Anyone have advice dealing with withdrawal symptoms while switching from Cymbalta to Lexapro? This does not feel good. I'm dizzy, like my head is under pressure and kind of throbs when I turn my head or move my eyes too fast. I'm feeling very moody, going from happy, to crying, to pissed off pretty quickly. I can barely speak a coherent sentence and feel like it is a real effor to talk to anyone. Feel on the brink of tears pretty constantly. I was taking 60 mg for fibromyalgia but started having worsening depression, so my doctor lowered the Cymbalta to 30 mg for four days and then two days with nothing, then started on 10 mg of Lexapro. When I told him about the trouble I'm having he said I could stop the Lexapro, wait a day or two and go back to the 30 mg Cymbalta for a bit, then try again. But I don't know if I want to have to stop, go back to the Cymbalta, then possibly go through this again in another week. Any suggestions? Maybe I'm through the worst of it and just stick it out?
Cymbalta Withdrawal Symptoms Suck?
Question posted by goofgirl on 3 June 2012
Last updated on 20 July 2018 by kurtyman
Update: I broke down and took a 30 mg of Cymbalta tonight. I just can't go on feeling this way, even for another couple of days. I don't want to talk to anyone, and I don't eve want to be around my 17 month old daughter. What a horrible drug! Guess I'll stay on tow lower dosage for another week, then try the Lexapro again. My concern now is that if 30 mg will be enough to keep my depression at bay, which is why we decided to make a switch to begin with. If 60 mg wasnt cutting it, I'm afraid to think of how I'll be at only 30 mg, but we shall see. I appreciate the feedback so far. Thank you!
Added 17 July 2012:Update as of July 17: I've been off of the Cymbalta completely for almost 2 weeks and taking Lexapro now. I still feel a tad dizzy on occasion but it seemed easier this time. I ended up going on disability leave from work for a while, so the lack of the additional work stress may of helped with the transition. What yucky stuff. And I don't feel any different with my fibromyalgia pain, which is why I started it in the first place! Sometimes I wonder if any of these drugs are even worth taking with all the other problems they cause. Oh well, I'm not as depressed as I was, so I guess something is helping!
18 Answers
My wife was on Cymbalta for only 4 weeks before having side effects. She is very sensitive to medications and started having convulsions, paired with the inability to speak or slow, slurred speach. The effects were so bad that she was told to stop taking. It has been 4 days since she last took and the withdrawals are worse - 4 ER visits in a week !! It is like she had a stroke. I have read about so many people suffering from this drug's side effects and subsequent withdrawal. It is crazy that a drug like this is even around. My wife is just a shell of her formal self - hope it gets better.
I have been on 60 mg for about a year and a half or two years. My doctor retired, and the replacement didn't like the combination of Zoloft and Cymbalta that I was taking. So he stopped my Cymbalta and increased my Zoloft. The past couple of days, I have been very nauseated and tired. The pains from my fibromyalgia have been apparent, and I am getting the "zaps." Any ideas / suggestions?
I would absolutely never advise anyone to take cymbalta. First off, it didn't help me, but secondly the side effects while on it and the withdrawal symptoms coming off it were debilitating. Since I had most of the effects everyone else seems to experience, I'll skip that, but what did seem to help was Gatorade and lots of it, Claritin D, and Advil. I would have preferred not take any drugs, but I was unable to live, work, etc. so I would try anything short of going back on cymbalta.
Also, I wanted to mention, I was on cymbalta 60 mgs for only two months. I've been totally off it for almost three weeks. I'm just now noticing the side effects tapering. I had five days of hell midway through.
I am just switching from Cymbalta to Lyrica for fibromyalgia. I feel horrible at times. I am very dizzy and " spaces" feeling. Just want to sleep all the time. Have a very hard time getting up in the morning my mind is in such a fog. Is this how you felt?
If I had known about the withdrawals I would have never even tried Cymbalta. I've taken it for over seven years for depression, and the withdrawal is almost unbearable. The almost constant feeling of being on the verge of bursting into tears doesn't mix well with the extreme dizziness, nausea and diarrhea. I'm barely able to work, and that's only because my office is in my home. No way I could function in a rigid, professional office environment going through this.
Hi there, I am coming off of cymbalta as well. I have been prescribed Wellbutrin along with the cymbalta. I went off of it (the cymbalta) because of hot flushes that were coming every 15 minutes, 24/7) The brain zaps were awful. After 4 days of not being on it, I gave in and took a 30 mg capsule. Meanwhile my pdoc has increased my wellbutrin. I only take the cymbalta when the withdrawal gets bad. I get the brain zaps and also extreme nausea and diarrhoea. I thought my increase of Wellbutrin was helping, and 6 days went by with no cymbalta, although I noticed withdrawal in the evening of the 5th day. I thought I could "duke" it out, but no. I had to take 30 mg. ANd even at that was having severe nausea later that afternoon. Not able to eat at all. I just don't understand how, I can be fine after 5 days, and then "need" to dose myself again. Weird. I'm hoping the days of "giving" in the withdrawals get further apart.
The withdrawal symptoms of this drug is not fun. I am an alcoholic living in recovery for near three years. I have been taking Cymbalta for about two years now. Five days ago I stopped taking the drug due to the fact that I may lose my insurance and will not be able to afford it. Brain "zapping" dizzy, uneasy, can't sleep. I did not think i would have to go through this type of detox again in my life. If your doctor has other options, you may want to consider them.
My wife had the same horrible withdrawal experience coming off Cymbalta. She had no warning that withdrawals would happen and especially no warning about how hard and intense the WDs will be.
She ended up very slowly tapering down the meds. She had to still feel the withdrawals sometimes during the taper but when her WDs got too unbearable she would always go back to her last dose of Cymbalta and re-started the tapering from the last dose she felt OK with. The key was dropping the dose by about 25 % every 3-4 days and sometimes trying to dose every 48 hours instead of 24 hours. She was pushing it as much as possible and always until the WDs became unbearable, she would than go to the last decreased dose she was OK with. Than she woudl only take that dose every 48 hours and if she felt OK she would drop another 25% and go to taking it every 24 h. Once stabilized she would take it every 48 hours and drop 25% again.
At the end she had to take the Cymbalat capsule pills apart and literary count the little white balls inside each pill in order to know how to lower her dose exactly 25%.
She was able to get off of 60 mg of cymblata in about 2-3 weeks. It was not easy and She was quite tough and was really pushing to get off this drug. Her biggest problem was vertigo,brain zaps, and strange vission when moving her eyes from side to side. This would all be more intense right when lowering the dose but it would all entirely go away after she eventually stooped taking the drug.
Yes, Cymbalta is a nasty drug to quit. I started taking it after my ruptured disc to relieve the neuropathy symptoms. It did help me get to sleep and dampened the neuropathy symptoms. Of course it did not cure the nerve irritation, but after nearly seven years, and varied types of therapy I felt that I could try to get off the Cymbalta. I weaned myself down to 30 mg a day, but just last weekend I forgot to pick up my samples at the doc and went the entire weekend without the drug. Bad idea! After four days I have many of the same withdrawal symptoms that others have mentioned: Very emotional, head feels congested, dizzy, brain zaps (although very few), sick all over, stomach upset, weird dreams (not nightmares). No one told me at the get-go that there would be these kinds of withdrawal symptoms. On balance, if I knew then what I know now, I would have gone a completely different direction in treatment. So, my question: Has anyone successfully gotton off Cymbalta and how long did it take?
I am the original poster. I quit Cymbalta again and the withdrawal wasn't nearly as bad the second time. I haven't taken it for about 10 months or so. It can be done. Like a lot of people har said, the doctors who are prescribing this stuff really should tell you before you start taking it that there is a withdrawal process. It's clearly very hard on a lot of people!
I started Cymbalta 9 months ago 60mg/day for fibro pain and fatigue. Almost immediate results. In this 9 month time my 21 year old son attempted suicide by jumping from a bridge, he spent 3 months in the hospital and I couldn't have done what I did in that time without Cymbalta. It kept me at an even mood.
After things have gotten better I started noticing in the last couple of months extreme joint pain. My physician increased my dose to 90mg/day. I'm 46, not overweight, except for the 20 lbs I put on since going on Cymbalta! So I didn't feel I had any reason for the sudden onset of pain in my joints. I have read some posts of possible muscle damage after being on Cymbalta. Which started to concern me, plus the increase from 60 to 90 put me in bed at night by 8:30 pm. And falling asleep at my desk at work at 2:00 pm.
I discontinued use of Cymbalta "cold turkey". I did it and it is what it is.
My last dose was 12/24/12.
I read all the posts about all the reasons not to quit cold turkey, but also read how even tappering was going to cause me the side effects I was already experiencing being on the med.
Day 1 - Brain Zaps, dizziness, nausea, all over muscle pain. Still able to have Christmas day with family.
Day 2 - Brain Zaps, dizziness, nausea, muscle pain in neck/shoulders. Still able to work a full day.
Day 3 - Brain Zaps, dizziness, nausea, joint pain in wrist and knees increasing. Still able to work a full day.
Day 4 - Brain Zaps not as bad, no dizziness, but still bouts of nausea. Still able to work full day.
Day 5 - Brain Zaps still tappering off, no dizziness, one bout of nausea. By mid-afternoon became fatigued unable to get off couch.
Day 6 - no brain zaps, no dizziness, no nausea. But terrible mood swings, anger, lashing out at family, things coming out of my mouth I would never say to people. Not much fatigue.
Day 7 - a few brain zaps happening for whatever reason. No nausea, still fighting the mood swings, joint pain in wrist and knees.But was able to get up at 4:30 this morning for work with no problems. We'll see what the night brings.
Some things that have helped me through this time:
Small meals throughout the day for nausea. Chicken noodle soup, crackers etc.I had also read and they mentioned as well please discuss with your physician first, but this did help me, 2 ibuprofen and 2 tylenol every six hours, this helped with muscle pain that did start coming on pretty strong during these days as well. I need to mention as well, I had been on Tramadol (small dose), an anti inflam and a muscle relaxer I was also quiting cold turkey. I just wanted to rid my body of everything and start over with my "real" symptoms. Plus be able to see if the 20 lb weight gain could be reversed as well.
I really think the worst for me is almost over and really surprised in just about a week the physical symptoms are almost over it seems. It has been a long week, but worth it. I'm not as tired as I was on Cymbalta, I do have pain, but still worth being able to feel what is going on with my body. I'm not liking the mood swings. I do hope with time they will get better. I think my family enjoyed the quiet lethargic Cymbalta person over this moody one. And on top of it all I haven't told my family I have went off cold turkey. So besides the mood swings I don't think they have noticed any of my other symptoms that have been going on.
I'm on Day 9 of no medications including Cymbalta. I'm still having a few brain zaps, not as intense as they were last week. I find they show up more when I'm trying to focus either on watching tv or computer work. Seems they are more related to my eyes and they are my reminders of where I have been and where I am going. I'm still having intense muscle pain, but my energy level is way up there, I noticed on Day 8 it just shot up there. I thought I was going to pay dearly today, Day 9, so far so good. I've dropped about 7 lbs, of the much needed weight to lose, since I gained 20 being on this med. I've not had the food cravings I once had being on the drug. I've been able to be more mindful of my eating. I don't know how to describe it. It's just different. Mood swings have gotten better in the last couple of days. I've also been able to be more mindful of what was shooting out of my mouth. Nausea is gone. Yeah!
I have been off Cymbalta 30 mg for 8 weeks and still having withdrawal symptoms. I had brain zaps and nausea, joint pain and just plain sick all over. Feeling useless and crying all the time. Bright sun hurts eyes. Sinus infections, swollen glands under neck. My face hurts and have ear pain. Brain zaps are gone. Still cry. Sinus infections are awful, won't go away. I don't know when this will ever go away. The longest 2 months ever. My blood pressure increased drastically. Been doctoring for that since I came off. Had to increase medicine to double what I was taking. going to the doctor every two weeks. Yeast infections too. The withdrawal from Cymbalta has affected my entire body. My doctor never told me I would have these problems. Never felt that great on the medicine. I was on it for several years. I wish I would have been educated on the side effects ,etc of this horrible drug. I am self employed so thank goodness I did not and no not have to go work daily. This has got to get better. Is anyone else experiencing the withdrawal for this long???
dotadams, what were you taking it for originally? I'm so sorry this is going on so long for you. Makes me wonder if its no longer withdrawals but something else. Kind of sounds like me with fibro symptoms. I hope you feel better soon!
I'm withdrawing from Cymbalta, the only thing that has helped my has been my ambien. I take a half during the day when I really shouldnt but it helps a little. Doctor wants me to take Effexor instead of Cymbalta daily. No way. One poision for another, thats insane.All these side effects I have to deal with now, sure dont need another batch. These drug companies must be faking their studies.
Anyone who has complained about getting off an SNRI medication such as Cymbalta or Effexor always goes off of it way too quickly. Going from 60 mg to 30 mg, then 4 days on the 30 mg, then off altogether? How are the doctors so ignorant about the time it takes to taper off very gradually? That's how people get the wrong idea of how terrible the withdrawal is. Three of my friends and I have all tapered off Effexor very gradually, and none of us had any problems.
(Except in my case, the depression came back. After a month of bad depression, I went back on it. And that was my evidence that my psychiatrist was right that I needed to be on it for the rest of my life.)
Trust me, I would have weaned myself off of this had I known I wasn't going to be able to afford it when it came time to refill it. Not sure why it was so cheap the first time I filled it but maybe the doctor had some kind of discount thing she did for me. I feel beter today, still not completly right but I know it is getting better every day.
So sorry to hear about your financial reasons. I don't know why the doctor didn't change you to another anti-depressant in the same class as an SNRI so that you wouldn't have to go through withdrawal. Plus, if the Cymbalta worked, another SNRI should also work.
If you don't get as good relief from the different anti-depressant, Effexor is an SNRI and now comes out in generic much more cheaply. And if you have insurance, you can get the brand name for about $4.00. Just go to the website for Effexor to find out.
I have to disagree with you. I tapered from 30mg to about 5 mg for a period of almost 4 weeks & I still suffered from serious withdrawal. Maybe not as severe as it could of been but considering how I weaned myself, it was worse than I thought it would be.
Withdrawal from cymbalta: I have been on 30 mg. for only about 6 months now. I used to take 60 mg. but that was years ago. I was started right out on 30 mg and never eased up to more like before and that concerned me. Reason being, the doctor only had 30 mg samples. I went to get my script refilled and it was 95 dollars, or 45 for a week supply. I didn't have it so I just stopped cold turkey. I had been getting it through a mail order script place from my husbands work and it wasn't that much the first time.
I never knew what "brain buzzes" were until this time coming off of it. It has been 8 days since I have had a pill and it is just getting worse every day. I just didn't make the connection until yesterday when the world started spinning out of control.
How long do you think this will last? I Know everyone is different and if it matters much, I am very small and weigh only 105 lbs. Probably a little less by the time this is over with too. I am not hungry and force myself to eat.
My symptoms so far seem to be, the brain buzzes, fainting feeling, nausea, spinning (vertigo feelings), confusion, very emotional,
I would gladly take a cybalta right now to help with this feeling. I am glad I don't have any. I have never been suicidal or anything like that so I don't want to be on this anymore. I will take depression any day over this crap!
Thanks for reading this! It it thursday evening and I have one more day of work to get through this week and hopefully by monday I will feel better.
I stopped taking it around mid July after weaning down to about 3 mg's and the worst of the withdrawal lasted about a week. Start taking fish oil (about 1000-1200 mg), it will help with the brain zaps and if you can, take some OTC anti-dizziness/nausea medicine (cvs has there own brand, so it's less expensive). I also took Advil when I could to help with the flu like symptoms. There are some OTC remedies for depressions and anxiety if you feel like you still need to be on something; St. John's Wart and 5-htp for depression and also Sam-e. I also take Nerve Tonic (it's all natural) sometimes when I have anxiety and it works well. Good luck and hang in there!
Oh and one more thing, drink lots of water and especially lots of Gatorade, it will help to flush the medicine out of your system & also help with the withdrawal symptoms as well
Thanks! I have been drinking a ton of water and powerade but I feel so dehydrated all the time. I am sure that is a withdrawal side effect also. Today seems a little better. I still feel light headed and super emotional but hope it will pass soon. I think I have cried three times this week. I am having a bad week... or maybe not. who knows? I will try the omega 3 oils. Heard bad things about st. Johns wort also. Now to try to wean yseld off of the ambien I have been on for way too many years to count.
Gosh, I must be one of the few people who found Cymbalta to be a dream psych med. I just didn't get the benefit of pain relief which other people had reported as a "side" benefit. I was on cymbalta for many years without so much as a hiccup. The max dose I was on was 120mg... but the weight issues were awful. Then we tried to go down to 90 to see if I would still have the same benefit but not the cravings. From their we tried 60mg and that is where I stayed and didn't have any more cravings either. Only two drugs ever worked for me. Parnate was the first (MAOInhibitor) and I was on this one for many years and no trouble with the dietary restrictions and then Cymbalta. When I came off of Cymbalta... I didn't have any withdrawal symptoms.
Going back and forth between these two psych meds can mess with your "head" too. If that is how your doctor prescribes meds (like a crap shoot), if it were me... I would find another doctor whose specialty is psychopharmacology. My doctor is and glad for it too.
Peace and be well...
Mary
My doctor just recently cut me off completely off Cymbalta... And did not put me on another antidepressant but upped my Seroquel... I guess the antidepresants are worsening the Bipolar... Anyways I have been off of Cymbalta 3 days, and lets just say electric shocks, Stomach cramps, and nausea are not fun! I agree with the Cymbalta withdrawals being a hellish affair... I saw somehwere online it can take 1-2 weeks or more before the side effects go away... I was taking 60 Mg of Cymbalta and now I am just on my mood stablizers but they sure don't help minimizing these side effects i am having. Its nice knowing I am not the only one experiencing this!
Just an update, I weaned down to about 3 mg by opening the capsules & removing granules. I took my last dose on July 17th and had some severe withdrawal from days 4-8. By about 2 weeks of no Cymbalta, my symptoms were gone. I'm so thankful to be off this medicine!! Good luck to those of you who are coming off of it. I will tell you that I drank a lot of Gatorade & took fish oil for the brain zaps. I also took advil and anti-nausea/dizziness medicine.
Thanks Beckela for your helpful update and I am happpy that you have survived the ill effects of withdrawing from Cymbalta... I am going to take your advice and drink plenty of water, Gatorade and take the fish oil because those brain zaps are witch if you know what i mean... I have been sleeping many hours the last few days because of the way I have been feeling thanks again and I will patient and hopefully my body will go back to normal sooner than late! Thanks again! :) Take care
I ask to go off Cymbalta (60m) and I did five days ago and it has been a nightmare feeling dizzy fatigued, vomiting brain fog and dry mouth. I am going to try 30m and see what happens. I will see the doctor in 2 days an hope to get some results. Used to take prozac and never had these symptoms.
I have taken many antidepressants, pain meds, Lyrica over the years, but Cymbalta was the worst for withdrawal. I found a website that suggested opening the capsule and removing a few beads at a time over the course of many weeks. When I was down to less than 30 mg per day, I started with half my Lexapro and gradually increased one while decreasing the other. It was a long process, but easier than "cold turkey".
Thanks for your comment, sounds more or less how I was able to finally stop it, now on Lexapro. I'm thinking it was easier this time because I've been off from work and don't have that extra stress going on. It was fierce and I wish they would make it clear when prescribing it how difficult it may be to stop.
I have been doing the same thing. I am now down to about 10-15 granules and I'm hoping I'm off of this wicked medicine by next week! :)
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cymbalta, lexapro, depression, fibromyalgia, withdrawal
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