Hi there. I'm a newbie to posting here, but I've been haunting the site for months.
I just wanted to offer my little success story of beating cymbalta. It was (and in some ways still is) an enormous challenge, but just knowing that there were so many others out there co-suffering with me was an encouragement.
I was on cymbalta for the past 5+ years, mainly on 30mg but at one point 60mg. Before that I was on Paxil (a horror story of its own) and Welbutrin. This was my 4th attempt to get off of cymbalta. All of my previous attempts were more or less half-baked moments of ambition where I would try to "white knuckle" it through ('cause that's the 'manly' thing to do ). I've tried going cold-turkey, short-term tapering and trying herbal supplements (St. John's wart just made me feel ill).
This last time however was different, because I made a plan. When I talked to my Dr. about quitting, he suggested tapering by skipping doses; I nodded my head and thought 'no way in hell is that going to work!'. So long story short, I planned to use this past summer as my withdrawal window, and notified my family that I would soon transform into a sad/angry monster. By the grace of God, I was offered some house-sitting jobs that would last for weeks on end. This meant I would be alone in a quiet setting for all the worst parts. I bought some clear empty capsules and spent some evenings preparing all of my dosages. I found I could reduce my dosage by 1/8-1/4 (a lot more than what many on here have suggested, but it worked for me) and then take a couple weeks for my body to adjust. It was one heck of a roller coaster ride, emotionally and physically. I kept as busy as I could, though sometimes driving was out of the question. My mother would often check up on me, as mothers do. Support is vital.
From 30mg, I tapered completely off in 2 months. It's 2 months later from my last dose and I'm still feeling some very minor withdrawal. Things like increased emotional reactions, and the odd zap (when I'm tired). I'm beginning to remember what I was like before all the meds; it's an odd feeling, like finding something you lost a long time ago.
I know the struggle from 30mg is nothing compared to what some of you have to face at higher dosages, but it's worth it when you get to the other side.
Hope this is an encouragement to someone!
May God bless our efforts.