The reason people discontinue drugs like Cymbalta : doesn't work for them, bad side effects, or no longer effective. The side effects of quitting can be managed by either gradually reducing the dosage over several days or weeks, or your doctor may prescribe another anti-depressant for you.

I don't know why, but some antidepressants quit working for me after 1-2 years. When I need to taper down the dose, I actually open the capsule, and discard a portion of the contents, and re-seal the capsule. This works for me, but....your pharmacist probably would not reccommend this method!

I have been on antidepressants for the last 10 years, and on Cymbalta for the last year. Had some stomach upset when I first started Cymbalta, but that was as expected. No weightgain, no scary dreams, but it is different for each person.

Hope this helps, good luck!

Thanks scootermom
I think as long as I can taper off without the horrible side effects I have heard about., I think I ,might try it.

I take Cymbalta and it has helped me a lot. As Scootermom said if you have to go off of it, or any other anti-depressant, it's best to taper off to avoid withdrawal symptoms.

i am new at taking cymbalta. i do hope that it works for me for awhile. i've been taking it for 3/12 weeks. i am still on 20mg and am past the sickness part, but since it started to interfere with sleeping i asked my dr to put me on Trazadone (100mg). that has helped.

i am getting headaches but not sure if it's the cymbalta or allergy season.

this weekend i am upping the dose to 30mg as the pain has come back. although being on an anti-depressant has made it easier to deal with the pain. good luck.

The problem with cymbalta is it is impossible to go off of without withdrawal symptoms. I did wean off it just as I had with several other antidepressents I went off of. I had extreme anxiety, high bliss pressure (180/100) for three month after stopping, extreme dizziness(every time I turned my head I had to shut my eyes because I was spinning),I didn't sleep for a few weeks. All these were almost immediate...withing a few days of starting to wean. I had withdrawal symptoms even when I was taking it...if I forgot a dose I got a horrid headache at about 4 hours after the missed dose, I'd start getting slurry speech....other than that and not sleeping well I didn't have any bad side effects on it. I did develop easy bruising which is why I went off. Visit the website. Cymbaltawithdrawals.com. I found it so helpful when I was withdrawing....maybe me know I wasn't going crazy.

Cymbalta has been my miracle drug. I did have some minor side effects, the worst of which was a cough for a week or so,,,,,,

however, a week after starting Cymbalta, I was at Disney world walking all over the place for 4 hours (minor pain),,,,,,

it's now been six weeks and my pain level is a ZERO most days. I can do Disney world for a full day (with the occasional muscle relaxer)

I worried myself silly about this drug,,,,,,,,,but for me, it has been amazing! I rarely need pain pills anymore,,,,,only the occasional muscle relaxer.

Of course, not everyone has such good results,,,,,,it's a matter of finding the combo of drugs that works for you personally,,,,,,

but I'd never have had this incredible miracle if I hadn't tried :)

Thank you all for your responses I think I will ,try it. I don't think anything could be as bad as I feel now. Here's hoping for some relief.Good luck to you all.

I'm with CommaHolly--Cymbalta has been a miracle answer! I've only been on it for a little over 2 weeks, and I have had no side effects whatsoever. I am in the midst of doing whole-house SPRING CLEANING!! I never thought I'd see the day....

Everyone is different. For those who have a hard time getting off drugs (I never have), it's a scary process. But who's to say (A) that you'll ever need to go off this wonder drug; and (B) that you'll have the same difficulty as anyone else? And as Scootermom said, there are ways to gradually get off of it if you end up needing to.

It's sooooo worth it to feel normal again--I'm on top of the world that I don't hurt.

Let us know how it goes, eh? :-)

Lambsy

Lambsy
You convinced me. Took my first ,pill ,this morning. Looking forward to good results. Thank you sooooooooo much for your reply. Will let you know how it pans out..

that's AWESOME Lambsy! so nice to hear another success story!

Sometime, if they make you sleepy, you might want to take them at bedtime :) they made me very tired for a couple days,,,,,

but it went away quickly!

However, I still sleep so much better,,,,,not sure if it's the drug, or just being out of pain,,,,,,whatever, I'll take it!!!!!

P.S. My rheumy's PA instructed me to take Cymbalta at night. I take it at dinnertime and sleep like a baby, waking up refreshed and energetic in the morning. And no sleepiness during the day!

I am on 30 mg, and noticed an improvement within days. In fact, my lip swelled up three days after starting to take it, so I stopped. That 2nd night, I was completely stiff and in so much pain I got little sleep. I went back on it and have been on it ever since--with no lip swelling. I had also started taking some supplements my rheumy suggested, so it could have been getting used to them that caused the swelling.

Thanks so much Lambsy for the additional ,informarion. May I ,ask what supplements you ,are taking? You are so kind.

Sure, I'll share, Sometime.

My rheumy recommended that I take B-complex vitamins, magnesium, malic acid, and CoQ10. I took Dr. Weil's vitamins and antioxidants for years, and when I looked at the list of ingredients in those, I realized that I'd get everything the doctor ordered except the malic acid, so I resumed taking Dr. Weil supplements plus I take one magnesium malate tablet each day. (I can't say enough about Dr. Weil or his supplements, by the way. I subscribe to Consumer Lab (consumerlab.com), an independent research organization that tests and publishes results on non-FDA regulated supplements, and Dr. Weil's is perfectly accepted in every way possible!)

Oh, I should add that I am still taking one Aleve in the a.m. and one in the p.m. I guess Cymbalta can take up to six weeks to get to its full effect, and as I've only been on it two weeks I am continuing on the Aleve for a while yet. HOWEVER, I used to take 2 Aleve 2x/day, and that would only take the harshest edge off, so I know the Cymbalta is working.

I hope you begin experiencing Cymbalta's healing touch very soon!

Hugs,
Lambsy

Lambsy
Can't ,thank ,you ,enough. Will start this "program" as soon as possible.
Hugs

So...Sometime! I'm just checking in to see how you are. Have you noticed any difference from the Cymbalta and/or supplements yet?

Thinking of you....

Lambsy