Help Me Break the Cymbalta Cycle

you won't become dependent on an over-the-counter sleep aid--they are just antihistamines (same ingredient as benadryl). worse comes to worst, you'll get constipated and wake up with a dry mouth. they are totally safe and non-addictive. in fact, a lot of newer sleep aids are also non-addictive, so it's worth talking to your doctor about. getting better-quality sleep probably will help with some of your symptoms. likewise, a muscle relaxant might help with the jaw-clenching. an over-the-counter nighttime mouth guard might help, too--some of your headaches/toothaches are probably from that. talk to your doctor about taking st. john's wort. although the jury is still out, i think, on its effectiveness, i found it helped with my anxiety and irritability before i found lexapro. i just don't know if it's safe to take with cymbalta--it can interact badly with some antidepressants, so you want to check with the doc first.

I found that http://www.rescueremedy.com/ was intermittently useful when I was going through extra-rough patches when coming off Lovan and Valium.

How was life on the 30's? If you were not experiencing hellacious withdrawlas on the 30s than I would go back to those and taper down to 0 over four to six weeks. I know you're saying you don't want to have anything to do with Cymbalata ever again, but... this isn't Cymbalata, this is withdrawal. You can get it coming off a ton of these drugs (I'm looking at you, Effexor.) If you want the insomnia and brain fudge to stop, you need to taper slowly. Two drops in two weeks is not slowly. Your doctor sounds like an idiot, by the way.

I'm tapering off Effexor, which is known as being particularly hellish to get off of (wish I would have known that before I started taking it, but the brain fog of depression makes you take anything that promises to help you). That being said, it sounds like you tapered off Cymbalta really quickly -- it takes longer than a week for your body to get used to a new dose, so it's hard to go from 60 to 0 in two weeks. I don't know what form the Cymbalta comes in, but if it's pills, you could take half of a 30 every day, or take a 30 every other day, 'till the side effects subside. Then keep tapering off -- a 30 every two days, or half a 30 every two days... Again, I'm on Effexor, and I'm taking it reaaaally slowly, but I've been lucky so far (and feel so much better already!). Take your time, and tell your doctor if the withdrawal is too much.

As a patient and a (non-psych) MD, I think you were tapered way too quickly. I know you don't want to go back on Cymbalta, but if I were to taper you, rather than going from 60 mg to 30 mg to nothing in 2 weeks, I would have you do the following: Week 1: empty capsule into glass of water, drink full glass daily Week 2: empty capsule into glass of water, drink half glass daily Week 3: empty capsule into glass of water, drink quarter glass daily This would probably be sufficient, and I don't think you would need to repeat with the 30 mg dose. Caveats: this worked for me starting (I did the above in reverse) and coming off of Prozac after not tolerating Paxil years earlier, and, later, for coming off Effexor. To repeat, psych is not my specialty, so this is no better than regular old anecdotal evidence, but from all I've read (and experienced), I think your taper was just too quick. It may be easier to re-start and re-taper down. On preview: what the others said.

I am no more of an expert than any of the above posters, but I have a different view. I agree with you that you should not "waste" the two weeks of suffering you have already done. I would tough it out for another two weeks, by getting the mouth guard as suggested, by getting a muscle relaxant to use when you become overly tense and taking tylenol pm's at night. They are not medically addictive, but you can start to think you need them to sleep and get anxious about falling asleep if you stop taking them after you have for a period.

I can only speak from personal experience, but withdrawal from a (much smaller dosage) of antidepressants was pure hell. The symptoms lasted for a month or so but then I got better -- and was much happier than before. You could try tapering down slower, as others have mentioned, but I'd agree with JohnnyGunn -- try sticking it out for a few more weeks. But I understand! It's a tough process -- take advantages of any opportunities to get out of your own head, go do things, etc. -- that's what made it a lot easier for me.

I withdrew from Zoloft and had many of the same symptoms. The zaps were what bothered me the most. They went away after about a month. I just gritted my teeth and bore it. My theory is that antidepressants "desensitize" you from some kinds of stimulation. When you go off them, some of your sensory apparatus becomes over stimulated and it takes a while for everything to get back to normal.

60mg to 30mg for only a week and then zero? That fast of a taper (if you can even call it that) can send one over the edge. Put me down solidly with those who would suggest a slower taper. After a year and a half, a proper taper should be on the order of months - not a couple of weeks. Too many doctors simply do not understand the seriousness of anti-depressant withdrawal - excuse me - 'discontinuance syndrome' as they like to call it. My heart and best wishes go out to you. Good luck!