Cymbalta - Bad Side Effects While Coming Off

[dsingerman]

Hi. I was diagnosed with POTS several years back and have been on a variety of meds (ie. Lexapro, Florienf, Beta Blockers). Most recently I have been on Cymbalta only 30 mg/day. I didn't experience any negative side effects when going on it or while on it, in fact, I felt great and had almost no episodes. I have been recently weaning off it as I want to get pregnant and the side effects of being off it are horrible - constant light-headedness, fatigue, almost vertigo like symptoms when I turn my head from side to side, and walking up and down stairs is the worse.

Has anyone else experienced this and if so, how long did it last?

[Mrs. Burschman]

Such withdrawal effects are VERY common with all of the SSRI and SNRI antidepressants (Cymbalta is an SNRI.) In fact, it's recommended that to avoid such effects, users of these medications should taper off of them, really slowly if need be.

I'd check with your doctor or pharmacist about what you should do now. They might recommend that you restart it and stop more gradually (though I don't remember if that's possible with Cymbalta.)

Amy

[ajw4790]

Yeah, I would make sure to try and titrate somehow. Talk to dr. or pharmacist. If you can't by splitting the pill, then sometimes I think you can take it every other day or whatever, and continue to work down.

Good luck!

[ajw4790]

Also, could it just be your POTS symptoms as they are currently without meds? Is there any way to take anything to decrease these affects? If no prescriptions, could you talk to your dr. about something like licorace root or something?

[darren]

There was a story on Fox news about this tonight. They were saying the drug companies have been understating the negative side effects mostly the withdraw symptoms when trying to stop. I was on an SSRI for about 6 weeks. I didn't feel it was helping and didn't like some of the side effects. I just stopped taking them with no problems but that was probablly becuase I wasn't on it long enough.

[dsingerman]

Thanks for the responses. I weaned slowly and i am still experiencing symptoms. The withdrawal effects are unbearable and nothing that I have experienced before. I am experiencing what my internist says are classic symptoms of panic/anxiety attacks with heart palpatations, "brain shivers", lightheadness and now "pins and needles" feeling in my face. Does anyone have any experience with how long this will last????

I want to be strong and tough it out, but i am afraid I can't tolerate this much longer. Any experiences would help.

[deucykub]

I have never weaned off of Cymbalta, but I did come completely off Effexor years ago. I completely forgot the term "brain shivers," and your post just reminded me about how awful that withdrawal was!!!

I think I had symptoms of withdrawal for about a month coming off of the Effexor. I went cold-turkey though (not recommended ).

[Sushi]

I had to titrate up on cymbalta (my doctor said I could start by taking one (30 mg) every 3rd day. When that was too hard he said to open the capsule, shake out half or more, then very, very slowly go up to a full capsule. Took me about 5 weeks. I expect that if I ever need to stop it, I'll have to do it the same way. Not totally accurate, but it worked.

[Mrs. Burschman]

What I thought was withdrawal from Paxil (tingling in my hands and feet, nausea, weight loss, dizziness, tachycardia, almost a continuous panic attack, and other things I've probably just forgotten) turned out to be POTS. When I tried to stop Paxil twice (once cold turkey, once tapering down over a six-month period) and got the same symptoms, that's when I figured out that it wasn't withdrawal symptoms. It was autonomic dysfunction that is greatly helped by the Paxil. So I'll be staying on it. The side effects are nothing compared to how crappy I feel off of it!

Amy