[feddy]

Hi,

Any advice about what I might expect tapering off of either Cymbalta or Topamax?

I've been on 60 mg Cymbalta for 2 years for depression and 200 mg Topamax for 3 years for Migraines. I am working with my pdoc and going slow.

Thanks for your help!

Feddy

[hanners]

I'm tapering off Cymbalta right now, all I can say is take your time! I got really agitated and jittery when I went from 60 to 30mg. Had to go back up to 60mg every other day just to ease it off.

[zbmom]

Tapering off topamax made me feel awful, I had horrible headaches the whole time and just felt sick. Be prepared.

[feddy]

Yikes...I am going to be optimistic and not let any of this sway my reasons for moving forward. Good to know what might be coming though. Any other experiences would be most helpful.

[gardenangel]

Feddy,

How is it going?

[feddy]

Very well, thank you. I haven't started tapering down the Topamax yet (need the smaller pills - will have them tomorrow) but am on one day on, one day off the Cymbalta. To be honest, I can't really feel anything different, so that's GREAT!

Today is my off day and this is the 2nd time this week I've gone "without". I read a bunch of horror stories about this method online (bad idea) but it seems to be having no impact on me whatsoever. No symptoms of withdrawal, no emotional highs and lows, no headaches. I can only hope it continues to be like this.

Thanks for checking in, I really appreciate your support Gardenangel. I will check back in when I start reducing the Topamax. xo

Feddy

[lost in]

tapering off of any SSRI or SNRI can be difficult. shocky feelings in your hands and arms, brain zaps, etc. taper slowly. my experience was that it took about 4-6 weeks for the effects to subside, but still had minor issues even 6 months later. no experience with topomax. hope the best for you.

[feddy]

An update...it's been almost two months and I am now taking 30mg of Cymbalta every 5 days.

Here's what happened: When I got down to four days between the 60mg pills, I started getting massive headaches when I would take my dose. My pdoc said it was "normal" and that it was likely my body reacting to the dopamine. So that's when we cut down to a 30mg pill and went back to 1 pill, every two days. And then we started adding one more day between the pills each week, again.

The 30mg pills don't seem to give me those same headaches and I'm back to four days between the pills again. My pdoc and I have agreed that this is my last week, so my (hopefully) very last Cymbalta pill will be swallowed on Friday and then, THAT'S IT!

As for the Topamax...

Trying to wean off both of them together didn't go so well. I got down to 150mg/day from 200mg and had to stop. We have decided to hold there until the Cymbalta is out of my system (probably another 3 - 4 weeks) and then we will start that loooonnnnggg, slllooooowwww process all over again. My body simply couldn't tolerate both at once and it got complicated because I couldn't figure out if the withdrawal symptoms I was feeling (headaches, mostly) were from the Cymbalta or Topamax!

The good news is that if I could wean off Cymbalta with relatively little trouble (and keep my patience in tact) I can do it with Topamax too.

So, my hope is that in the next 3 - 4 months, I may be entirely drug free. Wow.