Weaning Off Cymbalta

I had been taking 60 mg of Cymbalta daily for approximately four years.  It was the first drug that I received a prescription for after being diagnosed with Fibromyalgia. I remember the side effects the first few weeks were terrible, but I felt okay/good most of the time. The side effects lessened and the symptoms were under control.  After four years I was just tired of the never ending cycle.  The cycle is known to anyone dealing with a chronic illness: have a good day, overdue, pay for it the next day (or week).  The flip side of this cycle is have a bad day, feel guilty, push through it, and pay for it the next day (or month).  

I felt that it was time to do a self evaluation.  I wanted to stop taking the Cymbalta and find out how my body would handle the Fibromyalgia on its own. Okay I have heard and read a lot of horror stories about coming off of Cymbalta (and other similar drugs). I wanted to do this the safest way possible, so I checked in with my doctor.  This is not the original doctor who prescribed Cymbalta to me, but my current general practitioner. I have been seeing this doctor for maybe six months. At first she suggested that I could just cut the pills in half. Ha ha ha, see photo at top of page. Okay, a short discussion and computer reference later, she sent a prescription to the pharmacy for 30 mg Cymbalta qty 14,  and gave me a written prescription for 20 mg Cymbalta qty 20. The instructions were 30 mg daily for two weeks, 20 mg daily for two weeks, and then 20 mg every other day for two weeks.  Mission accomplished.

The main problem I have encountered is SLEEP.  My sleep cycle is not like anyone else's that I have ever heard of.  A typical example follows:

Go to bed at 10 pm and fall right to sleep.

Wake up at 11:30 pm -- wide awake.

Do quiet activity such as reading, crocheting, word search puzzles.

Tired again (finally) at 4:30 am.

Sleep til 9 am alarm.

This is rather aggravating. I have started skipping the going back to sleep part.  I was hoping that It would help me sleep longer, but so far no such luck. 

 I do have days that I can't stay awake:

Go to bed at 10 pm and fall asleep within a half hour.

Wake up at 9 am to the sound of a whining dog who needs to go outside.

Let dog out. Feed fish. Take medicine.

Back in bed asleep by 9:30 am.

Awake at 1 pm by bladder.

Wake up between 5 pm and 7 pm starving.

Eat dinner and wander around in a daze (fog).

Go to bed at 10 pm and fall right to sleep.

Sleep all night.

I am trying the Fit Bit Flex to track my sleep habits as well as my activity levels. I am hoping that this will lead to discovering ways to improve my sleep.  More time is needed to work on this.

After only a few days since my last dose of Cymbalta, I am noticing an increase in the pain in my legs along with an overall achy feeling.  I prefer to stay off of the medication indefinitely, but have set a minimum of one month for myself.  I will try supplementing natural minerals and herbs before going back to a chemically produced solution.  I am also still working on the reduction of processed foods and sugar in my diet.

More updates after the first of the new year.  If you have any questions or suggestions, please comment or contact me.
Rebecca

One Month Weaning Off Cymbalta Down: One Week To Go

I considered doing a video blog today, but then I saw myself on camera. That will have to wait until I have improved my speaking skills. Here is a picture from the testing instead.

I am down to taking 20 mg of Cymbalta every other day. Yesterday was the first day that I 'skipped'. I was tired most of the day, but then couldn't sleep last night. As I write this I have been awake for more than 24 hours. I am hoping that once the medicine is completely out of my system my circadian rhythm will balance out.  (My loving husband would like it to be sooner.)

I received a massage this week from a therapist whom I have not seen in over a year. It was nice to chat while he worked out the kinks for me.  I think that I should have been paying closer attention to my body though. The next day I was extremely sore, but the tension and knots were gone. The soreness faded throughout the evening and was gone by morning. I don't want anyone to get the wrong impression; I get a massage at least once a month, usually twice a month, more if I can trade with several therapists. How often do you get a massage? Do you prefer to stay with the same therapist? Or do you like to change it up?

I have lost a few pounds over the last couple of weeks.  I do not know if it is from the general sugar detox or from mostly giving up my sodas. I still have a Mountain Dew every few days with a meal. I am just not ready to let go completely. It is a comfort that I have relied on for more than 30 years. If anyone has faced this and could give me some guidance, I would really appreciate your comments.

This week I have also started using a Fit Bit Flex. The app has a food log along with the activity and sleep trackers. I like that I can monitor it from my computer, tablet, and smart phone. It is helping to keep me motivated. If you are interested, there are plenty of evaluations on You Tube. I recommend doing some research as there are many devices out now with these capabilities. That is how I decided which one was right for me.

I am finally starting to drain down. I'll be taking a nap today. When was the last time you had a nap? Did it change how you slept that night?

Week Three

Things are going surprisingly well for me. I dropped down to 20 mg of Cymbalta yesterday. I am still watching my sugar and carb intake, but not as strictly as I did the first few days.

I was anticipating a lot more symptoms.  I can say that I am definitly irritable. My sleeping patterns are still on a rollercoaster.  I am not noticing any other changes.

I am still struggling with the soda craving.  It is a comfort food for me, so I'm sure that it is all mental.  I allowed myself to have one tonight, but not until after supper. I have been drinking a lot of hot tea, especially in the morning and for lunch. Evenings are a glass of iced tea and then water, or just water.

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving! I made a Pecan Pie this afternoon. It looks and smells so good. How do others do this during the holidays? We are having turkey, mashed potatoes, corn, sweet rolls. All those carbs that I wanted to eliminate from my diet. This must be why my Aunts always wanted people to take food home after hosting a family dinner.

Nightmares! I Forgot.

Day 7

I am a week into the reduction of Cymbalta. I am doing okay, but have noticed a few side effects.

I am more sensitive to light and sound, not to mention smells. Wow, the smells!  I can no longer stand to be near cigarette smoke.  We have a dog whom I love very much, but it is raining out. I am ready to lock the dog outside in the rain so that I don't have to smell him. Cooking has not been pleasant either.

I had forgotten about the vivid dreams/nightmares. Early Sunday morning I woke my husband up by yelling "Heeeeeey!" in my sleep. I don't know if I woke myself up or if he woke me up. I also woke up around 3 am Monday morning as well, but no yelling this time.  So much for the good sleep I was getting after first decreasing my dose of Cymbalta.

I made it through the three days of the Sugar Detox. I need to go back and read the book again.  I have been focused on the World Massage Conference. Learning a lot of new things and being reminded of a lot of useful things.

I received a massage Tuesday morning.  Thank you Rebecca Lee! It was amazing.  I actually fell asleep.  I mean sound asleep. I felt great all day after that.

No other changes to report. Stay tuned for future postings.

I Survived Another Day

Saturday, Day 5

I am too hard headed to give in after suffering for two days.  I did not drink a soda even though I really wanted one.  I am feeling better on day five of this adventure.

I tried to get up at 9 am today when my husband woke me to see if I wanted to go out for breakfast. I suggested he go without me as I desperately needed a shower and wasn't ready for the temptation of maple syrup. I planned to get a shower while he was gone. Instead I slept until noon when he got back home. I then took a long, hot shower.  I have found that while detoxing the body gives up a lot of foul smells.  No matter how exhausted and miserable I feel, showering is essential.

I am finding that I am also more sensitive to smells, loud sounds, and bright lights. This could be a result of the decrease in medication. If that is the case, coming off the Cymbalta is not going to work out for me. I will continue on with the dose of 30 mg Cymbalta daily for another week as planned.

The cold weather that has moved in does not seem to be affecting me very much. I am keeping a throw blanket over my legs while sitting still.  I went out with my husband this afternoon. The temperature was in the low 50's. I had no resulting aches or pains.

If there is nothing major to report tomorrow, I will take Sunday off from writing and report back on Monday.  Please remember to feel free to comment below with any questions or suggestions.

Second Thoughts, But Struggling On

This fits me entirely too well today. Mostly it is just a headache. That being said; I'm sure you know how much of an understatement that can be. I have had second, third, & fourth thoughts about continuing on with this Sugar Detox at the same time I am reducing my Cymbalta.

I would like to write more, but I am having difficulty focusing on the computer screen. There are no other changes that I have noticed. Some nausea, but I can't tell if it is from the headache or the change in medicine dosage.

Either I am a glutton for punishment, or I am brilliant.

Either I am a glutton for punishment, or I am brilliant. I have decided to come off of the Cymbalta medication that I have been taking for four years. I have also decided to go through a sugar detox due to my doctor informing me that I am borderline diabetic. My thinking is "Why be miserable twice?", so I am doing them at the same time. Allow me to give you a little background.

I was diagnosed with Fibromyalgia Syndrome in 2009. A rheumatologist prescribed 60 mg Cymbalta once a day. The side effects were unpleasant, but not unbearable. After a few weeks most of them went away. The medication did wonders for my symptoms. Over the last few years I have done a lot of research and joined several support groups. I have changed my lifestyle and my eating habits. The symptoms of my Fibromyalgia have fluctuated along with these changes. Over the last year my largest complaint is insomnia. 

Cymbalta

My mother and recently my oldest brother have been diagnosed with Type II Diabetes. Both are controlled with diet and medication in pill form.  Due to my medications and conditions my doctor does a regular blood panel on me. The last two draws done three months apart are listed below:

Component	Standard Range	Your Value
Glucose	65 - 99 mg/dL	102

Glucose

65 - 99 mg/dL

109

Due to these results my doctor ordered an A1C:

Component	Standard Range	Your Value
HEMOGLOBIN A1C	4.8 - 5.6 %	5.8
ESTIMATED AVERAGE GLUCOSE		120

Normal is less than 5.7, prediabetes is between 5.7-6.4, and over 6.4 is diabetic. So, you are just barely prediabetic.

I started on Tuesday, because Mondays are bad enough without trying something crazy.  I started taking 30 mg Cymbalta daily as prescribed by my doctor. This will be for two weeks at which time I will drop to 20 mg Cymbalta daily for another two weeks. If I last through the month I will then take 20 mg Cymbalta every other day for two weeks. My Christmas present to myself is being free of the drug.

The first change is in my sleeping.  I got up Tuesday morning and took the new dose of medication. Around 2 pm I was exhausted and lay down. Woke up sometime around 7 pm and ordered pizza for dinner being too tired to cook.  I watched television, ate dinner, and then went back to bed between 10:30 and 11 pm. I slept through the night and awoke Wednesday morning around 9 am. I was not as tired on Wednesday and stayed up until 11:30 pm. I slept until 11 am Thursday morning. 

Per my doctor I am keeping a food journal. This is to open my eyes to what I am actually consuming rather than what I think I am. I have chosen to do a sugar detox on my own. I will be using many sources, but was inspired by a book written by Gina Crawford titled Sugar Detox For Beginners. The most difficult part for me will be cutting out Mountain Dew.  I have done this in the past, but always gone back to drinking it. Prior to starting this detox yesterday, I had reduced my intake to two 12 oz cans per day. 

Today I have a slight headache. This is most likely due to caffeine withdrawal. I also need to consider that the temperature dropped about 20° overnight. I have not noticed any other changes as of yet. 

If you would like to follow my progress with this adventure, please, subscribe to this blog using the buttons in the right column of this page. If you have any questions or would like to submit suggestions, please, leave a comment.  You may share this blog as long as it is linked back to the original posting. 

More Mobility Massage Newsletter, Fall 2014

My blogging abilities still need some work. I would like to have the newsletter here for you to read, but haven't been able to make that happen. So, you will have to click on the link below and it will magically appear.

Fall 2014 Newsletter

5 Things I Can Tell You After My First Oil Pulling Session

Oil Pulling is the latest health fad out there, but has been an Ayurveda practice for hundreds of years. I'm sure that you, like me, have been hearing and reading about it everywhere. If not, I suggest you do plenty of your own research. This blog is to document what I have chosen to do and how it is progressing for me.

This may be a scary photo, but I wanted to document where I'm starting.

1. Start with the smallest amount of oil. I used a rounded teaspoon of coconut oil (see #2). My mouth started producing saliva. This increased the volume in my mouth creating a swallowing reflex. I knew that I did not want to swallow the oil. 
2. If using coconut oil, warm it to a liquid form before starting. I naively figured that the solid coconut oil would liquefy instantly in my mouth. Not true, some bits took over a minute to liquefy. It made me want to chew and could have increased the saliva production (see #1). 
3. If you don't like the taste of the oil, this will be much harder to do. I don't mind coconut flavor and cook with it often. This is not the same thing. The flavor intensified as I was pulling the oil through my teeth and holding it in my mouth. I may get some sesame oil and try it. I am hoping it will get easier as I use the coconut oil.
4. Stay near a trash receptacle. Remember that you do not want to swallow the oil, and you do not want to put is down your drains.  Between the increased volume and the over powering flavor, I was starting to gag after only 5 minutes. With a target time of 20 minutes I was not going to make it. 
5. My teeth feel like I just came from a dental cleaning.  I brushed my teeth after spitting out the oil and rinsing my mouth with warm water.  My teeth feel polished smooth.  The plaque buildup between my front bottom teeth is gone.  Usually I am scraping this off with dental floss (and cutting my gums).

I will be continuing the oil pulling process.  Look for a follow up next week to see how I am doing.  Do you use oil pulling? Or have you ever tried it?  Would you like to try it along with me?  Leave a comment and/or a picture to let me know.  We can encourage each other to keep going with it.

Thanks for stopping by!

New Massage Room

Things around here have been very busy over the past month.  The new massage room is finally complete. My loving husband received the first massage in it this week (after shoveling snow). I'm sure that there will be some refinements as I work and discover where things should be.

My Virginia license hangs prominently over the water cooler as you enter the room.

As you turn to the left into the room the massage table is centered for ample access in any direction.

My Loving Husband calls this my 'Ego Wall', displaying my certificates and diploma.

Around the corner hangs a Reflexology chart.

A Hobby Lobby find.

A re-purposed computer cart holds my paraffin bath and hot towels. The middle shelves pull out for access.

A family heirloom hangs above the mini refrigerator.

Looking back toward the hallway.

A storage bench from Kohl's under a great find from Lowe's. I could not have picked a better matching color.

This view shows the spacious entry with a side view of the water cooler.

The walls are Dew-mist Delight, the trim is Mushroom, and the doors are white with brushed nickle hardware.

Let's see what's inside.

Hand crocheted bottle holster.

Plenty of room for storage.

Hooks and hangers for the client.

Oils and lotions.

Essential Oils and Special treatments.

The lamp is also from Lowe's.

I hope that you enjoyed the photo tour. I left out a few special details though. Subscribe to my blog to be notified when my next blog posts covering those.  If you have any questions about how we did something or where we found an item that I didn't cover leave a comment.