Cymbalta: A nightmare drug

It is not fun to make a post that scares people, as some of these posts do. You must understand that in a general sense, you can taper off meds and be safe. 

Cymbalta is what I consider the devil's pill. It is an SNRI that has been very popular due to the multitude of commercials it had until its patent expired (meaning now they have generic forms.) 

This pill is a nightmare pill for two major reasons... 1. It is easy to build a tolerance and 2. It it very hard to get off. 

Let's start with the first. Like most medicines, after you take it for awhile, you need more to achieve the desirable effect. Cymbalta is one of those medications. Most doctor's will prescribe 60-120mgs. Here's the problem... You will build a tolerance to Cymbalta quickly, and by law you cannot exceed 120mgs. So doc puts you on 90mgs. Year passes, they up you to 120. After a year passes, sorry bud, you're going to be taking another antidepressant in conjunction with Cymbalta. 

So now the "it's very hard to get off" part. All antidepressants pose challenges to get off. However, many can be done in a safe and comfortable way. You just take less, and taper for a week or two and you're fine. Cymbalta is not nearly as easy to stop taking. Adverse withdrawal effects are severe and pronounced, and unless some antidepressants, this isn't going to happen overnight.

As a matter of fact, Cymbalta is the ONLY antidepressant that has a diagnosis by the FDA: "Cymbalta Withdrawal Syndrome." Many will have problems with antidepressants, and this causes a diagnosis of "SSRI discontinuation syndrome." However, Cymbalta has its own diagnosis by the FDA for withdrawal. Reports have shown miserable tapers and serious challenges presented to getting off, as well as prolonged symptoms.

When you get off, do it right:

If you or someone you know wants to get off this medicine, I encourage to make your first cut a 30mg one. From 90-60, in example. Once you get to 60mgs however, I VERY STRONGLY urge you to slow down on your cuts and to literally take out the beads. Cymbalta comes in a capsule that has beads, not solid powder. Take out 10, do that for a few days, then 20, then 25, even if at the end it's just one extra bead taken out weekly. Stabilize on this dose for awhile and then cut. Do it until you are out. This is the best way to do it,. Challenging, time-consuming, and silly. But that's Cymbalta for you. 

Best of luck,

Kyle