coming off duloxetine

[meandthecat]

Duloxetine {Cymbalta}is a standard treatment for FM in the UK and I started it about 2 yrs ago to cope with the pain.

I had been ill for 4 yrs and as I got a handle on nutrition etc the exhaustion began to ease and the pain which had already been mind-bending got worse especially stabbing pain in joints. I had come across reference to the effects of raising Noradrenaline levels on pain and persuaded the GP to give me an NSRI( I think it was the Anti-depressant in big letters that convinced him).

Well blow me if it didn't work; 2 days and the pain lessened, by the end of the week I hardly noticed it and it stayed that way. All things are relative but compared to how it had been this was cloud 9.

Two years later I'm a bit untogether with my script and I run out. This is bad news as the pain comes on fast over 2 days and takes about the same time to abate when I begin taking them again..........but this time no pain.... WTF.

So I see how long I can go without the tablets....Hmmm...3 days still no pain just vertigo, headache, sleep loss, brain fog and I am falling apart.

So I am back on the pills at half dose till I'm stable then take it from there.

I am using a magnesium oil spray to help with muscle aches and it is very good, much like a radox bath but without the bath and all the water and feeling rubbish from overheating.

So a cautionary tale about taking sweets from strangers and getting more than you bargained for.

 

[heapsreal]

cold turkey of ad's could be causing your symptoms as well or making them worse. The newer ad's have short 1/2 lives so withdrawal symptoms are alot more common, many taper off slowly or switch to prozac as it has a longer 1/2 life and easier to taper off. I had problems a few yrs ago trying to come off effexor, i ended up going straight back on zoloft and dropped effexor and tapered off zoloft which i had done before without too many dramas.

cheers!!!

 

[runner64]

Hi, I took an AD once before I quit klonopin. The cymbalta was added for a stupid reason, I was in "tolerance" (side effects) on a benzo and the doctor of course didn't recognize it and I learned the hard way.

Long story short, when I found out what a benzo was I quit and realized I should never even have been on that never mind the AD.

I had to go to a forum for the Cymbalta. There is a well known AD withdrawal from it, brain shocks and other symptoms. I got the brain shocks. FDA is denying it of course. Many find it didn't help there pain, I'm glad it did yours. Sorry about your trouble coming off only to restart. It's not in your head.

Here's the board for Cymbalta withdrawals.
http://www.cymbaltawithdrawal.com/


Some people on the boards there taper opening the capsuls and counting beads as they didn't make it in amounts to taper off of comfortably. It comes in 20, 30, 60 mg in the US and 30, 60 mg in Canada or vice versa.

What some do on the board is go to PROZAC ONLY FOR A FEW WEEKS OR MONTH while tapering the Cymbalta as the longer life of Prozac, covers Cymbalta withdrawals for many. After the Cymbalta taper they are then off both. Prozac used only for the half life to cover Cymbalta withdrawals then discontinued. That's what I did. I'm very anti pharma now so am only on antibiotics as me CFS is pathogen based.

I just reread Heapsreals post, she's right all the way around.

 

[taniaaust1]

Two years later I'm a bit untogether with my script and I run out. This is bad news as the pain comes on fast over 2 days and takes about the same time to abate when I begin taking them again..........but this time no pain.... WTF.

So I see how long I can go without the tablets....Hmmm...3 days still no pain just vertigo, headache, sleep loss, brain fog and I am falling apart.

In my early ME/CFS years I had severe FM with it. I nowdays dont get FM at all as the ME improved so did the FM. (I thou could easily get that pain thou back if I over did things.. I once over did and the knee FM trigger point did start up in a flare so I know I can get it back).

Hopefully your FM has stopped or lessened (if you take care). In my own case the FM is obviously just a symptom of the ME. This illness can and often does change with its symptoms (I wonder how many are on meds they no longer need and think the meds are stopping the symptom when the symptom actually has stopped itself).

 

[meandthecat]

thanks for all your feedback; I,ve stabilised at 15 mg a day, 30 every other day was not good. I feel better for the lower dose but the pain is bubbling under. I will stay with it for a while and try ruscus aesculatus root to see if that helps.

 

[meandthecat]

As an update on my escape from the tentacles of this evil drug; I reduced the dose to 10mg and hoped to get down to 5mg and maybe less but the gastro-resistant capsule is obviously there for a reason. I was splitting the 30mg dose and taking it in a role of paper. The side effects were scary; I developed a weird sunburn and skin reaction and had to cover up completely, I live in England!, where the Sun is something we worship by going to Spain. My stomach became sore, bloating got worse and also fluid retention. It may have been ascites, I looked pregnant which is even worse for a guy.

I went cold turkey on 10mg; day 3 was bad and I almost cracked again but pushed through and now 10 days on I'm settling. The pain is still bubbling under, Magnesium oil helps for the muscle aches.

 

[ramakentesh]

In my early ME/CFS years I had severe FM with it. I nowdays dont get FM at all as the ME improved so did the FM. (I thou could easily get that pain thou back if I over did things.. I once over did and the knee FM trigger point did start up in a flare so I know I can get it back).

Hopefully your FM has stopped or lessened (if you take care). In my own case the FM is obviously just a symptom of the ME. This illness can and often does change with its symptoms (I wonder how many are on meds they no longer need and think the meds are stopping the symptom when the symptom actually has stopped itself).

Perhaps spectrums or expressions of similar fundamental etiologies?