And then 20 mg. Every third day for a week or two then stop. I wake up in mornings sad, cry, dizzy but I do take my 1 mg Xanax and that helps. But will i ever get this drug out of my system? Will I get myself back again? How long would my dizziness go on for since im tapering this way and wasnt on Cymbalta but few months? Help me please. Please.
I’m tapering off 20mg Cymbalta. Horrible drug. I been told to take 20mg every other nite for 2 wks?
Question posted by Joycecombs on 16 Nov 2018
Last updated on 20 November 2018
5 Answers
SweetLuck
17 Nov 2018
How to you taper 10% by opening capsules? How do you know how many beads to take away to equal 10%? And how to you contain the beads without losing them?
maryellenpowers2014
18 Nov 2018
I have the same question. I have been on 120 every morning for a year and want to get off of it. Last Sunday I went to 90. Today I had to go back up to 120 as I am near passing out. I have no way to know how many beads to remove that would equal 10% and would so appreciate direction.
cindy-59
18 Nov 2018
Hi SweetLuck and maryellenpowers2014. I started tapering off Lyrica and finished last year; then I started tapering off Cymbalta (60 mg) and I'm down to 10 mg now. I've done this by the 10% decrease every 10-14 days. I started by counting the beads in 3 pills then divided by 3 to find an estimate. I did this because every pill has a different amount of beads in it; even when it's the same brand. I used a black cloth and used a fingernail file to count the beads into piles of ten. Try your best to be as precise as possible. At first I had a problem with counting the beads and they would fly all over the place but I got used to it in a short time. Once you have the estimate number you start by taking away 10% of that number and put that amount back in the capsule. You take that amount for 10-14 days. I saved the extra beads in an empty pill bottle to use later. Some people have been able to taper faster and some have had to go slower.
Your body will let you know if you are going too fast. You will know when to taper again when your body and brain has stabilized. After 10-14 days you continue your taper by 10% of your last dosage taken. Thousands of people have done this and were able to get off Cymbalta (and other drugs like it). When you get to a low dosage; say around 20 mg a lot of people have found that they have had to taper slower; for example 5% or 2.5%. This medication is powerful every little bead counts. Now that I am down to 10 mg almost every horrible side effect is gone. It's almost bedtime here and I am exhausted so I hope this makes sense and that I didn't leave anything out. If you have any more questions don't hesitate to ask me and if I don't know the answer I will do my best to find it. Cindy
SweetLuck
18 Nov 2018
Thank you, that helps a lot!
maryellenpowers2014
18 Nov 2018
Cindy, thank you so much. I know now that I can't titrate down by 30. This was the hardest week. I had hoped that because I had been able to get off so many meds fairly easily, most recently Gabapentin, that I would be one of the lucky ones but apparently that is not to be. Of course just the week before I was put on Cyclosporine, Atarax, & Singulair along with several topical steroids for CIU (autoimmune) that has kept me in hives for 8 weeks so the combination could be why I have felt so bad. I have been hospitalized so often in adrenal crisis this year that I am feeling like I better try a more careful titration down so I don't spend the holidays in the hospital.
Again, I appreciate your help!
Joycecombs
20 Nov 2018
I was told very dangerous to open and take out meds. You dont know what is med and which is fillers. But so far tapering every two weeks down from 60 mg to on 20mg. Then one every third day for week then off. I do take xanax 1 mg. Twice daily.
Ros 2
17 Nov 2018
Hello Joycecombs, I could not tolerate Cymbalta... horrible drug for me! Had severe stomach problems from it. Doctor took me off that drug & all my stomach problems went away! Alprazolam .5mg a day helped me & I also take 10mg of Valium at bedtime for muscle relaxation. Contact your doctor to assist you with your problem.
Hope that you will feel better soon!
Philtrum
17 Nov 2018
You should not stop it without replacing it with something easier to get off. Cymbalta withdrawals are Horrible. You can add Prozac in the meantime while you taper of the Cymbalta and Then after a month or so, take of the prozac (or some other). This protocol worked wonders for me. Talk to your doctor about it
Joycecombs
20 Nov 2018
What about Paxil instead of Prozac.
cindy-59
17 Nov 2018
Hi Joycecombs. I was prescribed Cymbalta (60 mg) for chronic nerve pain and I’ve been taking it for 10 years. The higher the dosage we take and the longer we take it can make a huge difference so the fact that you’ve been taking a lower dose for a few months is a huge benefit to you. I’ve had to taper because of all the horrible side effects. In my opinion and experience from talking to others taking Cymbalta every other day can put us in withdrawals. I’ve been tapering slowly since June of last year(2017) by 10% every 10-14 days. Doing the taper like this has minimized the ‘withdrawals’ so that it’s manageable. Some people have been able to go faster and some have had to go slower. Our bodies are all different so we have to listen to what our bodies are telling us. It will let us know if we are going too fast.
I wish that our doctors would realize the damage from the every other day method is doing to our brain and bodies. Maybe more will get it when we inform them about how hard it is to do. A few things that will help you is to drink plenty of water, eat healthy and rest when you need to. If you have any questions don’t hesitate to ask. Please take care of yourself. I wish you the best. Cindy
Hadrian01
17 Nov 2018
I don't understand about cutting down 10%. Does this mean cutting open the capsule? I read on this site you should never do that.
I have just started back on this drug and agree with everything you say. I have been told to take alternate days in the past. It never seemed to work.
cindy-59
17 Nov 2018
Hi Hadrian01. I have heard that some people say to not open the capsules but it does not harm to the beads as long as they are being put back into the capsules. There are thousands of people all over the world doing it this way without severe 'withdrawals'. I still remember when I first started doing this and I found it hard to open the capsules but in no time at all it became so easy. I just twist the capsule where it has been put together and they open up. At first I did have those tiny beads flying everywhere but it didn't take long before I was doing it with no problem. Personally I was at the point where I could hardly get out of bed because all the side effects I was having from Cymbalta that I would have tried anything to get off this drug. When I read about all the people who were doing it this way I thought I would give it a try. It works! I have never heard of one person having to go back on Cymbalta doing it this way.
Some have had to go back up in their dose because of tapering faster than the advised 10%. (I should have added though that you taper by 10% of your last dosage taken). I will never take another medication like Cymbalta again. I started tapering off in June of last year (2017) and I hope and pray to finally be completely off Cymbalta by the beginning of 2019 and work at getting healthy again and getting 'me' back again. Take care. Cindy
Hadrian01
16 Nov 2018
I have read a lot about this drug. I can understand you wanting to come off it. I really think the only way is to steadily reduce the dose. Sneakily so the Cymbalta doesn't notice! So you don't even notice. Take your time. Lots of time and patience.
Drink litres of water!! 2 or 3 every day.
Focus on other things. Stop thinking about the Cymbalta.
Keep drinking water. Good luck.
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cymbalta, xanax, vertigo, fibromyalgia, generalized anxiety disorder, tapering, drug, system
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