This post comes from http://www.cymbaltawithdrawal.com

Vitamins And Supplements Saved The Day! how I was able to get off Cymbalta cold turkey

#1 wlraz • • Newbie • • Group: Members • Posts: 6 • Joined: 03-February 11
• why_joining: To share information as I have benefited so much from the posts of other members. Posted 03 February 2011 - 12:36 AM
Hi everyone, I am trying to post this on as many websites as I can that deal with Cymbalta withdrawal (or Eli Lilly's preferred - Cymbalta Discontinuation Syndrome -which I think is crap!) Anyways, I was placed on 60mg of Cymbalta daily about 5 years ago for the treatment of pain resulting from Fibromyalgia. At the time, there was no mention of the severe side effects of the drug or of the horrible withdrawal symptoms when trying to discontinue the drug.
Like many others, this drug was what I believed to be a God-send in helping to control my Fibro. It took quite a while for me to realize that the negative health issues I was having subsequent to starting the drug, like dizziness and fainting, low blood pressure and migraines were related to use of the drug. I was so constantly at the doctor's office for problems which seemed to have no answers that the doctor began to perceive me as a hypochondriac. Finally, after many years of searching, I came across a doctor who is gaining a great deal of notoriety in his discovery of a parasite (actually a protozoan) that causes Fibro and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. The testing is done differently than regular blood tests used (which kill the parasite) and sure enough I had a picture of this bug, in my body, wreaking havoc. The treatment was easy, healthy for my body and with exception of a low dose antibiotic, prescription drug free.
I started the treatment and noticed some improvements but not as big as I had expected. It was at this time that I considered that maybe Cymbalta was doing more harm than good and as it was prescribed for the treatment of FMS and CFS, I would not know if I was getting better unless I went off of it. So I decided to discontinue the Cymbalta. I went cold turkey for 7 days - I can't imagine anything closer to Hell. I became violently ill, diarrhea, nausea, migraines, vomiting every time I even thought about food, horrible rage with violent thoughts, suicidal tendencies (none of which I had ever had prior to Cymbalta), horrible closing of the lungs that no asthma medication could touch -I could barely breath, and I truly felt like I was going insane. I begged my husband to pay the ridiculous $150.00 price tag to get me back on the medicine. Sure enough within 5 hours of taking a dose, I was better.
Just an aside - I got in a bad car accident in 2006 when a woman who was texting t-boned my vehicle at an angle and sent it flying into a 4 foot in diameter pole. The doctors treated me with morphine which they eventually increased to 90 mg a day. The doctors told me I would be handicapped the rest of my life and would never be able to walk without assistance again. After 8 months of the drug, I decided I was not going to give up on me as the doctor's had and I cold turkeyed the morphine (legal heroin.) I got sick for about 8 days – getting better as each day passed. I MUST TELL YOU THIS WITHDRAWAL FROM HEROIN WAS NOTHING COMPARED TO THE CYMBALTA WITHDRAWAL – NOTHING!!!!
Back to the story, I decided that again I was going to get off the Cymbalta about a week later, now pissed that this medication had total control of me. I did my homework this time, I was going to taper off the med. Unfortunately, my new insurance company had a different idea, they weren't going to cover the Cymbalta, so I was looking at cold turkey again, this time. I researched for the last 4 days that I had left of the Cymbalta while my head was still clear. I came up with a combination of supplements, vitamins and one OTC med and a schedule for how I was going to take them, based on their reported benefits. IT WORKED!!!!
I am on my 10th day cold turkey and I am able to function, think, my energy is coming back, I have normal human emotions again (no anger, rage, homicidal or suicidal thoughts or physical ailments.) I have a sense of humor and am starting to get back interest in the people and things that I so enjoyed before!
****I must note, however, that I was not on Cymbalta for depression. I do not have depression now, because I did not have it prior to taking the medicine. For those of you who are on an SNRI or a SSRI for the treatment of depression YOU MUST do any discontinuation of a medicine under the treatment of a doctor!!!! I am not a doctor, I am not prescribing any treatment, I want only to share with others who are suffering, the things that helped me get through this chaos with minimal symptoms.**** I am not selling anything, I won't even tell you what brands of vitamins and supplements that I used, only the dosage and timing.
Before I do, I would like to thank all the wonderful people who shared their experiences on the different Cymbalta withdrawal websites. I was able to compile this list with their suggestions …Oh and thank you to the nice man who worked at Sprouts who gave me the final piece to my puzzle.
Here it is:
Before you stop the medicine, take 1600-2000 mg Omega 3 fatty acids daily (I take Atlantic Salmon fish oil) daily (I take one AM and one PM 1000 mg) for about a week. Make sure you have all supplements ready to go on the day you will miss your first dose and start taking them on that day.
AM supplements
OTC –anti-nausea, anti-dizzy ( I used generic Dramamine) – every four hours or as prescribed on the bottle (mine was 50mg Dimenhydrinate every 4 hours). I did not get up during the night, just took it first thing in the morning before I even thought of eating.
After anti-nausea has kicked in you should be able to eat a little something. After you have done so, take these supplements:
Vitamin C - 1000 mg
Vitamin D3 – 1000 IU
B 50 Complex
B-12 – 1000 mcg
5-HTP – 50 mg
15 mg of L-Dopa - you may have difficulty finding anything that is just L-Dopa, mine was called Mucuna which is an herbal supplement (referred to as a nervine tonic) that contains the 15 mg L-Dopa Calcium, Magnesium, Zinc Complex – (1000mg Cal, 500mg Mag, 90mg Zinc) – make sure you take the recommended dose on the package as my supplement requires 4 caps to get the total amount of each supplement – I take 2 in the AM and 2 in the PM
Omega 3 – 1600-2000mg – taken 1 gel cap in the morning and 1 in the evening
During the Day
Continue to take OTC dizzy med FAITHFULLY do not miss a dose, do not be late – YOU WILL PAY FOR IT
Evening before bed
Vitamin E – 400 IU
Evening Primrose Oil – 500 mg
5-HTP – 50 mg,
Calcium, Magnesium,Zinc Complex
Omega 3
OTC – dizzy meds – helps you sleep too!
Additionally
Drink at least one G2 Gatorade a day – stay away from the full sugar version, leads to a higher chance of diarrhea. I drink one 32 oz bottle every day plus tons of water!!
Eat lots of fruit and vegetables because although you may have loose stools, it helps to remove remnants of the drug that cling inside the colon and in un-evacuated feces.
Drink fruit juices – the fresher the better
Stay away from caffeine – dehydrates and may also increase diarrhea
Cigarettes /nicotine – will make you nauseous sometimes even after taking the anti-dizzy OTC
Take time off from work if you can so you can rest plenty and when your body needs to.
I am on day 10, I have had very few withdrawal symptoms and today made it a whole day without the generic anti-dizzy med.
If you want to know the reasons I chose these supplements, let me know. I don't want to bore people with the science if they are desperate just to get at an answer.

Weaning Off Cymbalta: What The Doctors Don't Tell You

By byee
I am writing this Hub to help make people aware of what happens when you want to start getting off the anti-depressant, Cymbalta. Sure, the drug worked wonders during my bout with depression. After one year, things have gotten lot better for me and I am able to cope better with stressful situations. My doctor and I planned to have me taper off the drug--his plan was to have me take the 60mg capsules every other day for about 3-4 doses, and then reduce to 30mg. As things supposedly "get better", he said I should take the 30 mg in larger intervals (every 2 days, every 3 days, etc.) until I can completely stop taking it. Basically, he said, there is really no protocol on how to wean off the drug. "Each person is different," and it all depends on how your body reacts to the reduction in dosage."
Well, here I am, on Week 3 and I've basically been in a living hell. I've experienced severe headaches, brain "shivers" (slight disorientation), CONSTANT NAUSEA, and flu-like symptoms (vomiting, fever chills, sore throat, diarrhea). Also embarrassing is that I've had to talk to my employer about it because I have missed too many days of work.
My husband decided to do a lot of research on what other experiences people have when tapering off Cymbalta. Lo and behold, there are actually many sites out there with people complaining about the same things! Particularly, the website cymbaltawithdrawal.com was where we spent the most time on reading stories and getting advice from folks who've lived the nightmare.
The bad news is people DO have varying symptoms as well as different lengths of time before the withdrawal symptoms stopped. However, some have been successful at the tapering-off process and enthhusiasticaly write to share their experiences. Two huge tips that seem to work for some people are the following:
1) Getting a low-dose prescription for Prozac, which itself is an SSRI but has a longer half-life than Cymbalta; it also has very minor withdrawal symptoms when stopped completely.
2) Do NOT take Cymbalta "every other day" when weaning off. Cymbalta only has a half life of 12 hours, which means if you skip a day your body basically goes into shock from lack of the drug. Instead, gradually reduce the daily dosage. This can be quite difficult because Cymbalta only comes in 60, 30, and 20 mg time-released capsules. Please browse through the links below to read more information about other folks who've been through this.
If you are a Cymbalta taker, considering using this medication or know someone who is taking it to help with depression and/or anxiety, please, PLEASE make sure you are aware of the things people have experienced when it was time to get off the drug. Visit the sites below for more information.
P.S.
I wrote a letter to my doctor today and faxed him 10 pages of what people have said in the forums. I am hoping he will call me back tomorrow to explore an alternate plan of weaning off Cymbalta. If he prescribes Prozac for me, it may or may not help. At this point I need to try SOMEthing because I really need help. I don't mind taking longer to get off the drug--I just need to be able to FUNCTION and go to work!

Helpful Websites:

• CymbaltaWithdrawal.com
Withdrawal symptoms and side effects help site.
• WhatWinnersDo.com: Cymbalta Withdrawal Symptoms Suck!
Another page with posts from people who have experienced Cymbalta withdrawals.
• How To Wean Off Cymbalta Successfully
Success stories from others.
• Reducing Dosage--It Worked!
What someone tried at home---dangerous but it worked!
• Drug Substitution Quick Info
Thinking of asking for another drug to help with the withdrawals?.
• Please Sign This Petition
"The undersigned are calling upon Eli Lilly to provide a written detailed description of the moderate to severe withdrawal symptoms that patient's are experiencing while trying to discontinue their use of Cymbalta."

UPDATE: Several months later...

It's been a while and I've decided to update everyone on my situation. In January of 2009, I was finally down to 20 mg of Cymbalta daily (I started from 60mg and tapered down 10 mg every two weeks). Since there is no lower dose than 20mg, I asked my doctor for 10mg of Prozac. I took Prozac daily for about a month and did not experience any withdrawal symptoms at all! Finally I stopped taking Prozac completely, and am now living a happy, normal life. There is hope, people! Good luck to everyone who is still going through this horrible experience.

Accupunture For Withdrawl Relief My personal story.

#1 labrat3105 • • Newbie • • Group: Members • Posts: 1 • Joined: 18-February 11
I recently weened off of cymbalta and still am ravaged by the many withdrawl symptoms. day 11. Posted 21 February 2011 - 03:09 PM
Hi all and thank you for reading my post. I recently tried weening myself of Cymbalta and was shocked by the severity and strength of the many withdrawl symptoms. First let me say that I have experienced nearly every kind of withdrawl from nearly every kind of medium. I was an illegal drug user in my younger years and cleaned up from cocain. I am a 4 year sober alcoholic and cleaned up from booze. I was a many year taker of Xanax and have been free of that for 2 years. Let me say that the withdrawl from Cymbalta is the MOTHER OF ALL WITHDRAWLS! It is 10 times worse than all the ones I mentioned put together. This is no exaggeration at all people...watch out!
As I am now 100% sober, I search for natural remedies to ease my many pains. I have had major success over the last 3 years with accupuncture. I am very happy to convey to anyone who suffers with Cymbalta withdrawl that after a vigorous accu regiment my withdrawl symptoms began to receed after my first treatment. I went back every other day until I could feel real improvement. After 3 treatments I am about 70% better! My accupunturist is also a certified herbologist and has me on a few herbs to help the symptoms of Cymbalta withdrawl as well. After about 10 days of seriously incapasitation withdrawl I began to feel better! And now, like I mentioned before I can work and do homework with my kids and go out in public. Accupuncture saved the day for me and I hope it does you.
For some background information...I was on a 60mg dose. My Doctor split the dose in half to 30mg which I took for a month and then 15mg for another month. Finally 15mg every other day was supposed to work. I felt totally crazy after each reduction in strength for about a day and then totally crazy every other day as I took or didn't take the drug. Then when I stopped completely the world totally fell apart. I have serious tremors like I am shivering uncontrollably, insomnia, really cold then really hot, nausea, tremendous fear and fright, digestive system is all over the place from consipation to diarreah within the same 24 hours, brain zaps that I would swear are almost audible, migraine like headache, flu-like body aches and shivers. It has been a truly terrible experience.
In closing I sincerely hope that anyone suffering like I was can find a certified accupunturist nearby and seek some relief for these symptoms. My accupunturist works for Wellspring...you may find a Wellspring clinic near you. Her information is Jessica DePete, MS, LAc Wellspring East 243 East Brown Street East Stroudsburg, PA 18301 (570) 801-1369 www.kunlunacupuncture.com jessica@kunlunacupuncture.com
Please contact them as they will be able to direct you to a certified accupunturist in your area. This was the only course of action that helped the many symptoms of Cymbalta withdrawl for me. If you are suffering as I did believe me what you are going through is very real and very hard to get past without some relief. I hope this helps you feel better.

MORE STORIES...........

Dawn Vandenberg 2 years ago
It was a relief to see someone else going through this "hell" and that I wasn't alone. I too thought of starting a Hub as it's easy as anything to have a doctor put a patient on the medication but not as easy to take them off. I was put on the medication not for treating depression but to be a pain reliever as I injured my back. After missing a dose and experiencing extreme dizziness to the point where I couldn't function I decided the risks outweighted the benefits and asked to be taken off. I was at 60mg and lowed to 40mg after 1 week and then to 30mg and eventially to the lowest dose of 20mg. After the month of weening down and 2 days of not having the Cymbalta in my system at all I had such severe withdrawal that by the 4th day of not having it in my system it was to such a frightening degree that my doctor put me back on 20mg. The list of side effects was so much longer than the side effects I experienced going on it and so was the severity. The withdrawals are scaring me and I have been finding out I am not the only one nor am I "going crazy". I am now so angry when I see an add for Cymbalta and discouraged the a doctor put me on it knowing full well it was a medication not intended for long term use. I have also been able to put terms with the things I felt, for example, the brain shivers. I was explaining them to people as a wooshing sound in my head like a fan. Other sites have recommended Benadryl which I take for allergies in the fall anyway and was thankful to find out it did minimize and took the edge off some of the withdrawals. I guess I am after successful ways of getting off Cymbalta safely and with the least side effects so that I can function for not just my children but also for my own well being. Thank you for the helpful information. It's funny how there are things all over the internet from the people representing Cybalta on getting on it but nothing to help those that need to get off it. It's a drug made to entrap people...so I wonder what the long term effects are. If the withdrawals and such a small dose effects peole the way it does what happens to those that are taking 120mg over longer periods?! Something to think about...I would but my brain doesn't function right now the way it should, thanks Cymbalta.

DZ 2 years ago
I have a question. Has anyone experienced severe mood swings/behaviors changes when weaning off of cymbalta? My husband has been extremely irritable and is becoming argumentative, he thinks everyone is out to get him and is becoming physical. He is seeking altercations. Any assistance is greatly appreciated. I am running out of directions to get assistance.

ProfoundPuns 2 years ago
I am currently taking Cymbalta, not for depression but for anxiety. I haven't tried to wean myself off of the drug, but I know the extreme and sudden side effects from missing one day (forgetting, etc.). I get very strange and constant tingling in the tips of my fingers and even on the skin on my face. It disrupts my entire day and makes me feel sick. Perhaps these are the "brain shivers" you are talking about; I find the symptoms difficult to describe accurately.
I thought maybe the side effect was psychological, that since I knew I had missed a day, maybe I was making it worse than it really was. But it has happened SEVERAL times and I know now that it's a physical withdrawal symptom.
Thank you for validating my experience, and if I choose to wean off of the drug, at least I know I'm not alone.

Brigid 2 years ago
I have forgotten to take t Cymbalta a few times, or was unsure if I had taken it. All I had to do was wait until noon, and I also got numbness and tingling in my hands and face. Also had terrible mental depression. My depression is not well treated with anything, so a year ago my dr. suggested increasing from 60 to 120 mg. Within a short period, I started to have a series (5) of sudden falls - straight forward and flat on my knees, hands and face. These may be, as they sound like, "drop seizures". At that time Cymbalta was only associated with dizzyness leading to fainting. As these falls were not like that, we did not attribute them to Cymbalta, but decided I should go back to 60 mg anyway.
Recdently the depression has been so bad, I again increased from 60 to 120, with some relief, however a few days ago I had the "drop seizure" again. I started doing research and found that now, Cymbalta is not recommended for people with seizures. My very first diagnosis was limbic system seizures. Recently, even before increasing the Cymbalta, I had a good blood work up, and found myself to have low sodium. I have never hade this before, and it can be realted to increased seizures. Cymbalta is known to decrease sodium levels.
Also I take Cytomel, a direct T3, for non working thyroid. The cympalta caused a huge drop in my body temperature. (95.3) and I have had to increase the thyroid med. I have read that people taking thyroid meds need to be checked after taking Cymbalta for a while, and after any increase (and I guess decrease as well). I want off the stuff, as low sodium can be fatal, and falling seizures are dangerous. (I feel nothing to warn me ahead of time - just like a drop seizure. I do feel it is helping levels of chronic pain and am afraid of how much pain I will be in if I get off. It does help the depression at the levels that cause increased seizure activity.
Someone told me a good way to get off is to be hospitalized so you can be IV medicated as you go through withdfrawl. Has anyone heard of this? Here is a very good site for tapering off drugs. You get information on which meds increase or decrease absorption of other meds, as well as a very slow protocol. http://www.theroadback.org/

byee 2 years ago
I am glad people have found that there are others out there suffering as well. My doctor still insists that he knows nothing about these symptoms and that out of millions of people who take the drug, what is the percentage of this? 1%? 5 %? I don't know, but it shouldn't be treated as "insignificant", because people are suffering. I hope Eli Lilly can get some relief for us soon.

Been there...done that 2 years ago
I want to share my experience of coming off Cymbalta. While taking the drug for over 8 months it was time to come off. Things in my life turned around and I felt like I could have complete control of my life without the drug. However, coming off the drug was more than what I was expecting. I was taking 60mg per day. My doctor told me to drop 30mg for a week. I did that but had the "brain shocks" that were killing me. I divided the 30s into 15mg and took that everyday for 1 week...then every other day...then every two days until I came off the drug. Things got better very quickly. For the "brain shocks" take Omega 3 - the fish oil...you won't have them anymore! I swear by the Omega 3! Try it!

sm 2 years ago
How do you go about dividing the capsules? can you buy empty capsules. My pharmacist wants the approval of my doctor blah blah blah and I don't have time for the nonsense. I'm not waiting for anyone's permission to get off this poison. Please tell me how to divide the capsules. Thanks so much

byee 2 years ago
sm, you can't really divide the capsules unless you find a compounding factory to do it for you (they are hard to find and expensive). I started from 60mg, then went down 10mg every two weeks. Cymbalta only comes in 60, 30, and 20mg caps, so I was combing the 30 + 20 to do 50, then used two 20s when I was taking 40mg. But now, I am on the last stretch--I went from 20mg to zero. My pharmacist confirmed that they cannot divide the 20mg capsule for me to make into 10s. It is a bit dangerous to even do it yourself (open the gelcap and do it yourself) because this is a time-released drug. I've taken other people's advice and take Omega 3 and Benadryl. I am definitely having symptoms but it's manageable. Hope that helps.

sadiemar 2 years ago
I AM 35 YRS OLD AND DIAGNOSED WITH TRIGEMINAL NEURALGIA. mY DOCTOR PUT ME ON CYMBALTA . I GUESS SHE THOUGHT IT WOULD WORK. I HAVE BEEN ON IN 3 YRS NOT. I WANT CONTROL BACK OF MY LIFE. I QIUT "COLD TURKEY" I DON'T KNOW IF IT WAS GOOD OR NOT. THERE IS NO GOING BACK FOR ME NOW. I AM AGNGY WITH MY DR FOR NOT TELLING ME THIS WOULD BE LIKE HELL. I HAVE BEEN VOMITING, BRAIN ZAPS, BODY TREMORS, ITCHING, DIZZINESS AND EXTREME CRYING. I HATE MY LIFE RIGHT NOW AND WITH I HAD THE PAIN FROM THE TRIGEMNIAL BACK! I READ FROM ANOTHER PERSON BENADRYL . SO I TOOK IT. I DID SLEEP LAST NIGHT . ITS MORNING NOW AND LIFE HAS TO BEGIN AGAIN. I WITH THEY WOULD TELL YOU THE WARNINGS I DI 60MG FOR 3 YRS. I NEVER WOULD HAVE FILLED THIS SCRIPT. I AM THANKFUL THERE IS A SUPPORT GROUP LIKE THIS. I FEEL ALONE..

Mistymoo 2 years ago
A suggestion for the uncomfortable withdrawal symptoms. 20 Mg Prozac daily (check with your doctor first please), cleanse your body via aqua chi foot detox (removes toxic chemicals and metals from the body), infrared sauna (removes toxins through sweat), drink water and lots of it (filtered water with lemon squeeze is best, ginger tea (shred ginger, add hot water, lemon and honey to taste). This will help with nausea. Real old fashion black licorice will support your liver while detoxing. Also, go to your health food store and get a liver detox support and drink, drink, drink. Also, there is a detox tea you can get (try health food store or contact my sister's site below. She has a few bags. I've been through hell with cymbalta and previously Effexor and Paxil. Same debilitating symptoms. You are not alone. Good luck and know that it will end. My sister, Catherine runs a detox spa in Mission, BC Canada. There is some good info on there. The website is just being built so updates are coming NOONE should suffer this kind of living hell!. Missiondetoxspa.com

Kimber275 2 years ago
I was diagnosed with Fibromyalgia over two years ago. It got to the point I needed some help. Against my fear of taking prescription drugs, I went back to my doctor. He put me on Cymbalta, which had just recently been approved for treating FM. It seemed to be helping and I was feeling great. I had started at 30mg and went up to 60mg. After being on for only 4 or 5 months, I missed two doses while I was away for the weekend. On the drive home I had terrible GI upset and was so nautious. I thought it was food poisoning. Once we got home I was very nervous, nautious, and uncomfortable. A little while later, my husband started a fire in the fireplace and I must have gotten a smell of dust or something, but it made me feel like I couldn't breath, a scence of uncontrollable anxiety came over me and couldn't calm myself. I started to hyperventilate, my fingers started to tingle, then up my arms, my head, my lips, my legs. I couldn't stand, my fingers cramped in and I couldn't move them. my hands were frozen. My husband called 911 and I ended up in the hospital. Come to find out it was all brought on by withdrawl symptoms from the Cymbalta. The GI upset, the anxiety, the hyperventilation which caused my hands to freeze up. I vomited at the hospital and had to keep making trips to the bathroom. They gave me an IV as I was dehydrated and gave me something to calm my stomach, took blood work and basically left me to take a nap. I felt much better when I woke up about a 1/2 hour later. I was fine the rest of night and went back to my doctor the next day. I decided to go back on, not having researched as much as I have been lately. I weaned back on 30mg to 60mg. Now I notice if I miss one day I get the head zaps. I have decided to start weening off and have started taking 30mgs now each day, the past two days, so far so good. I think. Although, I just started geting this ringing in my head.
I went to a holistic chiropracter for my neck and back and we started talking about my symptoms. I filled out a questionnaire and we were able to see that my adrenals and hypothalmus and sugar scored really badly. She gave me some homeopathis medicines to help regulate sugar, support my adrenal glands, omega 3, and some other vitamins. I can definately tell a difference already. She said that this should help minimize side effects while weaning off the Cymbalta too b/c my system will be stronger and more able to tolerate. I hope she's right.
Good luck everyone, and I don't reccomend stopping cold turkey, the side effects can be too sever and damaging to your body.

Teresa McGurk 2 years ago
I was on cymbalta a couple of years ago, but I really don't remember whether or not there were side effects (although I know exactly what you mean by that "brain shiver" thing). All these meds. kinda make me angry, but I don't know what I'd do without them. I'm now on Effexor, mirtazapine, and Lyrica. I would really like to be able to detox myself during the next couple of years. . .

kim 2 years ago
Has anyone had severe sore throat while taking this medication or when missing a dose? I have had one since I missed a dose and all that I have read about it I talked to my doctor about weaning off and she said to take every other day and I can't get rid of a sore throat that is horrible. No strep or mono or cold symptoms, the dr can't find anything else wrong. I'm on 30mg and have been about 8 weeks. Please help I feel like I'm going crazy and my throat is killing me. Also it goes and comes, not every miniute of everyday. Motrin and tylenol help a little. Thanks

SarahMichelle 24 months ago
Once I ran out of one of my anti-deps and it WAS hell. I couldn't believe how badly I was affected from not having just one pill for a couple of days. Kind of scary how dependent I am on them...

Ginger 22 months ago
Thank YOU
I was wondering about the brain shivers! I was trying to explain them and all I could come up with was "an electrical current through my brain". I will try the suggestions given. Thank You

Hammerj 21 months ago
Wow this article was very infomative to me...thank you...
Jane 21 months ago
I am about to go off of Cymbalta after 7 months on 60mg. The doctor told me to just go down to 30mg for two weeks and then off. I have one more dose of 30 mg and wondered how much Omega 3 and Benadryl to take to minimize side effects. I see that those have helped people but no one has mentioned how much of each to take and for how long! I am scared to death to take that last pill tomorrow!

EB 20 months ago
I too have been trying to get off cymbalta. So far I cant get past the third day.

Katharella 20 months ago
Hi, I've actually been thinking about writing a hub about both SSRI drugs and Generic drugs. I read that people were coming off of paxil were having to scrape a little bit off of each pill for a very long time to come off of it. What I don't understand is, if the older drugs weren't broke, why are they trying to fix them and use us as guina pigs. Don't get me wrong some new ones are good, but so far they are few! I'm sorry this happened to you. Try to stick with what you know is OLD, TRUSTED and they know the long term side effects!

random 20 months ago
YES! everyone else gets the brain shivers too! has anyone seen harry potter, when she is talking about these strange things that make your brain fuzzy and you can only see them with 3D glasses?! Is that not totally what it feels like? Thought i'd try to bring some humor into this, even though it's not humorous at all. Thanks to everyone that posts on here, I feel so much better knowing I'm not crazy for feeling electrical currents in my brain...and feeling continually nauseated....

Cynthia 19 months ago
I am also in the tapering off stage having finally figured out that really bad symptoms were the result of taking Cymbalta. I had taken other antidepressants and never* had such terrible side effects, weight gain, puffy face, numbness in my legs and hands/fingers. ANGRY also with 'doctors' who have act so detached from the entire pain-filled experience 'we go through' once we realize what this toxic Rx has been/doing to us. Now I taper by taking a 20mg capsule and pulling it apart and trying to keep the same amount "constant" each night (reducing 1/2) so from - 60 to 50-to 40 etc. but in the meantime, ringing in my ears, brain shocks, weird LSD kind of dreams = tho last night, for the 1st time, I didn't have the 'crazy dreams' so feel somewhat more hopeful. WHY is it that doctor's don't know/recognize these symptoms - ? and come to 'our rescue' and isn't it really a 'wake up call' to have experienced that: they just don't (want to hear it ?) that they have become just/factory robots, giving out Rx's to make MONEY and not caring at all what, happens to their patients that they are - supposedly there, to be caring for but rather just end up, not/caring about period. I think exercise and Meditation is KEY, total mindset-change is KEY...educating ourselves is a must, so that we never, ever fall into this *trap* again thinking: the doctor knows what's best. It's our lives at stake. The MD rakes in the $ from the Rx's he/she writes, pharmaceutical kick backs....etc. it's really a disgrace !!!!

kiwi 19 months ago
My Dr. is an idiot.
He basically wants me to go from 60 mg(I am on this now) to 30 mg for a few weeks and then to do 30 mg every other day and then stop. Which as far as I can tell is going "cold turkey".
I tried to stop (cold turkey)by myself a few weeks ago and thought I was dying. I felt like I had a really bad flu - headache, nauseous, body aches, light headed. Anyway I got scared because I felt so sick I decided I needed a Dr. to help me. But this Dr. is such an idiot and seems to know less than I do about weaning off of cymbalta. So I am taking cymbalta capsules and taking them apart and lowering my dosage on my own. You CANNOT skip days you have to slowly just keep lowering the amount in your system. I hope I can do this. I am in the meantime looking for a Dr. to help me. One that isn't an idiot!

Sexy jonty 17 months ago
Very well written hub .....
very much informative ......
Thank you very much for your great hub, for good advice, good wishes and support. Thanks for sharing your experience with all of us.

Mirandi 17 months ago
Here is a great link that explains what "brain zaps" are. It may help a little to know the science behind this.
http://www.labelmesane.com/brain_zaps.html
I am researching weaning off of cymbalta. Obviously, when I do come off the drug, I will do so under the care of my doctor. But, this blog and others I have read really help me to see what I can expect and what other people are going through!

greenwitchlove13 17 months ago
Thank you thank you thank you! Everytime I tell a friend or doctor about the brain zaps/shivers they look at me like I'm crazy. Ironic though. I have tried to get off of Cymbalta before and it was as you all say "Hell" I felt like I was in a hole sinking deeper. So back on I went. I am soooo scared of this stuff but more scared of life without it. This one works for me, keeps me sane but do the side effects outweigh the benefits?

Laura 17 months ago
Cymbalta has been really helpful for me but the poor night vision and dissociative episodes I was having on whilst it started to annoy me when I was still experiencing them after nine months or so. Mood-wise I was feeling confident and elevated , so I decided I would cope fine without it. I should note that I was never able to take more than 15mg of the the drug as my therapeutic dosage, because of the severe heart palpitations and tremor it gave me (I am SEVERELY sensitive to side effects of anti-deps- most probably because I have temporal lobe epilepsy and am on anti-convulsants for that, which can cause a heightened sensitivity to any other drug- SSRIs increase the risk of seizures in people prone to them, so Cymbalta, being and SNRI seemed a more logical option). So the whole time I was on cymbalta I had been doing the 'splitting capsule' thing as the lowest dosage available here in South Africa is 30mg.
Taking this into account, I'm a bit of a pro at splitting them exactly, despite feeilng like some sort of coke addict when i 'make lines' on a flat surface to redistribute into empty gel caps.
I decided that seeing I was on such a low dose that I could stop cold turkey- bad idea- had insane brain zaps, mood swings, body aches, nausea, panic attacks- you name it, i had it. Also the vivid dreams were pesky as I felt I wasn't getting enough 'restful' sleep and felt extremely lethargic during the day. I then decided to take my normal 15mg dose every two days, which I did for two weeks and noticed far fewer negative effects. Headaches and the vivid dreams still stuck around though. However, as soon as I discontinued this, after two weeks of alternate days, I lasted about two days and then started to feel violently ill again, almost like a bad bout of flu. I caved and am now trying to stick on half of my 15mg dose each day for 2 weeks, after which i will try 'counting granules' as someone suggested earlier, until eventually i take 4-5 granules a day (probably around 1-2 mg) ,until i can come off completely.
I've learned that this drug seems to have an extremely long weaning period (I've been on a LOT of different variations of SSRIs and SNRIs, due to my low threshold for side effects)) and I'm just going to have to be patient- BUT the good thing is, that the more patient and meticulous I am, the more effective the weaning seems to be, so I am hopeful that there is light at the end of the tunnel. I think my saving grace is that I am on 1mg of Rivotril (Clonazepam) every night which is a secondary anti-convulsant /muscle relaxant to treat the Temporal Lobe epilepsy ; and this has a lovely tranquilizing effect that calms me without knocking me out for the count and seems to help brain zaps.
I also find that beta blockers (10mg propanolol) help with heart palps and tremor, as well as dizziness as this seems to be caused by hypertension (high blood pressure) due to elevated heart rate- beta blockers lower the blood pressure slightly so can eliminate this. Find out a little more about beta blockers online to understand their functional mechanism as I'm a bit too lazy to explain it, but they really can work wonders. Ask your doc about this.
I have been doing this without the knowledge of my psychiatrist as I know she will disapprove (I have a good relationship with her but she is a little prescription happy and would rather have me on more drugs than fewer- but I am in the priveleged position of having a father and brother who are practising physicians (GP and Surgeon)and they have helped with fighting the more base side effects and monitoring me.

Julz 17 months ago
I live in canada. And cannot get 20mg!... which sucks. I am a female that took cymbalta for post partum depression. It worked really well for me while I was on it. But now I want to get pregnant, so my doctor is trying to switch me to zoloft which is better studied in pregnancy. I went directly from 60mg cymbalta to 30mgs cymbalta + 50mg zoloft. I did this for a week and it was fine. Then I tried to drop the cymbalta completly, but still take the 50 mg of zoloft and was crazy dizzy and dirreahea nausea, fatigue. I had to spend a whole morning in bed clutching my stomach. With a little one running around it isn't easy to do! I spoke to my pharmacist, who told me to do every other day of cymbalta, and on the "no day" by the evening I feel awful. I wake in the middle of the night with nausea. In the morning I take it and symptoms subside but take the morning to do it.
Any suggestions??

laurie parker 16 months ago
I have been taking Cymbalta for depression and body aches that may be contributed to fibromyalgia. I have taken many differant anti-depressants that worked but you become immune to them. And coming off them was a piece of cake. I've missed one dose of cymbalta and feel like i'm going INSANE! I'm having terrible stomach pain, nausea,vomiting, the "brain-zaps" where my eyes feel uncontrollable, the sweats, then chills, and OMG the dreams or should i say NIGHT MARES i have are ridiculous. i wake up feeling like the stuff actually happened and my body hurts as though i was really doing the things in the dreams as in running, swimming, fighting, whatever. I get to were i'm half awake trying to wake up and see people that arent even there. it's just CRAZY! I missed one dose and i only have 2 60mg capsules left and cannot afford the 125.00 a month to stay on them. SO whats going to happen to me when i'm 3-4-5 days out of this medicine. I'm ready to go to the hospital and get some help because the dr's just arent' listening. I don't blame them totally because I don't feel they are made aware from the makers of this HORRIBLE drug. Wish me luck....i'm gonna need it.

Kappygirl 16 months ago
Well, after being on Cymbalta for over a year I have decided I MUST get off. I was previously on Lexapro for depression, but due to having some nerve damage in my back, my doctor suggested I go on Cymbalta to address both the depression and the burning in my back and shoulders. Like others who have posted here, I noticed that if I missed 2 days (not on purpose--sometimes I just couldn't remember to take it) that I would get a weird tingling/numbness around my mouth and my hands. I finally associated this with missing the Cymbalta after a few times.
After having this happen I started thinking I don't like this med if it makes me feel like this. I know you have to be careful missing doses of medicines, but this just didn't seem right. So I figured I would go every-other-day (I'm on 60mg). It was ok, but then if I missed a day or 2 I would feel even worse than when I had been taking them every day. That's when I knew for sure I wanted to get off this stuff. That's been about 2 weeks now. The past 2 days I felt so awful--I threw up this morning, the tingling is in my whole face and hands, my arms are having a "hot" sensation. And the buzzing in my head/ears is scary. Others have referred to it as "brain shivers". A thought came to me that instead of taking it every-other-day that I still need to take it daily, but at a lower dosage. That's when I decided to get on the internet and look up weaning off this stuff. That's how I found this site. I currently don't have a doctor because mine has left the practice and no one is automatically taking over her patients. She was a good, well-informed doctor; I don't know if she knew the problems with getting off Cymbalta when she told me to go on it.
Laurie Parker, I just glanced at your post as I was writing this (it was right above the comment box) and saw you talking about horrible dreams. I, too, have been having dreams that when I wake up I don't know if it was a dream or real! Totally freaky and scary. Especially when you dream about your mother who has been dead for 14 years, and you wake up and swear she is alive. This has been happening while taking the Cymbalta regularly and weaning off. This drug needs to come off the market.

anitthb 16 months ago
Have been on Cymbalta for 2 years. My weight has gone up 30 pounds. The nightmares, you have described sometimes as LSD type of dreams are terrible. Every, every night I have these. Never feel rested in the morning at all. Very scared to wean off. Have asked my doctor, he said we need to reduce my dose, currently 60 mg. Have called to ask for an appointment to really get started on the reduction. Again, why do the docs not warn about when you need to stop this stuff how hard it will be???

TP 15 months ago
After reading all of these comments, I can't believe how stupid I was before really checking about the side effects and withdrawal systems from this drug. After at least 4 years, I am now trying to ween myself of the drug. I am going on the 30 day plan I saw and starting to follow it to the "T". One thing, I am not sure of is that my doctor always told me to take my dose at night before going to bed. I found that in the morning I always wanted to sleep and sleep. It is very hard to get up sometimes, do you think it is from the side effects of Cymbalta and taking the dosage at night before bedtime. I can say that on the drug my mood is stable, not many mood swings. I am afraid how I will feel after weening myself off. Now, I also understand how I gained so much weight. My doctor assured me that Cymbalta did not put on weight. I guess that is not so.

byee 15 months ago
TP--my doctor told me to take Cymbalta in the mornings. I didn't listen to him at first and took it at night--it kept me up and I couldn't sleep! I also gained about 30 lbs. in less than 2 years. Good luck with getting off the drug...
TERESA 15 months ago
I'm on Cymbalta and I took my self complete off of it and my heart jumps and so does my body. But I was having terrible headaches and gained weight and cryed because I was miserable with the weight but I feel weird right now. I have been off of it almost a week. I feel better and I'm happy but don't like how it makes my body feel with my heart jumping and nauseau.

Jessica 15 months ago
I was on 60 mg of cymbalta for almost a year; about a week ago my dosage was reduced to 30 mg. Initially I felt fine, but I am now feeling symptoms of fatigue, nausea and diarrhea. These are symptoms I've felt before when stopping a drug cold-turkey, but never when weaning myself off a drug. I don't blame the medical professionals who prescribe the drugs - afterall everyone reacts differently to drugs and the dosages at which they're taken - but I would think that they would know more about the general side effects of the drugs they so willingly perscribe.

Sissy 15 months ago
I am a 43old female and have P.T.S.D. (from death experience at 17 in a car wreck) and I am very sensitive to antidepressants. I had tried 8 different types of SSRI's and I was strongly encouraged by my therapist to keep trying. When I first took Lexapro I attempted to commit suicide. I have had suicidal thoughts, but never did I take it that far. I felt like I had no choice and my thoughts were very narrow in the moment. I have been on Cymbalta for 3 years now and I take 20mg in the morning. I have gained 40-50 lbs and no matter what I do, I cannot get the weight off. I also have a hard time getting out of bed and to make matters worse I have A.D.D. /Dyslexia. I have had all the usual tests done, although my vitamin D and iron levels tested extremely low. I do take D and iron supplements now, also I am a vegetarian, yes, and I do eat very healthy and exercise. I have not been re- tested, but I do notice if I do not take a B-12 sublingual tab daily, my lips and skin become dry. I take many supplements and too many to list here. If anyone would like a list of what ones I take, just ask. Please consult your doctor before taking ANY supplements! I do!
I am not a doctor, but I am college educated and have some knowledge concerning supplements. I do believe that life experiences and situations do affect how I feel. I have suffered from extreme insomnia after my P.T.S.D. (from a previous death experience at 17 in a car wreck) was triggered by a violent act. I have skipped my 20mg dose and hope for the best, I have restocked my supplements and I am even going to take fish omega-3 out of desperation.
I have heard that even after people have quit their antidepressant, they have trouble losing weight. I am relatively happy and I plan to get as healthy this year as I can. Does anyone here know about post Cymbalta, like, weight loss, energy, feeling like you again?

Andi 15 months ago
I have been on Cymbalta for a few years. I went from 60mg to 120 mg. Plus they put me on Seroquel. I had every side effect you can have from the Seroquel! I had never been suicidal until they upped the Cymbalta. I never left the house and was a zombie. I decided to take the bull by the horns and stop cold turkey. I did have some of the withdrawal. However it was nothing like the withdrawal I had getting off of pain killers and Klonopin! I feel so much better now that I'm getting off of Cymbalta. I did have anxiety, insomnia, tingling in my face, feet and hands. That is mostly gone now and it's been two weeks. I still can't sleep well but I don't care I know it will pass. I'm getting out of the house now and have more energy. Going cold turkey isn't for everyone, it's like taking the road to hell. Work with your doctor to get off of it. Hang in there it will get better. Just keep telling yourself you are not crazy it's from the drugs. Taking milk thistle has been a great help as it cleans the drugs out of your liver.
I feel like myself more and more each day even if I don't get the sleep I need. I have a lot more motivation too. I've been getting more done in the past three weeks than I have in the past three years! These pharmaceutical company's are a joke! Eat right, take your supplements, drink plenty of fluids, avoid caffeine and sugar, GET EXERCISE!!! I wish all of you the best and you can have the life you want!

Info Help 14 months ago
I also experienced the severe headaches and "brain shivers". In fact, my husband has MS and those are a symptom that many people experience, so we went through all kinds of crazy testing because I thought I may also have the disease. It was horrible! I wish I would have known about this information before I agree to start taking that particular anti-depressant. Thanks for the great hub! I am a fan :)

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