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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 4 of 4. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by cymbaltaVictim on July 30, 2006, at 9:56:21
I have spent so many hours reading and researching how and how long it takes to withdraw from Cymbalta. I am so sick and it is extremely difficult to focus and sit here trying to find answers. I would appreciate someone summarizing how to come off and how long it will take. I have been trying to come off since July 11th, 2006.
Here is some background info:
I have been on Cymbalta for about a year taking 60mg and began trying to get off on July 11, 2006. In addition to Cymbalta I also take 450 mg of Wellbutrin, and 40 mg of Seroquil. The reasons I wanted to try to get off Cymbalta were weight gain, extreme constipation, unquenchable thirst, and complete 'outside-looking-in" conscientiousness. I gained about 20 lbs while I have been on Cymbalta and despite all my efforts to lose weight, using diet and exercise have been hopeless. I looked like I am about 4 months pregnant because all my weight went straight to my stomach.Starting on July 11th, I decided to try to take one capsule every 3 days. I have experienced all of the symptoms described throughout the threads on this site. Extreme fatigue, nausea, constipation, then diarrhea, brain zaps, migraines, sudden spells of crying, anger, aches, sharp pains in muscles and insides, back pain, bad dreams, severe itching, total inability to concentrate or do my work. On the 26th, I reduced the amount to 30mg every 3 days.
As I have read everyone's account, I keep hoping to find someone that has successfully made it through and could give us some idea of when to expect these symptoms to go away.
About 4 years ago, I was on Effexor and experienced similar withdrawal, however, not as extreme. This may have been due to the fact that I was prescribed a bunch of others to replace Effexor.
I desperately would like to be totally anti-depressant free. After being on them for 10 years and being prescribed every new one that comes out, I do not feel any better emotionally or physically.
I was not going to write because my story is like everyone else’s, but each post seems to add some bit of additional info. I just hope that someone is out there that can give hope these terrible feelings will go away!!!
Posted by Phillipa on July 30, 2006, at 9:56:23
In reply to Please help! How and how long do you feel so sick?, posted by cymbaltaVictim on July 29, 2006, at 0:27:57
Try posting this on the withdrawal board you may get more responses there. Love Phillipa
Posted by Racer on July 30, 2006, at 9:56:23
In reply to Please help! How and how long do you feel so sick?, posted by cymbaltaVictim on July 29, 2006, at 0:27:57
>
> Starting on July 11th, I decided to try to take one capsule every 3 days.I can't tell you how long you'll feel sick, but I can tell you that the halflife of Cymbalta in the body is too short for taking one pill every three days to be a good taper schedule. Much better would have been to go down to 30 or 40 mg every day, then step down from there after a week or so. The best advice I can offer now, though, is to check the withdrawal board here, and to contact your doctor about a couple of days worth of Prozac. The day or two of Prozac should ease your withdrawal, and it's been called "self-tapering" due to its long halflife.
I hope that helps. Welcome to Babble.
Posted by lymom3 on July 30, 2006, at 9:56:23
In reply to Re: Please help! How and how long do you feel so s » cymbaltaVictim, posted by Racer on July 29, 2006, at 19:06:25
Taking one every three days seems like a recipe to extend your misery. I agree with the lower dose every day. I had horrible results with Cymbalta. Being on it was no worse for me than coming off of it. I have had the withdrawal from Effexor too. I can say from my experience that both of those have taken about 10-14 days to get rid of the effects completely. That is from the time that I completely stopped taking them though...
This is the end of the thread.
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