| Author |
 Topic  |
|
|
alicat871
USA
9 Posts |
 Posted - 07/01/2008 : 10:38:38
|
Its been a while since i have been on the forum.. I originally on this site because I was trying to get off Effexor. I am now going through withdrawals from cymbalta. I was on cymbalta since 2005 to help me coutneract the side effects from the Effexor and now that I am withdrawing from cymbalta i have this electric shock feeling throughout my body and its very uncomfortable.
I dont want to be on the cymbalta for the rest of my life becasue I much rather go down a more natural approach and my psychiatrist agrees. He is a great Dr. and I know he said that the side effectgs are natural. I just need some support from some of you to help me get through the side effects and to let me knoiw what had helped you. I am open for any suggestions. I do take herbals like fishoil,vit d,iodoral,grapeseed extract. IF you have any suggestions just let me know.
THanks,
Alison |
|
|
la_kevin
USA
351 Posts |
Posted - 07/01/2008 : 11:38:23
|
Just the other day I was posting how I have been 'drug' free from Pharmaceutical poison for 4 years now, and my thoughts on the damage they can do to synapses and nerve endings.
You're having a withdrawal symptom. SSRI(SSNRI) drugs do that. Many people get the 'zaps' when discontinuing drugs. The doctor that prescribed them should know that. You should be doing a 'slow taper' off any meds that effect Serotonin.
I think it should be mandatory that people take a class in what SEROTONIN is responsible for in the body, before they are put on these 30-40% placebo syndrome/zombie state inducing/fake emotion/altered brain wave things they call "antidepressants".
Don't worry about the 'zaps', they go away. You won't have them forever, but be prepared for MONTHS of them if your body is sensitive. Not saying it will take months, just saying it can.
Those zaps are your nerves and motor functions misfiring because your brain is now realizing that it was all a lie the whole time. And now, your muscles that depend on serotonin for contraction and nerve impulse, are going haywire. Cute isn't it?
Your Doctor should tell you this, but they hand the crap out like candy on Halloween. I've seen chewing gum more regulated than that garbage. Him saying it's 'natural' is not exactly true, predictable, but not natural.
Sorry, I hate the whole use of the 'depression epidemic' as a reason to poison a whole 30% of the American people with SSRI's. Not mad at you, just hate people suffering from the 'zaps', and you can tell I hate the crap . :)
I know the feeling and it's awful, and doctors rarely talk about the withdrawal.
Ask your Doc if you can taper off slower. You might need to go down to something like 5 MG a day for a few weeks, then 2MG, etc.
Try some B vitamins to counter act the nerve impulse/misfiring, and calcium/magnesium helps smooth out the transition.
Above all, educate yourself to exactly what SSRI's do and what role serotonin, GABA, Norepinephrine play in your body, then ask yourself if 'tricking' these chemicals is a good move.
If you can, exercise at least 30 minutes a day. I suggest swimming, but it could exacerbate the firing impulse the brain is going through right now, ask him. Mainly work on getting the **** out slowly of your body.
Good Luck.
---------------------------
"Life is what happens while you are busy making other plans"- John Lennon |
 |
|
|
Littlebird
USA
391 Posts |
Posted - 07/01/2008 : 15:40:36
|
Hi Alicat,
You might find a book called "The Antidepressant Solution," by Dr. Joseph Glenmullen (a clinical instructor at Harvard Medical School) useful, because it is all about how to get off medications without having to go through intolerable withdrawal symptoms or side effects. This doctor says that many doctors never receive adequate training for helping people taper off the meds correctly and so the patients are suffering needlessly or being kept on the meds unnecessarily because they can't tolerate the withdrawals when they are not properly tapered off.
The book shows the half-life of Cymbalta to be reached in 12 hours. The drug is 90% eliminated from the body in 2.5 days, and the typical onset of withdrawal symptoms occurs in 2-3 days. But the tapering schedule is intended to decrease or eliminate the withdrawal symptoms. The tapering schedule for Cymbalta starts at 60 mg. then drops to 40 then to 20 then to 10 and finally to 0. If you are dropping the dosage in larger increments than this schedule, you're more likely to suffer symptoms. However, I think that Cymbalta only comes in capsules of 20, 30, or 60 mg., so I'm not sure why the doctor lists the other dosages. I've never taken Cymbalta, so I'm not sure if there are other forms than capsules.
I know that I have tapered off a medication in capsule form by pouring out some of the medication, a little at a time, but it's hard to get a consistent amount that way. I doubt that a doctor would recommend pouring out unmeasured amounts, but the only scales I could find that measure in milligrams are the ones used for measuring gunpowder to put in bullets, and they were more costly than what I could afford. Since I didn't have a knowledgeable doctor, I just tapered the dose on my own, because dropping a full capsule of the medication at a time caused serious withdrawals for me. I had previously been through withdrawals from other meds when the dosage was dropped in too large an increment, so that's why I resorted to pouring some powder out of the capsules on my own to slow the taper down.
The timing for reducing the dosage may depend on the patient. The author of the book generally seems to recommend reducing the dosage only once a month, but some people might be able to tolerate more frequent decreases.
I felt the price of the book was well worth it for me in helping me figure out how to taper off meds. Since you have a good doctor, you may be able to have him work with you to reduce the severity of any withdrawal symptoms.
Best wishes with your efforts to get off the Cymbalta. |
|
|
|
alicat871
USA
9 Posts |
Posted - 07/02/2008 : 19:49:45
|
Thanks all for your responses and your help. As far as the capsules yes Cymbalta only comes in a capsule of 20,30,and 60 and i have been on 20mg for 2 yrs and i went up to 30 for a short time so I can pass a test and now back to 20 for 2 months. I have for the last week been tapering down from once every other day and just this week and probably for the next few weeks I will do every 2 days.
My doc is awesome and he did say there would be side effects, and he is well aware of how I felt when I got off Effexor. I had the worse side effects from the Effexor. SO bad that I felt like I wasnt even myself. I had dizziness, falling sensations, lack sleep, etc.
The cymbalta isnt making me so much dizzy but it makes me a little off balance and defeinitly the zaps like a shock like feeling through my body is the problem. I am going to call my doc and see about geting Vit B and Mad, calcium and I will get the book to find out about side effects.
I thank you again for your support.
Aliosn |
|
|
|
alicat871
USA
9 Posts |
Posted - 07/03/2008 : 08:21:55
|
Thanks all for your responses and your help. As far as the capsules yes Cymbalta only comes in a capsule of 20,30,and 60 and i have been on 20mg for 2 yrs and i went up to 30 for a short time so I can pass a test and now back to 20 for 2 months. I have for the last week been tapering down from once every other day and just this week and probably for the next few weeks I will do every 2 days.
My doc is awesome and he did say there would be side effects, and he is well aware of how I felt when I got off Effexor. I had the worse side effects from the Effexor. SO bad that I felt like I wasnt even myself. I had dizziness, falling sensations, lack sleep, etc.
The cymbalta isnt making me so much dizzy but it makes me a little off balance and defeinitly the zaps like a shock like feeling through my body is the problem. I am going to call my doc and see about geting Vit B and Mad, calcium and I will get the book to find out about side effects.
I thank you again for your support.
Aliosnquote:
Originally posted by Littlebird
Hi Alicat,
You might find a book called "The Antidepressant Solution," by Dr. Joseph Glenmullen (a clinical instructor at Harvard Medical School) useful, because it is all about how to get off medications without having to go through intolerable withdrawal symptoms or side effects. This doctor says that many doctors never receive adequate training for helping people taper off the meds correctly and so the patients are suffering needlessly or being kept on the meds unnecessarily because they can't tolerate the withdrawals when they are not properly tapered off.
The book shows the half-life of Cymbalta to be reached in 12 hours. The drug is 90% eliminated from the body in 2.5 days, and the typical onset of withdrawal symptoms occurs in 2-3 days. But the tapering schedule is intended to decrease or eliminate the withdrawal symptoms. The tapering schedule for Cymbalta starts at 60 mg. then drops to 40 then to 20 then to 10 and finally to 0. If you are dropping the dosage in larger increments than this schedule, you're more likely to suffer symptoms. However, I think that Cymbalta only comes in capsules of 20, 30, or 60 mg., so I'm not sure why the doctor lists the other dosages. I've never taken Cymbalta, so I'm not sure if there are other forms than capsules.
I know that I have tapered off a medication in capsule form by pouring out some of the medication, a little at a time, but it's hard to get a consistent amount that way. I doubt that a doctor would recommend pouring out unmeasured amounts, but the only scales I could find that measure in milligrams are the ones used for measuring gunpowder to put in bullets, and they were more costly than what I could afford. Since I didn't have a knowledgeable doctor, I just tapered the dose on my own, because dropping a full capsule of the medication at a time caused serious withdrawals for me. I had previously been through withdrawals from other meds when the dosage was dropped in too large an increment, so that's why I resorted to pouring some powder out of the capsules on my own to slow the taper down.
The timing for reducing the dosage may depend on the patient. The author of the book generally seems to recommend reducing the dosage only once a month, but some people might be able to tolerate more frequent decreases.
I felt the price of the book was well worth it for me in helping me figure out how to taper off meds. Since you have a good doctor, you may be able to have him work with you to reduce the severity of any withdrawal symptoms.
Best wishes with your efforts to get off the Cymbalta.
|
|
|
| |
Topic |
|
|
|
Cymbalta with drawals
