Correction...my ALT level is now 120...

HI Dream2BFree,

I'm sorry you seem to have had such a negative reaction and thank goodness you noticed the symptoms. Does your doc also think that the increase in levels is down to the Cymbalta?

PRT xx

So i been on this med for almost 5 weeks now
Haven't really noticed any benefits
There were a couple of days when i first started out that i had reduced anxiety
I do self-medicate a fair bit, not everyday or anything but am wondering if this is the reason why its not working. I have tried other AD and was thinking they never get a chance to kick in if im self-medicating to much ?
Like i would say on average 3 nights a week and each night quite a bit.
It doesn't get me s*** faced but its still a decent amount i know
Anyone self-medicate that amount on there AD and it still helps them ?

This post has been edited by iowa: Oct 7 2009, 07:44 PM

Hi there,

I some questions.
My doctor prescribed me cymbalta today, in conjunction with ativan. I've never taken any sort of meds like these.

This post has been edited by iowa: Oct 7 2009, 08:33 PM

Hi and Welcome envirojunkie

It can be a little scary trying meds for the first time. It does sound like you have been suffering from some form of depression and that is probably why the doctor gave you the meds. It is worth trying them, as they can make a difference in your life. You may want to take a look through the room and perhaps start your own topic, so that you can get some more feedback.
There is no need to be sorry at all, that is what we are here for, for information and support.

Trace

This post has been edited by iowa: Oct 7 2009, 08:35 PM

Hi,

Thanks for your response. I'll try reposting this in my own thread. I have been reading a lot of the posts and didn't really see anything that answered my questions yet....

Thanks again...

Hi socialphobic, welcome to the Cymbalta Forum! Many antidepressants take 6-8 weeks before they reach a full theraputic level in your body.
However, it's really not a good idea to self-medicate when depressed, especially when taking psychothropic medications, like antidepressants. Why? Because alcohol is a depressant. If you are depressed, alcohol will contribute to the depression.

"There are specific warnings not to combine alcohol and antidepressants.
1. Both are processed by your liver and you risk liver damage.
2. Drinking affects how much of the meds are absorbed into your body.
3. Meds affect how the alcohol is absorbed and can result in being extremely drunk, huge hangovers, and/or alcohol poisoning and chances of seizures.
4. Alcohol is a depressant - you are making your mental health worse by drinking.
Do you *really* need to drink? What is more important, having a couple drinks, or getting your mental health in order?
Is it realistic to ask people not to drink? ... For your mental health, surely you can not drink for the time you are on antidepressants. It's a matter of setting your priorities straight."
We care about our members and want the best for each of you!
Iowa

Ok im posting this for anyone who wants to read.
I have social phobia and depression. I never really thought of myself as having depression. I just thought i didn't give a s*** about anything.
I had tried 3 or 4antidepressants in the past and gave up on them but recently i thought I would give them another shot and the doc gave me cymbalta. Its been 5 weeks and 1 day exactly today and i was starting to lose hope. Now today i woke up and i noticed that i was feeling pretty dam good! I feel very content and not so overwhelmed by everything. I went down to the shops before so i could test it out on anxiety. It didnt really have much of an effect as i was still anxious. But i noticed after woods that it didn't really bother me as i would usually think about it afterwords...(you know do the hole re-run things through my head and stuff). So im hoping it gets better but i can see that im going to have to work on the anxiety to get improvement and get over this crap.
Basicly im sasying to everyone dont give up on antidepressants. I know there is a lot of stuff on the net saying they dont work and there placebos and its unfortunate because it could turn people off trying them. It took me four shots to find one that works and it took whole 5 weeks before i notices anything at all. I know its frustrating but just hang in there and dont give up!
Good luck everyone

Hi everyone.

This is my first post. I really appreciate all the information that I've been finding on these boards & how open everyone seems to be with what they are going through. Thank you.

I took my first Cymbalta capsule yesterday afternoon around 3:00 pm. It made me sleepy within a couple of hours and last night gave me terrible nausea, which was pretty bad, plus a bad headache (which I still have today). I felt groggy this morning, but this is wearing off. My husband said I seem more at peace with things today and I'm sure much of that is the result of going to my doctor for help, for I no longer feel like I'm carrying this big burden alone (but I am still depressed, and know this will take time and effort on my part).

I have ADD and also take adderall, plus thyroid medication (my what a tangled web we weave).

Debating on whether to take my 2nd dose of Cymbalta today and experience the same symptoms, or hold off and talk to my doctor on Monday.

My biggest fear about this medication is what I have read on these forums about getting off the meds. I have no embarrassment about taking meds, but I hope not to be on them forever (goodness knows if I'll be able to afford them when I retire someday). If getting off the meds are going to leave me worse off than I am now, then I'd prefer to hold out for something else.

My questions for those of you who have either taken this med or similar are:

1. Do the initial symptoms of starting the meds go away after your body has acclimated, or will they get worse (and will more side effects crop up)?
(I have a huge project coming up at work that will either make or break me, so I cannot afford to be worse off than I am now.)


2. Has anyone successfully gone off Cymbalta without months of anguish?

Thanks, in advance, for anyone who can share their personal experience.

Hi puzzle and to DF and the Cymbalta forum! Cymbalta, like all ADs, effects different people in different ways and to different extents. Your symptoms are typical for many people. Some prefer to take the med in the morning and others at night (mainly based on either the grogginess/sleepiness or nausea problems). Some people (like me) talk to their doctor about taking it with an OTC or prescribed anti-acid to decrease or eliminate the nausea.
If and when you stop taking Cymbalta (or any AD), it's important that you do it under a doctor's supervision because tapering slowly seems to be important for avoiding or decreasing the side effects of stopping. People again, experience a wide range differences in whether or not they have side effects or the severity when stopping. Remember that personal accounts you read are much more likely to be negative than positive. Yes, there are people who stop Cymbalta with no problem (what percentage is impossible to know). Remember, few people who stop and have no side effects will bother to post that. Therefore, you're most likely reading the worst stories so take them with a grain of salt, knowing that it is different for different people.
It's difficult to predict what will happen with your side effects. They may increase a little at first as more of the medication builds up in your body. However, for most people, the side effects will gradually decrease with the build-up and most, if not all, will go away once you receive maximum benefit from the medication.
As for your project at work. If it will be completed within the next few days (next week), you might want to wait and start again when it's done. If it won't be completed for more than a week, and it were me, I'd go ahead now with the meds.
I wish you a very beneficial result from Cymbalta!
Iowa

You might try taking it late in the day. Yesterday, I took my first dose at 3:00 pm because my doc appt was late and it took time to fill the prescription. While the meds did make me sleepy, it worked well since I did not go to bed until around 11:00 pm. I slept good all night, which is rare for me. Usually, I have to take Ambien. Just a though if taking it in the AM or evening, right before bed doesn't work for you.

Thank you Iowa, for your note and info. I had not thought about the fact that most of the posts will be negative and that's a great and important point! I took my meds at 3:00 yesterday and at least the nausea did not hit me until around 8:30 or so, which is better than being at work getting hit with it. I thought it would be great to start the meds over the weekend, but the downside to that is that you can't reach the doctor (if an ER I could). My project is going to last months, probably over the next year. Thank you again ...

I'm really sorry that you're having so much trouble with the meds. My doctor told me that he would never put me over 90mg of Cymbalta and that if I needed that much he would put me on something else. Good advice on getting liver levels checked. This is probably good advice in general, as many of these meds can interact with liver. Good luck to you.

So an update to my situation in just starting Cymbalta. I had left a voice mail for my doctor about some of the concerns I had about Cymbalta based on a lot of the info I have read on these forums, plus some info I found at a website that also describes medications and user ratings of each medication.

He called me back tonight after he had gone online and done some additional research and he told me to stop taking the Cymbalta (I had only taken 2 doses), which he said should be OK. He said that much of what he's reading on the forums, he thinks are sincere efforts of people trying to help each other and that the feedback seems articulate and well thought out, plus he said that there are a lot of people complaining about the same things - the sheer volume of complaints is enough for him to be concerned. He said that when he began prescribing this medication some time ago he read info through his medical associations and much of this stuff was not listed. Now, he said that the side affects he's reading about, plus the terrible symptoms of withdrawal that he's reading about has him a bit concerned. I guess Lilly gives him samples and he said he plans to call them next week to ask them more questions.

For those of you just now venturing down the Cymbalta path, you might want to talk to your doctors again, just to make sure you are comfortable with the information you are given before you begin.

I haven't posted for a while.I'm 5 months in on Cymbalta.Went up to 60mg after a couple of months and seemed to be fairly stable.Now however i don't seem to be finding any benefits from it at all.Still get night sweats and occasional nausea,but its bearable.The tiredness is back,i just want to sleep constantly.Going to work is a real struggle a lot of the time and i only do 16 hrs a week.Even my kids have started moaning that i'm always in bed.Have been ill for a couple of weeks with flu and its really knocked me off my feet.
I've had a med review and mentioned the possibility of combining with wellbutrin to help with libido and have drawn a blank.Is this combo a USA thing? A locum dr i spoke to had never even heard of its possible uses.
I've been like this for 20 odd years,tried different AD's and had counselling and a clinical pyscologist(sp?)
I'm sick of it.

Mint, I'm sorry that you're struggling so much! It does sound like you need a med adjustment -- dosage, adding another med or change in med. I'm in the U.S. and honestly don't know if its common to add Wellbutrin to Cymbalta. I take Buspirone with mine.
Iowa

Hello,
My name is Debbie, and I am really having such a horrible time. I had been taking Cymbalta, for
depression, and anxiety only to have it make me have symptoms like the deepest darkest depression
in the world, also worse anxiety.

When I had my dose cut in half, and started having all the horrible sideeffects, withdrawls I thought I was
never ever going to make it. It is so awful the sweating, nightmares, not sleeping, mental anguish that you
have to go through, and then with each small decrease you start all over again.

I just want my life back, the one I had before antidepressants, as I just have never been the same.

Help!

Debbie

This post has been edited by PRT: Oct 13 2009, 04:03 AM

Hi Debbie

I'm so sorry you have found the Cymbalta so horrible. Unfortunately some meds just really disagree with certain people. Were you ok on the higher dose? Why did you decide to cut it in half?
I found starting up and coming off my AD very difficult so I understand how horrible the withdrawal process can be. It does get better though so just hang in there and know that there is something causing this, and it's not just you.
Could you speak to your doctor and ask if there's anything they can give you to help you through the withdrawal process?

PRT xx