Cymbalta: A nightmare drug

It is not fun to make a post that scares people, as some of these posts do. You must understand that in a general sense, you can taper off meds and be safe. 

Cymbalta is what I consider the devil's pill. It is an SNRI that has been very popular due to the multitude of commercials it had until its patent expired (meaning now they have generic forms.) 

This pill is a nightmare pill for two major reasons... 1. It is easy to build a tolerance and 2. It it very hard to get off. 

Let's start with the first. Like most medicines, after you take it for awhile, you need more to achieve the desirable effect. Cymbalta is one of those medications. Most doctor's will prescribe 60-120mgs. Here's the problem... You will build a tolerance to Cymbalta quickly, and by law you cannot exceed 120mgs. So doc puts you on 90mgs. Year passes, they up you to 120. After a year passes, sorry bud, you're going to be taking another antidepressant in conjunction with Cymbalta. 

So now the "it's very hard to get off" part. All antidepressants pose challenges to get off. However, many can be done in a safe and comfortable way. You just take less, and taper for a week or two and you're fine. Cymbalta is not nearly as easy to stop taking. Adverse withdrawal effects are severe and pronounced, and unless some antidepressants, this isn't going to happen overnight.

As a matter of fact, Cymbalta is the ONLY antidepressant that has a diagnosis by the FDA: "Cymbalta Withdrawal Syndrome." Many will have problems with antidepressants, and this causes a diagnosis of "SSRI discontinuation syndrome." However, Cymbalta has its own diagnosis by the FDA for withdrawal. Reports have shown miserable tapers and serious challenges presented to getting off, as well as prolonged symptoms.

When you get off, do it right:

If you or someone you know wants to get off this medicine, I encourage to make your first cut a 30mg one. From 90-60, in example. Once you get to 60mgs however, I VERY STRONGLY urge you to slow down on your cuts and to literally take out the beads. Cymbalta comes in a capsule that has beads, not solid powder. Take out 10, do that for a few days, then 20, then 25, even if at the end it's just one extra bead taken out weekly. Stabilize on this dose for awhile and then cut. Do it until you are out. This is the best way to do it,. Challenging, time-consuming, and silly. But that's Cymbalta for you. 

Best of luck,

Kyle

Why antidepressants are a problem... A big one

Antidepressants are not looked down upon by the vast majority of doctor's in the United States. Like European nations and the standard everywhere, if someone has anxiety even, they should take an antidepressant. If you don't want to get out of bed in the morning due to depression, your doctor can easily write you a prescription that has no generic for their own personal gain by the pharmaceuticals, or just put you on one that is widely popular.

Doctor's, patients, and the norm is wrong by every stretch of the imagination.

Firstly, the first antidepressant didn't come out until 1982. At least not SSRI's. There was one antidepressant that was a trycilic but it was taken off for safety reasons. As were the first two major SSRI's, Indalpine and Zimeldine.

Basic info about antidepressants:

1. There are three types, with some exceptions:
There are SSRI's, also known as Selective Seretonin Reputake Inhibitors, SNRI's which are the same but add neuroprinephrine to the list, and then there are the trycilic antidepressants, which work in different ways. There are also antidepressants that target dopamine reputake inhibition, and others that target odd parts of the brain.

2. They are newer than we think:
The first major antidepressant to come out was in the 1980's. We don't have a lot of data on very long term use.

3. Some are more dangerous than others:
Prozac (fluexetine) is by far the safest, and this is agreed. But what about Cymbalta(duloxetine)? Definitely one of the worse ones. It's hard to determine


Okay, so those are three facts you must know. But here's the real truth:
The reality is that all antidepressants are typically hard to get off of, and doctor's have not at all formulated recommendations when to take someone off. At the moment, people of all ages are being put on these meds to stay on them for decades and have a horrible time getting off of them. 

Doctor's have not seen the broader picture of discontinuing someone from these meds. They see it as beneficial. They seldom realize how addicting these can be and hard to get off of. People experience brain zaps, hostility, depression, diziness, heartburn, blurred vision, you name it. Yet doctor's don't care. They will increase your dose when your depression levels get a little higher and your safety is not their priority. Many people who decide to get off of them have a pretty hard time and some just decide to stay on forever.

It is widely agreed that antidepressants to not solve an issue - it coats it, at best. 

Even then, some say it's just like a sugar pill. Many studies have indicated success rates that mirror placebo, and everyone agrees that antidepressants are a coping mechanism. But how will you survive in the world if you keep coating your pain with higher and higher doses and add-ons? 

This article was brief, and didn't explain a lot... But a piece of advice... Don't get on pills. Go to a therapist first!!