Duloxotene Taper?? I need help and support..

I'm really sorry to hear this Debby. Your reduction was 33%, which is why things are so challenging. We recommend reductions of no more than 10%. Some people have to reduce by even less. If it were me, I wouldn't make any changes for awhile until things settle down. You can also do a slight updose if you wish to. Either way, you don't want to reduce again until you stabilize first. I think you just need to find the right reduction percentage for yourself, and when you do then things will be much better for you! If you go to the Symptoms and Self-Care section of the forum and click on the Guides tab, you'll find lots of helpful information and tips about how to deal with any withdrawal symptoms. Keep us updated with how things are going. Hugs, Catina 💜

@Debby sorry to hear about your struggles. 30 mg is a starting dose. from that point on some people might need to slower their tapering. At higher doses you can make bigger jumps, but when you go lower sometimes you need to make smaller steps. 30 to 20 is a large step. You symptoms could very well be explained by this reduction. This means your not different or crazy, and you can do it. Also I get the impression you reduce your dose while not yet recovered from the last reduction better to wait. I find the YouTube videos from dr Josef Witt-Doerring very informative. He explains liquid tapering, how you can take tiny steps, when to take another step or hold or go back up a bit.

Hi Debby, Please don't blame yourself. This is my second time going through this, and I tapered off much more slowly than before. Your dose reductions are too fast. In my case, the severe symptoms started when I went below 30 mg. It took me a whole year to reduce from 30 mg to 20 mg. Unfortunately, I then went from 20 mg down to 12 mg over another year. Looking back, even that was far too fast. Now, because of unbearable symptoms, I've had to start slowly increasing my dose again. I've been struggling for months with anxiety, depression, extreme fatigue, and episodes of crying. But the windows are getting longer and better. I've decided to keep increasing my dose until I feel stable again. However, increasing the dose too quickly can also cause serious problems. I experienced that during my first attempt, and I'm trying to avoid making the same mistake again. I really hope I succeed. Duloxetine is extremely difficult to come off. That's something we have to come to terms with. Anyone who claims otherwise has no idea what they're talking about! When withdrawal symptoms persist for such a long time, I personally believe that reinstating the medication may be the best option if things become unbearable. I can completely understand what you're going through. You might be lucky that you haven't gone below 20 mg yet, which could make reinstatement easier for you. In my experience, trying to stabilize again after going below 20 mg is absolutely brutal. I really wish I had known all of this back then. Your tapering speed is definitely much too fast, in my opinion. This process may take years. And to be honest, I've reached a point where I don't really care anymore if I have to stay on a certain dose for a while, as long as I feel well again. All I want is for this emotional and physical roller coaster to finally stop, so I can recover and get back to working and living normally.

I always waited until I had recovered before reducing my dose any further. But even that is no guarantee that things will go smoothly at lower doses. When I was down to 12 mg, I sometimes went up to eight weeks without any symptoms, only to experience another wave of severe withdrawal symptoms afterward. I stayed at 12 mg for eight months, and during that time, things actually got progressively worse in waves. I believe it's important to first see whether the nervous system can remain stable on the lowest tolerable dose — in my case, 20 mg — for at least a year before attempting any further reductions. And even then, I think tapering should absolutely be guided by symptoms, with significantly longer holding periods than before!

I live in the country and gt compound to make up my tabs 6 weekly, to pick up,,, ive now switched Dr, one who understands the felocity of this withdrawal,, ive been on 19 mgs for a 2 weeks and unfortunately will be down on 18mgs monday,, for a a month i think i will stay on this for as long as i need to, expensive, i know, but i did have laast week 2 whole days of normal, like a new life,, it was fantastic,, but i realized, that drinking alchohol has highlighted this effect and i feel increasingly worse on a couple of beers and now,,im not drinking any,, see if this helps,, I woke up this morning at 5am racing neg thoughts and husband said its the beer,, he,s right,,i think.