Hi, I'm Erin

September 15, 2026··

I’ve been taking 30mg of Cymbalta for at least 6 years now for what I was told was fibromyalgia. I’m not ready to share all the personal details but it’s not fibro & I want off this medication ASAP. Tried going off it on my own several months ago & the withdrawal was horrendous. Am having difficulty with my rheumatologist & primary with getting off of this. Rheumatologist said go to primary, primary said to just stop taking it. I can’t get either one to agree to slowly start lowering the dosage & am getting no where with them. I hope beyond hope someone on here can guide me on how to effectively do tapering 🥺

Cymbalta — 30mg — 6 years — researching taper | without clinician

5 Replies

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BasedStaff3d ago

Community AnchorEffexor

Erin, thats a rough spot to be in. You got two doctors passing the buck and one telling you to just stop, which you already know from experience is a disaster. Good on you for not listening to that. You can build a schedule under Taper Plan and log check ins as you go, that way you have a clear record of what works and what doesnt. It helps to see the pattern after a few weeks, and it gives you something concrete to shove in front of a doctor if they ever bother to look. Since youve been through the wringer with withdrawal already, your experience is worth more than you think around here. Jump in on other peoples posts when you see someone struggling, and welcome the new folks. Someone three months behind you is going to need exactly what you learned the hard way.

Creator of Taper Community, here to help you.

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Catina3d ago

Community AnchorEffexor

Hi @Erin, welcome! I hope this will help: https://taper.community/thread/dbb2cdbb-bb3d-4bb9-93ab-b33de4a3fd0b https://taper.community/resources/blog/how-to-talk-to-your-doctor-about-tapering We recommend a monthly Hyperbolic taper of no more than 10%. You can learn about this in the Resources section. Let us know how things go after discussing it with your providers. Catina 🩷

Venlafaxine (tapering) - Current dose 17.92 mg
Trazodone - 50 mg
Levothyroxine - 25 mcg

“Your brain and body know how to heal. Trust the process and keep going.”

Please Note: I am not a healthcare professional. Any advice given is based on personal experience and that of others in the lay withdrawal community.

Erin2d ago

Cymbalta · researching

Thank you so much Catina!! I’m still unclear though about the bead counting method. It says to start slow at a 5-10% reduction but I don’t understand how many beads to take. Is it 5-10 beads? I feel stupid because I don’t know how to do this 🥺

Cymbalta — 30mg — 6 years — researching taper | without clinician

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Catina2d ago

Community AnchorEffexor