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“It’s all in your head.”

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My p-doc, that I’ve seen for a couple years now, tried me on cymbalta because he doesn’t like my mood during my cycles. One pill caused me euphoria and altered senses followed by extreme nausea after lunch, panic, loss of appetite. It really kind of scared me. I called the office and they wanted me to come in the next day. After waiting 2 hours to see him, he spent 6 minutes with me. Told me it is impossible to have side effects this soon. Told me I think these things happened but it was a placebo effect. (Basically all in my head). No offering of trying a smaller dose but he did write me a script for buspar at my request even though he told me it doesn’t work. At this point he said he just wants to make me happy and will let me try stuff at my request even if he’s sure it doesn’t work.

I feel like an idiot, crazy and like no one believes me in anything. Has anyone given up on cymbalta after 1 pill or had bad side effects early on?
 
I can't do ANY anti-depressants, and feel the negative effects within a dose or two. Yes, sensitive systems can tell immediately when you put something in that isn't good for you. While its nice to have a doc that will just prescribe anything you want, the fact that he SAID what he did means I'd be shopping for a new doc. That level of negativity doesn't help my situation at all. Good luck, and Buspar DOES work! I take it without any issues, although I do have to take a hefty dose of it. It's the only "psych" med that I've been able to take long-term with no bad effects, but feel a significant difference for the better!
 
It can happen. It happens to me all the time, and I’ve had a similar reaction from past doctors. I would find someone new to work with.

The official term is paradoxical reaction, which describes when medication causes an unexpected, opposite reaction. An example is when antidepressants cause suicidality.
 
Side effects may take awhile to build up with certain medications but allergic reactions, atypical reactions, paradoxical reactions, & medication interactions can all happen immediately.

It’s also entirely possible that it was a placebo effect.

If it WASNT placebo effect? A smaller dose wouldn’t help. Because if you’re dealing with an allergy, bad reaction, or similar, it strikes it right off the list at any dose. Atypical or paradoxical -meanwhile- would require close monitoring with no idea whatsoever what the possible effects would be. By both of us. 3x a week med checks by phone or in person. Which is a lot & for me personally usually means that particular medication will stay on the list of possibles... at the very bottom.

Either way? You’re off the med you don’t want to be on and on one you do, yes?

With certain doctors that are not someone I want to work with long term, but someone that I need something from? I’ve learned to ignore tone & content & focus on results. Conversely? If it’s a doc I’ve worked with long enough that they give me carte blanc? Trust me enough to take my word on it, even if they personally disagree? I usually give them quite a bit of slack in the tone & misunderstanding department.

To me it sounds like this doc would be more in the second group, since you’ve worked with him for a few years and he took you immediately at your word and switched meds for you.
 
Cymbalta is notorious for nausea and dizziness - not quite sure why a doctor would suggest otherwise. They’re associated with both going onto, and coming off of, the drug. One that you taper off slowly to avoid it.

Side effects like those can dissipate in a couple of weeks if you stick with the meds (but not always).

A lot of people take venlafaxine (Effexor) as an alternative to Cymbalta because it’s slightly better tolerated in terms of side effects.

Then there’s people like me who take desvenlafaxine because I tolerate it better than venlafaxine!

The ‘euphoria’ side effect is an unusual one, unless you’re on other medication? Particularly painkillers?
 
Cymbalta is notorious for nausea and dizziness - not quite sure why a doctor would suggest otherwise. They’re associated with both going onto, and coming off of, the drug. One that you taper off slowly to avoid it.

Side effects like those can dissipate in a couple of weeks if you stick with the meds (but not always).

A lot of people take venlafaxine (Effexor) as an alternative to Cymbalta because it’s slightly better tolerated in terms of side effects.

Then there’s people like me who take desvenlafaxine because I tolerate it better than venlafaxine!

The ‘euphoria’ side effect is an unusual one, unless you’re on other medication? Particularly painkillers?

The only other thing I take is trileptal and thyroid medication. I’ve been looking up euphoria with that drug online trying to at least prove to myself that it is possible. I
Have found that less than 1 percent of people have experienced the rare side effect.
 
The only other thing I take is trileptal and thyroid medication. I’ve been looking up euphoria with that drug online trying to at least prove to myself that it is possible. I
Have found that less than 1 percent of people have experienced the rare side effect.
Walgreens has an app where you can chat with a pharmacist. Download it and ask them questions, you don't even have to have any prescriptions through them. It can either validate you or ease your mind.
 
@Gs172003 That is good information. I’m doing my research because both the very nice pharmacist I had talked to and my p-doc said it isn’t likely after one pill.

I know that the pharmacist is probably the biggest wealth of non-biased drug information. Plus, mine must have been trained in therapy because at least I felt validated by him, though he has never seen it this early on.
 
One pill caused me euphoria and altered senses followed by extreme nausea after lunch, panic, loss of appetite. It really kind of scared me.
I bet - that sounds scary.

When I went on cymbalta I felt sick as a dog for about five days, and then it slowly started to dissipate. Nausea, no appetite, and the copper taste in my mouth started right away as well. I also had some panic, but I'm pretty certain it was due to feeling the side effects, you might have a think about that. I had weird vision, but I attributed that to the panic.

Everything you described does sound possible. I'm sorry your concerns were dismissed. It can be helpful to remember that things listed as "known side effects" happen when your body is adjusting, not rejecting, the drug. It's only a small number of reactions that will fall under "stop immediately".

So, in order to know whether or not you can tolerate the drug, you sometimes need to give it a full 7-10 days, to see if the side effects improve. BUT: you're the one who knows your body, best. I would only encourage you to try and separate which reactions are side effects, and which reactions are a reaction to the side effect (if that makes sense) - that can help you sort out which is which, and it makes communication with the doctor and pharmacist easier - slash - more productive, especially if they are not really listening closely. I really am sorry for that, there's sometimes nothing worse than not being listened to by the medical professionals you are depending on.
 
I was prescribed Cymbalta for foot pain, not psych reasons, but it was at a typical psych dose. It affected me in a way where I was super sedated and lost any sense of the day. I tried it twice. It's not a known typical side effect but it hit me right away both times.

I'm glad he was willing to switch meds, and it stinks he was a little flippant about it. They sure don't teach enough about good bedside manners in med school.
 
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