alt Hacker News> I learned later that Cymbalta had a black box warning for suicidal ideation
Most of the drugs that alter neurotransmitters (ADHD and depression meds, some seizure meds) will have a warning for suicidal ideation that may occur at some point of the treatment (usually early on). It's a balancing act between the treatment and the "illness" and has to be taken with caution.
Almost every doctor or psychiatrist I've seen or my family members have seen usually start off too strong and in many cases will advise cutting cold turkey. I always ignore it and taper on slowly over for about a month and if I need to get off the meds, I taper off slowly over 1-2 months. I was on Zoloft for 10 years and I was able to successfully got off the drug with minimal side effects that way. Although there was definitely a short period of brain zaps near the end, it wasn't as bad as the usual kind I'd get if I forgot to take the meds for a couple of days.
EDIT: If you use the taper off method, make sure to understand the half-life/how long it stays in your system.
I have tried a few times to taper off Venlafaxine with no success. Looking back I think the problem was twofold: I tried to do it too quickly (1-2 months), and expected things to somehow be different despite having made no other changes (lifestyle, job, etc).
This time is different. I'm now in a job that I find rewarding, started resistance training 4 days a week 2.5 years ago, changed my diet (mostly to support my fitness goals). I'm also taking it slow, halving the dose and taking several months to adjust to the new normal, whatever that looks and feels like.
It's a marathon, not a sprint. (True for both the fitness and mental health goals).