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CYMBALTA WITHDRAWAL!

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Posted 6/17/2017 8:11 PM (GMT 0)
I hope this gets the attention of someone with some good advice.

In the last 7 years I have been on cymbalta,lyrica,savella,morphine, Vicodin,oxycodone,fentanyl, ,zanaflex,gabapentin,Gralise and otc's for fibromyalgia etc.

Finally deciding that the opioids were not helping I successfully got off fentanyl and then Percocet. Now I remember how I felt before I started on this train wreck!
Yeah!

I am left with cymbalta, zanaflex, Gralise and Ambien. My insurance is changing drastically and cymbalta and Gralise have to go-- and since my pain is at levels pre drugs it makes sense. Especially since the long term affects of cymbalta are not known. But the withdrawals are known.

I decreased from 90 cymbalta to 60. A place I have been before. Twice. Unfortunately the withdrwal was so hellish I had to go beg the doctor to put me back on. (A few years ago )

I want off. Has anyone weaned off completely and how? There is no smaller dose in generic than 30. I have researched thoroughly. In my doing so have found out how horrible this drug is.

In case there are those reading this who are wondering whether or not to use cymbalta.

Withdrawal that I have experienced:
Elevated heart rate
Elevated blood pressure (even on BP meds)
Flushing
Flu like symptoms
Nausea
Brain and body zaps-- yes like little lightening bolts
A whooshing sensation in head
Headaches
Anxiety


Coming off opiates was easy--really-- compared to this.

Let me say-- it helped me "cope "with the daily pain but did not help the pain. And it caused a host of other effects that I lived with because I wasn't chewing everyone's head off all the time.

Ok I am done! If you have experiences getting off you want to share please do so. If you are considering taking this DO NOT.

Thanks!
Lizzy
Posted 6/18/2017 5:19 PM (GMT 0)
I have been off Cymbalta for at least 3 years now. It took me a year to taper down from 60, and it was everything you described. I had to slowly ease up to 10mg of prozac toward the end as I was becoming suicidal (for the first time).

I had an added symptom of a suffocating tight band around my chest at all times. It was torture. I had developed cardiomyopathy from the Cymbalta and other meds, so I don't know if this was a direct withdrawal symptom or from that. Even while on Cymbalta, it had not positive effects for me. I was on it for 6 months and it caused that much grief.

Good luck. You can do it, but you may need a safer drug in it's place. I do not see me going off prozac, but I do not get benefits for more than 6 months to a year before needing to slowly increase. I am now up to 40mg after 3 years. It feels a lot better and safer, even with the usual crap side effects (lack of sex drive, etc). I don't know what I'll do when I end up with a too-high dosage amount, but I am a few years away. That is the best I can get for now.

K
Posted 6/19/2017 2:42 PM (GMT 0)
There are many online support groups for getting off these types of drugs. The change the brain so that it can take a long time to normalize and we often think it is our old stuff coming back so w give up.

It took me over 2 years to get over withdrawal but I am 1,000% better now than I ever was on the drugs - now I know that they were keeping teh symptoms going
Posted 6/19/2017 11:27 PM (GMT 0)
I've been on Cymbalta 9 years, since I was diagnosed. I believe it really works because I forgot it when I took a trip and could hardly get out of bed I was so sore all over.

Recently my cardiologist's nurse called out of the blue, and asked me how long I'd been on it. I told her. She said I needed to get an EKG as there might possibly be an interaction with another of my meds, Flecainide for heart beat regulation. I had the EKG and then got a letter stating my QT interval was fine and my EKG was normal.

I dread ever going off it. I tried generic and I got lightening bolts to my head, it was like I was withdrawing from it. I also take Baclofen, a muscle relaxant, D3, and magnesium

Barb
Posted 6/22/2017 2:42 AM (GMT 0)
This is exactly why I refuse to take it. I got a script from my doc and took one and it made me feel like a zombie walking under water. I can't function like that. I now use CBD, THC and THCa and sometimes Ibuprofen and Tylenol.
Posted 6/23/2017 1:08 AM (GMT 0)
Withdrawal is different for everyone. My wife told me I got really edgey, short tempered. Noticed worse symptoms about 2 weeks off it but then leveled out. I came off it and Strattera ( For ADD & brain fog ) because my Sleep Medicine MD said it can disturb REM sleep. For now I'm Pharma free.
Posted 6/23/2017 3:06 AM (GMT 0)
Thanks so much to all of you for the advice and sharing your connections with this drug.

I am still off the first 30 mg and it's been almost 2 weeks. I am hovering there as I need to wean off Gralise. I started that 4 days ago. So far so good. Need to do one at a time.

11 more days and I'll be off Gralise and then start trying to move off the cymbalta maybe every other day if doctor says that will work.
I of course welcome any other suggestions and also encounters you have had with any drugs related to fibromyalgia.
Thanks for your time and thoughts!
Lizzy
Posted 7/13/2017 4:04 AM (GMT 0)
You can actually open up the capsule and remove one more "bead" each day until you are off completely. It is such a hard drug to get off.
Posted 7/17/2017 2:39 AM (GMT 0)
These were the types of stories i read that made me choose not to try those meds.

I would love a magic pill, but i am med sensitive so always thought they would be too much for me..

Sending lots of good wishes as you make this journey..

I would like to occassionally take muscle relaxer, but have yet to find one i can tolerate, even cutting them to a tiny piece..

So far only use calcium / magnesium for that..and heat

Lj
Posted 7/21/2017 7:08 AM (GMT 0)
I'm actually going through withdrawal from Cymbalta now. I was on 90mg for about 4 years then tapered to 60MG. I had ridiculous hot flashes from the drug and it was not helping enough with the pain to make putting up with hot flashes worthwhile.

From 60 MG I tapered to 30mg. Again, because of side effects. My doc was always very leary of me getting off of Cymbalta.... it's easy for him to feel that way since he wasn't dealing with the side effects.

I took 30mg every other day for a few months, then every third day. Finally the darn hot flashes drove me to quit altogether. Now I'm in week 4 of withdrawal.

Super nauseous
Diarrhea
Dizzy
Wix
Wicked headaches every day
Depression, crying
Grumpy
Suicidal thoughts on and off

It does get marginally better each day. I had to adjust my diet as most things make me nauseous now.

I would caution anyone considering taking this drug. It's absolutely brutal to get off. I have no idea when the withdrawal will end.

I hope you are doing well and you can get off this thing! rolleyes
Posted 7/21/2017 2:12 PM (GMT 0)
Cymbalta is one of the drugs that I feel stuck on. IS it really doing anything for me? I can get out of bed these days. . .

I missed one dose and suddenly "pew, pew, pew" it felt like laser beams were going off in my brain. I started fainting. I haven't felt the same since but am still taking the drug two years later.

When you replaced cymbalta, has anyone found a way to deal with chronic pain?
Posted 7/21/2017 4:56 PM (GMT 0)
Hi marklipton
I will be starting treatment with medical cannabis soon. I don't know what it will do for me but it has recorded results in helping greatly. I'm hopeful.
Posted 7/25/2017 6:45 PM (GMT 0)
I'm very interested in seeing how that goes for you.

Barb
Posted 9/11/2017 7:24 PM (GMT 0)
It's been a while since I checked in and saw others have been there. Have been on every site there is and read hundreds of posts.

As of today I have gotten off all my drugs except cymbalta. But, good news is I have gone down to 20 mg from 90. I did start counting beads once I was level at 30. I am on duloxetine (generic) so there are 6 beads in each capsule. I am down to 4. It is definitely better than the one every other day etc. I tried that twice and it was shear hell.

This has been awful but I am doing better. I never realized how many side effects I was having from cymbalta until it was the only drug I was taking! I have literally been dizzy,nauseous and had no sex drive for 6 years. I can actually speak in full sentences now and my pain is back to the same levels I had 7 years ago.

I made a lot of other changes in my life
which have helped me cope, but I do think going through all the drug therapy at least made me realize that they didn't work for the long term. But still 7 years of poison to figure that out.

I will definitely post when I get to 0!
Thanks for all the posts and support!
😄😁
Posted 9/18/2017 9:34 PM (GMT 0)
I took cymbalta and stopped it with no problem after being on it for a few years. Go figure, I have not heard it was hard to quit. Sorry you are going through this. My PCP tried to put me on Effexor a year ago and I took it for 3 weeks, went out of town and forgot it. Oh my, just after 3 weeks, I felt so dizzy and nauseous. I decided not to take any more of it. I take prozac now. It doesn't work as well for me as the Effexor did but no horrible withdrawal effects.

I wish you a lot of luck trying to withdraw from this medication. I went cold turkey off Effexor b/c the symptoms went away in a few days. I guess that is because I was only on it for 3 weeks. I've heard of people taking a year to get off paxil. It does make you wonder if the medical cannibas isn't actually safer???
Posted 9/21/2017 3:38 AM (GMT 0)
I am still doing well coming off. Actually when I got down to the 30 mg. I opened the capsule and took out 1 bead, threw it away and then closed the capsule and took it. I stayed on that for 2 weeks. Side effects of withdrawal were there but much easier to take. The next week I took out two and the following week three. I am down to three now and the first few days are hard but then it levels off.

I exercise and stay busy,practice yoga and drink a lot of water. Benedryl helps for the anxiousness and the leg restlessness. I also take ambien to sleep.

I am beginning to feel so much better without the side effects of cymbalta-- the dizziness,no appetite,no libido,moodiness,nausea and constipation all have been subsiding.

It's funny that all the drugs I took in the beginning helped until they didn't and my body became dependent-- not addicted. Now I take only Tylenol and the lowest dose tramadol twice a week when I really need the relief. It really helps and not taking it on a regular hourly basis everyday makes a huge difference. The rest of the time I cope by moving around as much as I can and living a yoga lifestyle. It has saved me.

More news when I'm completely clean!
Sunday I go to 2 beads! Looking forward to it😊
Lizzy
Posted 9/21/2017 5:53 AM (GMT 0)
You are doing great lizzy, you have this
Posted 2/25/2018 2:01 PM (GMT 0)
Hi Lizzy, I don't know if you are still monitoring this post by I will be throwing in my 2 cents as I taper down off duloxetine. How did you make out? I have not been diagnosed with fibro but share similar symptoms to many of you, I have traveling neuropathy, spasms, neuralgia etc., hence why my neuro doc put me on generic cymbalta.

I just tapered from 60 to 30mg yesterday. I plan on staying on 30 for two weeks then asking for 20 mg. So far I feel fine. Slightly more "present." I've been on dulox for about 4 months and am stopping because of restless legs and anxiety attacks. I didn't have either of these before duloxetine. I also feel like the drug is losing effectiveness and refuse to increase my dosage.

Ramping up on duloxetine for the first six weeks was hell. Near constant anxiety, sleepless nights and foggyness. After that I felt great for about 3 months. I want off now. I'll report back.
Posted 2/28/2018 12:24 AM (GMT 0)
Getting off Cymbalta was one of the hardest things I have ever had to do. I had to slowly taper myself off over the course of several months. There really isn't any easy way around it. Please make sure you have a support system in place. I was pretty much out of my mind for a few months. Without the help of my friends and family it would have been impossible for me. Good luck and take your time.
Posted 3/4/2018 4:48 PM (GMT 0)
So far so good. I actually feel much better at 30 mg, although my numbness and nerve pains have returned ever so slightly. I'm not longer having anxiety like I was at 60mg and the restless legs are about 80% better. Looking forward to stepping down to 20 and (hopefully) getting off completely.
Posted 3/4/2018 7:44 PM (GMT 0)
Great news!

Sherrine
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