressed. I want to eat sugar by the pound???? is this relapse or withdrawal? I still hv prozac in my system so I'm confused. Maybe even side effects from prozac?? Idk!

 

43 yr fe, 10mg prozac 3x wk, 30mg adderall xr, .25mg klonopin

[Petunia]

Welcome to the forum Yettid, I'm sorry to hear you have been struggling so much.

 

It sounds like you are experiencing withdrawal symptoms.  For a brief introduction to withdrawal please see: Intro to antidepressant withdrawal syndrome

 

Many of us are here because we tapered too fast while believing we were doing it right.  Sadly, most doctors don’t have a clue and often advise tapers that lead patients to going back on the drug because of a ‘relapse’,  which is actually withdrawal.
 

Many people arrive here after following the advice of well meaning, but ill informed doctors.

 

See:  What should I expect from my doctor about withdrawal symptoms

 

You have been tapering too fast.  We suggest reducing by no more than 10% of the current dose every 4 weeks, this reduces the risk of withdrawal symptoms arising.  Please read through this post which will explain why:

 

http://survivinganti...0-of-my-dosage/

 

Please do not taper using the skipping days method.

 

... the nervous system does best in a stable environment. Help your nervous system adapt to life without drugs by maintaining as much stability as you can. This is the way you can take care of yourself and help your nervous system to recover. We are our own worst enemies when it comes to stressing our nervous systems! Examples:
 
3.a. Do not suddenly quit taking your drugs. Do not skip doses to taper. These big, fast changes are the opposite of providing stability for your nervous system. Skipping doses causes the amount of the drug in your bloodstream to go up and down. Do not do this for any psychiatric drug.

 

Please see:  Keep it simple. Keep it slow. Keep it stable

 

Also please see:  this post  which explains the long term changes these drugs make, and why we need to taper slowly.

 

My suggestion is to immediately go back to to taking 10mg of prozac every day and hold there at that dose for at least a month, until you are feeling well again.  You may need to wait longer, but eventually your nervous system will settle down.  Then you can begin a safe taper from the prozac using the 10% method.  You have been on these kinds of drugs for a long time and so you can't expect to come off them in a few weeks.

 

Here are our tips for safely tapering off Prozac:

 

http://survivinganti...zac-fluoxetine/

 

Here is the link to our symptoms and self care section, you may find some useful non-drug ideas to help manage symptoms as you recover.  Especially read the topics pinned at the top.

 

You can use this thread as your ongoing journal to track progress, ask questions and communicate with the community, add to it whenever you want. Please stay in touch and let us know what you decide.

 

Petu.

[Yettid]

I can't thank you enough. This site is by far the most informative I've found. I'm also sleeping poorly, as I've just read, due to withdrawal. I will call my Dr. today and continue taking 10mg prozac daily.????

[Petunia]

This topic may give you some ideas to help with the sleep issues:

 

Important topics about symptoms, including sleep problems

 

Please stay in touch and let us know how you are doing.

[Yettid]

I've been on 10mg prozac daily for over a week. I feel more stable, less irritable. But I still feel little motivation and very tired???? I'm still anxious but not nearly as much as a few weeks ago. I am feeling some depression and having some negative thoughts (nothing crazy, just feeling sorry for myself lol). Still craving carbs like crazy and weight gain! So I'm better than I was. But not feeling good yet. I find myself questioning if I "need" meds. I'm guessing that is probably part of the withdrawal process?

[bubble]

Hello Yettid,

 

this is actually a great improvement. After all destabilisation you have put your central nervous system through, it is rewarding you with major diminishing of symptoms after only one week of treated it properly.

 

Recovery comes in windows and waves and there are no quick fixes. http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/82-the-windows-and-waves-pattern-of-recovery/

 

You have been on a drug that changes the brain structure for over 10 years. Reversing all those changes takes time. Why do you think you need meds? When our CNS gets sensitised with changing drugs, more drugs frequently cause more trouble. Thsi has ben our experience here but of course the choice is yours. We opt for lloking at other ways of feeling more comfortable inside our skins. 

[Rhiannon]

Hi--

 

I'd highly recommend reading Anatomy of an Epidemic by Robert Whitaker, for some background about psych meds, as part of exploring whether or not you want to take them.

 

And continue reading the materials on this forum, there's a ton of good information. Check out the "pinned" topics and the links in those.

 

Take your time, stabilize well on the Prozac; you've had a lot of med changes in a short time and you will continue to have some ups and downs. While doing that you can study and learn and process so you'll have a better idea of where you want to go next.

 

Welcome to the forum, good luck to you!

[Yettid]

Thanks Bubble. I guess when I feel good, I think the process is over. Only to be disappointed by feeling bad again. I started taking meds for anxiety and chronic fatigue. Although they helped at times, they never "cured" me. I get afraid of feeling like this forever on top of my fibro symptoms. I just want to feel better now. So I question needing meds out of momentary desperation.????thanks for the reality check. It's just what the doctor ordered.

[Yettid]

Thanks Rhi! I will get the book today!

[Meimeiquest]

Cymbalta intentionally manipulates two kinds of neurotransmitters, Prozac just one. So it is normal to still have symptoms. Just hold tight and se what happens. Or read Bubble's thread to see how well she settled down.

[Yettid]

My physical symptoms have improved alot. By nature I'm a pretty optomistic, patient person. I've never "lost" my cool. I'm not a yeller or arguementative. But since wd, I've noticed myself snapping and yelling. I "lost it" for the first time. Found myself yelling in my sons face. I felt no warning, no anger building. Just reacted. It feel like I'm not me at times. All I really feel like doing is eating garbage food and laying around. Good thing I actually have a life, a job, etc. so I have to move!

[Yettid]

I'm feeling pretty GOOD! Finally, I'm not crawling out of my skin. I don't feel like yelling at everyone:) I'm no longer dizzy and exhausted. I'm sleeping much better(maybe due to aminos at night??) I'm getting some motivation back too. Still struggling with this crazy carb binging. It's a vice I think. My allergist prescribed Singulair for allergies. I'm feeling like its a bad idea to try it since the side effects can be psych. Any thoughts ?

[Yettid]

Btw. Got the book Anatomy of an Epidemic. Profound read. (Although the argument that the stats could be manipulated/interpreted to prove a point are valid) We should be angry at the drug manufacturers and report our side effects and experiences to the FDA. Our psych Drs are not educated on the facts of these meds. My Dr is one of the good ones. And I guarantee she has no idea of the repercussions of these "medicines".

[Rhiannon]

Good to hear your withdrawal symptoms are settling down, yay! If it were me I'd be cautious with the Singulair, depends on how desperately you need help. Carb cravings are not unusual on antidepressants.

 

You might want to start reading through the materials in the Tapering section, especially the thread on tapering Prozac, if you haven't already; it sounds like you're stabilizing well and you can probably start tapering in another month or so if you're still doing this well, if you want to.

[Yettid]

That's the plan. I'll stay on 10mg for a month then start the 20% taper. I think I'll pass on the Singular for now. Thanks for the support ????