STARTED CYMBALTA HORRIBLE SIDE EFFECTS

ok isn't 30 mg the starting dose for Cymbalta ? I won't be able to see my GP for a few weeks and I'm not sure what to do at this point. My wife currently has Zoloft 50 mg capsules ...should I try a few of hers and see if the side effects with Zoloft are any better ? or simple wait until I see my doctor again?

I was started on 30 mgms but after taking just one  had severe side effects. I saw a different dr who said the dose was too high and to discontinue. I would not suggest taking any Zoloft at all but this is a discussion for your wife and her dr who knows her medical history , meds etc. Take care. 

thanks for your reply although did you have these terrible side effects in the beginning like I have ?

hi sorry for the delay replying

it's tricky to say what side effects i got from duloxetine when starting, because, my depression and anxiety was so severe it was almost like there wasn't really anything which was going to make me feel any worse

i started on 60mg as recommended by my doctor and some might say that was quite high to start out (it seems others tend to start on 30-40mg for a week or two before moving up

everyone is different and everyone seems to react different when starting meds;  i would say there are certainly other antidepressant meds to take which might not give you as troublesome side effects, so you could certainly go back to your doctor and switch to something else if you feel you would like to do that.  it's hard to say exactly what the right answer is because everyone is different.  the important thing is to keep going until you are on the right med and then can move forwards and feel better

Hi Jones,

Sorry to hijack the convo, but you seem to know a bit about Cymbalta and have done well on it. I just went off cipralex for Cymbalta and have gained 3 lbs in 2 day without eating anything. In fact, it made me throw up!. 

I was on Remeron for a month and I felt wonderful - happy even! But I gained 30lbs and that started stressing me out not only because my clothes didn't fit but my bp, liver enzymes, and cholesterol all went up

But if I am going to gain weight on Cymbalta I might as well go back to Remeron since it works way better on my mood.

Have you gained weight on Cymbalta? I know it seems a small thing when you are depress to worry about your weight but with some people weight gain worsens depression. 

hello Lisa,

funnily enough i would actually be happy if i gained some weight from taking a med because i am quite slim (male) and could do with some extra weight on me  

i tend to be the other way and when taking antidepressants, i tend to lose appetite so will lose some weight (i experienced this when starting cymbalta), although after a month or two (when the med has settled in) my appetite tends to come back (and it has done now for me on cymbalta 60mg)

some people on certain meds, which includes cymbalta, can experience some constipation.  this can explain why some people might put on some weight, because, the food they eat is staying in their bodies for longer, so the nutrients from the food are absorbed by your body for longer and so this is why you can put on some weight

anyway with females (and also males, but perhaps females more), i can certainly appreciate that appearance and your weight are important and certainly play a role in your mood, so it's up to you then, if you dont like the weight gain your are experiencing from cymbalta perhaps you should speak to your doctor about trying something else instead.  there are certainly antidepressant/anxiety meds out there which wont affect your weight, it's just a case of finding the right med for you (i know its annoying having to try different ones but ultimately its certainly worth it in the end, and being on the road to getting well again is the best and most important thing we can do)

different people may experience different side effects from any medication they take, including common aspirin.  its a case of finding a med which agrees with you.  if you experience problems with a certain med, it doesnt mean everyone else is having those problems also. i dont experience any side effects at all taking cymbalta 60mg (i felt a little rough for the first few weeks but that is completely normal when taking any antidepressant).    i think all im trying to say is, there are negative stories about all medication.  there are a few antidepressants i took in the past which i had trouble with and had to stop, but i didnt start telling people on forums to not take that particular med because, although it didnt agree with me, for thousands of other people it helped them manage their depression and anxiety and live again

Great answers Jones:

Hopefully, we can share something you may have experienced that I am struggling with.  I'm been on Cymbalta (generic) 30 mgs. for 3 months.  Since the med seems to wear off after about approx. 6 hours, doc added another 20 mgs.to take before the first 30 wears off (my body gets around meds very quickly).  We made change the 20 to 30 so I'll be at 60 mgs. which is where I think I should be.

To get to the point, can you say DRY MOUTH.  The first 3 weeks were hell.  I was waking up in the middle of the night with the feeling that I couldn't swallow and my eyes were dry as well.  I started swishing coconut oil in my mouth about 10-20 minutes before I went to bed and that has helped but during the day about 1 1/2 hours after taking 30 mgs in the morning, the deadly dry mouth comes back.  Plus, it has effected my tongue which now has a lovely white and beige coating that I'm trying to get rid of.

Did you have dry mouth and if so, what did you do to treat it?  I have the constipation until control by using MiraLax when needed and like you, my appetite in on vacation. 

Thanx.

hi frazzled, i had the dry mouth also yes.  i have tried lots of antidepressants in the past, and (everyone's different of course) i found personally with me, there was a number of them which made me feel tired/fatigued more than usual, along with an upset stomach (but that tended to pass a few weeks after starting).  but then there were a couple of antidepressants which didn't give me the tiredness or upset stomach, but instead caused me to have a dry mouth and some constipation, and those two antidepressants were duloxetine (generic, not the brand cymbalta, but i dont expect that would have made a difference to me at least), and venlafaxine extended release (both the brand effexor and generic).

where it sounds like we differ though is, the dry mouth and constipation for me, passed after about 1-2 weeks for me when starting duloxetine (60mg).

that's a shame it sounds like you have got a bit unlucky with the side effects, which seem to be sticking with you.   it's tricky because its hard to say when or if they will pass for you, because we all tend to have different experiences with these meds dont we (eg. someone says a med makes them tired while another person says the same med gives them energy)..   then a few months later the person who was tired has energy again and the person who was getting energy is now having tiredness...  

i guess you can either keep going and hope the side effects pass, but mind you if it's been 3 months then one would expect things to have probably settled down by now..

the other option of course is to try a different med.  i know it's not always fun switching though.

sorry i cant give much better advice than that.  i've switched meds lots of times in the past due to side effects, the 2 most troublesome side effects for me which i had in the past with other meds were, too much daytime tiredness (it kind of sucks trading depression/anxiety for being sleepy all day doesn't it), and ..  too much REM overdreaming/vivid dreaming/waking up tired  from what feels like constant dreaming from as soon as head touches the pillow to waking up.  luckily i dont seem to be getting that side effect with duloxetine.. well at least not at the moment