shoulderblades
Platinum Member
I am on 120mg a day, and have been on that dose for about two going on three years. It has done wonders for me in terms of stabilising bipolar (which I have to also manage with 50mg Seroquel a day, although I am not very good with taking the Seroquel, due to how drowsy it makes me :( - I get sick of feeling like a zombie and incapable of focusing on things).
My initial side effects were heavy-headedness, dizziness, nausea and visual disturbances. Those side effects calmed down after about three weeks.
The longer term side effect was an inability to feel anything emotionally. I was numb to absolutely everything. I didn't feel sad, I didn't feel depressed. I just felt... nothing. Literally nothing. While it was a nice break from the emotional turmoil I would otherwise have been in, day in and day out, it also scared me. It was, to me, the equivalent of being the walking dead; alive and yet utterly dead. I lost my libido completely as well. Horrific nightmares, too - I have had intense nightmares for many years but the Cymbalta seemed to amplify the nightmares to terrifying levels, to the point where I was waking up screaming, sweating and trembling. These longer term effects lasted about four to five months.
Things evened out then. I was able to manage at a functioning level (a level I hadn't been at since I was a teenager) and I was able to get through the days with more ability to smile and appreciate life.
A word of caution that forgetting to take Cymbalta can lead to intense serotonin withdrawal. I've experienced this a number of times and it's very unpleasant. Uncontrollable shaking, cold sweats, inability to form words and disorientation are the effects I experience from forgetting to take Cymbalta a few days in a row.
I currently feel it's time I either ask my GP to help me try another drug or another drug combination instead of/in conjunction with Seroquel because I feel Cymbalta isn't working for me like it was; I'm experiencing suicidal thoughts and ideations (though I'm wondering if that's because I've started to address some of the issues from my past). However, during the time it has worked for me, it worked wonders and is what stopped me from making reckless decisions (such as running away from home) and committing suicide.
My initial side effects were heavy-headedness, dizziness, nausea and visual disturbances. Those side effects calmed down after about three weeks.
The longer term side effect was an inability to feel anything emotionally. I was numb to absolutely everything. I didn't feel sad, I didn't feel depressed. I just felt... nothing. Literally nothing. While it was a nice break from the emotional turmoil I would otherwise have been in, day in and day out, it also scared me. It was, to me, the equivalent of being the walking dead; alive and yet utterly dead. I lost my libido completely as well. Horrific nightmares, too - I have had intense nightmares for many years but the Cymbalta seemed to amplify the nightmares to terrifying levels, to the point where I was waking up screaming, sweating and trembling. These longer term effects lasted about four to five months.
Things evened out then. I was able to manage at a functioning level (a level I hadn't been at since I was a teenager) and I was able to get through the days with more ability to smile and appreciate life.
A word of caution that forgetting to take Cymbalta can lead to intense serotonin withdrawal. I've experienced this a number of times and it's very unpleasant. Uncontrollable shaking, cold sweats, inability to form words and disorientation are the effects I experience from forgetting to take Cymbalta a few days in a row.
I currently feel it's time I either ask my GP to help me try another drug or another drug combination instead of/in conjunction with Seroquel because I feel Cymbalta isn't working for me like it was; I'm experiencing suicidal thoughts and ideations (though I'm wondering if that's because I've started to address some of the issues from my past). However, during the time it has worked for me, it worked wonders and is what stopped me from making reckless decisions (such as running away from home) and committing suicide.
