Is this duloxetine withdrawal?

Hang in there with this withdrawal. I have really struggled since I came off it nearly 4 weeks ago and ended up with flu leading to pneumonia. I am reluctant to blame the duloxextine withdrawal as I took it for pain rather than for anxiety so it could just be a coincidence that my health has been so poor since then. But part of me thinks all this is the result of withdrawing from Duloxetine after four months because my body is so sensitive to all forms of medication. I hope that doctors think harder before they prescribe this drug - bearing how hard it is for many to come off. I think a very slow weaning process is probably the only way. It would be nice to have our doctors' support with this process.

Look up the road back some great info and help , l am down from 60 mg to 30 but did it 10 mg at a time ,if done slowly enough you can greatly minimise the withdrawals . I am not quite ready to drop further yet but hope to drop to 20 mg in the next month The hell that is caused by reducing too quickly is absolutely terrible but in my experience the drs don't have a clue , the only way is to research it ourselves and inform the drs that this is the way you prefer to reduce luckily mine listened good luck magnolia. Xx

Thanx Tumtum,  

when I started taking the cymbalta I had diarriaha and sicknes for 2 weeks and I lways though it was because of them as I rarely get ill and never that bad so maybe it affects our immune systems coming off and starting the drug?  I believe it is a very harsh drug but the doctors seem so chilled about it.  The doctors take two weeks to get an appointment with here and when you are in there it just feels like they want to give you something to take and it just seems like they have a decisions tree they follow,  like of example ,  patient feels depressed,  solution - prescribe tablet,  patient comes back next week feels worse -  prescribe stronger dose an so on.  Now if the doctor decided to tell the patient to wait on a list to see a councillor in probably a few months time and that patient them hurts themselves in the mean time then the doctor will be under question and a GP here actually committed suicide after a young girl did so after seeing him and not getting the right help,  imagine what the doctors have to live with if they don't do something it must be a scary profession,  so I think they feel they have to prescribe and follow a set of rules.  Of course this is not what people need but the health service can't simply cope,  I do feel the chemist and the Internet are both more accessible and more helpful at times.

Thanks Magnolias,

i tried tapering ring down before and I got from 60 to 30 that way then I was pouring half of the 30 out but couldn't handle it at the time so went back up to 30.  This last few weeks, funny enough I've started a temp job in a pharmaceutical company, I've just thought sod it I want off these tablets,  I didn't like the thought of having to take tablets for the rest of my life I mean I'm 36 and I've coped so far without them so why do I need them now?  I've seen so many horrors about the withdrawal and people going cold turkey but  I think they probably had more serious issues than me to begin and quite possibly serious pain issues too. The doctor has given me something very strong for a problem that is not so huge in the scale of things,  so I think I will only really bare the brunt of the physical withdrawal and on top of that a few angry mood swings.  I mean apart from the dizziness I am A okay atm.  But if that changes I will let you know,  and I've an interview for a perm position next week so I really hope I stay this way,   But definitely researching others experiences and what helps is the way ahead,  I've learnt that keeping the electrolytes up and staying hydrated and also antihistamines helps the brain zaps .  I have been taking travel sickness tablets also lots of omega 3,  multivitamins and valerium all from the health food store so hopefully they are helping,  can't actually tell for sure as I been taking them since last week so wouldn't know what I would be like not taking them, if you know what I mean, oh did I mention my appetite is huge ,  I'm always hungry!  I am so gonna have to go running anyway or I'll be the size of a house soon,  also I don't drink alcohol at all now so thats gotta help things. X

You are really clued up veronica well done , my weight seems to go up and down on the duloxetine I so want to lose , but I get mad sugar cravings every night I'm sick of them I've tried everything to try and stop them but always end up giving in to them . I'm not working at the moment been to I'll for the last 2 years but am in the midst of setting up my own soft furnishings business I hope your interview is success full good luck and thank you so much for your reply it feels good to talk to one who knows what its all about hugs magnolia xx

Good luck with your new business,   it's good to be busy especially doing something you like.   It's good news on the withdrawal side of things here,  yesterday I had quite a lot of dizzy spells and head zaps just after midday.  I take my breakfast at half six every morning,  porridge,  2 toast with jam and ordinary tea with just milk,  this is religious every day of my life lol,  I don't think I could survive without breakfast.  Anyhow because I have come off cymbalta 30mg last week,  think Thursday was the last tablet,  here is what I have taken every morning with my breakfast,

quercetin 500mg plus vitamin C is added to them from holland and Barrett ,  apparently quercetin is an antihistamine and I read that this was good a combatting dizziness.

omega 3 fish oil - huge plasticity tablets from tesco

centrum advance - I took these already,  they are a multi vitamin tablet which I always thought were great anyway.

iron - 14 mg - again took these before as I have never eaten meat so found they helped with fatigue.

valerium plus with Passion flower combined from Holland and Barrett-  they are new for the withdrawal and they are meant to keep you chilled out ,  which I have been 95% of the time 

to stay hydrated I continue to fill my 250ml water bottle and drink as much as I can with an electrolyte tablet that dissolves into it,  however I have noticed it has caffeine in it and possibly a lot so I don't add them after lunch time,

finally if I get dizzy and I think it's getting worse I take a motion sickness tablet. From boots.

i guess I probably rattle when I walk lol,

so as as I was saying yesterday I was getting very dizzy and had an extreme lack of concentration,  I also felt I would easily cry just at mundane work stuff, like me making stupids errors and what not.  This was just after noon,  so I decided to take another omega 3, quercetin,  sickness tablet and a full bottle of the electrolyte drink in one down and hey presto the bad symptoms passed within the hour,  I really believe that being fully hydrated is the key to nailing these widrawal symptom.

still craving food ,  mostly rubbish and sweet stuff,  bread with jam,  crisps, chips,  and I've been bloated and full of gas,  with crazy noises coming from my belly and flatulance,  

i have read read also that people get insomnia well for me it's the opposite I went to be at 7 last night slept to 6 am and I am about to go to sleep after this.  I have never had insomnia that goodness as I don't think I could even drive if I have no sleep,  I sleep as soon as I hit the pillow and only WWIII could wake me so I consider myself very lucky.   Coming off the cymbalta I've been more tired however I have started a new job at the same time and I spend 8 hours a day in a position that requires full concentration and checking all the fine details ,  I think it would be tiring regardless of coming of cymbalta,  it's good though as it a job where you don't actually interact with anyone much so no one should notice if I look dizzy or dazed at times.

on the whole so far I'm very glad to give some hope that it hasn't been an overwhelmingly bad experience so far, yes a bit uncomfortable and maybe my own mind believes all these things I'm taking are helping and therefore the placebo effect has maybe kicked in,  who knows?  Or maybe these things I'm taking really are helping which I do actually believe but all I know is thank God im not having it as bad as most of the experiences I've read and I hope maybe that some of the things I've listed and believe has helped can be used by others who are going through this also.

 

Hi veronica

Great to see how well your doing ,I believe the things you are taking are definitely helping and your so right about the water ,I try to drink as much as I can ,I take multi vitamins and I'm gonna try fish oil ,I suffer with terrible psoriasis as well so the fish oil may help with that as well with a bit of luck kill two birds with one stone , I have also read that apple cider vinegar is wonderful for duloxetine withdrawal and also the strangest thing that is supposed to help the dizziness is jelly yes I said jelly crazy or what but they are all worth trying I just wish there was a solution for the sugar cravings at night ,I'm OK all day but come night time and I can't leave the cake and biscuits alone and as for chocolate OMG love it lovely to hear from you again , keep me informed how you are doing and I'll do the same hugs magnolia xxx

Hi,

great at news it's been 12 days since taking my last cymbalta.  No more head zaps or dizziness,  cravings for food definitely settled down and I've been out running and start a new job on Tuesday, I actually gave a successful interview on Friday so I firmly believe that the cymbalta is out of my system now and I'm returning to as I was.  My emotions are more raw now,  taking cymbalta without a doubt dampens your emotions both good and bad emotions and of course it was good to dampen out the anxiety and fear feelings however the good feelings were also minimised in intensity.  I do feel irritable at times and very snappy quick tempered but I'm just goin to have to start dealing with that by thinking before i snap,  easier said than done but not impossible.  I will continue to take the vitamins/ supplements as before but not as many as I have been.  I'm staying of the alcohol and it's weird but my I feel strong and determined and successful so everything it's really going great.  I hope anyone coming off this drug gets an experience like mine as some peoples journeys are horrendous but remember some aren't and mine wasn't so it's its always worth a shot if you want to stop.  ❤️

I just stopped taking cymbalta 4 days ago without really weaning myself off. I have been doing a liver detox for about 2 weeks so im hoping that helps the withdrawal symptoms. I had absolutely no idea about the severity of symptoms when I did this. I am continuing my liver detox so lots of hot water with lemon, dandelion root and milk thistle. Im tired and dizzy and my stomach has been bothering me a bit but all manageable so far. My ears are ringing more than usual too. I find your post inspirational and know i can do this. I will also follow magnolia and take omega 3 plus other vitamins i will use an antihistamine which will hopefully help my ears and the dizziness. I was on cymbalta for depression and fibromyalgia but I feel stronger now and more focussed so want to be off all meds. Dr approves and is supportive. This forum has been helpful too. Thank you.

Hi Thomas, tell me how youre doing? Still on 20mg? Nancy

For myself I got off it by emptying 20mg capsules down toilet bit by bit. It took about a month. I blame duloxotine indirectly for weakening me so much that pneumonia and sepsis led to four week long hospital stays. I now refuse all symptomatic treatments I'm offered for nerve pain/ small fibre neuropathy.

Yea weaning should be slowly and as u go a step forward cope with it and then go to the next stage. And yes doctors have no Idea how patients can get this drug out of their bodies without a problem. The problem is with the drug itself