I took Cymbalta 60 mg for 6 years, for depression, and I am now 15 days Cymbalta free and I am feeling pretty good. I did patiently and slowly. It took me 9 months to do so. When I asked my doctor for his recommendation on how to do it, his plan was similar to the one you posted. I wasn't convinced, so I looked online and did my research... but all I mostly found where horror stories and I was super scared. Until my husband just told me: "... don't read those... You need to read the success stories". So I looked for those. There are not many out there, but I did find some. And I made my own plan, and shared it with my Dr. and I started tapering in January. This is how I did it:
PLEASE NOTE THAT I AM NOT A DR. AND THIS IS JUST MY STORY, NOT A FORMAL RECOMMENDATION.
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1- January: I went down from 60 mg brand name to 40 mg generic. Why do they always want to make you go down from 60 to 30 mg... just take 2 20mg pills a day. The first week was the hardest of all. I felt the nausea, the headache, some brain zaps here and there, the anxiety and the irritability. But they were manageable. And the day I was not feeling so great, I would have a glass of wine or two... those helped me... I stayed on 40 mg for until I felt stable on this dosage.
2- March: I went down to 30 mg. Same thing... This step down was not as bad... it took me a few days to adjust. Important for me: acknowledging that I was going through a process. Had a headache, took ibuprofen, had heartburn, took some pepto, etc. I did the simple things that make me happy or give a me a quick boost: read a book, listen to music, went out for some sun. It helps. After 3 months I was going to go down to 20 mg... but I didn't feel stable enough yet... so I listened to my body (and to my husband :-) ) and stayed on 30 mg for another month.
3- Jully: Went down to 20 mg. This one was the easiest step down. I didn't feel that bad... but the worst part was coming... which was to stop... So I stayed on it 2 months.
4- September: I decided that if I was going to be completely off by the end of this year, I need to make my final move now... so I started with Plan A: taking the pill every other day planning to continue extending the days until I was ready to be off. What I felt was withdrawal symptoms every other day for a week. So I said, nope.. this is not working. Time for Plan B: Counting bead as recommended by many forums. So I was watching a video of someone doing this, counting over 360 beads a day... and honestly I got a little upset. And I just said: I do not want to count beads. The thought of going through such inconvenience made me feel even more dependent on this medication. God bless those who have the patience and will to do it. I just don't. So I went on with Plan C: just stop taking it completly.
5-September: 9/12/18 was my last pill. I made my plan for eating clean, nutrition plays a big role in my emotional well being, the better I eat, the better I feel. I planned for a short walk outside in the mornings, probiotics, and detox teas. And I talked to my 12 and 7 yr old kids. I told mommy was going to stop her daily medication and because of that my body was going to feel different for a while. That I was probably going to be irritable for a while, and to please excuse me in advance if I was not patient enough. I also asked for their help in being patient with me. I am doing all that, but the withdrawal symptoms still hit me the hardest so far: nausea (that has been the hurst), diarreah, headaches, anxiety, and irritability. But nothing that did not allow me to function normally. The bad anxiety went away in 4-5 days. The rest is easier to deal with. I have had very little brain zaps. Nausea is worse if I have an empty stomach, so I snack some almonds or fruit, every two hours.
6- I am now on day 15 and the symptoms are pretty much gone. Not once through this journey did I ever thought of going back. I am celebrating this milestone. I am off Cymbalta and I feel good.
