Posted by 49er on January 27, 2008, at 14:38:18 [reposted on January 28, 2008, at 5:14:53 | original URL]
In reply to Cymbalta Withdrawls, posted by Frustrated in Indy on January 21, 2008, at 13:00:28
Frustrated in Indy,
It is very dangerous to stop psych meds cold turkey when you have been on them as long as your husband has. What he is experiencing are withdrawal symptoms.
The safest way taper is 10% of the current dose every 3 to 6 weeks. Unfortunately, most doctors are not familiar wih tapering slowly which can lead to problems. And only taper one med at a time.
The reason you need to taper slowly is the brain needs time to adapt to the neurochemical changes of having less of the medicine. When you CT off of a med, it puts the brain into chaos.
I used a compound pharmacist to taper off of one of my meds. Since it is very hard to make 10% cuts and get the prescription filled at a regular pharmacy, a compound person can make the oddball dose you need. Google association of compound pharmacists to get the name of one in your area.
Unfortunately, depending on the situation, they can be expensive. Other options for cutting the doses.
1. If it is a pill - make as small a cut as possible. That can be challenging and usually (at least for me) leads to a bigger than 10% cut. But sometimes you have no choice.
2. If it is capsule with powder - Take out a little bit of the powder and then readjust the capsule. Again, it is hard to know if you are sticking to 10% but do the best you can.
I have never taken cymbalta but it consists of beads, right? Maybe by taking out a few beads at a time, that will work?
Finally, I have seen water titration methods discussed. However, when I asked a pharmacist about doing it with the med I am cutting, they said it wasn't a good idea.
Good luck, your husband can do this. I have gone from 4 to 2 meds and am still going strong.
49er
poster:49er
thread:808508
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/wdrawl/20070929/msgs/809299.html