[hurting__]

Hey guys,

My doctor has decided to take me off of my 90mg of Cymbalta and change it to citlopram.

I am on my second day of being down to 30mg and I am having withdrawal symptoms that I can't handle. The brain zaps, dizziness, nausea, headaches, insomnia, panic attacks, depression and just feeling like absolute crap.

Was just wondering if anyone has been off cymbalta and has any ideas of some coping mechanisms to get through these side effects? I'm studying at the moment and I have no time to be bed ridden like I was yesterday.

I also was wondering if anyone has been on citlopram and how they found it? Any warnings or good things would be great.

Why didn't your doctor switch you directly from 90 mg Cymbalta to the citalopram? Just wondering.

How quickly did you drop from the 90 mg Cymbalta to 30 mg?

I take Cymbalta and dropped my dose from 120 mg/day to 60 mg/day last year. I used Vistaril/hydroxyzine 25 mg for anxiety to help me get through the anxiety from the withdrawal.

I spent 5 months lowering my dose gradually (dumping the beads out of the capsule) so I wouldn't get disabling withdrawal effects.

I have not taken citalopram. I know quite a few people who have, and they generally say that they prefer the newer form, escitalopram. It's a "cleaner" drug with fewer side effects. I do know a couple of people who take citalopram and like it fine, but they take a very low dose.

[hurting__]

Originally Posted by jo_thorne

Why didn't your doctor switch you directly from 90 mg Cymbalta to the citalopram? Just wondering.

How quickly did you drop from the 90 mg Cymbalta to 30 mg?

I take Cymbalta and dropped my dose from 120 mg/day to 60 mg/day last year. I used Vistaril/hydroxyzine 25 mg for anxiety to help me get through the anxiety from the withdrawal.

I spent 5 months lowering my dose gradually (dumping the beads out of the capsule) so I wouldn't get disabling withdrawal effects.

I have not taken citalopram. I know quite a few people who have, and they generally say that they prefer the newer form, escitalopram. It's a "cleaner" drug with fewer side effects. I do know a couple of people who take citalopram and like it fine, but they take a very low dose.

I'm not sure why to be honest, I've been on it for about 3 years now.

I've done 2 weeks on 60mg, then I'll do 2 weeks on 30mg and then a week of nothing, then begin citlopram. :/

Thanks for your comment! Might have a chat to my doctor.

I've done 2 weeks on 60mg, then I'll do 2 weeks on 30mg and then a week of nothing,

That sounds horrendous.

[LonesomeTonight]

Huh, when I switched from Cymbalta to Zoloft (sertraline) recently, my p-doc had me start taking Zoloft at 25 mg the first week that I went down to 30 mg of Cymbalta. Then the next week I stayed at 30 mg of Cymbalta and started with 50 mg of Zoloft. Then next week, I went up to 75 mg of Zoloft and stopped the Cymbalta. I was also on 150 mg of Wellbutrin at the time (and still am). I still felt some withdrawal symptoms after I stopped the 30 mg, even though I was on an SSRI and Wellbutrin, which affects neurepinephrine like Cymbalta (and my p-doc said I shouldn't have side effects). For me, I was just really achy, like I had the flu, had headaches, and was very irritiable, like I started screaming at my husband about something, and I never do that. Passed after about a week.

I'd see check with your p-doc to see if you could start the citalopram while still on the Cymbalta. Or at least don't go a week without taking anything--not sure of the point of that because Cymbalta is out of the system quickly (which is why the withdrawal is hard).

[hurting__]

Originally Posted by jo_thorne

That sounds horrendous.

It is

[hurting__]

Originally Posted by LonesomeTonight

Huh, when I switched from Cymbalta to Zoloft (sertraline) recently, my p-doc had me start taking Zoloft at 25 mg the first week that I went down to 30 mg of Cymbalta. Then the next week I stayed at 30 mg of Cymbalta and started with 50 mg of Zoloft. Then next week, I went up to 75 mg of Zoloft and stopped the Cymbalta. I was also on 150 mg of Wellbutrin at the time (and still am). I still felt some withdrawal symptoms after I stopped the 30 mg, even though I was on an SSRI and Wellbutrin, which affects neurepinephrine like Cymbalta (and my p-doc said I shouldn't have side effects). For me, I was just really achy, like I had the flu, had headaches, and was very irritiable, like I started screaming at my husband about something, and I never do that. Passed after about a week.

I'd see check with your p-doc to see if you could start the citalopram while still on the Cymbalta. Or at least don't go a week without taking anything--not sure of the point of that because Cymbalta is out of the system quickly (which is why the withdrawal is hard).

Thanks for that! I think I'm definitely going to go back, because I feel awful, and it seems like she's doing it way different to other doctors