Yes Umo
I know of several people who had to take medical leave but they were ones who did it cold turkey.
As long as you are not trying to taper too quickly then you should be okay to keep working. If you taper fast then you will have withdrawals and need a leave.
If you think you may harm yourself then definitely go to the hospital although being in a Psych ward can be quite traumatic in itself. Do you have someone to talk to like a therapist, psychologist or psychiatrist? I did go through a spell where I wanted to harm myself but with talk therapy and some other medication was able to get me through that.
Sorry to seem nosey but is the self harm something new for you? I am Bipolar II which was diagnosed after being on Cymbalta. One of the many gifts that Cymbalta left me with . I also went through a period where I have a very strong urge to harm myself. Cymbalta actually made me very depressed and I was going to end the pain but my pharmacist realized that something was wrong and talked to me. I broke down and confessed all to her and she helped me get off the Cymbalta. The doctor I had at that time still does not believe that Cymbalta can have withdrawal symptoms when stopping it . That's okay I have forgiven him for his poor treatment. I will never talk to him again about anything to do with my mental health though and never trust him either
If you need to talk all of us are here and there is also private messaging if you want to talk to just one person. Either way we are here for you.
Take care of you
Nancy