What a shame that the drug companies can’t make an antidepressant like Cymbalta that doesn’t have a discontinuation syndrome, but there’s hope if you want to get off this drug and similar ones.
Antidepressants like Cymbalta, Effexor and Paxil may very well have the worst discontinuation syndromes, even when these drugs are tapered off gradually.
The problem is magnified when people quit Cymbalta and other antidepressants cold turkey, or, they don’t taper off Cymbalta, etc., gradually enough.
I asked an expert if there was a way to prevent discontinuation syndrome from Cymbalta and similar antidepressants: Joe Wegmann, psychopharmacologist and licensed clinical social worker, author of Psychopharmacology: Straight Talk on Mental Health Medications.
“There really is no way to eliminate discontinuation syndrome with Cymbalta,” says Wegmann. “After 4-5 weeks of use, anywhere from 35 to 75 percent of Cymbalta users will experience withdrawal symptoms upon discontinuation.
“The withdrawal symptoms associated with this drug range from mild in some people to moderately severe in others.
“The length of the withdrawal process tends to be dose-dependent – that is, the higher the dose, the longer it takes the discontinuation symptoms to abate.”
A person who’s been on Cymbalta for a while may feel so good, that he or she might then start believing they don’t need the antidepressant any longer.
But the reason they’ve been feeling so normal and motivated is because Cymbalta has been working on their brain chemistry; go off it, and chances are, the symptoms of depression will return.
Depending on a person’s grade of depression, it may be best to keep using Cymbalta or similar antidepressants until an outright, one-dose-pill cure for depression is discovered.
Wegmann continues: “The onset and severity of the discontinuation syndrome with antidepressants is linked to their half-lives – the amount of time, on average that it takes for 50 percent of the antidepressant’s active ingredient to be eliminated from the body from peak plasma levels.
“The short-half life antidepressants – Paxil, Zoloft, Effexor, Cymbalta – tend to produce the worst discontinuation syndromes.
“Prozac however, because of its long half-life (seven days), tends to produce very little, if any, discontinuation symptoms at all.”
I’m an “anti-drug” person, in that I believe that rather than rely upon drugs, people should practice natural, holistic ways of living to be strong and feel uplifted; that pills and capsules are not the answer; that feeling depressed is part of being human.
However, depression can also render a person bedridden — and then what?
Or, if they’re out of bed, they are frequently crying, refuse to eat, and do little more than sit in a chair and stare into space, worry, have panic attacks, and frequently complain about physical pains.
You can’t get somebody like this to exercise, take a brisk walk on a mountain trail, attend cognitive behavioral therapy, or eat lots of natural foods when it’s a battle just to get them to take a few bites of toast — as with what had happened with my mother when she developed severe clinical depression.
In that case, antidepressant intervention is necessary, when all else has failed, and the depression will not go away on its own.
Cymbalta is recommended for depressed people whose illness also creates physical pain.
In some people, this drug works wonders, but doggone it, this drug, along with Effexor, Paxil and Zoloft, are cursed with discontinuation syndrome.
Wegmann explains: “Tapering is dependent on the milligram strengths in which an antidepressant is available. In my experience, regardless of the antidepressant, anyone should be able to discontinue without severe withdrawal symptoms over a period of three months.
“There is a tendency for people to commiserate on these blogs (about their horrible discontinuation syndrome experiences with Cymbalta, Effexor, etc.).
“Many are quitting cold turkey and not admitting it. Others are likely taking multiple medications, some of them psychotropics, which are affecting the discontinuation process.
“Unmentioned physical illnesses and substance abuse may also be contributors. Bottom line: Severe discontinuation syndrome is avoidable with slow, steady tapering.”
Joseph Wegmannis a licensed clinical pharmacist and clinical social worker with more than 30 years of experience in the field of psychopharmacology.
Lorra Garrick has been covering medical, fitness and cybersecurity topics for many years, having written thousands of articles for print magazines and websites, including as a ghostwriter. She’s also a former ACE-certified personal trainer.
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