If you have taken Cymbalta I would be interested in your experiences. What were the side effects, if any? I just came off Effexor and I understand from some research that this mimicks Effexor, which I had a difficult time with..especialy the transition. I would be grateful for any feedback, suggestions, additional info about this "new" drug for depression. I understand it has been used in the European countries more than in the USA. Thanks for your help. ;)

Well, Hi there! I guess we might be experiencing this together! I have been on Effexor xr for about 2 years and it just quit working for me. I start Cymbalta on Monday so I guess I will see how it is - I just hope it works!
Keep us posted and I'll do the same. Good Luck!

Thanks funkyheadgirl for replying. I was on effexor xr for about 4-6 weeks..(the latest in a number of ssri's spanning 20+ years) and had a horrendous time with it. I was nervous, much anxiety, felt like my heart was pounding, head-in-vise feeling, sweaty palms, etc. Going off suddenly (did not taper off, thanks to dr.) meant 2 trips to the ER, one via ambulance, which was very embarrassing....thought I was having heart attacks. Now I'm on remeron as a trial, but have told my dr. that I cannot tolerate this either - numb limbs, cold fingers, brain dead, foggy feeling. He's indicated we will try cymbalta next, but knowing what I do about effexor I have some trepedation in starting on this. Would be happy to hear about your experience; let me know how it goes. Depression is the pits! BTW if you have any ssri's you want my input on, try me. I've had most of them over many years.

Wow! Sounds like you get all kinds of side effects from meds. I don't usually seem to have much trouble, other than when they put me on Neurontin for chronic back pain, it makes me real "spacey".
Anyway, I think I will take up your offer of info on the other meds you may have taken. I also took Zoloft for 10 years. It worked great but then just quit working too. Have you ever found a good one that DOESN'T effect your libido in a bad way? My dr said wellbutrin is the only AD that doesn't have sexual side effects but when I took it years ago, I felt too weird and detached from myself - like I was looney bin case waiting to happen! If you know of anything, let me know! Thanks, and hope you are feeling better soon!

I am now on 60mg daily of Cymbalta. I haven't really noticed any side effects from it either. I've been on it for about 1 month now. And before that I was on 20mg daily. I do feel better from it though. I am still somewhat tired, but that could be from my liver illness as well. Good luck to you. Tina

Hi vamp36; glad you're not having any side effects with the cymbalta. Let me know how it goes with the increase in dosage. I've heard that one should start slowly and work up, so you're on the right path. Funkyheadgirl, yes I seem to have lots of problems with side effects; they are sometimes worse than depression itself in my opinion. I found zoloft to be sort of my "base" ssri, in that various drs seem to have come back to that for me when I had trouble with other meds. The only real problem I've had is it makes me rev too high, I get reved up and nervous and it also causes anger. It also has bad sexual side effects, at least for me. I found that wellbutrin - both xr and regular -- was one of the few that didn't have sexual side effects; in fact my love life improved quite a bit on wellbutrin. But wellbutrin again caused me to be jumpy and wound too tight. They say that remeron also has no big sexual side effects, but I've got so many other problems with it, I just have to put it aside. Hope you're feeling better with the new dose of cymbalta - let me know how it's going. I'll let you know if my doc puts me on it or if I win out and maybe go back to prozac, which agreed with me several years ago. Good luck. :)

Funkyheadgirl - just wanted to let you know my dr. is starting me on cymbalta at a low dose. I'm to get remeron out of my system and start it in a few days. I'll keep you posted on the outcome. Let me know how you're doing on your dose and how much you're taking, and when. I forgot to tell you that I also have had experience with serzone (no sexual side effects, supposedly), lexapro, celexa, and seroquel, among others. Can't say that any of them worked for me long-term, and I generally came back to zoloft as the one I could tolerate the most, even wwithout any libido. Hope you are feeling better. TO VAMP36 - how is your 60 mg dose of cymbalta feeling? Hope it's working for you. ;)

Day 2 of Cymbalta- I took it shortly after waking/breakfast since it has the possibility of causing insomnia. I felt kinda of jittery but it was managable. Also some slight lower abdominal cramping. I take 60 mg once a day. Good luck on it - I'll keep you posted!

I am doing OK on it. I started at 20mg then upped to 40mg and now I've been on 60mg for about 1 month now. I do feel better on it. I can smile again and enjoy my kids. I really have had no side effects either. Thankfully. I hope you all do well on it as well. Let's keep each other posted on our updates. So far I think It's a good new med in the states. I'm glad it was approved for us here. I hope you all have a good day. Tina

I started cymbalta two months ago. I hate it. I am overly tired, dizzy , nauseous, irritable, detached etc. I tried to stop cold turkey and I felt like absolute ****. I can not lose weight, I am fat and it sucks. I do not want to take any more pills I am sick of it. It has been six years of antidepressant hell. I have taken so many different kinds I lost track. I want to stop soooooooo bad but my doc advises against it. I think antidepressants have screwed my head up worse than it was when I started. I am sorry to bring you down but that is my reality. I hope it works for you guys.

Hi Kini,

Sorry to hear you are having such a tough time with AD's. Don't give up though! I can relate to you as far as wishing I never started taking these things - I too feel more screwed up than I ever was before taking anything!
But I still have to try.

Kato- How is it going for you so far? Day 3 of Cymbalta- I was so tired I could barely make it through the work day! Geez......from jitters to sleepy. Now I'm going to take it before bed since I need to be awake at work - duh!

FHG - I'm in never-never land tapering off of remeron - now down to about 7 mg a day -- and waiting until the w/e to start cymbalta. I felt the best yesterday that I've felt in a long time -- could it be that just getting off all these meds would be heaven?? Don't know, but must push on with "the plan" I guess. I thought you were starting a little strong with 60 mg after breakfast; my doc has me starting with 20 -- and he's even said to split that pill to 10 mg -- in the morning only, then slowly work up. Since I have a terrible tolerance for meds, I'm going to start slowly. Tina - I think your plan of gradually increasing the dose from 20 to 40 to 60 makes sense; this way you may be able to avoid some of the terrible side effects and see how your body does with a new med. Kini , I hear you. Yes, I wonder if these drugs haven't screwed me up royally over the years. I keep seeking the "silver bullet" but maybe that will never happen. My doc does have me on serax 3x day - a med for anxiety, and wow, that pill does take the edge off and make me feel much better. I'm wondering if I've been misdiagnosed all these years and maybe have a neurological-anxiety problem and not depression. Now the question is, how will the serax interact with the cymbalta. I'll find out in a couple of days. Hope you are all doing better, and thanks for keeping this post alive. :wave:

Hi
I posted on the other thread about some side effects too. I don't sleep very good on Cymbalta and I am gaining weight since I am always hungry from it. When I do sleep I get those weirdo dreams too. They seen very real. I am on 60mg a day since Aug. 110lbs 5'7" Doc told me that sometimes people can have really bad side effects so be careful if you feel worse than before. Good news is that is helps me out and I am not as irrtated. It helps people with pain too like lupus and stuff. I hope it works like that for you too.
Love
Amy

Well, 1 week on Cymbalta and I can already tell a difference. I actually had the motivation to get some things done around the house today! I know that sounds goofy but its exciting for me since I haven't felt like that in months! I've still been taking it before bed since it was making me tired at work but I seem to sleep too sound, as I have missed hearing my alarm a few times now. But I took it today around 2pm and I'm still up and have been getting some chores done. So far, I think I'm giving this AD a thumbs up!
Hope it works well for everyone else too!

FHG - just received my Rx for cymbalta and have taken 20 mg for two days after breakfast. Can't say I'm feeeling any effects yet - it will take awhile. I did feel that maybe it caused a slight upset stomach the first couple of nights and I didn't sleep as well as usual, but will keep watching it and let you know what happens. Thanks for posting; sounds like you are improving with it. Hope you all feel better with this new med. Keep the feedback coming. :)

I've been taking it for maybe 3 months now. It's not working for me so far. So, guess it's not going to. **Sigh**

Doctor wants me to go back into the hospital and she's not sure where to go from here...been on so many different meds, hard to tell what to do next.

I just hate weaning off meds and going on new ones.

Hang in there Angelwings. I wish the best for you. TIna

Been on cymbalta now for 3-4 days and am having a really bad time at night with stomach pains, which wake me up at around 2-3 AM. Can't get back to sleep, and that's annoying. Also have noticed sleepiness around 3 PM - not sure if this is from the med or from the lack of nightime zzzzz's. Can't keep eyes open. Anyone else having these problems with cymbalta?

Hi all. Been on Cymbalta for about 6 weeks now, and am calling my dr on Monday to get switched to something else. I do think it is helping me feel better depression-wise, but I am experiencing daily dizzy spells that I can not handle. It is really scaring me. I get fall down dizzy if I get up too fast, turn around too quickly, etc. Kinda like being really drunk and having the bed spins! Anyone else having this effect? I am on 30 mg 2x/day. Prozac is my "base" ad, took it on and off for several years, but it always makes me so tired. Lexapro did nothing, and wellbutrin along with prozac didn't seem to help any. The WORST one was Zyprexa. Definitely helped with the depression...I was totally flatlined, no emotion whatsoever, AND gained 20 pounds in a month, which I still haven't gotten rid of months later! I don't know....I tried being off the ad's this summer, and determined I have WAY too much crap in my life to be unmedicated. I just wish I could find one that made the depression better without heinous side effects. Interested to read other's experiences. Thanks! :wave:

I started trying every SSRI years ago, and effexor was the only one that helped my depression, but I could only take a tiny, tiny "chip" of it, and not every day, as my stomach would get upset. Finally stopped altogether 10 years ago.

Then I heard so many rave reviews about Cymbalta, so tried a "tiny" bit of it, and got every side affect listed...........bad stomach upset (always my worst); headache; feeling I was coming out of my body. Took days for that little bit to clear.

But then I'm one of those "canaries", so don't know if I'll ever find an RX to help; back to the herbal route.

LIGHT***********carole

Well, tried cymbalta for 4 days and that's it.....I'm off it at my own instructions. Now await another dr. app't to see what new plan he has for me. Just could not take the stomach pains and losing sleep, felt horrible. If I come up with anything new I'll let you know.

Wow-I can't believe all the trouble some of you had with Cymbalta. I seem to have no more side effects at all and it has made me feel better. I wish it could have worked for everyone else too! I'm one to usually have a few side effects and then get past it so I guess I got lucky. I hope you all find something soon that works for you too!

I am sorry you had all those bad side effects with Cymbalta. I noticed those bad side effects too. Mine were not bad enough to stop taking them. Has anyone taken Cymbalta with other ADs? Doc told me to call her if I am still irrtable after 6 months when the best effects from the meds are working...she said something about Wellbrutin. It is livable without it I guess.
Love Amy

FHG & Ami - you guys are so lucky to not have serious side effects. I could just die; I'm so tired of switching meds and tapering off one to go on another. Makes me really want to quit alltogether...Guess it's time to revisit some of those old ssri's that worked for me in the past, and skip these newer ads. I think a very low dose of some familiar meds might be the answer -- will let you know. P.S. Do you know of any supplements that might take the edge off and not hurt? I know this is risky, but I'm getting desperate. Thanks. :confused:

kato, I hope they find something that works for you soon! Hang in there. TIna

P.S. Do you know of any supplements that might take the edge off and not hurt? I know this is risky, but I'm getting desperate. Thanks. :confused:

I have read that SAMe <which is for arthritis> and B-complex <B1Thiamine, B3Niacin B6Pyridoxine sp?, B12 and Folic together> help some people as good as prozac does. DHEA <cholesterol>St. John's Wort and Ginseng are some others. I don't think Ginkgo Biloba would be good even though some think it is. I tried it a long time ago when I was about 18yrs and it made my face flush and made me puke. It is for better circulation of oxygen to the brain so it increases and opens blood vessels. Not good if you are young and don't have dementia. Also if you have high BP don't take it. I hope that helps you and don't take any with out telling doc first, because some interact with pres.meds and if you try to be pregnant
Love Amy

Hey Amy - thanks for the suggestions. Actually my doc did mention that I should start busting the B-complex vitamins, so think I'll try that. I'd read all about Kinko and St. John's Wort, etc. before, so don't think I'll venture there -- at least while I have all these horrible meds in my system. Am taking Omega-3, which I understand can elevate one's mood if you take about 3-4000 mg per day. Besides this is a good fish oil supplement that helps keep the blood flowing. Thanks for the tips; I'll let you'all know how it all shakes out.

Hi!

I 've been on Cymbalta for 4 weeks now. My initial dosage was 30 mg for the first 2 weeks and then increased to 60 mg (which is the recommended dosage) for the 3rd week and going forwards. I take it in the morning around 10AM after eating breakfast.

The side effects that I experienced for the first 2 weeks were diminshed appetite, disrupted sleep/middle insomnia (that is, waking up a few times in the middle of the night and early mornings), dry eyes (I wear contacts), blurry vision, slight queasiness, headache, and urinary hesitation (that is, reduction in strength and flow of urinary stream). None of the side effects were very severe.

After 2 weeks of use, most of the original side effects disappeared and/or diminished. I also noticed a more dramatic mood change once I increased to 60 mg--yeah! I felt more motivated, cheery, and positive. Now the new problem is that I'm experiencing tinnitus in my right ear. It's a very high-pitched ringing noise and it has gotten progressively worse. I hear the ringing all the time instead of once in a while.

I've spoken to my doctor and she thinks it is likely due to the medication and the increased dosage. So, my doctor recommended lowering the dosage back to 30 mg, but so far no change with respect to the tinnitus. It's only been 2 days though. On the downside, I've noticed that my "euphoric" mood has diminished.

I didn't see tinnitus listed as a side effect for Cymbalta. However, I've read about it as a side effect for Effexor. Cymbalta is suppose to be very similar to Effexor. Therefore, I'm concluding that the ringing in my ears can be attributed to Cymbalta.

Cymbalta is so new to the market, so I was wondering if anyone else has had tinnitus as a side effect and if it went away eventually. I'm worried that it will be a permanent thing.

KAZA
I will sometimes get ringing in the ears, only I have been told it is because it is a slight elevation in blood pressure. Such as if you have a stress moment, and you know we get those!! Also, if i have an ear infection or water in the ear from swimming or something, it will make my ears ring too. I am getting over a cold and the junk sometimes spreads to the ears in the end.
I am on Cymbalta 60mg a day since Aug and hadn't noticed any more ringing than what I usually get. I am glad your yucky side effects went away. Mine were almost identical to yours and had gone away but insomnia and urine hesatation. Not sure about the meds and you're right it is very new. I hope you don't have an ear infection or high BP!!!
Love Amy

Hi Kaza:

I, too, have been using Cymbalta (30mg.) for just 3 weeks now. I have been experiencing tinnitus ever since my Meniere's started up 3-1/2 years ago. I was put on Effexor late this summer and increased up to 112.5 mg., but started experiencing dizzy spells. My doctor then switched me to the Cymbalta, which I'm only on my 3rd week. While I'm used to the Tinnitus (although some days it drives me crazy) I have been experiencing a low-grade rumbling in my head. I was getting that occasionally before I was on any antidpressent but it has definitely increased. Some days, I can hardly hear. I wondered if anyone else has experienced similar symptoms while using Cymbalta. My doctor says it is probably my Meniere's fluctuating and not to stress. Easier said than done because the rumbling causes lots of stress. Just wondered if anyone else had similar symptoms and what they did for it. I use 1 mg. Ativan almost daily and that is about the only thing that takes the edge off and I wondered if maybe that is all I really need. Didn't do so well coming down off the Effexor, but felt o.k. for that week in between the Effexor and the Cymbalta. Now I feel worse that I have in a while. Do I need to give the Cymbalta more time? Thanks for any insight anyone might have! :confused:

I would give the Cymbalta more time for your body to get use to it. IT may all go away.

Thanks, Vamp36. I'm in my 4th or 5th week now and seem to have adjusted. I still use 1 mg. Ativan daily, which the doctor may put me on solely after the holidays. She didn't want me coming down off the Cymbalta during the holidays. As far as the rumbling in my ears goes - I still get that, usually every few days or so, but we think it may be more related to weather fronts coming in (I'm sensitive to them because of my Meniere's), than to the Cymbalta. Makes more sense. If it was the Cymbalta, it would probably be a daily occurence. God bless you all and here's to a wonderful 2005. Happy Holidays all!

Hey everyone...

I just started taking Cymbalta (duloxetine) yesterday (30 mg) and the side effects are quite unpleasant. So far I'm experiencing:

-Insomnia at night and (consequently?) drowsiness/nap-taking during the day
-Lack of appetite
-Spacey head feeling
-Weird sensation as I yawn where my body gets this very tired feeling and my jaw clenches tightly (this is definately because of the Cymbalta, as it has never happened before)
-No real mood change (why the hell am I taking this then?!)
-Jitteryness/Over-excitation during the first few hours after I take it

How long should I wait for these side effects to either disappear or come to a manageable level? I'm feeling now like it would be a huge relief just to quit the meds while I'm ahead and try a more natural approach (more exercise, more vitamins, etc.)

Also, I was told to increase the daily dose from 30mg to 60mg after one week of taking it, but I won't even see my doctor before then to tell him about the side effects. If I don't talk to him in time, should I: a) just stop taking it (will there be any discontinuation syndrome after only 7 days of taking it?) b) continue with 30mg until I see my doctor?

Please help me, thanks.

Hey everyone...

I just started taking Cymbalta (duloxetine) yesterday (30 mg) and the side effects are quite unpleasant. So far I'm experiencing:

-Insomnia at night and (consequently?) drowsiness/nap-taking during the day
-Lack of appetite
-Spacey head feeling
-Weird sensation as I yawn where my body gets this very tired feeling and my jaw clenches tightly (this is definately because of the Cymbalta, as it has never happened before)
-No real mood change (why the hell am I taking this then?!)
-Jitteryness/Over-excitation during the first few hours after I take it

How long should I wait for these side effects to either disappear or come to a manageable level? I'm feeling now like it would be a huge relief just to quit the meds while I'm ahead and try a more natural approach (more exercise, more vitamins, etc.)

Also, I was told to increase the daily dose from 30mg to 60mg after one week of taking it, but I won't even see my doctor before then to tell him about the side effects. If I don't talk to him in time, should I: a) just stop taking it (will there be any discontinuation syndrome after only 7 days of taking it?) b) continue with 30mg until I see my doctor?

Please help me, thanks.

Hi there
I think I was just posting to you in the other thread as well. My side effects lasted a week, but insomnia never went away. I have a hesitation urinating too. It doesn't hurt, but it is weird to me. If you don't see him in time don't stop taking the meds!!! If I were you I would just continue with 30mg. Withdraw and retaking will be bad for you. They started me right to 60 mg... hummm, maybe thats what is wrong with me.
Love Amy

Hi there
I think I was just posting to you in the other thread as well. My side effects lasted a week, but insomnia never went away. I have a hesitation urinating too. It doesn't hurt, but it is weird to me. If you don't see him in time don't stop taking the meds!!! If I were you I would just continue with 30mg. Withdraw and retaking will be bad for you. They started me right to 60 mg... hummm, maybe thats what is wrong with me.
Love Amy

So how do you sleep at night? Right now, I don't sleep at night (toss and turn and get very frustrated and uncomfortable, my body feels so tired but my mind is racing), then I feel still energized in the morning, but by the afternoon I take a nap. If insomnia doesn't subside I think I'll have to stop taking this, because sleep is very important. Thanks for the advice, I guess I'll keep taking 30mg for now. This sucks.

I take 120 mgs a day. Started at 30, went to 60 , and the side effects were bad at first, stomach pain etc. But after about 6 weeks at 60 I crashed. Went to 90 and was fine for about 8 weeks then crashed. Am now on 120 and am doing well once again. I am lucky as I have a top psychopharmacologist at Vanderbilt, and I asked him what do I do when I crash at 120? And he said <<"120 is not a magic dose. We can go higher. Almost always when this happens we get to a point where it stops wearing off.>>. Loss of appetite is NO PROBLEM for me, I'm thrilled. I take 2 30 mgss in the a.m. about 5:00, go back to sleep for 2 hours, go to work, take 2 more with something to eat about 10:00 a.m. and I'm good. I take 10 mgs of Ambien at night.

I was on Cymbalta for one year four months and did not notice any benifit from it. I quit it a month ago. Dr did say Cymbalta helps to reduce aches and pains that are associated with depression.

my sis had a bad reaction to it.it made her lips twitch and she couldnt barely speak