Tapering Cymbalta (duloxetine)
Join us for the next installment in Outro’s Tapering Series, featuring Dr. Bryan Shapiro, Medical Director at Outro Health, for a focused discussion on Cymbalta (duloxetine)—an SNRI widely prescribed for depression, anxiety, and chronic pain.
Cymbalta is one of the most challenging antidepressants to discontinue due to its short half-life, broad effects on the nervous system, and the severity of withdrawal symptoms it can trigger. In this session, Dr. Shapiro will share the latest insights from his own research—including his recently published paper on Cymbalta withdrawal—and provide a detailed look at how Outro approaches safe, hyperbolic tapering for this medication.
Can’t make it live? Register anyway and we’ll send you the recording.
🧠 What You’ll Learn
Why Cymbalta causes some of the most severe withdrawal symptoms among antidepressants
What Dr. Shapiro’s latest research reveals about patient experiences and tapering outcomes
The neurobiology behind Cymbalta dependence and why it requires a hyperbolic approach
Practical tapering strategies tailored to duloxetine’s unique pharmacokinetics
How Outro’s virtual care model supports safe, step-wise tapering guided by trained clinicians
🎙️ Presenter
Dr. Bryan Shapiro
Dr. Shapiro is the Medical Director of Outro Health and a board-certified psychiatrist in California. He serves as a consultation-liaison psychiatrist and psychopharmacology educator at UC Irvine Medical Center and leads training for the UC Irvine/UC Davis Train New Trainers (TNT) program. Dr. Shapiro was involved in the early conceptualization of hyperbolic tapering and recently authored a paper on Cymbalta withdrawal. His unique blend of lived experience and academic leadership makes him a powerful voice in shaping safer antidepressant discontinuation practices.
Emma Frati is a member of the Outro Health team with lived experience of polypharmacy during her time at Columbia University. She later earned a degree in Behavioral Neuroscience with a focus on statistics and business. Emma has worked in psychedelic and wearables research, co-authored a study on automated sleep scoring published in Sleep Journal, and previously consulted in the rare disease biotech space.
About Outro
Outro is a virtual care platform for safe, evidence-based antidepressant tapering. They are currently accepting patients in several US states. Learn more by visiting the Outro website at www.outro.com