Author: Charles Frank

How To Stop Duloxetine Cymbalta Without Withdrawal Symptoms

Many readers have reported that they have to work with their doctor to devise a plan to stop duloxetine. In some ways, Cymbalta has advantages over other antidepressants in this regard. That’s because it comes in a capsule with tiny drug “beads” inside. We have never taken the time to actually count the number of beads inside a capsule, but some folks say it can range from 100 to 300. I’ll also outline some strategies for coping with withdrawal side effects, and tell you when to talk to your healthcare provider.

1. More than one doctor tried to tell me that there were no side effects if you quit.
2. If intolerable symptoms occur following a decrease in the dose or upon discontinuation of treatment, then resuming the previously prescribed dose may be considered.
3. In 65% of the patients, most of them only had mild to moderate symptoms that were manageable at most.
4. Experts recommend reducing antidepressant dosages over a minimum of four weeks.

If Cymbalta does not work to relieve your symptoms, there may be another medication that can help. This trial and error process can be frustrating, but it can be essential to finding the right treatment. Granite Recovery Centers has been transforming the lives of alcohol and drug dependent adults from New England and well beyond. With Cymbalta, you may start seeing improvement in your symptoms in as little as 1 to 2 weeks, with full effectiveness at around 6 to 8 weeks. If you have health insurance, you can also search the company’s list of local providers who accept your insurance.

How To Stop Duloxetine (Cymbalta) Without Withdrawal Symptoms

Your doctor may want to switch you to a different antidepressant or provide medical support for your withdrawal symptoms. To help make it easier to come off Cymbalta, your doctor will likely recommend a taper lasting at least two weeks. Tapering a medication means working with your doctor to develop a plan to take progressively smaller doses of a drug over an extended period.

You can speak with your prescribing physician and request that they prescribe the lowest dose capsules to work with during the tapering Cymbalta process. In the case of Cymbalta, the lowest dosage is 20 mg light green capsules. Cymbalta is a delayed-release medication, which may further complicate matters.11 There are approximately 100 beads in each capsule of 20 mg. The faster a drug leaves the body, generally, the more impactful the withdrawal.

This is not all the information you need to know about Cymbalta for safe and effective use and does not take the place of your doctor’s directions. Review the full Cymbalta information and discuss this information and any questions you have with your doctor or other health care provider. You may also want to talk to a therapist (talk therapy) to help limit anxiety, mood disturbances or other problems when stopping treatment. “What I did, safely and carefully, was actually open the capsules and count the beads in order to taper down. (Cold turkey is horrible and was simply not do-able for me!) This counting of the ‘beads’ was detailed in many places online. More than one doctor tried to tell me that there were no side effects if you quit.

I describe it…when my eyes move my hearing zings while my brain zaps. I also fly off the handle easily and feel like I never get enough rest. They should really tell people to wean off slowly and not so suddenly. If you’re having a mental health emergency, call 911 or go to the nearest emergency room. You can also get free 24/7 support from a suicide and crisis expert by calling or texting 988. If you’d prefer to chat online, you can chat with a suicide and crisis expert by visiting the Lifeline Chat.

Perhaps the prescriber assumes that they will need to take this antidepressant for the rest of their lives. Or perhaps there is a reluctance to mention anything negative about a new prescription. Whatever the motivation, a lot of people are not adequately warned that they must never stop duloxetine suddenly.

Coping With Cymbalta Withdrawal

In studies, most withdrawal side effects (65%) resolved within 7 days of stopping treatment. Nearly all patients rated these side effects as mild-to-moderate in severity. For example, Prozac comes in pills as well as in a liquid formulation.

If you have a history of seizures, be sure to tell your doctor before you start treatment. Now you can browse our website completely ad-free for just $5 / month. Stay up to date on breaking health news and support our work without the distraction of advertisements. We were contacted by a board-certified family physician who specializes in pain and addiction. The manufacturer recommends “gradual reduction in the dose,” but does not offer practical details. In other words, there is no official or sanctioned plan for how to stop duloxetine.

Making Lifestyle Adjustments

Because of the seriousness of these potential withdrawal symptoms, it is always best to gradually step down duloxetine use with the close supervision of a medical professional. Symptoms typically appear within two to four days of stopping your dose and last for a few weeks. While tapering—slowly decreasing—your dose is a common treatment strategy, some research suggests that even with this strategy, you still may experience some withdrawal symptoms. Slowly discontinuing treatment may not prevent all withdrawal side effects. Contact your healthcare provider again if you are still experiencing withdrawal symptoms, even with a gradual taper as directed by your doctor.

It is unclear whether or not a slow Cymbalta taper will always prevent withdrawal symptoms, but it is generally considered the safest way to stop an antidepressant. If you stop taking Cymbalta suddenly, you may experience withdrawal symptoms, including nausea, dizziness, headache, irritability, and tingling skin sensations. Abruptly stopping your medication can also lead to a return of symptoms, so always talk to your doctor before changing your dose or stopping your medication.

What Is Cymbalta?

Duloxetine withdrawal can happen with abuse of the drug or simply through long-term use as prescribed by a doctor. It is common for your body to become accustomed to the presence of the drug, so stopping or lowering your dose too abruptly can lead to uncomfortable withdrawal symptoms. When you stop taking Cymbalta or any other antidepressant, you may experience withdrawal side effects.

Imagine training airline pilots how to fuel up, check all the controls, and take off perfectly, but neglecting to teach them how to land the plane. Starting a patient on this drug without instructions on a Cymbalta tapering plan is quite similar to not knowing how to land the plane. The consequences of lacking these skills, obviously, would result in a crash. In some cases, their doctors determine that there are other, more effective ways to manage the conditions that were being treated with duloxetine. In other cases, the patient may start experiencing side effects and decide that it is best to stop taking duloxetine.