Hi Empir3 and to DF!
We have found that each anti-depressant effects different people in different ways. When I first started Cymbalta I had a few ups and downs, and often felt that "numb", nothingingness feeling. For most people it takes 4-8 weeks for the medication to reach full benefits. As it really starts kicking in well, the side effects should mainly ease away.
You might try something OTC to help with the sleep, at least for now. Until the side effects go away, it's difficult to know what time of day will work best for you to take it. I find that I can't sleep at night if I take it in the afternoon or evening, but like you am often yawning in the early afternoon. Some people find that it makes them sleepy and they take theirs at bedtime.
In this Cymbalata fourm, you'll see above members threads is an area of "pinned" items. These are informational and have useful information that you might find helpful.
Iowa

I was reading your post this morning and you have described how I feel. Is this as good as it gets? Its not that great so far. My Paxil worked in a day for me. The cymbalta seems like such a weird drug with so many complications and side affects. I am going back to the doctor. I was thinking maybe this is how I am going to be from now on. I mean how happy are we realistically supposed to be? I have lots going on in my life so it's hard to answer that question. I hope you get some answers.

Empir3:

I counted 51 days between when I started taking 30mg Cymbalta (which I did for a week before bumping up to 60mg), and when I truly felt great again. The anxiety hung around for a while, as did a feeling of lethargy.

That's not to say that I didn't start to notice positive effects before that, because I did. At the end of three weeks of samples, I filled my first prescription with a pretty good idea that the med was going to work for me.

These things take time, so please try to be as patient as you can. you may experience some negative, or inconsistent, effects before getting the med's full potential. Keep in contact with your doctor, and keep posting here! It might also help you to keep a daily mood journal, so that you can track any progress.

Be well!

This post has been edited by WantToHeal: Sep 27 2009, 12:50 PM

Thanks for the replies, and a little more insight in to what I am walking into. I have a 1 month script for 60mg so I'm obviously gonna stick that out. I am not finding the side effects too severe, the walking up 6 times through out the night is a bit of a pain, and I have prescription sleeping pills I have been on for a while, and even they don't really help me stay asleep. I suppose the fact that I don't really feel sad lately if a good thing, but this feeling of .... nothingness is gonna take some getting used to. I guess it must mean that the drugs are doing something. Oddly I have had sinus congestion for as long as I can remember, and now that I am taking cymbalta... I can actually breath through my nose!! I'll take that for a side effect :) Not much else to say really, just sorta checkin' in here and leaving my piece.

I am actually contemplating keeping a day journal, althought that sorta thing has never really been my style, but it might help me track and look back on some stuff.

The feeling of "nothingness" has never lasted, at least for me. I've had that for a while, but when the meds fully kick in I've always been able to feel the normal range of emotions, minus my tendency to dip too low and/or overthink things.

And maybe you don't need to go all out with the journal, but if you at least take some notes along the way, it'll give you some talking points for the next time you meet with your doc.

This post has been edited by WantToHeal: Sep 28 2009, 06:12 PM

Thanks for the reassurance WantToHeal. I have read a bunch of posts where Cymbalta did not work for ppl, it's nice to hear from someone it has really worked for? It gives me some hope and something to look forward to and get me past this "numb" stage. Do you find yourself unusually happy, or just back to your old self? I have always been pretty high energy, and very talkative... is this likely to change once the drugs take full effect? I do find that I am a little more lax now, almost less wound up then I have always been, anxiety is still hanging around a bit, but no worse then usual.

p.s. sorry of my thoughts and posts are all over the place, i'm just typing what comes in to my mind. I never was great @ writing formats.

Not unusually happy, just back to my old self. Motivated to get out of bed in the morning and do the things I want/need to do. More at ease with people around me, whether it was work, with friends, etc. Easier to talk and work things out in therapy (a good idea in addition to the meds). Better sleep and appetite. Optimistic about the future again. Not constantly worrying about things over which I have no control.

I ended up quitting Cymbalta, but it wasn't the med, it was me. I drank a few times (heavily) after it kicked in and I was feeling better. Unfortunately, my irresponsibility messed up the effectiveness of the meds, and the doc ended up putting me on something else, even though I've since stopped drinking altogether. I don't tell you this to alarm you, only as a word of advice and caution. Meds and booze don't mix. It's just not worth messing with the delicate balance of brain chemistry via alcohol and other drugs...I definitely feel like I set myself back a few months.

Even so, I really have nothing bad to say about the Cymbalta. It took a few weeks, but it did put me right.

This post has been edited by WantToHeal: Sep 28 2009, 10:34 PM

I have been on Dualoxatine for about a month now. I am feeling a bit better - well, quite a bit. I have takan all sorts in the past, and I would say, for me, this has possibly been the best yet. I have more motivation to do stuff in the daytimes, a little bit more energy. I am able to actually make decisions about small things, which I haven't been able to for years. I sort of feel like I know a bit more about who I am. I do have the numbness of emotion a lot, but I prefer that to being totally distraught all the time, about everything. I have just started university and have surprised myself by staying, mostly, awake through all my lectures and doing my research and tutorial work with relative ease. In the past, things like that have been sacked off after a day or two. I haven't missed any school in the two weeks I've been there, which sounds silly, but I'm pretty proud.

I posted before about the nightmares, and sadly, they have not faded yet, I dreamt I watched someone I love this morning hang themself - not nice at all, but I am handling them a bit better. I have found Phenergan (old school antihistamine) is helping me sleep a little better, but not much. I am not allowed sleeping tablets, I like them too much. Heh :(

One other thing I have noticed is I am getting really spotty. I have always gotten the odd spot and stuff, but at the age of 27, and coinciding with starting these meds, I have become rather the zitty scamp! I don't know if it is related at all, and I haven't heard anyone else mention anything.. so uh, yeah. I'll mention it to my GP I guess.

Hang in there. It does take a while for tablets to start to help and to stabilise you. You will have ups and downs along the way, and even after they kick in, that is the nature of the illness, sadly, but hopefully they will help.

Oh, and I would add, I think Berrocas are helping me this week too.

This post has been edited by iowa: Sep 30 2009, 07:53 PM

Good morning. Just doing another check in on day 10 of Cymbalta.

I think in general I feel better, I haven't really had a real low in about 6 days, and I think I am almost past the "numb" and "nothingness" stage and am back to feeling some/limited emotion. My only issue with this is that the first emotion I felt was sort of anger, more like a bitterness at the world sort of angry, like I used to feel all the time before the all consuming sadness set in. I had nothing to really be upset about, I was just hard at work and this feeling just suddenly came over me, and it lasted for about 15-20 mins. Then it was gone. Now it seems to come and go as it pleases, never stays for too long, even right now as I am typing this, I can feel the scowl on my face with some anger and just a smidge of sadness. Is this typical, can I expect this phase to pass like the numb stage? Because honestly, after I got used to the numbness, I sort of enjoy the peace and tranquility I was at, I wasn't happy or sad, but mostly I was never mad or angry at anyone or anything, just kinda rolled with the punches and let stuff slide. I don't want to go back to being angry, spiteful and hateful all of the time. I think I'd rather be sad and keep to myself again then put that s*** back on others around me and close to me.

On the positive side, I am talking a little more, started on a new job site this Tuesday and I didn't want to talk to anyone, even the contractors that I knew, sat off by myself @ coffee break. Friday I was talking with some of the guys, making a very few jokes and talking cars with them over coffee break. so some improvement there. I had a few honest laughs and smiles just yesterday, no faking it, just one of my very few actual friends made me smile a bit, and then she started smiling because I was smiling :) That felt great :) Right now my anger/bitterness has lifted as I was thinking of Michele and I smiling yesterday afternoon..... why is this stuff so complex and wishy washy, why can't we all just be smiling all the time!?


On to the side effect rundown.... Sleep is still a challenge, well staying asleep that is. sleeping pills help me fall asleep but don't keep me there like they used to. The constipation is driving me mad, I've been talking laxatives for the past 3 nights and I finally just pooped this morning. going 5 days with out going to the bathroom can't be healthy and it sure as hell doesn't feel all that great. Does anyone have any suggestions on what worked well for them? I seem to be feeling less spaciness but I still get it once in a while, but my concentration seems to be on the rise, which is great for work. MY appetite seems to be on the way back, which is good I guess, I am down to about 205lbs right now which is a great weight for me @ 6'2" tall and pretty much a swimmers build. I just don't want to start putting pounds back on again. I was around 230-235 after the winter months this year and I really want to try and keep in shape. Bare in ming that right now I am working a pretty physical contracting job so that helps with the weight loss as well. I didn't just stop eating and loose 30lbs. and last but not least is the sexual side effects..... sorry if this is too blunt... while my sex drive is down quite a bit, I still enjoy looking at pretty girls :) My man can still reach full the top floor :) but the Time, effort and focus it takes to achieve an orgasm is insane. I thought I couldn't do it anymore but I really put my mind to it and Taa-Daa. Huston we have ignition.


All in all, I am really thinking, hoping, Cymbalta is going to work for me.

Thats all for now folks.

I'm glad that you're feeling some improvements in less than 2 weeks. I've grown happy with the being able to feel anger. It just took awhile to direct it and/or feel it toward appropriate targets in appropriate ways.
I have not suggestions for the constipation. I have crohn's disease, so taking Cymbalta has helped me cope with diarrhea. LOL And I can occasionally eat foods that I haven't been able to before.
Iowa