Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsWhat Is Cymbalta Withdrawal?Side Effects of WithdrawalHow to Safely Stop Taking CymbaltaManaging Withdrawal Symptoms
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
What Is Cymbalta Withdrawal?
Side Effects of Withdrawal
How to Safely Stop Taking Cymbalta
Managing Withdrawal Symptoms
Cymbalta (duloxetine) can cause a range of side effects when you stop taking it, especially if you discontinue it abruptly. This is known as a withdrawal or antidepressant discontinuation syndrome. Common withdrawal symptoms for duloxetine include dizziness, nausea, and trouble sleeping, among others.
Cymbalta belongs to a class of drugs calledserotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs). SNRIs are prescribed to help treat mental health conditions such as depression and anxiety but may also be taken for other disorders such asneuropathic pain (nerve pain),fibromyalgia, and chronic muscle or joint pain.
Stopping antidepressants like Cymbalta abruptly can be dangerous, so it’s important to talk to your healthcare provider or psychiatrist if you want to come off the medication.
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Cymbalta withdrawal occurs when a person suddenly stops taking their medication or when they significantly reduce their dose. The following factors may influence whether you are more likely to experience withdrawal or discontinuation syndrome:
Withdrawal symptoms typically emerge within a couple of days after stopping the medication.
How Long Does Cymbalta Withdrawal Last?
The duration of Cymbalta withdrawal can vary, but in most cases, symptoms will improve within a few weeks. However, some people may experience symptoms for several weeks, especially if they have been taking higher doses or using the medication for a long time.
The most common side effects of withdrawal include:
What Antidepressants Are the Hardest to Stop Taking?Antidepressants with short half-lives are associated with a higher risk of withdrawal and should be tapered off gradually over a long period. These antidepressants and their half-lives are:Cymbalta (duloxetine): 12 hoursCelexa (citalopram): 36 hoursWellbutrin (bupropion): 21 hoursLexapro (escitalopram): 27 to 32 hoursZoloft (sertraline): 26 hoursPaxil (paroxetine): 24 hoursPristiq (desvenlafaxine): 12 hoursEffexor XR (venlafaxine): 5 hours
What Antidepressants Are the Hardest to Stop Taking?
Antidepressants with short half-lives are associated with a higher risk of withdrawal and should be tapered off gradually over a long period. These antidepressants and their half-lives are:Cymbalta (duloxetine): 12 hoursCelexa (citalopram): 36 hoursWellbutrin (bupropion): 21 hoursLexapro (escitalopram): 27 to 32 hoursZoloft (sertraline): 26 hoursPaxil (paroxetine): 24 hoursPristiq (desvenlafaxine): 12 hoursEffexor XR (venlafaxine): 5 hours
Antidepressants with short half-lives are associated with a higher risk of withdrawal and should be tapered off gradually over a long period. These antidepressants and their half-lives are:
It is important to work with your healthcare provider when discontinuing Cymbalta to reduce the severity of withdrawal.
The recommended approach is to gradually taper the medication off over a long period. Clinicians generally recommend gradually reducing the dose no less than two weeks before stopping treatment.
However, tapering recommendations will be left to the clinical judgment of your provider, who will decide based on factors like the current dose of your medication and how long you have been taking it.
A Word From Verywell HealthIt is recommended that dose tapers be scheduled for times of predictable or low stress, if possible. This would minimize confusion of symptoms from the taper schedule with natural stressors and help prevent disease relapse. Taper schedules can be as long as four to six months when considering multiyear use of the medication.—ALEX YAMPOLSKY, PHARMD, MEDICAL EXPERT BOARD
A Word From Verywell Health
It is recommended that dose tapers be scheduled for times of predictable or low stress, if possible. This would minimize confusion of symptoms from the taper schedule with natural stressors and help prevent disease relapse. Taper schedules can be as long as four to six months when considering multiyear use of the medication.—ALEX YAMPOLSKY, PHARMD, MEDICAL EXPERT BOARD
It is recommended that dose tapers be scheduled for times of predictable or low stress, if possible. This would minimize confusion of symptoms from the taper schedule with natural stressors and help prevent disease relapse. Taper schedules can be as long as four to six months when considering multiyear use of the medication.
—ALEX YAMPOLSKY, PHARMD, MEDICAL EXPERT BOARD
Some strategies for coping with withdrawal symptoms include:
2024 RecallsStarting in October 2024, over 200,000 bottles of duloxetine delayed-release capsules were recalled over concerns about the presence of nitrosamines, which can increase the risk of cancer.If you take duloxetine, check your medication packaging to see if it was part of the affected lots or call your pharmacist to find out. You should also contact your prescriber, as abruptly stopping a medication like duloxetinecan be dangerous.The recalled lots have expiration dates from November 2024 to December 2025. You can check the lot numbers in the FDA enforcement reports released inOctoberandDecember.
2024 Recalls
Starting in October 2024, over 200,000 bottles of duloxetine delayed-release capsules were recalled over concerns about the presence of nitrosamines, which can increase the risk of cancer.If you take duloxetine, check your medication packaging to see if it was part of the affected lots or call your pharmacist to find out. You should also contact your prescriber, as abruptly stopping a medication like duloxetinecan be dangerous.The recalled lots have expiration dates from November 2024 to December 2025. You can check the lot numbers in the FDA enforcement reports released inOctoberandDecember.
Starting in October 2024, over 200,000 bottles of duloxetine delayed-release capsules were recalled over concerns about the presence of nitrosamines, which can increase the risk of cancer.If you take duloxetine, check your medication packaging to see if it was part of the affected lots or call your pharmacist to find out. You should also contact your prescriber, as abruptly stopping a medication like duloxetinecan be dangerous.
The recalled lots have expiration dates from November 2024 to December 2025. You can check the lot numbers in the FDA enforcement reports released inOctoberandDecember.
Summary
Stopping a medication such as Cymbalta suddenly can be dangerous, so it’s important to work with your healthcare provider when weaning off treatment. They’ll have you follow a gradual tapering schedule and offer guidance on coping strategies.
Still, even when slowly reducing your dose, you may experience side effects associated with withdrawal. These are temporary, however, and you can sometimes manage them with the help of OTC medication.
The author would like to recognize and thank Chinonso Lloyd Paul for contributing to this article.
7 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Fava GA, Benasi G, Lucente M, et al.Withdrawal symptoms after serotonin-noradrenaline reuptake inhibitor discontinuation: systematic review.Psychother Psychosom. 2018;87(4):195-203. doi:10.1159/000491524Prescribers' Digital Reference.Cymbalta.Horowitz MA, Framer A, Hengartner MP, Sørensen A, Taylor D.Estimating risk of antidepressant withdrawal from a review of published data.CNS Drugs. 2023;37(2):143-157. doi:10.1007/s40263-022-00960-yGabriel M, Sharma V.Antidepressant discontinuation syndrome.CMAJ. 2017;189(21):E747. doi:10.1503/cmaj.160991Perahia DG, Kajdasz DK, Desaiah D, Haddad PM.Symptoms following abrupt discontinuation of duloxetine treatment in patients with major depressive disorder.J Affect Disord. 2005;89(1-3):207-212. doi:10.1016/j.jad.2005.09.003Keks N, Hope J, Keogh S.Switching and stopping antidepressants.Aust Prescr. 2016;39(3):76-83. doi: 10.18773/austprescr.2016.039Food and Drug Administration.What to Know and Do About Possible Nitrosamines in Your Medication.
7 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Fava GA, Benasi G, Lucente M, et al.Withdrawal symptoms after serotonin-noradrenaline reuptake inhibitor discontinuation: systematic review.Psychother Psychosom. 2018;87(4):195-203. doi:10.1159/000491524Prescribers' Digital Reference.Cymbalta.Horowitz MA, Framer A, Hengartner MP, Sørensen A, Taylor D.Estimating risk of antidepressant withdrawal from a review of published data.CNS Drugs. 2023;37(2):143-157. doi:10.1007/s40263-022-00960-yGabriel M, Sharma V.Antidepressant discontinuation syndrome.CMAJ. 2017;189(21):E747. doi:10.1503/cmaj.160991Perahia DG, Kajdasz DK, Desaiah D, Haddad PM.Symptoms following abrupt discontinuation of duloxetine treatment in patients with major depressive disorder.J Affect Disord. 2005;89(1-3):207-212. doi:10.1016/j.jad.2005.09.003Keks N, Hope J, Keogh S.Switching and stopping antidepressants.Aust Prescr. 2016;39(3):76-83. doi: 10.18773/austprescr.2016.039Food and Drug Administration.What to Know and Do About Possible Nitrosamines in Your Medication.
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Fava GA, Benasi G, Lucente M, et al.Withdrawal symptoms after serotonin-noradrenaline reuptake inhibitor discontinuation: systematic review.Psychother Psychosom. 2018;87(4):195-203. doi:10.1159/000491524Prescribers' Digital Reference.Cymbalta.Horowitz MA, Framer A, Hengartner MP, Sørensen A, Taylor D.Estimating risk of antidepressant withdrawal from a review of published data.CNS Drugs. 2023;37(2):143-157. doi:10.1007/s40263-022-00960-yGabriel M, Sharma V.Antidepressant discontinuation syndrome.CMAJ. 2017;189(21):E747. doi:10.1503/cmaj.160991Perahia DG, Kajdasz DK, Desaiah D, Haddad PM.Symptoms following abrupt discontinuation of duloxetine treatment in patients with major depressive disorder.J Affect Disord. 2005;89(1-3):207-212. doi:10.1016/j.jad.2005.09.003Keks N, Hope J, Keogh S.Switching and stopping antidepressants.Aust Prescr. 2016;39(3):76-83. doi: 10.18773/austprescr.2016.039Food and Drug Administration.What to Know and Do About Possible Nitrosamines in Your Medication.
Fava GA, Benasi G, Lucente M, et al.Withdrawal symptoms after serotonin-noradrenaline reuptake inhibitor discontinuation: systematic review.Psychother Psychosom. 2018;87(4):195-203. doi:10.1159/000491524
Prescribers' Digital Reference.Cymbalta.
Horowitz MA, Framer A, Hengartner MP, Sørensen A, Taylor D.Estimating risk of antidepressant withdrawal from a review of published data.CNS Drugs. 2023;37(2):143-157. doi:10.1007/s40263-022-00960-y
Gabriel M, Sharma V.Antidepressant discontinuation syndrome.CMAJ. 2017;189(21):E747. doi:10.1503/cmaj.160991
Perahia DG, Kajdasz DK, Desaiah D, Haddad PM.Symptoms following abrupt discontinuation of duloxetine treatment in patients with major depressive disorder.J Affect Disord. 2005;89(1-3):207-212. doi:10.1016/j.jad.2005.09.003
Keks N, Hope J, Keogh S.Switching and stopping antidepressants.Aust Prescr. 2016;39(3):76-83. doi: 10.18773/austprescr.2016.039
Food and Drug Administration.What to Know and Do About Possible Nitrosamines in Your Medication.
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