I don't know if this information will be helpful to anyone. But I figure this is somewhat of a pioneering effort for all of us - learning along the way.
I have been weaning off of Cymbalta for almost 2 months, now. I started at 60 mg (approx 205 beads), and I was tapering by 2 beads per day. I made some variations along the way that I have posted in other forums - each time, I went against the advice of others and rushed the process.
As I continued to taper downward, all went fairly well until I got down to about 22 beads. I started to feel more nauseous than usual, more dizzy, extremely "foggy" thinking, etc. Each day got worse until i was down to 17 beads. It has been almost a week, since I got to that day. I have to say, it was the sickest I have been since I have been going through this "exciting" journey.
In the past, it had been fairly easy to adjust by increasing my dose a few beads. This time proved to be more challenging. At first, I went immediately up to 25 beads, but I was still miserable. I thought I would try increasing by 1 or 2 beads/day until I felt better, but I had too much going on at work to risk that process. I finally swallowed my pride along with 40 beads. Finally, within 24 hours, I felt amazing (seriously...amazing). That was 2 days ago. I still feel great. I have no fogginess, no headache, no dizziness, great energy...I think it has been years since I have felt so "good."
The reason I am sharing this, is that I know there are a lot of folks struggling with the almost disabling effects of this withdrawal process. I have had so many kind supporters who have encouraged me to slow down (or "whoa" down, as my dear friend, Equuswoman, puts it). Having these 2 days of clarity has been helping me step back a bit and realize that there is no reason to punish myself by going through hell to get down to zero beads. Of course, that IS my ultimate objective. But if the worst thing that happens is that I extend this process a couple of months, why not - especially, if I can feel as good as I do today.
I realize everyone has his/her own reasons for doing what they do. I am only sharing my own personal experience. Even if there is just one person out there who reads this and is helped by it, it was worth sharing. I can't begin to express how amazing 2 days clarity of mind can help put 50 days of hell into perspective. It may be worth considering, if you are struggling through this process.
Onward and upward! (or should I say "downward"?)
