Cymbalta Anyone?

[joeylittle]

I wish it was still working for me. I have had pretty good results from it :(
I hate changing meds!

As @Whispering_Truth said - you really should try an adjunct, first. A drug rarely actually just 'stops'. What is happening is that the drug is somehow too 'quiet', and you are at the max. dose. There are two things to consider:

• Did you start on brand and switch to generic? Try brand again. There is a difference, and it can be pronounced for some people.
• Have you had any changes in your situation lately - your life, etc - that is making things more difficult? If so, that's another reason to believe that the drug may well still be working, but it needs a boost because you are lower than usual.

I cannot recommend strongly enough - look into adjuncts first. I had great success with wellbutrin (buproprion). Your doctor will know what those options are. An adjunct is taken at a fairly low level. It combines with the main medication to make it more effective.

And otherwise: don't worry yourself into a panic. I said on the other thread - I'm a person who had zero withdrawal effects, just none. I could feel it right at first, the same way I could feel it when I missed a dose. But all the intense ones, nope.

The lawsuit (1) that you refer to was because of Eli Lilly failing to report the withdrawal symptoms on the drug information. And yes, that was a fail. So now, they are reported. Discontinuation Syndrome applies to all the SNRIs, I believe. as a possibility. Everything I've read says that in all but the severest cases (and those are rare), you can avoid discontinuation syndrome by titrating very, very slowly, and if you are introducing a substitute medication, beginning it at the right time in the titration down, so that they overlap in the middle.

Try not to panic, I guess, is the short version.

 

[MrsBeasley86]

Can you give me some examples of adjunct drugs?

 

[joeylittle]

Basically, one picks from another class.

You are on a SNRI. You've demonstrated difficulty with an SSRI (citalopram/celexa) -so that class is out.

You can adjunct from these other types of medication:

Other antidepressants that are neither SNRI nor SSRI:

• Buproprion (wellbutrin)
• Mirtazapine (remeron)
  
• Trazadone

Then, there are the atypical antipsychotics (that's just what they are called)

• Risperidone (Risperdal)
• Olanzapine (Zyprexa)
• Quetiapine (Seroquel)
• Aripiprazole (Abilify)
• Ziprasidone (Geodon)

And anticonvulsants

• Carbamazepine (Tegretol)
• Sodium Valproate
• Lamotrigine (Lamictal)

There are more. Generally, though, your doctor will have an idea about where to start based on their experience with the drugs and with you. This is the time when it's important for you to also be doing your own research. Start to read about these combinations, see how they may have worked for others, what the dominant side effects are, etc. If your doc is suggesting something that makes you uncomfortable, have that conversation too.

References: Link Removed
http://www.drugs.com/

 

[Hope4Now]

Ive been googling the whole coming off cymbalta stuff. Im doomed! There are even lawsuits!

I had wildly vivid dreams (unusual for me), and terrible gastrointestinal issues. Hard to tell about any emotional issues because I was pretty dissociated at the time anyway, I think. I wasn't on any other med before or after. All the symptoms went away after about 3 weeks.

 

[AnimaMundi]

I took cymbalta for 3 months (30-60 mg)

It gave me a little relief to my extreme depression, I cried less. But after 2 months I felt even more apathetic than usual, so we decided to suspend it. It was a sensation of emotional numbness.

I always have that sensation, but on cymbalta it was much stronger.

The discontinuation of the drug was not a problem. I did a little taper (60-30-0 in 2 weeks) and I was ok. Nothing comparable to the discontinuation of other substances.

 

[oasis2003]

oh dear I have just put Cymbalta into the search on my ptsd and have been reading the most recent responses. I have been put onto Cymbalta just now after being weaned off sertraline for two weeks it does not look too promising a change. I am beginning to think try no drugs and see how it would be!? I dissociate, have suicide ideation and massive adrenaline anxiety responses regularly, as well as depression and chronic pain and this is on anti depressants. Is there any improvement ? I have also had therapy for 18 weeks with not much response! It is scary where do I go from here? Any suggestions any one ?