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Tapering: Cymbalta

active

3 posts

Mid-Atlantic region, US

Hi, I'm KND

September 12, 2026··
I have been on Cymbalta for over 15 years. I was on 60 mg., got down to 30 mg. about six months ago with few problems. Tried to go off cold turkey and couldn’t do it. Dr. started me on Prozac 10 mg. with it for two weeks. Then dose was dropped to 20 mg. and Prozac changed to 20 mg. This has worked pretty well. Two days ago Cymbalt was dropped to 20 mg every other day for three doses. Notice I just don’t feel good although I’m functioning. I hear a constant buzz in my head but no zaps when I had tried cold turkey. Want to continue stopping the Cymbalta totally. Want other ideas if they are out there to continue this path with eventually also of stopping Prozac. I’m 77 years old. I have been on antidepressants for 25+ years. I very much want to try life without them. Much better coping skills.

Cymbalta — 20 mg — 15+ years — actively tapering | 20 mg — 3 weeks — holding

1 Reply

Catina
Catina6d ago
Community AnchorEffexor
Hi @KND, welcome to Taper Community! I understand you wanting to be off these drugs and respect the fact you want to find ways to cope with life's challenges without them. Bridging onto Prozac is an option for people, but it doesn't always work. Sometimes it does though, so we can't tell you not to do it. One thing I need to say is that skipping days to taper is not recommended. I don't know why doctors think this is good advice. https://taper.community/resources/blog/every-other-day-dosing-tapering-risks There are some things to keep in mind with doing a Prozac bridge: https://taper.community/resources/blog/bridging-with-prozac-for-ssri-tapering If you want to continue with the bridge, I would highly recommend not skipping days and taking things very slowly. You've been on these drugs a very long time (like many of us here), so give yourself lots of time to allow your brain to adjust to having less of these drugs in your system. https://taper.community/resources/blog/tapering-after-decades-use Have a look around the site, and let us know if you have any questions about anything. We're here to help! Here are some free mental health resources if you're interested: https://taper.community/thread/31d4a5cb-737e-4eec-8449-1894a8a9747c https://taper.community/thread/ebf43c1f-a3a0-423b-9ac2-537b3183ce70 https://taper.community/thread/f1d2c3ba-d8f1-44bf-a364-8feaab6fa9e1 Kind Regards, 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.

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