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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 11 of 11. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by ihatedrugs on July 7, 2008, at 23:57:57
Hi all,
I am in the process of withdrawing from Cymbalta. I began at 60 then alternated to 60/30 for a week with no trouble and I am now on 30mg and I'm beginning to feel horrible especially the brain zaps. Does anyone who has gone off this drug have any suggestions as how to minimize symptoms. I know that tapering very slowly is probably the best way but I really want off this poison. Also are these brain zaps any indication of possible neurological damage? I am so afraid at what I have done to myself.
Please helpihatedrugs
Posted by Phillipa on July 8, 2008, at 1:13:11
In reply to cymbalta withdrawal help, posted by ihatedrugs on July 7, 2008, at 23:57:57
Just cut down slowly no as far as I know brain zaps won't hurt you but they sure are uncomfortable. I did get them with l0mg of paxil first ad. Cymbalta didn't happen wonder why? Phillipa
Posted by Phillipa on July 8, 2008, at 1:14:50
In reply to Re: cymbalta withdrawal help » ihatedrugs, posted by Phillipa on July 8, 2008, at 1:13:11
And I see you're new to babble. Let me welcome you. There is a withdrawal board also with a long thread on cymbalta withdrawl. Might want to check it out or post there also. Phillipa
Posted by Jamal Spelling on July 8, 2008, at 1:50:42
In reply to Re: cymbalta withdrawal help, posted by Phillipa on July 8, 2008, at 1:14:50
I am also in the process of possibly quitting Cymbalta.
I suggest you taper down over a period of a few weeks by opening up a 60 mg capsule and removing some of the pellets. This will allow you exact control over how much you take every day. Then you can do a more gradual taper.
Posted by 49er on July 8, 2008, at 7:14:38
In reply to cymbalta withdrawal help, posted by ihatedrugs on July 7, 2008, at 23:57:57
Ihatedrugs,
By the way, I love your screen name. As one who is slowly tapering off of 4 meds (I am down to 2), I understand your wish to be off of the drug. But a very fast taper will usually lead to alot more problems than if you taper slowly.
So even if you think you're speeding up the tapering, if you add on how many months of problems you will have as the result vs. doing a slow taper and not having as many problem, the choice is quite clear.
When you have been on a med for over a month, the drug has made neurochemical changes in your brain and throughout the body. As a result, a cold turkey or a fast taper is like putting the car in reverse at 60 miles per hour.
I read in your post that you alternated doses on a weekly basis. Again, you're putting your body into withdrawal doing it that way.
To add to Jamal Spelling's excellent advice, I would purchase a digital scale from E-bay in .001g denomination. The recommended tapering advice on the Paxil Progress Boards is 10% of the current dose every 3 to 6 weeks.
However, since Cymbalta has just about one of the shortest half lives of all the drugs, you may need to go even more slowly.
Tapering slowly by the way doesn't guarantee you won't have problems. But your chances of having less of them greatly increase with a slow taper.
Good luck.
49er
Posted by bleauberry on July 9, 2008, at 17:54:14
In reply to cymbalta withdrawal help, posted by ihatedrugs on July 7, 2008, at 23:57:57
Try this. It has worked for people withdrawing from cymbalta or effexor. I've done it myself and it works good.
Dump a small amount of the enteric coated beads out of each capsule, increasing the amount you dump out at about one week intervals. To be more accurate at it count the beads you remove. 1mg is somewhere in the 9 to 12 bead range. If you removed for example 11 beads, you removed about 1mg. There is no way to totally avoid withdrawals, but they can be much smoother going from 60mg to 55mg for example, than 60mg to 30mg.
Another method is to dump all the beads out onto a plate or bowl. Remove the desired amount with your fingertips, spoon, knife, whatever. Sprinkle the remaining desired dose on applesauce, yogurt, anything soft because you don't want to chew them, and swallow.
With the bead trick you can customize your doses to any size you want. Much easier to wean down in tiny increments versus huge leaps.
Posted by ihatedrugs on July 9, 2008, at 23:32:32
In reply to Re: cymbalta withdrawal help, posted by bleauberry on July 9, 2008, at 17:54:14
Thanks to all for your great advice. I do realize I need to do this slowly. I have been on meds for the last 10 years (I'm 44) and have invariably changed meds about every 1-2 years for different reasons but mainly looking for the MAGIC pill. I have been taking Cymbalta and Wellbutrin for about a year but I still don't feel right. I function but there still something missing. I want to give Deplin and Wellbutrin a try. My doctor and I are aware that we may have to go back to add a ssri if I see symptoms creeping back. I want to try to get off as many meds as I can. I am just tired of taking so much stuff and still feeling unwell. I know it is easy to diss meds once one is stable and not under the grips of the dreaded MONSTER but I want to cut back and see how I manage. I guess I'm just going through a midlife kind of crisis as I see the big 50 approaching.
Anyways not to get off topic I am feeling better today and not getting the brain zaps as much so my body is getting used to 30mg. I'm going to taper down to 20 instead of 30 every other day like may pdr said. I also think that Deplin is helping. BTW, Phillipa thanks for the warm welcome but actually I have posted before under a different user name. It was so long ago that I didn't remember it so I joined again. But I do keep up to date with all the new meds through this group. Once again thanks to all.
God bless!!!!!!
Posted by Phillipa on July 10, 2008, at 19:22:21
In reply to Re: cymbalta withdrawal help, posted by ihatedrugs on July 9, 2008, at 23:32:32
Well how bout welcome back????Phillipa
Posted by ihatedrugs on July 10, 2008, at 23:16:01
In reply to Re: cymbalta withdrawal help » ihatedrugs, posted by Phillipa on July 10, 2008, at 19:22:21
Thanks!!!
Posted by ihatedrugs on July 10, 2008, at 23:16:08
In reply to Re: cymbalta withdrawal help » ihatedrugs, posted by Phillipa on July 10, 2008, at 19:22:21
Thanks!!!
Posted by yxibow on July 13, 2008, at 1:34:45
In reply to cymbalta withdrawal help, posted by ihatedrugs on July 7, 2008, at 23:57:57
> Hi all,
>
> I am in the process of withdrawing from Cymbalta. I began at 60 then alternated to 60/30 for a week with no trouble and I am now on 30mg and I'm beginning to feel horrible especially the brain zaps. Does anyone who has gone off this drug have any suggestions as how to minimize symptoms. I know that tapering very slowly is probably the best way but I really want off this poison. Also are these brain zaps any indication of possible neurological damage? I am so afraid at what I have done to myself.
No neurological damage, you can safely shelve that one away. You're experiencing serotonin withdrawal, that is a classic sign (and also a sign of too much sometimes).It is a known situation of difficulty to withdraw from an SNRI.
If you MUST break open a capsule, be very very careful -- the individual beads are a) not guaranteed to be uniform in mg and b) if you chew one of them instead of swallowing it, you will get a instant dose of medication.
They were not intended to be broken open, they had a sort of slightly timed release factor to it, although it was not a timed release agent.
Basically, if you can get the lowest dose, which I believe is 20mg and set it back at 40 and then slowly reduce it over weeks alternating as you have that might be a better strategy, but I don't know your costs or how your doctor is managing this.-- best wishes
Jay
This is the end of the thread.
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