Transition from Prozac to Cymbalta

[cougfan]

I'm in DEPERATE need to a switch right now.  I was wondering as I'm tapering down to every other day to 20mg of Prozac for two weeks, if I could start taking 15-30mg of Cymbalta with it.  I want to get the Cymbalta on board before I fall off the deep end, but don't want to end up with serotonin syndrom either.  Please help....My pdoc is not very familiar with Cymbalta so she just isn't sure how to transition in the safest way.  I have quit Prozac cold turkey before and transitioned right to Lexapro with no problems at all.  Any advise would be GREATLY appreciated.  Thank you for listening!

[Roger Gould, M.D.]

Cymbalta is a relatively new medication so there is not a lot of clinical experience to guide you but there is a warning about prozac and this drug because the combination can be additive, and if so, you have to start slowly with Cymbalta and watch for side effects very carefully.  It sounds like you are almost off the prozac, so follow your doctors instructions and start slowly....doing look for over night miracles, just a slow steady build.

[TexSec]

I have been reading alot about tapering off drugs, etc. lately because I have just had a bad experience w/getting off of Cymbalta.  Just do everything slow.  You may feel like you'll never get off of the Prozac to get onto the Cymbalta, but do it slow.  From what I've been reading, getting off Prozac is not nearly as hard as getting off of Cymbalta or Effexor, which are two drugs that work in about the same way.  

I have been on anti-depressants for 20-25 years, and now that I'm off of Cymbalta (still having some withdrawal problems after 2 weeks of being Cymbalta-free) I'm  happy just to be on my Trazodone at night, and one Lorazepam during the day.

I only hope that my depression/anxiety doesn't get out of control any time soon.

Good luck on your transition.   S - L - O - W is the key, I think.  (That's my UNprofessional opinion.)
Beth

[tsly]

I was on Prozac for a few years and switched to Cymbalta.  At first, there were no problems, however, after a few weeks, I felt the depression and anxiety come back.  I switched back to Prozac cold turkey.... and the side effects were harsh.  I was even more anxious and depressed (more panic sticken and anxious then anything else).  Prozac and Cymbalta don't mix well in my opinion.  Getting off of Cymbalta was alot harder then getting off of Prozac.  Hopefully im getting closer to the full transition after 1 full week.