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View Full Version : 2 weeks off Duloxetine - now the tears are hitting hard



Yvonne
05-12-07, 17:26
Two weeks off the Duloxetine now. It has been hard I won't deny that. The head shocks which were like electric tremors in the head were awful, they were very bad for about a week - still getting them but nowhere near as much and nowhere near as powerful. The body jolts (not trembling) - like a jolt in the body with every step I took - they were nasty but eased up completely now. The constant headache on top of the head was bad - thank god for Paracetemol. That has lifted now. The nausea; that's gone. The scary nightmares that had me waking my husband with fear during the night - they have gone.

... But now, having had two really good days (Sunday and Monday) - the low mood is kicking in badly.

I knew it was coming on yesterday just kept getting these feelings like I could break down and cry. I am no stranger to crying as anyone will know who reads my posts. Yesterday I held it in and told myself to be brave - got through and just kept feeding myself positive self talk and trying to use cbt by turning the thoughts around.

Nope, the feeling isn't going to be cast away with any of the above techniques, it wants to come out (more like fighting to get out!) and so I have had to give in to it.

I have cried today and for no reason at all. That's when it's worrying - crying for no reason - just that horrid feeling of needing to cry and nothing you think or distract yourself with seems to help.

It is withdrawal I know it. Know so much about damned withdrawal --- but it does scare me.

I have been on this rotten meds merry-go-round for nearly three years now and I MUST get off it!!!!

Seroxat withdrawal, was horrendous in comparison to this of course - I have to admit it is nowhere near as dire as that was. However, that was the catalyst for the last few years suffering.

Coming off Seroxat, trying Citalapram, raising it to its max - no therapeutic effects. Mixing the Citalaprram with Nortriptylene then getting wonky heart rythms and having to come off that. Going back on Citalapram, coming off, trying Sertraline, (bad side effects for me) --- all this time still having bad panics and low level depression. A whole year on Duloxetine with no real positive effects from it. Oh, I so can't take any more.

I have to get through this and if I cry every day for a month but come out ok at the other end then fine - it would have been worth it. The prospect of not coming out fine at the other end is too scary to consider!

I really don't want to go on another medication, I have promised myself (and my family) that I will get off this meds merry-go-round and I really have to do it. What on earth is the point of taking a medication and suffering awful side effects without any benefit being gained?

I have been in this trap for a long time now. I think for the last few years I have been nursing discontinuation syndrome. First the awful withdrawal from Seroxat, then the side effects of new med, then withdrawal from that and so on. No I can't do it any more.

I'm taking my Omega 3 (by the cupfull!!) - I'm taking my magnesium, taking my Vitamin B - now trying the 5htp Tryptophan - what else can I do.

Getting a bit desperate today as you can hear - I just hope tomorrow is a better one.

janey50
05-12-07, 19:05
Yvonne you are so brave! I really feel for you, having been doing the meds merry-go-round since May. Am 2 weeks into Sertraline and coming off Duloxetine at the same time and some days I just want to die! I know what you mean about crying 'about nothing', but actually I find if I have the opportunity to cry, ie the necessary shoulder, I feel better afterwards, even if I don't know what was wrong. So you go ahead and cry when you feel like it, and stick at your determination to come off meds. That's laudable. I stick post-it notes round my bedroom, so the first thing I see when I wake up is 'Determination', and then 'Come out fighting' on the mirror..! I found Duloxetine a horrible drug, dreadful side-effects for the few weeks I was on it, and am hoping Sertraline will help a bit, but if not, then i think I'll be joining you in the 'no-meds' corner. All strength to you, be proud of yourself!

Yvonne
05-12-07, 19:12
Thanks so much Janey.

"Determination" is the key word here and I will have to put up a huge poster with that word on.

I didn't like Duloxetine - made me feel lethargic and spaced out all the time - plus had no effect whatsoever on my panics. Trouble is that the medical profession (psychiatrists, gp's) keep patients on these meds too long even when they are not working that well. My own opinion now (after trying so many meds) is if it doesn't work by 8 weeks then put it down the toilet!

Sertraline seems to work well for people - you should do well on it. I really hope it's the med for you.

Ellen70
05-12-07, 19:46
Hello Yvonne,
My hearts goes out to you, I mean that with 100% sincerity.

I am currently in withdrawal from Duloxetine (Cymbalta) as well, it has been about eight weeks since I took my last dose and I tapered down slowly. To be honest the tapering down seems to make no difference to me as I have quit meds cold turkery (I know that is unadvisable but it was years ago and I was much younger) before and this tapered off withdrawal from Duloxetine has just as severe side effects. Without the help of my Pyschotherapist and other alternative beliefs, then I wouldn't have made it this far.

The first four/ five weeks were the hardest, I won't lie to you. My digestive system took the brunt of the physical symptoms and I had everything imaginable - constant nausea, abdominal pains, diarrhroea, bloating and coulldn't keep any food at all down for the first three weeks. Thankfully the digestive probs have eased up now but I still get awful bloating and stick to eating plain food.

Do you get the feeling that your mind was torturing you? That you were being 'attacked' by your own thoughts? That was the worst withdrawal symptom for me, I really though I was losing my mind and would have a complete nervous breakdown.

As for the crying, I welcome those tears so much as I find they release a lot of tension. Having been on anti depressants and tranquillisers constantly all my adult life (since I was 16, I am 37 now), I didn't realise how much the meds suppressed my emotions. I literally had not cried in years and years and years. At first the crying terriefied me as it felt like I was losing control of myself but then I realised I felt better after a bout of crying so now I hope the tears will come. Tears are healing, I definitely believe that and crying is a natural human emotion that I was deprived of for most of my adult life.

Other symptoms are pressure on and around my head; utter exhaustion - I am literally dragging my body around but I was always tired on the meds anyway; lack of concentration; irrational fears; insomnia (which has eased up now); aches and pains all over my body and general mental distress.

The Duloxetine didn't benefit me in any sense so that is why I came off it. I tapered off an anti psychotic called Seroquel (Quetiapine) at around the same time so that probably increased my withdrawal symptoms.

It is good that your family know what you are going through, I always kept things to myself but my therapist encouraged me to tell my sister and mother what I was going through and they were surprisingly understanding and sympathetic. I live alone and the solitude was making me worse so now I sleep at my parents' home or my sister's home if I feel I can't be on my own. I am trying to be kind to myself, I have always been my own worst enemy.

I totally agree with you that it is very disheartening when you get a down day after having a few good days, it is discouraging and most days I don't feel I have the strength to carry on.

However what keeps me going is the knowledge that once the withdrawal symptoms have gone for good, I will experience what it is like to be 'Me' without anti depressants for the first time in my adult life. That excites me and scares me but is something I definitely want to experience. I am dying to know who I really am without the cloud of anti depressants masking my true self.

You are being really strong and positive and your determination to be med free is great. I am not 'against' all meds, just against taking meds that don't benefit us in any way. Why pickle our bodies with chemicals from meds that don't help us in any way? From a practical point of view, there are very few anti depressants left for me to try. I would estimate that I have been on 15 different anti depressants over the last 21 years. The only one that helped me was Prothiaden and I had a good 4/5 years on that, but then it stopped working for me (which I belive is a common enough occurence with longterm medication use) and nothing else worked. So I hope with all my heart that Duloxetine is the last one I ever take. Touch wood and fingers crossed.

I really, really wish you well Yvonne and I hope you and I both manage to achieve our goals of being med free.

I am also addicted to benzos so I still have to face withdrawal from them at some stage in my life. I just want to be in control of my own feelings, even the fearful ones. Yes, I may feel bloody awful without time but I have felt bloody awful on them as well. However I am not even thinking about the benzo withdrawal now, that is a long way off in the future when I hope to be strong enough to tackle it.

Best of luck Yvonne and you are in my thoughts. On a completely selfish note, it has reassured me to find someone who is experiencing as bad withdrawal symptoms as me in regards to the Duloxetine. It always helps to know we are not the only one.

Be kind to yourself Yvonne,

Love Ellen :hugs: :flowers:

Yvonne
05-12-07, 20:33
Oh ellen

What an amazing post - now I am crying again. You are a truly lovely person.

Thank you so much for your kind words and your truthfulness about the withdrawal and how it is for you 8 weeks down the line.

I, like you, just want to be me - I know it's going to be hard but I want to know what it feels like to actually be med free.

I am so sorry for what you have been through and I wish you sincerely a complete recovery without the meds.

I haven't been on 15 meds but I have tried 4 since coming off Seroxat and none have hit the spot.

You take care my friend. Thank you for taking the time to write such a long post it is so much appreciated. xxxxx

margaret911
05-12-07, 23:46
Good luck to you Yvonne and Ellen, you are both very brave ladies and I admire you both.
love Mags xxxx

joy
06-12-07, 10:59
Has anyone done well on duloxetine????? Thats at least six of us that have posted recently

Joy

Ellen70
10-12-07, 16:14
Yvonne :hugs: :hugs: :hugs: :hugs: :hugs:
I have sent you a pm.

We will hang in there :yesyes:


Love Ellen :flowers:

Ellen70
10-12-07, 16:18
Margaret, thank you for your kind words :hugs:


Joy, I have read a couple of posts on NMP about people who have benefitted from Duloxetine whilst on it but I can't remember who the members were :wacko: I think the withdrawal from this anti-depressant is really the problem for a lot of people who have taken it, though some have been unwell whilst on it too. :hugs:



Love Ellen :flowers:

Angela22
11-03-08, 15:43
Hello everyone - I've just found this site and registered. I was searching for information about coming off duloxetine - and I'm so glad to have found you all.

I've tapered my dose over the last month and am now 5 days into no dose - and would echo everything that others have said. It is so reassuring though to know I'm not the only one to feel like this. I'm determined too - I don't think the duloxetine (for me - has worked very well - if at all) and seems to have simply suppressed emotions that seem to be pouring out of me now!

I am glad to be able to have a good cry - but it is difficult when your family (grown up sons and daughter) just want you to be 'normal'.

Has anyone else had difficulty with hot flushes - or feeling hot all the time? I notice that some of you are taking vitamins and minerals - is anyone trying St. John's Wort - and if so, how long did they wait after stopping taking duloxetine?

I'm so pleased to have found you - and thank you for reading> Yvonne, I hope you are feeling better now than in December.

janey50
11-03-08, 17:33
Angela, well done for coming off Duloxetine! However horrid you feel right now, you've got past the worst bit and just think, you've DONE it! Now you will need to be very kind to yourself and appreciate that you are in recovery from a very powerful drug. Crying is therapeutic but I know just what you mean about grown-up kids not wanting to see you in distress. for me, it's perhaps rather, I don't want them to see ME like that, altho both mine are very kind and sympathetic. At least if they are grown-up they should be able to get their heads round the fact that sometimes life is very hard and mums are not invincible. I'd give St Johns Wort a go, but not till you have settled down a bit. As for feeling hot, well I'm going through the menopause so that happens anyway but a lot of these drugs cause hot flushes and I'm sure it will pass as the drug leaves yr system. My very best wishes to you. Janeyx

Justin1501
05-03-09, 18:18
I picked up on your story from a google search I was doing on cymbalta/duloxetine withdrawal.

I am a 28-yo male from Dallas/Ft. Worth, Texas, and I have just started cessation from the drug. I have been on antidepressants for more than five years now. I have gained over 40 pounds and lost my libido during this time. The side effects during treatment are what I can no longer endure given the limited effectiveness of the drugs.

I am now taking one 30mg capsule of duloxetine every other day, which is down from 90mg everyday. I am experiencing the intense electric jolts throughout my body, intense headaches, and blurry vision, although psychologically, I feel fine.

And not to offend you or anyone reading this, but my libido has increased dramatically. I haven't felt this way since adolescence, and that's all I'll say about that.

I read your blog and became concerned that you are now experiencing crying spells. That is the withdrawal symptom I am terrified of the most. However, thanks to you I know firmly what to expect. I'd rather be prepared to deal with it than to have it sneak up on me , which might lead me to relapse onto the antidepressant.

Best of luck to you from a friend across the pond!

-Justin

ElizabethJane
05-03-09, 18:55
Dear Yvonne I didn't know that you were trying to withdraw from duloxetine. I was on mirtazapine last year and I took two goes to come off of it with terrible side effects. Keep strong and take one day at a time. I wish you all the best. Jane.

janey50
05-03-09, 19:24
Justin - well done for coming off Cymbalta. You are doing so well. Don't look back! If you do start to feel weepy (and I hope you won't) try to remember it's not about REAL sadness or problems - it's just the last kicks coming from the drug as it leaves your system. Horrid drug! So many of us do without sex because of anti-depressants and no psychiatrist I've evr had seemed to think that was important. You'll feel much more in control now. Best of luck to you, Janey.

Yvonne
05-03-09, 20:16
Hi Justin friend from across the Pond lol

It was December 2007 I was coming off the Duloxetine. I was only on 60mg but coming off it still wasn't easy, I'd only been taking it for a year.

I don't agree with every other day withdrawal method, I think you should have a dosage in the drug daily and take it down that way. Did you come down from 90 to 30?? If so, no wonder you are having body shocks.

It's horrible Justin, but you will get through it. You may not even get the tearful stuff. As regards libido - yep I don't mind admitting that when you do come off these meds you do start to get feelings you had forgotten about. Yes, even me at 51 (very young and vivacious, good looking etc 51 lol).

Keep us posted won't you. You have to just be determined. Maybe have a word with your P Doc as you Americans call it and ask him if you could take a dosage of the med each day rather than day on day off.

Justin1501
06-03-09, 05:41
hey yvonne,

thanks for the words of encouragement.

my P doc? wouldn't that be awesome if i still had one. my reasons for coming off the med are two-fold. first, i'm not up to the challenge of taking these meds for the rest of my adult life. and second, the US healthcare system is an ABSOLUTE MESS, and i no longer have health insurance. so, i cannot afford to keep taking cymbalta. it is almost $175 (US dollars) for a thirty day supply. isn't that absurd?

anyhow, im happy to be coming off of it. it's been half a decade since i've not been taking some sort of antidepressant, so i'm looking forward to it.

take care.

-justin

Yvonne
06-03-09, 09:03
Justin

Wow! Hearing that makes me feel grateful to have the NHS - I complain about the £7.50 I have to pay for my scripts.

I wish you every success coming off and I think you're attitude is brilliant. Go for it. The meds are certainly not magic wands and if I could get off the meds I would. However, I can't and that's another story.

Keep in touch and let us know how you're doing, I'll give you support ifyou need it.

ElizabethJane
06-03-09, 09:37
Hi Yvonne me again you can buy a pre payment certificate for your prescriptions. I have a yearly one and it costs about ten pounds a month. As you know I have at least four items a month. I pay by direct debit and all I show at the chemists is a plastic card rather like a credit card. I agree with Justin that anti depressants can dampen sexual feelings but they can re awaken them too.

ElizabethJane
06-03-09, 09:38
I hadn't realised that this was an old thread.

rnathoo
16-08-09, 12:18
Hi,
Thanks for your thoughts and expeiences while coming off duloxtine. I am in my second week and am experience light headedness some pins and needles and slight body/head jolts.
Feel restless and sickly at times.
Hope you are now near your normal self.
Ram:yahoo:

hobnobjunky
14-10-09, 23:44
hey everyone,

i found this thread from googling withdrawel symptoms from dulexetine, ive been on it for about a year, i was previously on citalopram, but it turned out that i was allergic to it so had to switch quickly. Ive taken a year out of my medical degree and am now back into it all.
I was on 60mg but for the past 5 days have switched to 50mg, i think that im going to stay at this level until i feel fine, and then come down another 10mg until im finally off them!!. At the moment though ive been worried because im really itchy?!?! has anyone else had that?? :huh: im tired too, but also had insomnia for a bit but i took a sleeping tablet and since then the tiredness has started. I think ive also become a bit hypomanic, and my tolerance for people that annoy me is about 1%!!! Also im getting some really strange abdo pain but is it coming down or my IBS??? oh dear!!

sank9
02-11-09, 20:38
hi. just found this forum. started to come off this drug and i feel lousey. was on 60mg then down to 40mg for week then down to 20mg for last 5 days. ive been itchy but didnt connect this to the withdrawel symptoms. just been to doc and hes put me back up to 40mgs for another week then back down to 20mg. wish id never been put on it! hate feeling like this

sarah jayne
17-11-09, 10:48
I started taking cymbalta last week and only lasted 3 days on it. I took my last one 3 days ago and i still feel awful. I wish i had read all the horror stories about it first. I still cant eat, im trembling, dizzy, not sleeping, stomach cramps, ive got pins and needles down my left side and i feel more anxious than i ever have done. My husband has had to take time off work to care for me and look after the children. I took this drug hoping it would help and it has made me worse than ever. This drug should be banned, it has ruined peoples lives.

erin31
17-11-09, 10:54
I'm so sorry you are having such a bad time coming off this Sarah Jayne. :hugs:

MADMUMMY
03-02-10, 19:27
Hi,

I have been on so many meds for the last 10 yrs I feel like I should open up my own pharmacy! I have finally had enough and want to feel like a normal functioning human being again (I'm so glad I'm not the only one with libido problems ) and my husband would quite like his wife back too! I'm trying to come off duloxetine, so far not too bad. I was on 90mg and after 3 months am only just down to 30mg. By my therapists reckoning I should have been off them several weeks ago, yeah right, like thats going to happen. Only today have I had some dizzy spells after 2 days on the 30mg. Reading through all of your posts has encouraged me to continue and I am even more determined to succeed. Good luck to everyone who is still trying to battle with these meds, its great to know that you are not on your own.:yesyes:

ElizabethJane
03-02-10, 19:52
Hi Madmummy I know that you are keen to come off duloxetine. Are you feeling better now? I only lasted a month on duloxetine as I had severe side effects sickness, nausea and vertigo. Has your doctor /therapist given you a plan to help with the withdrawals? You should be tapering them off very slowly. I experienced inorgasma whilst taking duloxetine much to my dismay. My sexual problems disappeared when I came off duloxetine. I have not experienced sexual problems whilst taking mirtazapine which I am on now. I wish you well with your withdrawal. Post here for continued help and support.

MADMUMMY
03-02-10, 20:05
Hi,

Thanks for your reply.

I was told to drop my dose every two weeks, 90mg, 60mg, 30mg then stop. Fortunatley I have been playing this game for far too long to think it was this easy.

I hope my libido does return, I think I have had `relations' with my husband twice in 10yrs ! I'm only 36!

steve stevens
13-06-10, 03:41
Hi everyone my girlfriend is on duloxetine and has been on it for about a month.
Since taking it she has had pins and needles in her face and left hand side.
She has been in hospital for a brain scan + an scan of her back.
Her back is the reason she was put on duloxetine, as she was previously on gabapentin for nerve pain.
She has lost the use of both her arms and boith legs twice now, each time lasts about twenty mins.
Has anyone else had these effects or anything like it.
She is ringing her doc on monday for advice on how to come off of it.
Incidently Duloxetine never helped with her pain.
She has also hot and sweaty moments, with a sorta twitch in her right arm.
FFS they dont tell you about the side effects when this drug in prescribed....
I will be back to give updates on her proggress, and let you know if these horrible things are linked to the med ok.

demi
29-07-10, 05:18
hi u will love this ,i work as psychiatric nurse on an intensive care unit,i am really bubbly and sounds like there is twenty people in the room when there is only me.i have an 18 year old son who is wonderful and gorgeous,,a fantastic boyfriend whom i have been seeing for 3 years.i became ill 10 years ago with over active thyroid ,couldnt belive it ,just in the process of trying to get into police at time so i was mortified.anyway cut a long story short i was put on anti depresants,i was more upset about that than actually being depressed,ridiculous,i know doing my job for 13 years,they said my thyroid results were so high they had to bring them down that quickly that that prob caused the depression as i had no problem at the time and was really fit,i thought. well... to the point i am constantly trying to come off the tablets well i would say every few years and end up to the point nobody can cope with me upset and crying all the time as i am one of these people who are there for everyone and dont like to moan if im upset. i eventually came to the conclusion that ,stuff it if i feel fine i may as well stay on them,like if you have an infection u take anti biotics.The last few years we have been trying for a baby as my feller doesnt have any and i am 39 just so i need to be trying harder if you get my drift,went to doctors and u cannot take duloxetine if u are trying for a baby in case u get pregnant,so....hope im not boring u,i have weaned myself off now by dosage over the past 3 month form 60 to 20mgs,i havnt taken any now for a week and today has been the worst day of my life,i cant even type now for crying. I woke up and felt fine did all the house work then i just burst into tears and felt like ripping my head clean off ,i went up stairs to my partner who had been on nights and i could not stop crying ,i said i wanted to die and if i thought i could disapear and not upset anyone i would,by this point i jumped into my car barefoot in my pjs and drove for an hour to find a secluded spot to try and calm down,i had 6 sleepers in my car ,in the glove compartment which i use when really need them as i work shifts.It was unreal as i ended up at some traffic lights at the side of a funeral everyone was walking in crying and i thought how can i do this to everyone i love,so....i ended up in the car sat in a graveyard took the tablets and drove home before they took effect,went to sleep,i was well aware i would wake up that is not why i took them,just needed to have a good sleep and they dont work for me at the best of times.I am here now talking to u now,i just wish this feeling would go away or someone could tell me a date when i will be normal.I never talk to anyone about myself and i hope u dont mind me venting my feelings as i couldnt belive it when i seen your post,first time i have ever done anything like this,spoke to a stranger regarding my problem.I hope to god you feel better really soon i really mean that. Night xx love demi x

ElizabethJane
29-07-10, 15:53
Dear Demi (((hugs)) to you. I accept that your experiences from withdrawing from duloxetine are hellish at the moment. You are a psychiatric nurse so it must be very difficult going into work when you feel like this if you are able to go into work at all. The weepiness and low mood could be withdrawals or it might be the original illness returning. Let your own GP decide. Please put trying for a baby on the back burner for a while. Your thyroid levels need to be sorted out and you need to be on more of an even keel before trying for a baby. Please don't be swayed by emotions. I have been on duloxetine and it didn't suit me. I became pregnant at thirty six via IVF first pregnancy. I was taking dothiepin which I came off abruptly but I was on a maintenance dose for most of the pregnancy but not the first twelve weeks when the foetus was developing. All I can say is to get yourself really well first lose weight if necessary and get your emotional and physical health sorted out. It will be harder to become pregnant at thirty nine but not impossible and you might need some help. Try to get your medication sorted out first. I know that it is hard but I would defer trying for a baby at the moment. Please keep posting as you'll need support if you are withdrawing from duloxetine. Take care EJ.

carlakayani
16-12-10, 16:53
I am in my 4th day of duloxetine withdrawal. I am having strong flu like symptons, very bad stomach cramps, nausea, dizziness, crying, confusion, terror. It really hurts. I am doing this for my partner as we are hoping that coming off duloxetine will help prevent my frequent and dangreous bouts of mania. How long will this pain last? What happens after withdrawal? Does anyone else have any experience?

ElizabethJane
16-12-10, 20:25
Hello Carla. Are you withdrawing from duloxetine with your doctor/psychiatrists blessing? I'm not sure whether you are going 'cold turkey' ie stopping abruptly without tapering? If you are suffering from mania has your psychiatrist suggested a different medication? Some anti ds can cause mania in people who suffer from bi-polar illness. I was on duloxetine for about a month and had to stop taking it because of severe side effects. I think that you need to contact your care giver be it psychiatrist or CPN in the morning as you might need some additional medication to get through this withdrawal. The doctor might prescribe valium or something else? Best wishes EJ.

carlakayani
16-12-10, 20:42
Hello EJ,
Thank you so much for getting back to me. I am doing this without the blessing of my GP as I am afraid of the GPs at my new surgery. I went last week to tell this GP that I believe that I am bi-polar. A psychiatrist who saw me after I tried to kill myself in September thought it was almost definite but I need a proper diagnosis-hence going to see the GP. I was scared to see the doctor to ask about coming off because they are usually undermining and I feel really bad. I am doing this in order to try and stabilise my mania because of the way I am affecting my partner. What is your advice? I feel like I am going mad. Can't stop crying. I have fever. I am talking and walking funny. I have been on duloxetine for about two years.

Carla x

ElizabethJane
16-12-10, 20:49
Carla if you are that ill then you need to go to casualty. Get your boyfriend to take you. It might take some time but you will be seen by a psychiatrist for a proper assessment. Don't let them fob you off. I am not medically trained although I take lithium and mirtazapine for severe recurrent depression and know a little about bi-polar because of being on lithium. You will need the correct meds for your condition. There are members of nmp who are bi-polar who might be able to offer their support. Please don't feel you have to suffer in silence. EJ.

robert63
13-07-11, 20:37
Hi new to the site I was just looking for some help!! I have been on anti depresants before and came off them, then I rupptured some discs in my back, pain killers help to some extent then the doc gave me amitriptyline to help it took ages to get use to them i was on them for years, then the pain sem to get worse, I went to the docs and he gave me duloxetine, the worst thing ever!! I have been back several times with side effects all they say is give them time, ive given them six months maybe longer and they dont get any better, so i have bitten the bullet and gone cold turkey, a week now and I feel like shit!! dizzy, throwing up all the time, the runs, my god what are these tablets doing to me. I carnt believe my doc told me to carry on taking them, theree again when he sits there looking at his watch all the time, no wonder, i hope things get better soon, and as for crying i could water the garden.

nikkita
17-10-11, 23:42
Hi this is my first post so be gentle with me.i stumbled across this when googling duloxetine withdrawal.I have been on this drug for the past 4 years and have had very few problems of side-effects.I was initially on and off cipralex but i didnt like how it made me feel so my doc swapped me over.I didnt actually decide to come off my meds..i sort of ran out of tablets...that was 5 days ago though,to say that i have started to feel strange is an understatement!!
Long story short..new tablets waiting at chemist to collect tomorrow but now i have a dilema.Should i just keep with the cold turkey or go back on?

I have been getting really dizzy spells plus the upset tummy and wow..the nitemares!! It was only like an hour ago when i flipped my lid over something minor that my OH said "jeex its not hard to know you have run out of ur cymbalta"

This is what got me thinking could it be withdrawal...so i google...i find myself here.

Iv read all the horror stories about cymbalta but it really has worked for me.I have no doubt though that if i stay off them then the withdrawal will get worse and my panic disorder/depression may come back.

I just wanted to say to all you brave people who have come off their meds,well done! This seems to be a really old thread though so it would be great to find out how people like yvonne are doing now.Anyways,good luck with your own personal battles xxx nikkita

HeatherB
18-10-11, 11:43
I went off Escitalopram cold turkey - dosage was 10 mg a day - and within two days I felt much more authentic and in touch with myself. However, the brain zaps got worse and worse, and I started becoming very irritable, slightly manic. Three weeks after quitting Escitalopram I have decided to take Prozac at the standard dose because the withdrawal from Escitalopram is too much to handle. I have flu symptoms as well. I have taken Prozac before and did not feel as spaced and drowsy on it as I did on Escitolopram.

My doctor put me on Duloxetine a couple of years ago, and I lasted three days on it, awful side effects. I think I'll stay on the Prozac on the daily dose for two months or so, and then take one every other day thereafter. It's dirt cheap and for me it has the least side effects.

anne
27-10-11, 17:57
What are the long term side effects of duloxatine to your body and do they continue to work after continued use.?

I have been taking cymbalta for 3 years ...yes they give you the runs and a few other side effects when you start the trick is to take them religiously at the same time in the morning. I take 30mgx2 every day they are good for your seritionin feelings, mood dips, temper and depression But I have problems every year at this time of year complete exhaustion and nearly all the symptoms low thyriod (which is checked and is always in normal limits) and wow, I am so hot all the time (I had hysterectomy and offerectomy 7 years ago and have experienced the change but these are feeling hot and sticky all the time not the flushes
has anyone any advice I would be so gratefull thanks anne

missy_c
03-11-11, 20:58
Sorry to butt in on this thread! I have just started taking duloxetine, but about 11 months ago I tapered off effexor/venlafaxine sucessfully. Now, having started duloxetine the side effects seem pretty similar and they are in the same class of meds. Reading about some of the side effects mentioned here for withdrawal, I found it very helpful indeed to take cod liver oil with omega fish oils (lessened the brain zaps loads), vitamin B complex and benydryl (there was a specific one though as not all are the same, can't remember at the mo) to help with the nausea. I found these to really help with the side effects, so may work for this drug also.

Bruno58
03-11-11, 22:07
Thanks for the info missy c, I've saved your post for future reference in case I have to come off these and have problems...I hope not...Yuk!

J.

jenky
15-11-11, 15:13
As with everyone else i found this thread while googling 'duloxetine withdrawal' and although i'm not a huge fan of forums, it has given me a little hope reading through everyone's experiences. I've been on duloxetine for a year and am attempting to withdrawal off it in order to go onto another medication, as the side effects were just too much for me. i.e. nightmares, stomach upsets, sweating, dizziness etc etc. Well, I came off paroxetine to go on duloxetine and although i remember that being hellish, I can't even start to describe just how bad the withdrawal is from this medication... constant vertigo/dizziness, nausea, stomach upsets, muscle aches, flu like symptoms etc and not forgetting the bouts of incessant crying. In moments of clarity, I really do feel like never going onto another antidepressant again, however I realise I may have to be on some medication in order to keep the depression and anxiety in check for the rest of my life.

Although I'm under the care of a phychiatrist coming off duloxetine, I think they underestimate and then don't warn their patients enough about the withdrawal process. I've also found out that because duloxetine has a very short 'half life' means you need to take even more care with withdrawal. I must mean to thank my consultant for warning me about this, his advice had been to continue taking 60mg duloxetine and then just switch onto sertraline straight away. Little did I know. Good thing I'd asked the GP their advice.

I won't keep ranting, but if you do read this having googled duloxetine withdrawal, please, please, please don't go cold turkey and for god's sake just take your time, not just a few weeks to come off it. Go slow as you can and take good care of yourself.

all the best, here's hoping for some good health! x

scorpion lady 52
23-06-12, 11:41
im on dulloxetine 60 mg and 30 mg its a nightmare just trying to function
normal after years on and off all kinds off anti deppressants
as even now i have just had 30 mg off duloxetine im finding it so difficult to type this i want to come off this terrable med this week i have felt so ill and low mood i've tried to stop 30 mg tablet awfull feel sick i stoped it all once got rushed to gp hot shaking worst headache ever just got increased again 30 mg :wacko:
i cried the first time yesterday in 3yers nearly split with my husband 15 years been to gether i wish any one who gets off meds and can cope the very best luck ever and to enjoy life free i cant function properly my emotions have been so changeable am due to see my psychiatrist soon as i left home and just felt mentally and phisically drained i may seem that no one listens to you when you feel worse its just you you need an increase of tablet rubbish you need to feel well wats the use off living if you dont fell alive
i dont meen any one should harm them selves its not the answer the doctors should listen to us or try some off these meds themselves and experance what we go throug h no more good luck any one who can live drug free thanks for this site my last thaught where not alone scorpionlady 52 thanks to all :D

Heidlilbugga
12-09-12, 20:30
I have been on Duloxetine for about a month, I have to say I have not had any side effects that I can think of and am finding it far more affective than Citalopram. I was on the max dose allowed for Citalopram (60mg) until a few months ago when they dropped the safe maximum down to 40mg and my depression kicked in and I started to go into a crisis. I was put on to Duloxetine in the hope that it would help my Fybromialgia as well so hitting two problems with one drug so to speak. Its fingers crossed for me as I am balanced out again. Will keep updating everyone on my Duloxetine journey as I think the simple fact is not all drugs work for everyone and it is a case of finding one that suits you. Citalopram was never strong enough and I always felt that it was only ever keeping the depression at bay. I am on a moderate dose of the Duloxetine so we will see how it goes.
Heidi

MelanieU
25-08-15, 11:22
I've had terrible hot sweats during the day and almost all night, waking up when I do occasionally manage to sleep absolutely dripping wet. This is only one of many symptoms that I'm suffering having reduced from 90mg to 60mg on 9th July.

The leaflet mentions many potential side effects of taking the medication but hardly touches on the subject of withdrawal.

Maybe drugs shouldn't be approved until there have been thorough clinical trials on withdrawal as well as those that are conducted relating to side effects when taking the medication. It's crazy that we are suffering like this.:shrug:

---------- Post added at 11:22 ---------- Previous post was at 11:17 ----------

It does seem that the USA promotes faster reduction than the UK. My GP has indicated that after reducing from 90 to 60 I then need to stay on 60 for some considerable time before reducing again.

MyNameIsTerry
25-08-15, 11:34
They usually recommend 10% reductions with many of the antidepressants. It's tricky though with Duloxetine since the manufacturer makes fewer dose sizes and the most you can play about with is 20mg (by generic only), or 30mg & 60mg by Eli Lilly and the generics. You can't break them like tablets and they have hundreds of tiny beads in them (except the generics as they have a tablet in them) which you can't swallow without putting in capsules or they irritate your throat! So, it's like you can't win and have to go at 50% drops unless you can add in that 20mg generic to ease it slightly.

Another possibility it switching to a med with a longer half life like Fluoxetine. They do this with short half life drugs like Venlafaxine. It makes the withdrawal take longer so you don't get hit with the side effects as much.

I really struggle going onto the 60mg dose as the aggitation & anxiety were terrible so I hope this improves for you soon. I agree they really should do more with these meds to understand them and how withdrawals affect people but it seems thats left for us & the doctors to sort out in the real world and we pay the price.