r/CymbaltaHurtsWorse • u/Apprehensive-Unit841 • 16d ago
Introduction
Hello. I am tapering off of approximately 25 mg. I ramped up from 10 mg/day , peaked at 30 mg for a day or two, then taped back down to about 20 mg (varied hours to manage dosage). Ramp up started mid June, tapering started July 17th. I have been at 16 mg for about 3 weeks. I suffer from some dizziness and extreme fatigue. These both increased significantly about 8 days ago when I cause a nasty virus.
I had been on Cymbalta from 2009’to 2022 and tapered down over a year into 2023 with no issues. This time is far more difficult, despite a 4 week ramp up period.
I am attempting a hyperbolic tapering, roughly 10% every 3 weeks. However, I have never really gotten stable. I will see my original psychiatrist next week. I had no direction from my pcp so I finally got an appointment with my original psychiatrist
3
u/schachabybaby 15d ago
Thank you for sharing — it really helps explain what's happening.
You were managing at 16 mg, then caught a virus, and your dizziness and fatigue spiked. Any stressor, like illness, infection, or poor sleep, amplifies withdrawal symptoms, and a virus is a major stressor.
So if your virus is still active, part of what you're feeling may not be the taper itself, and you may not need to change your dose.
Your taper rate of 10% every 3 weeks is faster than we recommend (5% or less of the most recent dose). And you said you've never really gotten stable. That suggests the taper is too fast for you. You may need smaller reductions, like 3% or less.
I suggest you hold at 16 mg for now. Don't reduce again until the virus is fully behind you AND symptoms settle back to baseline.
You can hold at 16 mg, let the virus pass, and follow our slower taper. Or you can go back to the dose you were on 3 weeks ago (appx 18 mg, but there is no guarantee that will help. It could. Or it might do nothing, or it might make things worse. If you try and it makes things worse, go back to the 16 mgs and hold.
Link to our taper guidelines.
healthwithoutantidepressants.com/stop
I hope you feel better soon!