Posted by SLS on May 23, 2005, at 8:54:44
In reply to stopped Cymbalta-need advice, support, posted by jessers11581 on May 23, 2005, at 8:15:43
> Hello fellow babblers! I just want to relay my current situation and see if anyone can share similar experiences, tips, support, etc. I came off of 30 mg. Cymbalta about one week ago. There was no tapering down from that--I just stopped (my doctor said I could). The first 3-4 days were fantastic. I did have some of the brain zapping, electrical body shivers, etc., but my mood was incredible. I felt so ALIVE and euphoric almost, and clear-headed for the first time in 8 years. My irritability and agitation disappeared, I became super-productive, I was really nice to people, etc. However, it is now day 7 and I'm feeling crappy. The electrical impulse things have gotten much worse- I can feel them surging throughout my whole body anytime I move too fast, or hold my breath. The euphoria is definitely gone, and has been replaced with a sort of melancholy. I've had a few crying spells and my anxiety seems to have resurfaced. I'm also having trouble thinking straight and feel disorinted much of the time. So anyway, it seems the tables have turned! I guess I'm just wondering how long these effects will last, and is it normal to get hypomanic when first coming off AD's? Man, I'd love to feel like that again! Even with the withdrawal effects, though, I'm still glad I decided to quit meds and am adamant about staying "clean" for as long as possible. This is the first time I haven't been on an anti-depressant in 7.5 years. Does anyone have any suggestions for improving the down-times while I'm waiting for the high-times to come back (at least I HOPE they'll come back!). What about reducing the amount of "brain shivering" and dizziness? Also, has anyone found that drinking alcohol while withdrawing from meds made the side-effects much worse? I did have a few beers the night before last, and the next day was TERRIBLE. Well, I'm sure I've written enough for one sitting. Please respond with ANY information, experiences, etc. I'd really appreciate it!
>
> P.S. My sex drive is back with a vengeance, even throughout these withdrawal effects. And that's soooooo important to me. That alone will make this worth the effort, I think.
Hi.First of all, it sounds like you may have experienced a withdrawal "rebound-improvement". This is a phenomenon that occurs with some people where they actually feel transiently better for having reduced the dosage of an antidepressant or discontinue it abruptly. It usually doesn't last for very long. This is what those first 4 days were about. However, it often takes 3 days or so for the negative withdrawal symptoms to develop after stopping one of these drugs.
So, the question now becomes, what are you willing to do about it?
If you look back on the earlier threads on this board, you will find many that deal with discontinuing Effexor. I would use the same strategies to discontinue Cymbalta that others have found successful for Effexor.
If it were me, I would restart the Cymbalta at 20-30mg per day. However, it now becomes important to split this daily dosage into at least 3 doses spaced apart by 6-8 hours. I have had great success using a "flexible-dosing" strategy. I simply wait for the beginnings of the withdrawal syndrome to appear and then take a small dose that will relieve it for about 6-8 hours. I do not take my next dose until symptoms re-appear. For you, perhaps you can use the appearance of brain-zaps as an alarm that it is time for you to take your next dose. This will take some experimentation in the beginning to find the right amounts to take at each dose. Of course, you must monitor your total intake of medication for the day and don't exceed your daily alottment. I would probably start by taking 5mg doses 4 times a day to start with. If this proves enough to prevent withdrawal symptoms from appearing, move to 5mg 3 times a day. After you go a few days without symptoms, begin to allow them to appear before taking your next dose. If you can split the doses into amounts smaller than 5mg, this would be ideal. You could continue to reduce the size of each dose while monitoring for withdrawal symptoms. You should find that you use less and less to last 6-8 hours. Alternatively, you will find that you can go longer and longer between 5mg doses.
Perhaps the best way to divide capsules is to add them to a glass of juice and drink fractional amounts. This was suggested the other day by someone here. Just be sure to mix the combination well before drinking it. Since I have never done this with any of these drugs, I don't know if the contents of the capsules actually dissolve or if they settle to the bottom or remain in suspension. People often open a capsule and count pellets. I really don't think that you need to be too precise. A little more or a little less will simply change the amount of time you go between doses. Flexibility works as long as you allow your body determine dosing and not the clock.
A completely different strategy involves taking Prozac for a few days as a substitute and allowing this long-lasting drug to leave your system gradually and naturally. Prozac and its active metabolites have a half-life of over a week.
- Scott
poster:SLS
thread:501604
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/wdrawl/20050519/msgs/501615.html