You've got the main idea, but there are two important things you left out.
Besides withdrawing from cymbalta, Michael recommended taking nutritional supplements that included Omega 3 Fish Oil, Luetin and Lecithin. In addition, I recommended monitoring your experience and adjusting your withdrawal regimen if needed.
For myself for example, my dosage before I began withdrawal was 60 mg every two days. I started out fine withdrawing multiples of 7 beads every other day until I reached 35. The dizzy head feeling came sooner than normal. So I continued at 35 beads withdrawn for the next 2 dosages over the next 4 days. Since then I am withdrawing 7 additional beads on the next dose and then repeating the same dosage two days later. I am now up to 49 beads withdrawn and am feeling as well as I was before I began withdrawal. I also am taking the nutritional supplements.
The point of sharing my story is that I believe it is important to monitor your experience and customize your withdrawal to a more conservative plan if need be.
Best wishes.
Cymbalta stopped working for me. I was taking 60mg and though I was put on 30mg for three days and 20mg for three more, I'm having vertigo and what they call 'brain zaps' (it feels like you're flickering in and out of existance). It's tolerable, but driving and anything that involves standing or moving for more than 5 min. is out of the question. Has anyone else had these side effects?
Did it make anyone else feel dumb while on it? I swear i often had limited brain access when attempting to grab needed words from my memory bank and adding new ones and stuff like that
I can't find the info on what vist /supplements to take?? Thanks!!
Thank-you. I am going to try with weaning off of 60 mg. daily. I pray with your information and the Good
Lord and common sense; I will be free in 3 mos. by 10/15. Cindy
Lord and common sense; I will be free in 3 mos. by 10/15. Cindy
Thank-you. I am going to try with weaning off of 60 mg. daily. I pray with your information and the Good
Lord and common sense; I will be free in 3 mos. by 10/15. Cindy
Lord and common sense; I will be free in 3 mos. by 10/15. Cindy
Mike, I can't find your original thread, and am about to start down the path of tapering off of Cymbalta 60mg/day. What supplements do you advise?
I have been working through the taper and vitamin suggestions with amazing success! I wondered if anyone has continued taking the vitamin after being Cymbalta Free!?
I found this in my search for the original posted...copied and pasted this and kept in my draft emails for future reference...hope this is what you were looking for....
This is a copy of a copy of a message posted in this forum. Mike also wrote about fish oil Omega 3 and I have seen that mentioned elsewhere.
"vitamins/ supplements directly related to acetylcholine production
B-Complex
Lecithin (has choline in it) 1200mg. Walgreens
Lutein 250 mg. Find it in Centrum Walgreens
vitamins/ supplements indirectly related
Vinpocetine 20mg. (increases dopamine which indirectly boosts acetylcholine)
Ginkgo Biloba 120mg. (increases blood flow in brain which supports creation of neurotransmitters)
St. John's Wart 600 mg. at night (increases acetylcholine by preventing its breakdown)
For Sleep
Melatonin 6 mg. at night "
==========Copy of copy of full post below======================================
First of all, my background. I've been taking Cymbalta for a period of eight months. My prescribed dose has been 30mg daily. Before Cymbalta I was on Fluvoxamine (LUVOX) for about one year and for a brief stint (three weeks) Escitalopram (LEXAPRO). I was diagnosed as someone with great insurance. Just kidding, but that did make my psychiatrist happy: (no kiddding the first thing he always said to me when I walked in was, "Hello Michael, you're Value Options Blue Cross, right?" Haha. In any case, I was diagnosed with an anxiety disorder with obsessive tendencies as well.
I weaned off LUVOX and LEXAPRO with almost no problems: a few dizzy spells and some brain zaps. But with Cymbalta, I tried to wean off at a rate of 10mg a week and I felt like I had the flu. Swollen glands, sore throat, headache, soreness all over, etc. I've been weaning off the drug much more successfully using the following method: Opening the capsules and removing a few granules more each day. Please read the post by "arieln" (12/22/07) She totally has the right idea here. Currently I am down to the equivalent of about 12 mg. a day and I feel fine. I occasionally get a headache but it's nothing an aspirin doesn't help with. For those of you that are curious I have found there to be approximately 280 granules in each 30mg. does. I have been removing 7 more each day for a rate of 5mg. less/ week. If symptoms recur I can slow to 3-4 granules less/ dose for a rate of 2.5mg. less/ week.
Anyway, the reason we all feel like c**p is because of an effect Cymbalta creates called an "anticholergenic rebound." This means there has been an interruption in the production of the essential neurotransmitter acetylcholine. Hence, anything you can do to enhance or support acetylcholine production will assist in alleviating withdrawal symptoms. I almost never take vitamins regularly but I've been trying this and it appears to help so far. Here are a few daily vitamins that are helping me get through:
vitamins/ supplements directly related to acetylcholine production
GInko goloba 120 natrol
B-Complex
Lecithin (has choline in it) 1200mg.
Lutein 250 mg. Find it in Centrum
vitamins/ supplements indirectly related
Vinpocetine 20mg. (increases dopamine which indirectly boosts acetylcholine)
Ginkgo Biloba 120mg. (increases blood flow in brain which supports creation of neurotransmitters)
St. John's Wart 600 mg. at night (increases acetylcholine by preventing its breakdown)
For Sleep
Melatonin 6 mg. at night
Please note that I am not a doctor or scientist and that this is simply the result of my own research. I have heard other things work for people as well like Benedril, Vicodin, other SSRIs, Xanax etc. But I'm really trying to get off of all drugs.
Diet is important too, so I've been trying to eat right and take a OMEGA 3-6-9 supplement. I've been eating foods that support acetylcholine production such as peanuts, almonds, spinach, wheat germ, and whole eggs. Beef liver is also a good source of choline but who wants to eat that! Thank you for reading this if you actually got to the end. I've been trying hard to understand what's happening to my brain and I hope I've found some useful information. I will continue to post until about two months after I'm totally off so that I can be objective about the effects of this method of withdrawal. See you next week.
For the best results, (which I know because I've tried it both ways, as did my wife and many others,) you should remove 7 more beads each day from the capsule. Skipping doses doesn't speed up the withdrawal process. Skipping doses triggers what is called an "anticholergenic rebound effect" which is why people feel like they have the flu or that their brain is misfiring. Slow tapering gives the brain a chance to develop more acetylcholine, which is the chemical that will replace the Cymbalta at your brain's receptors. Your brain isn't craving "happy pills"--it's craving acetylcholine.
You should put the right amount of beads into the capsule and swallow the capsule if possible. If not, you could simply "eat" the beads by sticking them to your tongue and washing down with water. I used to lick the tip of my finger and tip the pill onto the tip so that several beads would stick to it. Using this method I was able to remove the right number of pills from the capsule. (30 mg = 280 beads; 20 mg = 186 beads approx.) Your titration pattern would be 1. 179 2. 172 3. 165 4. 158 etc...
Don't even worry about your weight yet. Just concentrate on one thing at a time. Get off this drug, then see a Neurologist about your nerve problem. After that a Nutritionist could help get you on a normal, low fat, high fiber, well-balanced diet. Exercise regularly and you'll feel great in no time! Good luck.
P.S. I've been off Cymbalta for many months and I feel no negative effects from the drug. Read my posts by searching my username for my story.
This is a copy of a copy of a message posted in this forum. Mike also wrote about fish oil Omega 3 and I have seen that mentioned elsewhere.
"vitamins/ supplements directly related to acetylcholine production
B-Complex
Lecithin (has choline in it) 1200mg. Walgreens
Lutein 250 mg. Find it in Centrum Walgreens
vitamins/ supplements indirectly related
Vinpocetine 20mg. (increases dopamine which indirectly boosts acetylcholine)
Ginkgo Biloba 120mg. (increases blood flow in brain which supports creation of neurotransmitters)
St. John's Wart 600 mg. at night (increases acetylcholine by preventing its breakdown)
For Sleep
Melatonin 6 mg. at night "
==========Copy of copy of full post below======================================
First of all, my background. I've been taking Cymbalta for a period of eight months. My prescribed dose has been 30mg daily. Before Cymbalta I was on Fluvoxamine (LUVOX) for about one year and for a brief stint (three weeks) Escitalopram (LEXAPRO). I was diagnosed as someone with great insurance. Just kidding, but that did make my psychiatrist happy: (no kiddding the first thing he always said to me when I walked in was, "Hello Michael, you're Value Options Blue Cross, right?" Haha. In any case, I was diagnosed with an anxiety disorder with obsessive tendencies as well.
I weaned off LUVOX and LEXAPRO with almost no problems: a few dizzy spells and some brain zaps. But with Cymbalta, I tried to wean off at a rate of 10mg a week and I felt like I had the flu. Swollen glands, sore throat, headache, soreness all over, etc. I've been weaning off the drug much more successfully using the following method: Opening the capsules and removing a few granules more each day. Please read the post by "arieln" (12/22/07) She totally has the right idea here. Currently I am down to the equivalent of about 12 mg. a day and I feel fine. I occasionally get a headache but it's nothing an aspirin doesn't help with. For those of you that are curious I have found there to be approximately 280 granules in each 30mg. does. I have been removing 7 more each day for a rate of 5mg. less/ week. If symptoms recur I can slow to 3-4 granules less/ dose for a rate of 2.5mg. less/ week.
Anyway, the reason we all feel like c**p is because of an effect Cymbalta creates called an "anticholergenic rebound." This means there has been an interruption in the production of the essential neurotransmitter acetylcholine. Hence, anything you can do to enhance or support acetylcholine production will assist in alleviating withdrawal symptoms. I almost never take vitamins regularly but I've been trying this and it appears to help so far. Here are a few daily vitamins that are helping me get through:
vitamins/ supplements directly related to acetylcholine production
GInko goloba 120 natrol
B-Complex
Lecithin (has choline in it) 1200mg.
Lutein 250 mg. Find it in Centrum
vitamins/ supplements indirectly related
Vinpocetine 20mg. (increases dopamine which indirectly boosts acetylcholine)
Ginkgo Biloba 120mg. (increases blood flow in brain which supports creation of neurotransmitters)
St. John's Wart 600 mg. at night (increases acetylcholine by preventing its breakdown)
For Sleep
Melatonin 6 mg. at night
Please note that I am not a doctor or scientist and that this is simply the result of my own research. I have heard other things work for people as well like Benedril, Vicodin, other SSRIs, Xanax etc. But I'm really trying to get off of all drugs.
Diet is important too, so I've been trying to eat right and take a OMEGA 3-6-9 supplement. I've been eating foods that support acetylcholine production such as peanuts, almonds, spinach, wheat germ, and whole eggs. Beef liver is also a good source of choline but who wants to eat that! Thank you for reading this if you actually got to the end. I've been trying hard to understand what's happening to my brain and I hope I've found some useful information. I will continue to post until about two months after I'm totally off so that I can be objective about the effects of this method of withdrawal. See you next week.
For the best results, (which I know because I've tried it both ways, as did my wife and many others,) you should remove 7 more beads each day from the capsule. Skipping doses doesn't speed up the withdrawal process. Skipping doses triggers what is called an "anticholergenic rebound effect" which is why people feel like they have the flu or that their brain is misfiring. Slow tapering gives the brain a chance to develop more acetylcholine, which is the chemical that will replace the Cymbalta at your brain's receptors. Your brain isn't craving "happy pills"--it's craving acetylcholine.
You should put the right amount of beads into the capsule and swallow the capsule if possible. If not, you could simply "eat" the beads by sticking them to your tongue and washing down with water. I used to lick the tip of my finger and tip the pill onto the tip so that several beads would stick to it. Using this method I was able to remove the right number of pills from the capsule. (30 mg = 280 beads; 20 mg = 186 beads approx.) Your titration pattern would be 1. 179 2. 172 3. 165 4. 158 etc...
Don't even worry about your weight yet. Just concentrate on one thing at a time. Get off this drug, then see a Neurologist about your nerve problem. After that a Nutritionist could help get you on a normal, low fat, high fiber, well-balanced diet. Exercise regularly and you'll feel great in no time! Good luck.
P.S. I've been off Cymbalta for many months and I feel no negative effects from the drug. Read my posts by searching my username for my story.
Hello has anyone tried cold turkey
I've been on it for several years and last Sunday I caught the flu. So sick I haven't taken my meds since then .
Other than flu symptoms ,I am really dizzy and foggy, but as I have missed 5 days anyway I dont want to startup the cymbalta again . Hoping the symptoms will go away quickly with cold turkey . The stories I am Reading on the net are really frightening tho
I've been on it for several years and last Sunday I caught the flu. So sick I haven't taken my meds since then .
Other than flu symptoms ,I am really dizzy and foggy, but as I have missed 5 days anyway I dont want to startup the cymbalta again . Hoping the symptoms will go away quickly with cold turkey . The stories I am Reading on the net are really frightening tho
I have been on cymbalta for 6 years. 90 mg for the last year. I decided I want to know the real me and not the zombie me anymore. I decreased to 60mg for 8 days and then finished the 30 mg capsules for 8 days. I feel awful. The vertigo is scary and I am having abdominal cramping. It has been about 5 days with no cymbalta. I do want to continue so I can be "drug free" so to speak, but hope to feel better soon?
I would love to read your full story but can not find it anywhere!
I am through day 3 with no Cymbalta, just vitamins. I have no withdrawal symptoms. I took 60 mg for three years. I keep waiting and worrying that symptoms will come, but so far, nothing.
Have myself down from 120 mg to 30. I have been on 30 mg for at least a yr. today I just took 7 out of my 30 mg capsule. I will take 14 out tomorrow and continue till I am off. Thank you!
I'm so glad to hear I'm going to feel better soon!!!