How long will I be going through Cymbalta withdrawals?
Question posted by JenJen101 on 9 July 2013
Last updated on 26 April 2024 by Lransky
I've been taking Cymbalta for 8 years for depression and chronic pain. I started having terrible sweating, short term memory loss, severe depression, worsening pain, and many other side effects.
My Dr started slowly trying to get my dosage down from 90mgs, & after getting down from 60mgs to 30mgs, my side effects became unbearable. I forged on and now I'm on my 2nd day of taking just 5mgs of Lexapro, after going 3 days w/out taking Cymbalta.
I'm curious if anyone has successfully conquered this transition, and how long it took to feel somewhat normal? I'm aware it doesn't happen overnight, and I'm not asking for rainbows & butterflies-but the way I feel now is NOT good!! Along with the other stated side effects, I'm so lethargic and my brain is acting as if I turned the switch to off.
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256 Answers Page 2
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Lransky
15 Nov 2021
Hi all, I am currently 13 weeks pregnant and was on cymbalta for a year and a half 30 mg a day. It was working great for me but I decided to go off because of limited research on being pregnant and taking it. I slowly tapered off since I got pregnant and my last dose was about a week and a half ago and I have been feeling so miserable. I have severe headaches, nauseous, vomiting, dizziness and insomnia. Does anyone know of natural remedies to help detox the body? I am really suffering and not functioning. Thanks!
Votes: +0
LA
Lala1130
28 Sep 2021
I’m just now tapering off Cymbalta. Experiencing many of the same issues. Has anyone ever had the “sensations” of pins and needles or itching all over their body? It’s definitely worse at night but occurs during the day also. Would love to know about shared experiences and if anyone has found anything that helps with this.
Votes: +0
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oliviapcmiller
5 Oct 2021
I’m having the worse symptoms by tapering off of cymbalta. I wish I never started these meds! It’s horrible and I was not warned about anything.
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oliviapcmiller
5 Oct 2021
I’m having the worse symptoms by tapering off of cymbalta. I wish I never started these meds! It’s horrible and I was not warned about anything.
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Robertchatt
27 Sep 2021
Omg. Been there done that. I tapered from 60 mg a day to 0mg daily in a month. I caught my self staring in the fridge. Not knowing where I was driving to. Even peeing in my kitchen garbage can. That went on for a month then I slowly began to be able to focus however my depression increased to unbearable degrees. I returned to Lexapro 20 mg daily and have stayed there for 8 yes. Conclusion?? Steer clear of Cymbalta.
Votes: +0
BO
Boruck
13 Oct 2020
I have been on cymbalta 2 yrs. 2 weeks ago, I stopped taking it. I ran out without a refill. Long story short, I am in pure hell. I can not get out of bed and I am crazy!!! Plz help!!! How long does this last???
Votes: +0
KY
Kynyada37
13 Oct 2020
Unfortunately Cymbalta is one of the hardest antidepressants to come off of. I took it 12 yrs and it's pure hell. The effects can last up to 6 months or longer. I'd contact your doctor and taper off.
KY
Kynyada37
13 Oct 2020
Unfortunately Cymbalta is one of the hardest antidepressants to come off of. I took it 12 yrs and it's pure hell. The effects can last up to 6 months or longer. I'd contact your doctor and taper off.
WI
WildcatVet
20 Aug 2020
Any medication can affect you poorly if you're sensitive to it and it's side effects. This doesn't negate the good it does for tens of thousands of people.
Votes: +2
KV
kvam
20 Aug 2020
I was on 120mg a day of cymbalta for 5 years. The dr. and I decided I would ween off cymbalta. She started me on zoloft, 100 mg a day but could barely function. after about a week the withdrawal from 120 down to 90 cymbalta was terrible. I would shake, brain saps, no appetite, diharea, anxiety. I called my dr and she started me on prozac, 10 mg a day. I slowly went down from the cymbalta but it was hard. I started this in March, 2020 and am off the cymbalta and it is June, Long road!! Thank god!!! Now the problem is that the zoloft wasn't doing what it should, so I am weening of zoloft and taking just prozac. It is now August and just went from the 200mg for 6 days of zoloft to 150 mg for 6 days then 100 for 6 days and then 50 for 6 days This is a slow process and a lot of patients. I am still taking the 20mg of prozac and it is working good.
I will never take CYMBALTA again, this drug destroys your life. So it has taken me 6 months of pain and suffering to finally feel better. These are very awful withdrawals but you have to work with your doctor closely. Good luck everyone and try to stay positive. Any questions feel free to send me a message. Paula
Votes: +1
2B
2BLTC
20 Aug 2020
OMG I'm so sorry to all y'all who are were suffering. In 2015 I weaned off to see if maybe I was cured. I want down 20mg a week with my docs ok. It was fine till the last week then the pain from my spine made me very cranky I went back on it now I'm having withdrawal like symptoms although taking reg dose I have on occation messed up my days (got to have those little daily boxes) I've taken low dose benzos which really helped Good luck to you
Votes: +0
KM
Kmach3
2 Aug 2020
I’ve been taken Cymbalta for a year now to deal with neuropathic pain. The dose was increased to 120 mg a few weeks after starting the medication.
After a successful surgery in May 2018, I started to taper down by going from 120 to 90, then to 60 and further down to 30 mg. Every time the dose was reduced, I spend 4-5 days in bed completely unable to do anything. Headache, dizziness, nausea, insomnia, brain zaps and being extremely fatigue along with a pounding and racing heart beat then slowly became better after 2 weeks. As I lowered the dose, the more intense the withdrawal symptoms were.
In Europe Cymbalta is only available in 30 mg and 60 mg capsules. Realizing the nightmare I was about to face going from 30 to 0 mg, I decided to open the capsules and reduce the amount of content gradually.
I bought a mini scale capable of measuring as little as 1 mg. Each capsule can be opened carefully by sliding a small, non-sharp object from the white side under the blue side and when use your fingers to twist it apart in two half capsules. You empty the content slowly on the scale until you reach the desired number of milligrams and then pour the content on the scale back into the white capsule and close it again with the other half. Please notice that the number of mg pellets is not equal to mg Cymbalta. E.g. a 30 mg capsule might have 100 mg content - this actual number depends on the vendor.
I went down 1 mg per day, which I realized was too fast. After reaching 15 mg, the above symptoms started to surface again and I spent a day in bed and the following week to become stabilized again and reduce the withdrawal symptoms. Afterwards I went from 15 to 10 mg over 10 days, 10 to 5 mg over 15 day and finally from 5 to 0 mg over 20 days. I finished in December 2018 and I’m feeling fine.
Hopefully this will do the trick for you.
Votes: +1
AS
Ashcash12710
2 Aug 2020
I'm on my second time of withdrawal (the first time was painful as crap because I had simply forgot to take them + ran out of meds). I was experiencing a lot of side effects, so I got the dosage lowered to 30mg. The 30mg dosage barely did anything for my chronic pain and anxiety, so my next step was to stop taking Cymbalta. I'd read online that most people suggest tapering by taking the contents of the capsules and separating them. I did this for a week, but it was very tedious so I stopped altogether (there are 100+ little beads in the 30mg capsules). This is my second week of Cymbalta withdrawal and I still feel nauseous, have hypersomnia and get headaches/tremors in my brain, however, it isn't as bad as when I accidentally forgot to take them during my first withdrawal. I'm trying to find natural alternatives to SNRIs, so I've started taking L-tyrosine supplements that also include vitamin B.
Does anyone else have a suggestion of healthy foods/supplements that are alternatives to SNRIs (i.e. - help regulate noradrenaline, lessen chronic pain and anxiety symptoms)?
Votes: +0
NO
Nova45
24 July 2020
i started cymbalta 11 years still works at 50% for me, still need more relief however according to Eli Lilly anything beyond 60mg will not work for pain. how did reduce your withdraw on a capsule? Typicaly you need to count the amount of beads inside to reduce the dosage slowly, going from 90mg to 30 mg would painful. Ask a good pharmacy or get second opinion don’t give up.
Votes: +0
PL
platinum877
22 March 2020
I was once taking 120mg of cymbalta a day (due to “non-response” at 60 mg) ... I stopped taking it abruptly and went through EXCRUTIATING side effects: severe pain, insomnia, headache, and worst of all ... those “brain zaps” ... the other symptoms went away after about two weeks, but the extremely uncomfortable “brain zaps” continued ... for months ... but with slightly longer intervals over time ... at six months, I was afraid that my brain was permanently impaired with the zaps, as they had still not completely gone away. Here’s the good news: they did eventually go away. I’m not sure when, it took over six months ... probably about a year before they were completely gone. All I did was “hang in there.” It was really terrible. If I had known before taking the prescription, I would never have started ... but you can stop. Just RELAX, GET COMFORTABLE, and WAIT.
Don’t listen to all the stupid detox things ... your liver does a fantastic job without putting your body into shock with sudden diet changes. The only time you need a deliberate detox is if you have metal levels in your blood that and off the chart. The last thing your poor body needs during duloxetine withdrawal is another shock to the system. Just EAT HEALTHY. Your liver will do the rest. Milk thistle is thought to boost liver function, but remember that supplements are unregulated and you really don’t know what you’re putting in your body for an anecdotal result.
Votes: +1
IN
Inactive
12 Feb 2020
It took me a couple days to even realize these feelings were from the Cymbalta. Had no clue I’d have withdrawal from stopping. Glad I know the cause of my symptoms, but had no knowledge this would happen from stopping this drug. I heard about 2-3 weeks this will continue.
Votes: +0
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Sabra1
8 Jan 2020
It took me 6 months to get from 120 mg to 0. I was prepared. For the brain zaps I put music and headphones on. Those only lasted 3 days. Irritability was off and on for 3 months. I watched comedy movies, nothing scary, nothing sad or for sure NO news!. I couldn't concentrate to read. Headaches once in awhile, hyper on occasion , I had 2 major anxiety attacks, for which one was in the doctors office. My blood pressure dropped rapidly. In about 15 minutes It was over. It took 9 months from start to finish. I knew I was finally done when I dropped 30 pounds very quickly and actually felt like I had my brain back. I did not have worse pain, it was the same, and I never had depression until I was on all these crappy drugs. I no longer take anti depressants . I do Yoga, walk my dogs and keep living. PS. I was on Cymbalta for 15 years. I feel I lost myself for 15 years.I Hang in there, the weight loss alone was worth it. Never again will I put a pill in my mouth without finding out everything I can, and refuse if necessary.
Votes: +2
WI
WildcatVet
24 July 2020
Could you have had a situational depression? Clinical depression requires professional assistance in order to live a satisfying life. I treasure every moment of my last 50 years on an antidepressants because not only did they give me a life they literally saved my life.
WI
WildcatVet
3 Nov 2019
Medications like these are prescribed because the brain's receptors and neurotransmitters are malfunctioning and this can't be cured by drugs but the symptoms can be controlled. The brain adapts and eventually relies on these medications to keep it functioning properly. It's no surprise that after years of use the brain will need a long time to adjust to not having this assistance, but it will eventually go back to it's former state. For some people it may only take days or a few weeks but some will need longer to adjust. Remember, the drug hasn't changed your brain merely corrected an unbearable mistake in your metabolism. Something to be aware of is that once off the drug your original symptoms may recur and be mistaken for discontinuation syndrome. If you elect to stop a medication always do it under the supervision of a qualified health care provider and don't attempt to do it yourself. You'll need close supervision to be assured that you're not simply backsliding.
Votes: +1
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Sabra1
8 Jan 2020
Unfortunately, Cymbalta is considered by the FDA to be prescribed with great caution. The side effects during and going off certainly zero out any slight helpful effect. Eventually being on it, it will stop working, then the side effects become nearly unimaginable. My doctors tell me they no longer prescribe. Cymbalta in my opinion should be banned altogether. There are other choices that can be prescribed.
WI
WildcatVet
24 July 2020
My personal experience and research tell me something quite different. Many people believe that these medications are dangerous or even "POISON" as one person recently wrote. A minority of bad experiences do not negate the decided benefit derived from these drugs for millions of people. I know you're only referring to Cymbalta but anyone may say anything about any medication and that doesn't make it factual.
CA
catherine60
3 Nov 2019
Cymbalta took pain away and my depression got the worst. It has been one year and still recovering. It was a horrible drug for me I felt all the things you felt and more
