Duloxetine (cymbalta) question

Post Reply New Topic

hi

i was previously on clonazepam for anxiety for 10 plus years daily. my new doc said i was overusing it, and said for my constant ongoing anxiety i should be on cymbalta.

does anyone have experience with the drug ?

what is it like ?

i found clonazepam similar to marijuana from a calming effect, without the psychadelic effects. i read it is similar to alcohol in action.

i also see cymbalta is used for a wide spectrum of issues.,

thank you
alan

2.1 Major depressive disorder
2.2 Stress urinary incontinence
2.3 Diabetic peripheral neuropathy
2.4 Generalized anxiety disorder
2.5 Fibromyalgia
2.6 Chronic fatigue syndrome
2.7 Interstitial cystitis
2.8 Musculoskeletal Pain

I made a post back in April from a New York Times article:

SSRIs and SNRIs for depression?
http://www.wrongplanet.net/postt158330.html

“Side Effects of SSRIs. Side effects may include:
• “Nausea and gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms usually wear off over time.
• “Agitation, insomnia, mild tremor, and impulsivity occur in 10 - 20% of people who take SSRIs. These symptoms may be particularly problematic in patients who also suffer from anxiety, sleeplessness, or both. [Emphasis added.]
• Drowsiness affects about 20% of SSRI-treated patients. Newer SSRIs, such as escitalopram (Lexapro), may have fewer of these adverse effects.
.
“The dose of the antidepressant should be slowly reduced before stopping. . . ”
.
.
“Dual Inhibitors. Dual inhibitors act directly on two neurotransmitters -- norepinephrine and serotonin. These drugs are also known as serotonin norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs).
.
“Duloxetine (Cymbalta) also acts on both serotonin and norepinephrine. Side effects are generally mild and include dry mouth, nausea, and sleepiness. Patients with narrow-angle glaucoma or patients with liver or kidney diseases should not take duloxetine. Because duloxetine can cause liver damage, patients who drink large quantities of alcoholic beverages should not take it. . . ”

As a patient, and most of all as a human being, you definitely have a right to a second opinion (whether or not various mediocre health care systems acknowledge that right).

Your new doctor may be being overly cautious, or he or she might have a valid point.

Anything you've used for a while, you probably want to taper off if you're going to quit.

And with any new thing, it's hit or miss, that's just where the science is at this time. No doctor in the world can predict whether an antidepressant will work or not, and I strong suspect the same is true for anti-anxiety medication. Human biochem, esp of the human brain, is just too complicated. We are a long way from Doctor Beverly Crusher of Star Trek The Next Generation!

So, yeah, maybe there's a case for trying something new, and if so, the way to try it is with a light touch. If it's not working or if the side effects are lousy, gently back off and try something new.

Please Note: I AM NOT A DOCTOR. just a pretty good guy with an interest in these things. Have struggled with depression from time to time, have not yet tried medication. Might have if one doctor wasn't such a stick-in-the-mud. I guess what I'm doing here is just straight down the middle medical journalism and Internet research. And I do think it is worthwhile for us to talk openly about these issues.

I think you have a right to know, including the bad stuff. The following is a thread back from January 2009.

Abilify and Celexa
http://www.wrongplanet.net/postt88431.html
This is the 5th person down.

thank you aardvark

i am currently undecided about trying new meds, hence my questions.
after being on meds for ten plus years, i am off for 2.5 months. my wife said i was irritable and jumpy for the first 6 weeks, but am better.
i do agree i have generalized anxiety disorder along with asperger and possibly depression off and on.
i have always had GAD and have coping mechanism etc. so i wonder if the side effects of drugs outweigh the benefits. plus the harm to the body.

i do suffer from this - “Agitation, insomnia. if the drug makes it worse then i do not want it. These symptoms may be particularly problematic in patients who also suffer from anxiety, sleeplessness, or both.
as well i do like my beer so the liver damage is a concern.

if i have to try 8 or 9 drugs to find one that works, then i may be better off staying med free.
i have gone manic from prednisone and was hospitalized, so i do have a history of adverse reactions to meds.

thank you for your info
al

you're welcome. I'm glad the information was helpful.

Okay, so you've been off it for two and a half months. I guess you can just ride it a while. And if necessary go back to this same medication which has afterall worked before.

And I know you've heard of meditation techniques and exercise and people way overpreach this and oversell it, but as kind of 'half-assed' approaches, as partial solutions, sure, might be helpful in combination with other stuff.

And please talk to us here at WP needed!

so 4 years ago treated only as major depression even after haveing major issues with it being a patch up not a fix not knowing about AS but being lost
i went on cymablta and have been on 60 mg till november when i stopped

where im stuck now knowing about AS and it being the cause and the depression just part of it if go back on because it helps alot with the depression
but really make my AS symptoms far more intense
i feel over the last 4 years on it that while its helped that i have become a robot and further removed myself because i can't feel anything even about the things that i should have a natural reaction to

that with the fact that if i forget to take one tablet for one day that is the next 2 days feeling like crap just for it to top up

so it sees like an all or nothing emotions

and now that i have come off them, crashed back to the bottom where i was when i went on them. i have this time around found away to clear the traumatic events from my head, i think i might be actually getting somewhere

but then the loops start

I was on Clonazepam for a while & I tried Cymbalta briefly & I tried lots of other meds as well & the only med that has ever helped my anxiety is Buspar. I would recommend trying that if your main isue is anxiety. It's the only med that's specifically for anxiety instead of treating other things like depression. The only side-effect I notice from Buspar is that I bruise more easily but I bruised easily before

I am on Cymbalta for depression. I would most vehemently advise anyone to avoid it, or it's nasty cousin, Effexor if at all possible. I'm referring to the horrible experience called 'discontinuance syndrome' Google it and read up on it. I can tell you, with both Effexor and Cymbalta, it is HELL to get off of them. These medications are not designed to work long term, at least for depression since that's why I'm given it. It no longer helps with my depression, I've been on it for two years and during that time, it only helped for six months. So now I'm stuck taking a useless medication just to keep from experiencing discontinuance syndrome, which is far, far worse than the depression I had to begin with.

Paxil can be prescribed for the condition you describe. It has discontinuance syndrome as one of the side affects of going, or tapering off, but it's far less hellish.

I am not a doctor. This is only my experience. Please discuss any concerns you have with your med doctor, including discontinuance syndrome. Some doctors will try to dismiss it as minor or unimportant. Talk to nurses and pharmacists and they will often have more harrowing tales to tell.