duloxetine withdrawal
I’m looking for any suggestions to coming off duloxetine after 10years+ and if anything helped these awful and debilitating symptoms I’m having. I’ve gradually reduced from 60mg since last May 2022, currently on 20 mg every 3 days and desperate to stop taking them as I’m this close but I feel so awful! Nausea, shivery, headaches, etc. seeing GP next week but wanting to hear if anyone has had this and anything that helped them?
thank you xx
thanks lovely, now I’ve found this site I will be on here more. It’s good for us to all compare our stories and with people who understand. I joined a couple of FB groups on this subject yesterday and it’s completely freaked me out!
Xx
Hi, I was on Tramadol for over 10 years and this is how I got off it due to withdrawal, you may want to try it with the Duloxotine. I got down to one a day but when I went to every other day the awful withdrawal kicked in and I was like a cat in a hot tin roof.
so I moved the drug back an hour or a little more depending on how I felt.
Wednesday 3.00 pm
Thursday 5. 00 pm
Friday 6.00/7.00 pm and so on. I took my last one at 11.00 pm on Monday.
Do a schedule that works for you can only move the time you take it back 1/2 hour then do that. I found that taking my last one at bedtime meant I slept through the withdrawal.
Good luck. I’m also on Duloxetine and know how I feel if I forget to take one x
Hi I was on Duloxetine for a year 10mg, came off them as the side effects was too much.
I went cold turkey which I wouldn't advice though.
It's was awful, dizziness, vomiting horrendous pain, 1 week it took to feel normal.
Wouldn't recommend these awful meds to anyone, doctors don't explain to us when they offer these medicines to us how addictive they are.
Went through something similar with pregabalin too.
I only take 1 tramadol a day now which is manageable for my pain level..
thanks for replying, I’m not cold turkeying, I am in awe of anyone brave enough! I’ve felt like this for weeks now! My last capsule was the early hours of Monday morning, so I’ve got to Friday but have had to cancel my whole week …. Just so fed up with feeling rubbish x
I feel for you, it's bad enough dealing with fibromyalgia symptoms and then problems with medication. I've come to the conclusion nothing really works for us just pain killers to get some relief and able to do things.
Fibromyalgia SUCKS..hope you'll feel better soon x
Hi id speak to docs again for more advice Everyone is different
I came off
Tranadol (6years )
And a few years earlier
duloxetine (3 years )
With no tapering
The way they done it was to increase another med to max dose
I queried it but they insinsted it would be fine
it was i was suprised and shocked
Everyone different though
Id speak to doc again
I was stupid and stopped mine completely 60mg and suffering horribly with Vertigo, had the symptoms for 10 weeks, put me off my food as well and generally felt very unwell, but I persevered and I’m off them completely since May 2022. Good luck.
did you feel I’ll for 10wks? Was there anything that helped? I wish it would put me off my food it’s quite the opposite for me.
Well done on persevering, I hope I have the strength x
yes it was 10 weeks before I became myself again. I was on that medication for 7 years. I have found since I’ve been off it my emotions are very much heightened, didn’t realise how all my senses were dulled taking that medication, I’m so glad I’m off it. X
yes I’m already feeling much more emotional ( went to the post office and they didn’t have what I needed and I burst into tears in the car) and everything is more heightened, sounds, light etc. I think I have forgotten what ‘normal ‘ feels like, a long journey ahead! Thank you for your reply 🙏
I wish you the best of luck , it’s worth it x
Hello,I have taken Duloxetine for 3 years,my pain was reduced a lot,but one side effect was that I sweated to much.I stopped to take it gradually,how my GP told me.I took one day,another day I did not take.This was for one week.Next week I took one day,and two days did not.Next week I took one day and three days did not.And next week I stopped.I hope you understand what I have written.Good luck!
thank you, you did very well to come off them like that, it’s not worked for me as easily. I am going to persevere just not managing the withdrawal symptoms very well.
Nausea in waves… just managed to do the food shop but nearly passed out putting the trolley back.! X
i’ve been there, Liolio 78 … The answer for me was/is to go *very slow & steady.* I was on 60 mg Dulox. for 8+ yrs, and I’ve been reducing (removing) teensy beads in the subsequent/now 30mg capsules by 5% every few weeks or so ~ theoretically AFTER you feel as tho you’ve “stabilized” somewhat. The side effects can be horrible, but I am SOOO much better now :: at about only 20% of a 30mg dosage. It’s taken almost 3 years to get here, but I’m in a much better place. Note that many GPs have no idea what horrors Duloxetine can manifest for a patient
thanks Baffledkaffy, I read on a Facebook group yesterday about this tapering, taking the beads out and it shocked me how long it was taking for people, I’ve been on Duloxetine for many years and was put up to 60mg in 2018, I’ve slowly reduced them to 20mg now but my GP wants to put me on another antidepressant hence trying to come off these quicker. But I can’t believe how ill I am feeling… my last one was Monday 2.30am, as I was feeling so bad i couldn’t sleep. I’ve also come off amitriptyline since Christmas. Maybe I’m asking too much of myself !
How do you know how many beads to take out? I’m not even sure I’d see them!! X
l tried weighing beads first, and it was quite difficult. I ended up using a “Ruler Method” to count out, after calculating 5% or10% of each reduced content every few weeks. You must count the full content of your existing dosage (count 3 and get an average starting total … it’s amazing how the number of beads in each varies, directly from the McGrath!). If you line the beads in the well of a piece of creased card stock paper, with a ruler photocopy taped above/alongside, they will fall into the crease fairly easily! Then figure 5% and remove that number (it’s small!) Each “drop” time remove 5% from the new total. The “ruler method for tapering” has been online for a long while, and is a more detailed explanation.
My doc says I’m far enough along to “just skip days, and be done” but I refuse to lose almost three years of progress if such an action sent me back to experiencing the most horrific side effects! (Yeah? … maybe after he tries all *his* ideas first … !)
Note please ~ my Pain Dr is supporting the slow taper, prescribing for years to carry me through. The GP thinks I’m too “worried” about the whole matter. He replaced my original (retired now) prescriber in their medical group. This shows the varied extent of knowledge about Cymbalta/Duloxetine/antidepressants in general that you find in the medical profession, at least here in the U.S.
thank you for sharing that… I only have 20mg ones at the moment, so will have a look into how I can do this… if I get a day of feeling better than I have done until I see my dr on Tuesday, it will have been worth it. I really appreciate the info thank you. X🙏
MUCH LATER!
Just going through and seeing this again … ! Note that “McGrath” (as typed by autocorrect not me) should be “manufacturer” ….. ! The capsules vary so much in strength of each, it’s no wonder we aren’t tripped into even worse side effects DAILY.
Worst withdrawal I've ever had. Took about 5 weeks to get over it even after reducing the medication slowly. Constant brain zaps which were horrendous. I wish I'd gone cold turkey as I'm sure it would've been better. Nothing really helped but the symptoms will eventually pass. I also had severe insomnia too.
thanks lovely, I’ve been getting the zaps too. Good to know that the symptoms will pass,, but know they will but it just feels like a long stretch in front of me at the mo. I came off amitriptyline a month ago and had the insomnia, I’m finding magnesium helps.
Hope you are ok now x
So sorry you are going through this. I was on this horrible drug for about 5 years almost 20 years ago. I feel it is prescribed to far too many people for more reasons than necessary. For the most necessary of conditions this drug does have a good result at first, but after awhile you feel like you’re not in control of any of your thinking and feel flat in your senses and kind of spaced out. I feel it needs to be reviewed for multiple reasons and the difficulties it causes, including addictive like symptoms that comes with ending its use. Sure it’s been well studied but the issues it causes are not well explained to the prospective users nor do all of the docs prescribing the drug consider these issues when trying to get their patients on them.
When I wanted to come off Duloxetine it was a long difficult process with multiple step down stages because of the withdrawal symptoms; these are well known problems. The last stages of withdrawal were awful and by then I was spreading intake days to 3 then 4 then 5 over a month each level and still suffering headaches, nausea, and shakes. At that point I was taking the minimum amount of mg pill available.
For those coming off Duloxetine/ aka Cymbalta the following are suggestions from the online service called Healthline [healthline.com/health/cymba...] These were similar to suggestions that were given to me.
*Stick to your prescribed tapering plan.
Following the plan outlined by your doctor can help reduce the likelihood of severe withdrawal symptoms. If your symptoms are too uncomfortable to handle, your taper can always be adjusted.
*Treat the side effects.
Headache, nausea, body aches, and other symptoms can usually be eased with over-the-counter medications. Make sure to ask your doctor before taking new medications, just to make sure there are no interactions.
*Lean on your support system.
Friends, family, and professionals are important for providing support during the tapering process. Make sure that you’re being open about your feelings, especially if you’re struggling with anxious or depressed thoughts.
*Consider trying integrative remedies.
Herbal remedies, especially those that have been heavily researched, may help ease the severity of side effects during withdrawal. Always check with your doctor first when trying integrative or herbal medicines.
*Practice lots of self-care.
Self-care is a huge part of the recovery and management of both mental health and chronic pain conditions. No matter what your reason for stopping Cymbalta, make sure to give yourself some extra care during the process.
I m interested in the discussions ref thes drugs, had them all at different times . After stopping each one it was clear it had done nil for ME (FIBRO for 35 years, lower back pain from discs, facet joints and more none appeared to improve pain. duloxetine caused rapid weight gain...two size clothing increase i n eighteen months - felt too ill to be clothes trying, buying . Tramadol had no effect at all . oramorph is the only drug which helps my pain but it's a opioid so drs not wanting to prescribe. It helps my back but not the aches of Fibro .it is so odd to hear these drugs help others but not me Coming off them I had no withdrawal, strange .
Now I'm reducing Mirtazapine...when I started missing pills after taking halves a while, I had extra aches in my arms after three days so now I'm thinking. Perhaps Mirtazapine HAS been helping. I've gone back to halve the dose and will stop it again soon to see if the increased arm pain returns .. I'm supposed to be removing it so I can try Amitrypteline .wondering if I find that no use will I get the Mirtazapine back to? Going to ask and research Amitrypteline more.
Good luck.
hi hun, I got off these easily with the help of a homeopath she gave me a detox of the drug and then one called Ghb which helped regulate my mood I’ve never felt better it may be worth a try… everyone is different but my experience has been very positive I just wish I’d tryed it earlier…xx
wow interesting! I might look into that! Thanks! How long did it take? X
under a month I’d been to the doctor who said I could get off it by reducing every week… I dropped one every other day to begin with and then when I felt mentally stable I dropped it completely and went on to the next…. I couldn’t get over how well I felt mentally the best I had in years yet I’d dropped a drug I thought was helping me…
duloxetine
Duloxetine?
Duloxetine
Duloxetine
Duloxetine 
Duloxetine is a horrible drug. I was only on them for a short period of time maybe a year but the withdrawals were horrendous even when only slightly dropping the dosage, as you say shivers nauseous headaches.
I ended up going cold turkey in the end as I thought well I’m feeling like this on a small reduction so I may as well just stop altogether. I did and it took a while to get over it but the main symptoms stopped after a few days.
No medication should be stopped cold turkey - take advise from your GP please.
That was just my way of dealing with it as I didn’t want to continue like that for months on end.
It is the worst drug I have ever had and I always try to deter people from taking it if possible because of the addiction.
Good luck and I hope you get there okay.
Hello! I'm new here, I have just been diagnosed with Fibromyalgia after 7 years of symptoms from the age of 23. My Rheumatology consultant has suggested I begin taking Duloxetine, but now I'm a tad bit terrified 😂 Is it really terrible? I have been on Gabapentin and Pregabalin in the past, with unfavorable results, they messed terribly with my mental health and made me a miserable mess. I would rather not go through that again. Any experience you have with it would be a great help. Thank you ☺️
Gemima
Hi
I’ve taken Gabapentin and Pregabalin previously and didn’t like them. I’m now on duloxetine 120mg daily. My main problem is having a really dry mouth but found a great mouth spray that I use regularly to help with that. It’s all just trial and error I guess x good luck
Thank you so much for your reply. I will keep the spray in mind when I try them 😊
What mouth spray? That has been my issue as well...
Hi x
It’s called Oralieve dry mouth relief spray. You can use Xylimelts tablets too (they stick to the gum and gradually dissolve, releasing a small amount of minty liquid into the mouth.) I use these for bedtime as they stay put on the side of the gum. I bought them both from Amazon and I couldn’t be without them x
Thank you so so much! I will check these out!
aww no problem. X good luck 😉
Hi, apologies I didn’t mean to frighten you but I was just sharing my experience of it. Everyone responds differently to medication. A lot of people say that they do get a lot of relief from Duloxetine and so did I but it was the withdrawal when trying to come off them.
I would never go on it again.
Neil
Thank you for your response and for sharing your experience! I will try to take precautions when/if I come off them, now I know that it is rather unpleasant. Thank you so much 😊
Hi thank you for replying to my post, and well done for coming off these things.. I just want this withdrawal over with it’s so awful. I’d never go on them again! My GP is monitoring everything. Did you take anything else after stopping duloxetine?
Hi, my consultant put me on methotrexate after that which basically helped all the other meds I am on.
Zapain, tramadol, naproxen, folic acid, biological therapy injections.
I do have other conditions though.
Spondylitis arthritis in my spine degenerative disc disease.
I have a discectomy and fusion in my spine last year (January) and will possibly have to have another one quite soon as the next disc down has gone now.
I have started taking magnesium tablets this year so I’m hoping they will ease the pain a little (but not as yet)
I have tried gabapentin and pregabalin both worked for a while but then made no difference as my body just got used to them so my consultant took me off them.
Hope you get sorted soon, best wishes.
hi Gemimafibro, I just joined yesterday, so a newbie too. I’ve been up to 60mg of Duloxetine but been on that for about 5 years, was on 40mg before that for 4 years +. I tried Pregab & Gabapentin but couldn’t get on with them at all. I think Duloxetine really helped me, for depression and pain, but having been on it soooo long and now struggling with my mental health , my GP wants me to try to come off them as we don’t think they are working for me now after so long. I would try to do more research into them if I was at the beginning of my journey, especially taking a larger dose. If I’d missed taking one dose in the past I certainly knew about it, so it should have given me a heads up of what was to come if I came off them in the future. It’s a huge struggle for me at the moment, the withdrawal is quite debilitating.
Remember tho, that everyone is different, everyone’s reaction the meds or coming off them will be different.
I wish you luck with it all xx
I'm so sorry that your having a horrendous time coming off Duloxetine, I can only imagine the strain on your body and mind 😞. I hope you are able to find something that gives you relief. Thank you for sharing your experience, I really appreciate it ❤️
my oh took 1 capsule it was supposed to help his migraines, the lowest does and some hours later was stuck in small room with what usually happens with eating gluten, has declined to take any more. banana a day seems to helped him more.
for my fibro am on paracetamol, (was on meptid as well however i decided to drop that) and a magnet bracelet. gluten dairy free diet i.e almond milk, and no yeast.
everyone reacts differently to meds,
my only suggestion is never to start a new med on a weekend or late at night to allow any side effects to happen in normal working hours..
Everyone reacts differently to each drug. You have to weigh up the pros and cons. I couldn't take strong painkillers so Duloxetine had to be worth a try, start on a low dose, I'm on 20mgs twice a day and that's all I need plus paracetamol. I'm going to cut down to one a day in the spring if I'm still this good. I'm 67years old so if I have to stay on them for the rest of my life I decided it won't be a problem as I just want to have a life😁
I have Fibromyalgia and Cervical Spondylosis with osteophytes catching the exit root nerves at C5/6/7 so get terrible pain down my arms. I was on Tramadol & Pregabalin and felt so spaced out I was walking like I was drunk half the time.
I had 3 cervical nerve root blocks with diminishing effect, I had cervical traction which helped for a while. I went to an Opiate withdrawal workshop and gradually came off Tramadol and had the Pregabalin changed to Gabapention with Co- Codamol PRN, it worked okay for a while, then when my neck got worse and surgery was not an option the consultant recommended Duloxetine 60mg one a day. Last year the dose was increased to 80mg daily in split 40mg dose morning and night which works well for me.
On the rare occasion that I have gone out and forgotten my meds I certainly know about it later in the day. The pain increases and I get what I can only describe as low grade electric current down my arms, and I feel cold/tired from the pain no nausea or anything. There is no easy answer with pain meds as it depends on the person the condition(s) and what other meds they are on as to whether they will work or react to one another its basically trial and error and you need to read meds instruction leaflet which describe known side effects/interactions and report anything unusual to your GP or if you can't get an appointment to your Pharmacist who will liaise with GP.
I guess its whatever works for you.
Thank you for your reply. I thought I'd given an update. I have been on Duloxetine 60mg for a month, but unfortunately I will be coming off them over the next week. Taking them has brought to the attention of my GP that I seem to have an undiagnosed heart condition. Over the month I had been having heart palpitations that have been getting steadily worse so I visited my GP and found that my resting pulse was 140. He flew into a whoosh of action, calling all the nurses in the surgery to get an emergency EKG done. Which she did over and over, it seemed like she couldn't believe the results because I appeared fine and honestly I felt fine. So their reactions did cause a bit of panic in me. I will be having a 24 hour monitor in the future and have been put on a beta-blocker. This has brought my heart rate down to 89 after just three days and I have normal coloured hands, which have been blue my entire life. It's much better than it was, but still a bit high. I was told to stop the Duloxetine immediately, but after reading others experiences of coming off them I have chosen to take 30mg for seven days and then stop. I'm struggling with my Fibro as it is and a withdrawal might send me over the edge. Thankfully.. I think thankfully 😂.. I was experiencing worse pain whilst on the Duloxetine so I'd have requested to stop anyway. Again, thank you for your reply. It's very helpful to read other people's experiences as I have only just been diagnosed with Fibromyalgia after seven years of symptoms from the age of 23.
Hi lovely, please be careful if you go cold turkey on the duloxeltine, it can cause worse withdrawl symptoms...mine did and now im on a slow taper as i cant cope with the nausea etc. please take care xx
Thank you for your reply and concern 🥰 I have chosen to take 7 days of 30mg that I had spare because of a mess up at my pharmacy, from my regular dose of 60mg once daily. My GP told me to just stop them, I suppose he was worried about me having a heart attack. But after reading others experiences with withdrawing from them I didn't want to put myself through that. I feel a bit weird, a little flu like, on day 2 of the taper, but currently I'm managing. I will try to take it easy next week when I come off them completely though. I appreciate you informing me xx
yes, i understand the heart implications, rest and hydrate, i just have come to realise that our gps just dont understand the withdrawl of drugs like these, and im lucky mine understand now that its not a quick thing. please keep us up to date lovely xx
OMG, its just as well the duloxetine has brought the heart condition to the attention of GP, its probably been something lying dormant since you were young and luckily for you your GP has been on the ball. I hope he is going to investigate further and not just put it down to duloxetine as a sole cause. Hopefully you'll find something more suitable for you.