Cymbalta is a brand name for duloxetine. Cymbalta is a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor. A physician can prescribe it for medical conditions such as depression and anxiety. It is an FDA-approved antidepressant used to treat:
- Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD)
- Major depressive disorder (MDD)
- Fibromyalgia
- Diabetic peripheral neuropathic pain (DPNP)
- Chronic musculoskeletal pain
The dosages are always the same, no matter the medical conditions that are being treated. The doses start at 20 milligrams two times a day and then are increased to 30 milligrams two times a day. Eventually, the dosage is increased to 60 milligrams once a day, and the maximum amount prescribed is 120 milligrams a day.
The drug can be taken for weeks continuously before a patient starts showing signs of improvement. However, you may see some of the physical symptoms begin to improve much earlier. Energy levels, appetite, and sleep can get better within two weeks. The mood can take up to eight weeks to start improving. Patients under the age of 25 tend to have an increased suicide risk due to using Cymbalta.
It is vital to monitor adults who are using Cymbalta as an antidepressant for suicidal thoughts and behavior. Patients who are using these antidepressants may have suicidal thoughts more frequently because the drug may change the way they perceive stimuli in their environments.
Cymbalta Regulations and Abuse
Cymbalta is not a scheduled drug because it does not lead to misuse or cause dependency. Yet, it would help if you had a doctor’s prescription to get duloxetine. Cymbalta is rarely misused, but when it does get misuse, the users snort it or attempt large doses in a short amount of time. When misused, Cymbalta causes an increase in side effects, including hallucinations, nausea, and severe skin reactions. The drug is available in the form of a time-released capsule.
People who take Cymbalta and similar antidepressants may begin showing signs of a discontinuation syndrome. It is very likely to occur since the brain’s cell receptors need to adjust to the reduced levels of serotonin. Because the drug is in a quick-release form, it will quickly leave the bloodstream. This causes worse levels of discontinuation syndrome.
How Cymbalta Affects the Brain and the Body
Duloxetine is a serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor. It carries out its functions by altering serotonin and norepinephrine levels. These are critical neurotransmitters in the central nervous system. The neurotransmitters help control emotional responses in a person. They also enable the body to mitigate pain by causing a rebalancing of the mood of a person and by keeping the individual more in control.
Low levels of these critical neurotransmitters lead to depression. Cymbalta works as an antidepressant. It raises the levels of chemicals, leads to modification of their natural behaviors, and inhibits the body from absorbing serotonin and norepinephrine, managing the levels of chemicals in the brain. As such, the brain can fight more effectively against pain and depression.
The drug also has pain-killing or analgesic effects. It assists in controlling pain symptoms that are associated with bone pain. These include fibromyalgia and diabetic neuropathy. The ability to control pain is believed to result from the drug’s sodium ion channel blockade.
The Half-Life of Cymbalta
It will take around two and a half days for Cymbalta to leave the body all together after a person takes his or her last dosage. About half of the drug will have already left the body in about 12 hours. The discontinuation symptoms will start when at least 90% of the drug has left the system. The brain will not take in the serotonin required, and this lack of balance has adverse effects.
Factors Influencing How Long Cymbalta Stays in the System
Even though Cymbalta leaves the system quickly, the discontinuation symptoms are known to last longer, the length of withdrawal will usually depend on how long you have been using the drug. It also depends on the dosages and the person’s physiology. Lower dosages do not have severe withdrawal symptoms. Tapering off the drug usage will reduce the withdrawal effects’ length and severity.
How Long Does Cymbalta Stay in Hair, Blood, and Urine?
People might get worried when they think of Cymbalta appearing in urine, hair, and blood. The drug is an antidepressant, and the publicity might have nasty effects. It is not common to detect Cymbalta in blood, hair, or urine during a drug test. However, employers typically do not include antidepressants in drug screenings.
Twelve hours is the typical duration that the drug will remain in the body. It is gradually metabolized by the body systems, and within a few days, it is no longer present in your body. You no longer have to worry about traces of the drug in your hair, urine, and blood.
Withdrawal Symptoms of Quitting Cymbalta Abruptly
Suddenly stopping Cymbalta can cause severe withdrawal symptoms. These can linger for weeks or even months. It is recommended to reduce the dosage and stop gradually to avoid the symptoms. Signs of the Cymbalta Discontinuation Syndrome include:
- Severe Nausea
- Brain Zaps or shivers
- Dizziness
- Headache
- Nightmares
- Vomiting
- Fatigue
- Anxiety
- Insomnia
- Vertigo
- Irritability
- Tingling sensations of the skin
The Importance of Aftercare
Addiction treatment is for people who are struggling with a discontinuation syndrome. One Kentucky man known as Christopher Huff attempted to taper off the drug in March 2014. He had used Cymbalta for seven years. Despite slowly weaning off the drug, he experienced suicidal thoughts. He also experienced a ringing in his ears, stomach discomfort, anxiety waves, and public fear. Proper care for patients getting off the drug is essential and helps them to avoid worsening the withdrawal effects.
Patients who have been misusing antidepressants are faced with several issues. They might also be dealing with extra mental or physical illness. You can refer to facing more than one problem as a dual diagnosis phenomenon. Self-medication is very common when mental illnesses are not treated properly. Patients often begin self-medicating to cope with depression and loneliness. Depression is known to be a severe and life-threatening condition, and one must always treat it as such. It is also essential to have regular meetings with your doctors. This helps to track your mental health and to discuss treatment plans.
The doctor might suggest you attend therapy sessions. These meetings will inform you about brain development changes due to addiction. You also are in a better position to make sound decisions and judgments. Doctors recommend that you go to a rehab facility if the condition worsens. You can also consider a rehab facility if you feel the side effects are getting severe.
It is not good to deal with mental illness all on your own. The guidance of a doctor, psychiatrist, or counselor is essential. You should get help if you are struggling with the discontinuation syndrome of Cymbalta. It is essential to consider a specialist if you are also struggling with the withdrawal effects of Cymbalta.
Aftercare also places the patient on black box monitoring. This helps tracks suicidal thoughts and behavior. The drug has been known to have a potent effect on the mind and to have brain-altering effects. The impact on brain chemical levels and their uptake in the body mean more in the brain than the body. The patient will find a halt to Cymbalta use to bring about many side effects, leading to suicidal thoughts. When you notice any of the discontinuation side effects above, ensure that you seek medical help immediately. Not only will it ensure that you are adequately treated, but it will control the side effects from getting worse. This will hinder you from suicide and other uncontrollable actions.
Granite Recovery Centers
At the Granite Recovery Centers, you will be able to get through the withdrawal effects of discontinuing Cymbalta. The center has been designed to help drug users find relief from the use of drugs. It has all the necessary resources to keep you fully informed about your condition. The progress that you make is also kept in record. While you are at the treatment center, you will learn about the effect of drug use on your mind. This information is essential because it puts your condition in perspective.
Knowing the drug’s effects also ensures that you know the time it will take to recover fully. You will also understand what side effects you are likely to experience. Granite Recovery Centers has mental treatment experts at your disposal. These are well-trained and highly experienced professionals. Our primary goal is to take care of your mental health issues. It is not wise to deal with or to treat mental conditions all on your own. Getting a professional by your side will ensure that you are making the correct progress. It also ensures you do not seek wrong advice and that you get proper medication. Our professionals have a long history of experience.
Social issues will also be better-taken care of at the treatment center. You will not be alone, and there will always be support all around. Our programs deal with discontinuation syndromes of Cymbalta without any severe consequences. It will also keep you cheerful and not thinking about suicide.
The environment at Granite Recovery Centers is suited to treating mental conditions. Depression has been known to lead to many deaths. At the center, your surroundings are meant to encourage you. The environment is conducive to self-improvement and lacks features that might remind you of depression.
We have designed the center to keep your mood up and well-managed. As a result, you will not even notice the time passing as you recover at the center. Our professionals will ensure that you go through a treatment program that suits you. They will monitor and manage to all the drug’s effects on your brain and well-being. Emotional treatment, for instance, gets you in a better state of mind so you are more robust than the drug. Emotional treatment can quickly shake off the effect of the drugs.
Treatment for the symptoms of Cymbalta is available at the Granite Recovery Centers. Detoxification is also used for drug elimination. It lets you get rid of all the possible traces left in your body system after tapering off the drug. These traces might be a reason for the severe side effects. Still, when they are eliminated from your body system, you will be in a position to recover comfortably. Through detoxification, you will have a chance for your brain to recover. Granite Recovery Centers provides medical detoxification for people who do not need immediate medical intervention, are not a danger to themselves, and are capable of self-evacuation in the event of an emergency.
Our staff members are always friendly and helpful. They have been able to get many patients through the recovery process successfully. You will find your time receiving treatment at the center to be very friendly and helpful. Whenever you need help, staff members are easily reachable and always available. They will be your companions at the center and get you through treatment successfully. They are accommodative and have dedicated themselves to your recovery journey.
If you or a friend is experiencing side effects of the discontinuation from Cymbalta, reach out to us. We will be available to get you into a treatment program that will manage your condition. We are always available and ready to provide you with the assistance you require.
