Stopping Duloxetine. Severe withdrawal symptoms.

[fortygin]

Just looking for some advice.
have been on Duloxetine for 15 years after my exh cheated on me. Was sold to me as the ‘new wonder drug for depression with no side effects!!’
this was obviously a situational depression that sorted itself out after I got rid of the cheating ex.
I have tried multiple times to taper off this drug as I don’t need it But have been unsuccessful due to the head zaps, dizziness, irritability and suicidal thoughts when I get to a certain lower dose.
I have now been diagnosed with severe hypertension and , for one reason or another, need to come off Duloxetine completely.
I have reduced from 90mg to 20mg since January with little to no withdrawal symptoms.
On the advice of my GP, I finished my month of 20mg capsules last weekend and have now not had any duloxetine in my system for 5 days but the symptoms are horrendous. I have constant vertigo-like head zaps, am extremely irritable and my sleep is disturbed by leg cramps, numb hands and vivid dreams.
i have also developed a covid-like virus that has floored me.
I was wondering if anyone had any tips on how to reduce/deal with the withdrawal symptoms?
Am currently trying to do a bit of treadmill walking and deep cleaning.
need to go back to work tomorrow ( had a few days off as feel so unwell).

As you may well know , Duloxetine & venlafaxine are the 2 hardest AD to come off especially as the dose gets lower.
20mg to 0 should not be done, even if you have been on that dose a month. GP always do this, go from last dose to 0

Yes I’d imagine you in a right mess as it usually from day 3-5 that the symptoms come out in you.
All you’ve mentioned are the classics including the flu like symptoms. I’ve read some take day/night nurse to help with this. 🤷‍♀️ This is why modt go back on it as you have done the same in the past yourself

You could try going back on 20mg if you really can’t stand the withdrawl symptoms (I can’t blame you it like start up all over again)

Im on venlafaxine capsules for ariund the same time as yourself.
Im currently reducing myself. I’m in 225mg a 75mg & 150mg. I’m absolutely scared stiff of the exact same thing happening (it’s very well known how hard these 2 drugs are to come off and many can’t 😡)
Ive started opening the 75mg capsule, I started taking 10 beads out every 4/6 weeks if I felt ok
It’s taken me 14mths and Im now taking
150 beads out. Still got about the same left to do in the 75mg capsule, so will into next year before I’m off a 75mg . Then I’ve got the 150mg to start on .
like you I don’t know if when getting down low I will get rebound problems but I’m bloody hoping because it’s taken a very long time and slow that my brain will adjust over time .

Duloxetine & venlafaxine are available in oral liquid form (gp don’t like giving it because it’s very expensive, venlafaxine is £178 bottle )

If your still suffering and can’t hack it , ask for it and go slower the lower you go as the last bits are the worse

wish you good luck , best wishes

I really feel for you. The brain zaps are really horrible. I tried to come off duloxetine 100mg three times before I managed it, and the third time took more than six months. Even with an extremely slow taper down, the first couple of weeks with no dose at all were horrendous and I really struggled. When tapering down I was actually weighing capsules and halving the contents to give an absolutely tiny dose, for the last few weeks.

I was diagnosed it for stress incontinence and I also had to come off it for a month in advance of a bladder test with only a weeks notice, I was so unwell when I stopped it cold turkey, it was bloody awful.

My advice is talk to your gp, consider tapering down even more if possible. But, if you’ve made it this far, think about if you can maybe just ride out the next few days, after which it will get better gradually. I basically just lived with feeling shocking for a couple of weeks, and then things started to improve. It took about 6 weeks for me to feel fully right again.

Good luck, it really is the worst medication to come off

Oh shit. I’m on duloxetine. Would love to
come off. I was told it was a quick
taper. Now I’m scared.

Look up bead counting for the lower taper

Other drugs.

my gp stopped mine dead from 70 a day to nothing as he “felt I didn’t need any drugs”. I found paracetamol and codeine helped (sold at pharmacies as cocodamol) plus naproxen sodium.

i put in a formal complaint and they realised they’d made a mistake and reinstated my dose and apologised.

I had the same withdrawal symptoms when coming off venlafaxine. So sorry, it's horrific isnt it. I followed my GPs advice about how to taper off but was way too fast. What worked for me was to taper off way way way slower than the GP advised, reducing by 1/4 every few weeks. Even at the end I was giving myself a half and then a quarter tablet per day for a few weeks. Did you stop suddenly from 20mg down to nothing? Can you go back on 20mg for a while and then 15mg for a few weeks, 10mg, 5mg, then alternate days 5mg, every 3 days 5mg etc (continuing on each "level" for 3 weeks before you reduce down to the next level?)

Thank you all for your advice. Have tried the bead counting before and always gave up.
have been seeing a endocrinologist for possible adrenal issues after an abnormal 24hr urine secondary to extreme hypertension (220/110 captured multiple times overnight on a 24 hr bp monitor) and he wanted me to stop cold turkey from 90mg. I refused (I’m a GP Office manager and have some limited knowledge). He wasn’t happy!
I’ve taken GP advice and have reduced slowly but the last few days have been brutal. I NEED to come off this medication or I wouldn’t bother.

I tapered off myself, it’s a long time ago but it was something like this:

Alternate days 20 then 10mg for several weeks then 10mg daily.

I bought scales then opened the capsules and tipped half out so did alternating 5mg and 10mg for weeks.

Then 5mg daily

Then less than 5mg alternating with 5mg for weeks

and so on.

At the end it was a teeny amount.

I would tip out of the capsule and rebuild it as it helped it be slow release.

Ok so I have some 60mg capsules left. I will open one to see what is inside (have had bead and also multiple mini tablets).
thank you all so much for the advice. I’m so cross I was ever put on this medication even though I know rationally fifteen years ago, it was seen as a great remedy.

Oh I just read up on beading, that’s what I did with zero GP support. I too was put on them around 16 years ago and have been off them about 7 years.

I would order some scales off Amazon they weren’t expensive. I just threw away the medication I tipped out.

Not everyone gets withdrawal symptoms.

I was on it for pain, 120mg a day and it wasn't helping. No issues coming off of it at all. Dropped to 60mg for a month then stopped.

Came off venalfaxine years ago (prescribed for pain) cold turkey because it gave me gallstones. Felt woozy for a day and vomited once. Was fine next day.

@ImmortalSnowmanwow, my experience was horrific too. Getting to a low dose was without issue but coming off all together was entirely different took about 9 months I think.

Even when I was on it I used to carry them around with me as I could tell if I had forgotten my dose and it was several hours late.

Oh my God yes the awful brain zaps. I cant even describe how awful they are. You can feel your eyes bulging.
I eventually came off it by taking one every other day then every 3 days and so on. Escitalopram does the same. I dont take anything now. Id rather do meditation and counselling.

I had a family member develop mania after going from 20mg to 0. They had to come off by reducing the amount very gradually (dissolve the tablet, stir thoroughly and take the solution).

The irony was that they didn’t even help my depression.

That’s hopeful. I am also on it for pain and only on 60mg, so fingers crossed it might not be too bad.

@NestaVipazyou will very likely find dropping down to a much lower dose overnight not an issue at all.

Yes this is exactly what I had to do.

op it is possible to come off and you’ve likely gone through the worst of the withdrawal already.

this stuff is harder than OxyContin to come off from mainly due to the lack of lower doses and therefore inability to taper ( I did both in 2019 so not hyperbole).

Op please try and involve a health professional if at all possible , I know how useless it can be trying to get help for this, but make sure you’re not harming yourself in the process. Much love x

I and doing this withdrawal in the advice and under the supervision of my GP. that being said, I spoke to him this morning as I am really feeling unwell but he said it couldn’t be withdrawal symptoms as I’m not short of breath because I’m anxious.
mum abort of breath, sweating, dizzy, coughing and am very short tempered. I think I may have to start the 20mg again as I cannot work through this hell

I also came off escitalopram because it gives you the worst gut wrenching farts known to man. I can't deal with it.

Modt GP’s havnt a clue, all they do is dish them out because the practice gets paid for every patient that goes on them. The same when Covid injection started, that’s why they wanted us to have them every year £££ to the practice.

GP’s do a very short course on mh because they are general practitioners not mental health
They just read The guidelines in the medical book they have that’s full of drugs

The like to do a decrease asap because basically most of them have never been on AD’s so don’t know what it’s like getting to the lower doses , that’s when the s… begins and most end up going back on them (let’s face it , who wants to feel like their losing it with all sorts happening to the mind/body)

Crack open the capsule and tip some out so you aren’t taking the full 20mg.

Taper off much more slowly

20 - 15 - 10 - 5

Each for 2 weeks

Thank you. Will suggest this to GP tomorrow as today in work has been brutal!