I took Effexor for almost ten years. About a month ago, my doctor switched me to Cymbalta. He had me take 30mg for a week and then increased my dose to 60mg. I am now ending week number four.
Not too long before starting Cymbalta, I just finished the horrible night sweats that occur during menopause, so I haven't been too thrilled with dealing with the feeling of heat at night. I have also experienced two other side effects: thirst - which was a bit scary because I am diabetic, and dreams.
After monitoring my blood sugar a little more closely than usual, I discovered that in spite of being thirsty quite often, my diabetes is not affected.
Everyone dreams every night. It's just that we usually don't remember the dreams. A lot of people are saying they are having nightmares with Cymbalta. I haven't had what I would consider nightmares. To me, nightmares are terrifying. I have had some, funny/strange/weird/bizarre dreams. What makes them noticeable is that I remember my dreams every day when I wake up. My family is quite tickled with this aspect of the medicine and every morning around the breakfast table is a discussion about what I dreamed the night before.
Day before yesterday was my first follow-up appointment with my doctor. We discussed the side effects I've been having verses the good effects I've had. Since I am diabetic, I get that horrible 'pins and needles' burning feeling in my feet quite often. It has disappeared since my fifth day on this medicine. That's been a big relief. I've also noticed that I don't get the 'wow, the world is mine' feeling I always had with Effexor. I feel like the way everybody else seems to me! My doctor says I am feeling normal which is how the correct medicine in the correct dosage is supposed to make you feel.
He said it was up to me if I wanted to stay on Cymbalta and wait through the bad side effects, ( He said most of his patients report the effects can last as long as six months and a lot of people aren't willing to wait through it.) or he could try another medicine. I decided to continue because for me, the good is lots better than the bad.
I think the important thing people should remember is what my doctor said.....You need the correct medicine in the correct dose for you. It can take a few months of a medicine with different doses to decide if one is correct. People are not the same and your doctor is not a magic wizard who can just look at you and automatically know the exact thing and the exact dose you need.
Not too long before starting Cymbalta, I just finished the horrible night sweats that occur during menopause, so I haven't been too thrilled with dealing with the feeling of heat at night. I have also experienced two other side effects: thirst - which was a bit scary because I am diabetic, and dreams.
After monitoring my blood sugar a little more closely than usual, I discovered that in spite of being thirsty quite often, my diabetes is not affected.
Everyone dreams every night. It's just that we usually don't remember the dreams. A lot of people are saying they are having nightmares with Cymbalta. I haven't had what I would consider nightmares. To me, nightmares are terrifying. I have had some, funny/strange/weird/bizarre dreams. What makes them noticeable is that I remember my dreams every day when I wake up. My family is quite tickled with this aspect of the medicine and every morning around the breakfast table is a discussion about what I dreamed the night before.
Day before yesterday was my first follow-up appointment with my doctor. We discussed the side effects I've been having verses the good effects I've had. Since I am diabetic, I get that horrible 'pins and needles' burning feeling in my feet quite often. It has disappeared since my fifth day on this medicine. That's been a big relief. I've also noticed that I don't get the 'wow, the world is mine' feeling I always had with Effexor. I feel like the way everybody else seems to me! My doctor says I am feeling normal which is how the correct medicine in the correct dosage is supposed to make you feel.
He said it was up to me if I wanted to stay on Cymbalta and wait through the bad side effects, ( He said most of his patients report the effects can last as long as six months and a lot of people aren't willing to wait through it.) or he could try another medicine. I decided to continue because for me, the good is lots better than the bad.
I think the important thing people should remember is what my doctor said.....You need the correct medicine in the correct dose for you. It can take a few months of a medicine with different doses to decide if one is correct. People are not the same and your doctor is not a magic wizard who can just look at you and automatically know the exact thing and the exact dose you need.
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Hello,
I have been on antidepressants starting with Zoloft then Lexapro, now I'm going on cymbalta for my depression and menapose. Withdrawl on all these anti depressants are horrible for me and I have had the zaps. I know I will never get off anti depressants and don't know if I want to because of my severe depression that I have and is hereiditary. My mom got off lexapro with no problem. For those that seems to have extreme depression will have a really hard time gettin off any anti depression drug. I would rather have side effects from the pill that for me eventually go away vs. living with the hell of depression.
Hi i would not advise to even consider taking the medication,it does cause increase in weight ,does Not work and is HELL is come off which im trying to do so for your own sake please think lonf and hard before takig CYMBALTA,the most worse tablet ever given to me by my doctor....Its ur choice ,just trying to make people aware of this horrible drug...
I weaned off Cymbalta 30mg after one year use, under the supervision of a doctor. Lowest dose of Cymbalta is 20mg. I was so sick with vertigo, nausea, tremors, body aches if I skipped even one day that we had to resort to opening the capsules & gradually reducing the number of beads in the capsule until totally off. Off for 2 weeks & still suffering. This drug is poison. Do not ever put it in your body. There are other alternatives
The Doctor's are still not aware of the severity of the withdrawal symptoms, that's why! My Dr. did wean me off, but you still go through the symptoms!
I have been on Cymbalta for 1 week. It is terrible for me. I was in the hospital & because they thought me to have PTSD from my car accident, & pain, they switched me from Zoloft. It is the 1st anti -depressant approve for pain in 20 years I was brightly told by the Psych.Dr. I have extream anxiety, a fuzzy mouth & haven't slept in a week. I get angered very easily. My whole personality has changed. I hats it! Off for me ASAP. We all have different physiology but similar to relatives sometimes are the side effects on these meds, my father had the same.
I agree with evkcard about Cymbalta. I have tried Wellbutrin, Celexa, and Zoloft and none of them worked for me. I have been on Cymbalta for only a short time and my family and I have already seen a tremendous change in me. Any antidepressent should be monitored closely and in weaning off of them. I am very excited about finding an antidepressent that actually helps me.
Some people ask me if I am feeling ok, I say yes, but what it is I am drifting off thinking about other stuff, it is like you are high all the time.I just went from 30 mg to 60 and this morning i feel sick to my stomach, if this medicine makes you feel sick, high,hair loss,blurred vision and what ever everyone else is experiencing, why the hell am i taking it? Not to mention some really weird dreams about every night......think mine are going in the trash can
Is this a zombie drug? People ask me if I feel ok, it is not that I do not feel ok, but my mind thinks and drifts off thinking about other stuff, not to mention blurred vision at times, and after reading effects it has on people in forums WOW, like hair loss, weight gain or loss, twitching muscles, lower sex drive and ect...... It also gives me weird dreams at night. I was on 30 mg for over a month, last night was my first time on a 60 mg and I was restless all night, woke up this morning feeling like I could throw up at any time and a little off balance. Please note that I have been on xanax for over 15 years but only 1.5 mg a day and my doctor says that the xanax you are getting used to and I need something to last 24 hours and not have the ups and downs of xanax wearing off. but if it is going to make me feel like this I would rather get off of it and go back to my xanax, which I am still taking as you have to lower your dose slowly to get off of those as well, but not sure if Cymbalta is the answer.
I was prescribed Cymbalta 3 months ago. It was prescribed for severe back pain that I was being treated for with no success by a pain management doctor. I was almost to the point of being in a wheelchair. I have to say that the first 2-3 weeks were a bit hard with side effects of dry mouth, dizziness, inability to orgasm, loss of appetite and increased urination. It all has evened out now and I have lost 10 pounds. It is difficult to orgasm but I can now. (Just have to work a little harder at it.;-) ) Dry mouth hasn't gone away but I just drink more water which is good for me. I am a COMPLETELY new person. I have no back pain and I am able to be very active. I have way more energy than I used to and my attitude: lets just say my husband said he would shoot the doc if he took me off it. I have fought depression most of my life. I once tried taking an antidepressant and it made me a zombie. I hated it so I never tried again. I am a firm believer that if it is not the right medicine for your chemistry than yes it will do bad things. Cymbalta just happens to be MY miracle drug. I now whistle, sing and dance as I do my chores. I don't get as upset about things. Oh and I sleep like a baby now. Before starting to take Cymbalta I had horrible time sleeping; tossing and turning all night and nightmares all the time. Not every drug is for everybody. If you are considering stopping taking it, it apperantly isn't right for you. I would never consider stopping.
I have been on Cymbalta for almost 4 years and I can't imagine my life without it. I was going to try to cut back from the 60 mg. to the 30 mg., but had so many aches and pains that I couldn't do it. I'm a lot sleepier and do sleep more with Cymbalta than is normal, I think. I don't know if Cymbalta has "masked" aches and pains, but I can truly say I'd rather have sleep than aches. Life is not easy, and anything that makes for a better quality of life is worth looking into. I don't care so much about quantity anymore, but I do about quality. I had a very hard time taking it in the first place because of rapid heart beats, nervousness, dry mouth, etc., but I knew this was my last resort and I had other NO choice, so I rode the waves for about 2 months, and finally came out on the other side to see daylight. It has changed my life for the better!
when i was on cymbalta i lost weight i never once gained i quit taken it because my dr. failed to refill it when it was needed then 3 months later when i tried taken it again i got the light headedness and dizziness but other than i LOVED it..
Guest wrote:
This is not sounding good. I have just been put on cymbalta to try and lose weight. I was originally on effexor 225 which initially helped me lose 12kg (sorry not sure about pounds), but then I gained it back and then another 12kg, so while effexor has been great for my depression, not so for weight. My new doctor thinks cymbalta will be more helpful so I will stop gaining. But who knows in the end? we all have individual dna
Guest wrote:
I started taking cymbalta last october for depression/anxiety and have since gained 30 lbs. I didn't start putting on the weight until I started this medication. The "weight neutral" thing is c**p.
I had a gastric bypass threee years ago and have maintained my weight loss. However, since going on cymbalta, I've slowed been creeping up in weight, now up about 10 lbs and I've not changed my eating habits. As a matter of fact, I've even started exercising more with a fitness traininer----and no it's not muscle gain. My gut is bigger and my clothes are tighter. Anyone have any similar side effects? I seem to be one of the few who is gaining weight with cymbalta.
This is not sounding good. I have just been put on cymbalta to try and lose weight. I was originally on effexor 225 which initially helped me lose 12kg (sorry not sure about pounds), but then I gained it back and then another 12kg, so while effexor has been great for my depression, not so for weight. My new doctor thinks cymbalta will be more helpful so I will stop gaining. But who knows in the end? we all have individual dna
i been on cymbalta for 6 weeks now and im losing my damn hair!! im freakin out!! im done takin it!! Will i go bald?????????