Reducing before “stabilizing”

Hi everyone, and thank you to the mods for rebuilding this space, it really means a lot to have this support again.

I’m Elissa, 44, from Canada. I’ve been dealing with a severe neurological pain condition over the past year, and access to consistent care where I live has been really limited. I was prescribed dul for pain without much follow-up, and pretty quickly realized it wasn’t right for me.

I was only on it for about 2 months (Nov–Jan), but the side effects were severe and deeply distressing. The emotional blunting and disconnection didn’t just feel uncomfortable, it felt like I lost access to myself completely. At its worst, it made me feel like I didn’t care whether I lived or died, which is completely out of character for me and honestly terrifying. It disconnects me from my reality at a time when I need to stay grounded more than ever.

I started my taper on Jan 17 and I’m now around 60% of my original dose. I’m doing my best to go slowly and carefully, but my nervous system is already very sensitive because of my underlying condition, so this process has been challenging.
One pattern I’ve noticed is that around day 7–10 after a reduction, I get a strong “shift” where the medication feels like it really takes hold of my brain. For me, this doesn’t feel stabilizing, it feels very triggering and destabilizing.

I’m wondering if anyone has experience with reducing before that point. Is it risky to taper every ~7 days instead of waiting for what’s typically considered “stabilization”? I had a rough experience in March where I reduced too quickly during a good stretch and the effects stacked, so I’m trying to be more careful now.

I know everyone’s different, but I’d really appreciate hearing others’ experiences or perspectives on this.