Cymbalta withdrawal treatment
Common Questions and Answers about Cymbalta withdrawal treatment
cymbalta
I have been on Cymbalta (60 mg) for over two years for treatment of fibromyalgia/depression/anxiety. I recently went down to 40 mg, and after two days was a basket case. Constant brain zaps, a feeling like my entire brain was bruised, severe body aches, increased anxiety and agitation/aggression (which to me was the most frightening). I went back up to 60 mg. Four days later, I am still experiencing the bruised brain feeling and anxiety.
For personal experience I can tell you that Cymbalta does cause withdrawal symptoms (abstinence syndrome). I was on Cymbalta for 6 months as prescribed for my Psychiatrist, after that I decided to do some research about possible withdrawal symptoms because my bad experience with lexapro in 2005. I found that Cymbalta can cause severe symptoms from withdrawal abruptly.
I stopped Cymbalta cold turkey 1 month ago.. I had taken it for 5-6 months... The brain zaps, what you are describing as electrical shocks running thru your body and brain, lasted for 3 weeks. Now I'm brain zaps free. The withdrawal torture can last for 1 month maybe a bit more depending on how long you've been on the medication.
How long does it take for the withdrawal symptons to go away? I got off Cymbalta 5/31 and had severe reactions, my dr put me on Prosac for six weeks, it helped. But I have been off Prosac since 7/25 and am still having some pretty bad withdrawal symptons. Head and body aches, electric shocks, paranoia, my feet hurt really bad, it's hard to walk on them and my ankles swell every day. Does it ever get any better?
I was on Cymbalta for a little over a month. How long will I experience withdrawal symptoms such as brain zaps and dizziness?
I haven't taken Cymbalta or Paxil, so I can't give a personal withdrawal experience for those specific drugs. However, I have taken other SSRIs and SNRIs, and while the withdrawal effects can be really unsettling and uncomfortable, they do decrease in severity and eventually go away with time. I wonder whether the tremors are a side effect from starting Paxil, or a withdrawal symptom from weaning off the Cymbalta, or both?
some people have very uncomfortable symptoms, and others have none at all. Starting the Cymbalta may reduce your withdrawal to some extent, as Cymbalta is a serotonin (and norepinephrine) reuptake blocker, and some of the withdrawal from Tramadol comes from changes in serotonin activity. The withdrawal is not 'dangerous', so do your best to avoid concentrating on them. Distraction is one thing that can help reduce withdrawal symptoms.
I'm guessing you're suffering Effexor withdrawal, not Cymbalta withdrawal. It's not impossible to get a withdrawal from a short stay on a med, but unlikely. Sometimes a med just affects someone more profoundly than one would expect. But given you just came off Effexor, that being one of the hardest meds to stop taking and one that can have long withdrawals, I'm guess you didn't successfully stop it slowly enough to prevent withdrawals.
It's not the way I would do it, especially since they're different classes of medication, cymbalta being an snri and Paxil an ssri. Further, if you take both at the same time, you won't know if something you feel is a side effect of Cymbalta or of withdrawal from Paxil. Both are very difficult for many to quit. If it were me, I'd want to quit the Paxil slowly, tapering down, getting through any withdrawal before starting another strong med like cymbalta.
Is it possible that my rash that I thought was from Cymbalta is actually a withdrawal symptom of it? I have been trying to get off Cymbalta because of the rash, but it seems to be getting worse. Maybe I have this all wrong...
Would you recommend stopping Effexor and switching to Cymbalta? Will Cymbalta reduce the withdrawal effect? My daughters were both recently put on Cymbalta, and their depression is much better, and they claim they are "thinking more clearly".
Thanks for your input.
Cymbalta has no useful indication for anxiety/panic, which is precisely why it isn't approved for this use. The drug is reserved for the treatment of depressive affects only.
Under the supervision of a medical doctor, reduce the dosage to 30 mg. Take 30 mg for one week. The second week, take 15 mg every other day, then stop. You've not been on it long, and the idea is to get off of it as quickly as possible - before it alters your chemistry significantly.
Can anyone offer any suggestions of how to ease the withdrawal symptoms I'm having going from 40-60mg Hydrocodone a day to 20 mg a day in one week; 100mg daily of Ultram down to 50mg daily in one week; and from 90mg daily Cymbalta to 30 mg. a day in one week? I feel like I could bite nails in half. My head is in a vice and has these startling wooshing-type things. My legs are getting restless. I'm tired but I can't sleep very well.
Any help at all would be appreciated.
Is anyone out there on Cymbalta? My Dr. switched me today and I am so afraid of the side effects. Ive been on Lexapro for the past 3 years but feel I might be immuned to it. He added Wellbutrin but it made me extremely anxious.....
i have tried several....effexor, celexsa....but this i only took about 5 days. after two nites of severe nite sweats, i was drenched, the third nite...nothing. Thought this was great....that's when the diarrhea started. Didn't connect it, but after 4 days saw doc again...gave me half dosage to take to wean myself off. everytime i would take any dosage the diarrhea would start...finally just stopped taking it.. the withdrawal symtoms were scary...
I just began a Cymbalta (30mg/day) treatment regimen, and coincidently ran out of clonazepam one week later. Rather than wait in the ER for 4 hours to see a doc, I am waiting for my next scheduled psychiatric appointment for a refill. It's been two weeks now, and my appointment is in another 2 weeks. I was prescribed .5mg/X2/day (morning & night) of Clonazepam (along with Trazodone (150mg at bedtime) for insomnia.
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