I take elavil 10mg right now, but years ago I was on 75mg, for myofacia (sp?) in my back and I think it helped alot. I took it for years, probably 7+. But one day I just stopped taking it. No tapering. Maybe I shouldn't have but I don't remeraber any side effects from it, except for not sleeping as well maybe, at first. The other "side effect" was that I lost weight really fast. I had been trying to lose weight, especially in my stomach area for years through diet and exercise and it was so slow and then all of a sudden the diet and excercise worked. It wasn't until later when I research it, that I saw that elavil can cause weight gain and it sure did for me. But I really never knew why. I'm sorry, I know this doesn't really help you, but my daughter tapered off something else and she just took 1/2 pill or a lesser dosage for a couple of weeks and then like every other day and then she just stopped. It was a similiar type medication. Well, I hope I helped a little.....good luck!