Cymbalta-- anybody else out there on it?

[no name no slogan]

I just started taking this drug a couple weeks ago. It replaced Effexor, which I'd been on for seven years. It's pretty new-- is there anybody else who's on this?

Just curious... :)

[Sgent]

1. Not me...

But I am famliar with the drug. My pdoc actually talked about trying it, but she/we decided to go with lithium. Not that we thought there was anything wrong with it, just that we know the longterm side effects of lithium and I'm going to be on it for life :(.

[DemExpat]

2. Look here too....

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=276&topic_id=1521

:hi:

DemEx

[no name no slogan]

3. Cool! Thanks! (nt)

[musette_sf]

4. were you taking Effexor

or Effexor XR? I ask because I went through Prozac, Celexa and Lexapro before finally discovering Effexor XR, which has been very effective for me.

[no name no slogan]

5. I was taking the XR

I started taking the "old fashioned" Effexor back in 1997, but switched to the XR about six years ago. Before that I was on Paxil for a couple of years, and then on Wellbutrin for a couple of months, which didn't work. :(

Effexor XR worked quite well for me for a number of years. I was taking 300mg/day. Also, for the past four years, I was also taking 600mg Lithium, which my doc said boosted the Effexor somewhat.

I guess I had a pretty good run with the Effexor. Unfortunately I haven't been managing my health well over the last couple years, and didn't realize that I was depressed again (I was hospitalized for a week last month for it).

I'm glad to hear that Effexor XR is working well for you. In many ways, it was a miracle drug for me when I started on it. I'm hoping that Cymbalta works as well as the Effexor did, as I'm really looking forward to being healthy again. :D

[Pharaoh]

6. So what is the long term prognosis

for cymbalta? my doctor just put me on it cause I've been feeling like shit and could'nt do the prozac and elavil anymore. I'm sick of trying new drugs and getting nausea and diareha!!!!

[MuseRider]

7. My experience

with Cymbalta was not a good one. After over 3 years of needing help for the depression that every doc told me I would be able to work through I finally got seriously suicidal one day and my husband called my doc and told him I needed something now. He started me on Cymbalta and after 2 days I was climbing the walls and searching for a clean way to end it. It took a day to clear out of my system and I started Wellbutrin and have been very well since then. I hope you have a good experience with Cymbalta. That was my first med for depression, not encouraging but the Wellbutrin has changed my life. It was amazing to me that it took all of that to get someone to take me seriously about my depression but then they all know me and know that I usually can be counted on to tough stuff out. My reputation as a strong woman did me no good in this case :). Life is now better than I can ever remember it being. Good luck.

Edit I just saw the date on your post. I am hoping you are doing well, you should certainly know by this point, :).

[Pharaoh]

8. well I am told

it will take several weeks which if I were in a desperate state it would not be something to try,I have been having allot of nausea with or without anti d's and perhaps with this inflamed lymph node in my groin there is something else going on, sometimes it's just hard to get doctors to actually"listen" to you, so back to the doc on tuesday, damn I'm sick of this.

[Bluerthanblue]

9. i'm on wk. 3- moved onto cymbalta from effexor xr which

i'd been on for several years- Switched because effexor was not as effective, and rather than up the dose (blood pressure concern, and interactions with other med) new P-Doc recommended a change.
Stopped effexorxr cold turkey and began cymbalta- the first week was hell- vertigo that fell just shy of actually passing out (actually fell on the floor when i bent to the side to be sure the pilot light was still on under the supper i was trying to cook the fam-) :crazy:- had horrendus night terrors again- and began to experience involuntary facial movements (similar to TD)- but i couldn't get through to Doc- and wasn't sure if it was withdrawl, or the cymbalta.... so I hung in there- and things have gotten a bit better, but depressive waves seem to be returning -

Having no insurance and little $ I haven't had much luck with my new p-Doc- haven't seen or talked with them since the med switch, and they cancelled my appt. last week due to illness- I'm holding out hope that Cymbalta may be as effective as effexor was for me initially- i'm on several other meds,- and this time of year is very full of triggers and stressors, so it's hard to tell.

I hope you have a good experience with this. Did your Doc suggest you just stop effexor or taper off before Cymbalta?- Nausia is the most common side effect of Cym. but i have that pretty much regularly because of some of my other rx's - the vertigo was pretty scary tho- and the facial tics were as well- not very dizzy any longer- and no more tics (thankfully!!!- )

hope things are going well for you-
for all of us-

this is a difficult world to navigate as it is!

peace,
blu

[Pharaoh]

11. I had to get off elavil and prozac

the elavil was screwing up my urinary tract(prostate surgery) and I could sleep on the prozac without the elavil, so I'm only 1 week into the cymbalta,

I thought I've heard effexor is really hard to get off of so I hope that was most of your problem,

Keep me posted, I have been having problems with nausea and fatigue with or without anti d's and am really sick of it. But it is just really hard for the body to adjust I think after being on that combo for 15 years.

[ceile]

10. I was on it for a while.

Didn't do much for me, even at the highest dose and in combo with other drugs. It didn't have any noticeable side effects for me, but it was a BITCH to get off of.

[ncrainbowgrrl]

12. Me! (was put on it after the infamous "prozac poopout")

More energy, none of the side effect that I had w/ effexor (at least for me- your mileage may vary!

[Pharaoh]

13. was it a long startup?

they have me on 30mg (i think ) for 2 weeks almost (will be at 2 weeks tuesday) then up to 60 mg...........so far so good, I sure could use more energy, how long ya been on it rainbowgrrl?

[ncrainbowgrrl]

14. been on it a year now

Shortest startup of anything I've been on- started to see glimmers of results (occasional actual happiness! and feeling human!) about at week 3.

I understand about the lack of energy... I also have energy issues- Much better with Cymbalta than Prozac .(my other long term antidepressant) It does a good job- doesn't get me all the way to "undepressed"- possibly because I'm dealing with 2 different depressive disorders...(dysthymia/MDD,) If it were just Major Depressive disorder, I venture to guess that the cymbalta would take me all the way there. But dysthymia is all about low energy/feeling blaah, minor draggy- everything's an extra effort when I have a dysthymic spell- last one was a couple of months ago- but I knew that the meds would catch me... just needed them to "catch up" with me.

my psychiatrist uses ritalin to augment the cymbalta... a trick first started in my life by a psychopharmacologist 6 years ago-- to augment Prozac at the time. Apparently, he had read about using psychostimulants as a strategy to "make the antidepressant work better" in some atypical depressive patients and if i remember correctly, also for "double depressives." (ie- patients w/multiple depressive disorders) I get some additional energy from the ritalin, and feel really thankful for the fact that he found that- it's been a gift to have the antidepressant and augmenting stimulant working to the point where I sometimes almost forget that I do have depression!!

I hope the Cymbalta works for you. Hang in there- if you're "so far so good," you've cleared the first hurdle- the side effect one. (The hurdle that catches me on a LOT of antidepressant drugs!!)

take care, and if you ever want to chat/talk about this, my PM box is open for mail!

[Pharaoh]

15. Thanks! I appreciate it and will get back to you

course I'll probably just use this thread as these things are ultimately helpful to the others that follow us.......O8)