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HELP CONFUSED WITH MEDS!!!!!!!!!!!!

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linda61597
linda61597

I started on Cymbalta 30mg 4 weeks ago, at the same time she gave me a script for Mirtazapine 15mg to take at night. I was afraid to start 2 meds at the same time. I did & do have some side effects with the cymbalta, at first diarrhea & nausea which has gotten some what better. My symptoms for starting meds is depression & anxiety and can't sleep at night. I had VERY BAD ANXIETY & I'm still taking xanax 0.5mg for around 4 years now. I was taking it up to 3 times a day & now I'm down to once a day since being on cymbalta. Sorry for rambling but I just wanted to find out is it safe to start Mirtazapine or will I suffer with more side effects from being on cymbalta & Mirtazapine. I already suffer with acheness in my legs in the morning until I start moving around takes a couple of hours to clear up. Also suffer with lost of appetite & memory loss which is making my depression worse! I smoke 11/2 times more now from my (stress-anxiety)

Hard habit to break smokeing 49 years. Please I need some help with what to do!!!!!!

0 likes, 12 replies

12 Replies

  • mud93433
    mud93433 linda61597

    Posted

    If you've been taking Xanax 3 times a day for four years and you just stopped it completely while starting the Cymbalta, you are probably going through benzodiazapene withdrawal. I've been through that, and it was not fun at all.

    I'm not familar with Cymbalta other than I know it's an SNRI and works differently than Mirtazapine. Mirtazapine was the best anxiety med I've ever tried but it does knock you out an hour after you take it for the first week or two, but that's exactly what you need when your anxiety is so bad you can't sleep. Helped me immensely.

    Check with your doctor and ask about taking those two together. Is she a general doctor or a psych? I tend to trust psychs with meds more than MDs, generally, but I've had an excepting with the doctor that prescribed mirtazapine for me to help me through benzo withdrawal. Best doctor I EVER had. 

     

    • linda61597
      linda61597 mud93433

      Posted

      I am seeing a Psych & she perscribed both at the same time.

      She told me to take cymbalta in morning & Mirtazapine at night.

      She also gave me a script for the Xanax which I am taking ONE 0.5 mg a day. Is there any side effects taking the Mirtazapine besides sleeping & gaining weight? It's fine to gain weight because I have NO APPETITE right now with the cymbalta & depression

    • mud93433
      mud93433 linda61597

      Posted

      Oh ok, that's good that you havalist. I would follow your psych's instructions and start the mirtazapine at night, about an hour before you want to be asleep. (If I took it too early then I'd start craing junk food like crazy!) If you start at 7.5mg or 15mg, you'll most likely be out cold within an hour and sleep like a baby. I was so happy to sleep the first night I took mirtazapine I cried tears of joy the next morning. Seriously.

      And yes, especially at doses less than 30-45mg, it does give you the munchies, similar to marijuana. And you may feel tired and a bit loopy for the first week or two but that goes away. Once you get up to 30 or 45mg you get more energy back and less side effects. 

      Mirtazapine can cause other side effects than the ones you mentioned, but honestly, I wouldn't worry about that until you experience them. If we tell you that a side effect may lead you to believe you're Elvis, then you're 10x more likely to think you're Elvis. The power of suggestion. Go for it and report back to us and we'll help best we can.

  • Sweeswee
    Sweeswee linda61597

    Posted

    I took cybalta and had an awful reaction to it. I was very fit and healthy and active in sport but had to stop due to that med making my heart race just taking a few steps. It was ridiculous and set me down a 2 year road of many meds. I look bacķ now and wish I never bothered starting them at all
  • oldboy
    oldboy linda61597

    Posted

    I do not see anything inherently wrong with taking 2 medications at once - as long as the medical authorities agree.   Duloxetine (Cymbalta)  plus mirtazapine is okay. 

    There is no reason to think you will get worse side effects  - as the reason for taking a combination is often that one drug mitigates the side effects of the other.

    I take sertraline for anxiety plus mitazapine for insomnia.  It works well.

    • linda61597
      linda61597 oldboy

      Posted

      Thanks I am going to start the Mirtazapine tomorrow night, I don't have to work for the next 3 days & if anything goes wrong I'll have 3 days.

    • Sweeswee
      Sweeswee linda61597

      Posted

      Usually you just sleep like a log so might be a bit tired but that does pass
    • mud93433
      mud93433 linda61597

      Posted

      Perfect! With a few days off you'll have one less thing to worry about. 

      I hope it works for you right away like it did for me. The very first night I took my first dose of 15mg mirtazapine, I slept the best sleep of my life, about 11 hours, because I really needed it. It was glorious.

    • linda61597
      linda61597 Sweeswee

      Posted

      Thanks, I really need a good night sleep.

      Just as long as it doesn't cause any side effects I'll be a happy camper!!

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