![[dr. bob]](/dr-bob-sm.gif)
Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 8 of 8. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by Frustrated in Indy on January 23, 2008, at 10:39:42
My husband has been on Cymbalta several times over the last year for neuropathy pain and slight depression. Everytime he is this medication he seems to be out it, his motor skills are slowed down, his thought process is slow, and short term memory is gone, this last time he was told to take 60 mg a day and also prescribed to take 1omg of Zyprexa, we stopped both after only a few days but the symptons still seem to be there, any thoughts?
Posted by bleauberry on January 23, 2008, at 10:39:42
In reply to Cymbalta Withdrawls, posted by Frustrated in Indy on January 21, 2008, at 13:00:28
Cymbalta is the trendy choice among docs for treating pain and depression. My doc's office has cymbalta posters, brochures, pens, business cards, and writing pads.
I'm sorry it was rough going. Maybe the side effects would have gone away over time and maybe not. In any case, the meds were stopped and now there are withdrawals. Since the meds were only for a few days the withdrawals should be short. They can be intense regardless that it was only a few days on the meds. The longest I was ever on cymbalta was 2 weeks. The withdrawals were aweful but were gone in about 4 to 5 days. Zyprexa withdrawals might be more like a week to two weeks. Doctors generally underplay the intensity of withdrawals. Make sure your doctor knows how hard this has been.
Expecting things like nausea, dizziness, insomnia, anxiety, nervousness, feeling flu-like, feeling more depressed than before, and feeling more pain than before...these in my opinion can be anticipated, expected, and tolerated when one knows what they are and why they are happening. Once it's over, he should return to where he was prior to taking the meds. And hopefully it will be shorter and easier than I suggested. I'm just going on my own experiences with withdrawals from many meds, including cymbalta and zyprexa, but I am more sensitive than the average person.
In a worst case scenario if the suffering is too strong, small stepping stone doses can be taken. You can split or cut zyprexa tablets as desired. You can dump the beads out of cymbalta capsules and make a custom sized dose...10 beads = 1mg...since the beads are enteric coated they must be swallowed whole with liquid or soft food and not chewed. Since it was only a few days you should probably not need these tricks. Hang on tight. It will be over in days and then you can reassess what to do next.
Posted by shasling on January 23, 2008, at 10:39:42
In reply to Cymbalta Withdrawls, posted by Frustrated in Indy on January 21, 2008, at 13:00:28
I have come off of LOTS of ADs; without a doubt Cymbalta is the worst.
Posted by rskontos on January 23, 2008, at 10:39:42
In reply to Re: Cymbalta Withdrawls, posted by shasling on January 21, 2008, at 17:55:56
Dont forget the brain zaps at least with cymbalta...I have them and I found benedryl helped relieve them. They, for me, were worse when I turned my head or eyes. Now I was on cymbalta longer and it took longer to get out of my system. But then I know people only on cymbalta for two days that had withdrawals so go figure. I think it helps if you wean from it to another AD. I did not do that though. rsk
I came off lexapro and it was much easier.
Posted by Phillipa on January 23, 2008, at 10:39:42
In reply to Re: Cymbalta Withdrawls, posted by rskontos on January 22, 2008, at 9:46:50
Man I'm wierd as was on 60mg of cymbalta for three months and no withdrawal went to 30mg for a week then to nothing. Only thing I noticed was after the drug was gone had back pain didn't know I had so it worked well for pain. Wonder why it didn't do a thing for depression for me? Phillipa
Posted by bonbon on January 27, 2008, at 20:26:32
In reply to Re: Cymbalta Withdrawls, posted by Phillipa on January 23, 2008, at 10:39:42
I was on Cymbalta for about a year. The withdrawal was the worst I've ever had. It was so bad that I am very fearful of any new meds - becuase I don't want to face the withdrawal.
I had such severe brain zaps and insomnia that I thought I was having seizures; went to a neurologist, had tons of testing done and didn't know it was Cymbalta withdrawal until someone mentioned brain zaps to me.
I had an appointment at a major teaching hospital because my neurologist thought that I may have had a stroke but the symptoms and MRI were sketchy. Yep, Cymbalta withdrawal.
Wouldn't you think that one of these docs (especially my pdoc) would recognize the symptoms? or at least connect the dots?
Sorry if this is scary, but I strongly recommend that Cymbalta be a last choice drug b/c of the withdrawal.
Bonbon
Posted by 49er on January 28, 2008, at 5:14:53
In reply to Cymbalta Withdrawls, posted by Frustrated in Indy on January 21, 2008, at 13:00:28
Frustrated in Indy,
It is very dangerous to stop psych meds cold turkey when you have been on them as long as your husband has. What he is experiencing are withdrawal symptoms.
The safest way taper is 10% of the current dose every 3 to 6 weeks. Unfortunately, most doctors are not familiar wih tapering slowly which can lead to problems. And only taper one med at a time.
The reason you need to taper slowly is the brain needs time to adapt to the neurochemical changes of having less of the medicine. When you CT off of a med, it puts the brain into chaos.
I used a compound pharmacist to taper off of one of my meds. Since it is very hard to make 10% cuts and get the prescription filled at a regular pharmacy, a compound person can make the oddball dose you need. Google association of compound pharmacists to get the name of one in your area.
Unfortunately, depending on the situation, they can be expensive. Other options for cutting the doses.
1. If it is a pill - make as small a cut as possible. That can be challenging and usually (at least for me) leads to a bigger than 10% cut. But sometimes you have no choice.
2. If it is capsule with powder - Take out a little bit of the powder and then readjust the capsule. Again, it is hard to know if you are sticking to 10% but do the best you can.
I have never taken cymbalta but it consists of beads, right? Maybe by taking out a few beads at a time, that will work?
Finally, I have seen water titration methods discussed. However, when I asked a pharmacist about doing it with the med I am cutting, they said it wasn't a good idea.
Good luck, your husband can do this. I have gone from 4 to 2 meds and am still going strong.
49er
Posted by Phillipa on January 28, 2008, at 5:14:54
In reply to Cymbalta Withdrawls, posted by Frustrated in Indy on January 21, 2008, at 13:00:28
Why did you stop them both? Not working, bad side effects? True one at a time. Personally have no problem going off one med at a time totally if only on it a few days but that is me. Phillipa
This is the end of the thread.
Psycho-Babble Withdrawal | Extras | FAQ
Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.org
Script revised: February 4, 2008
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/cgi-bin/pb/mget.pl
Copyright 2006-17 Robert Hsiung.
Owned and operated by Dr. Bob LLC and not the University of Chicago.