3 replies to this topic

[Lou_J]

My wife has been taking Cymbalta since June of last year. At first, she had good results. It got her out of her depression and she as able to function as her normal self. As December came along, signs of her depression have returned. She has good days and bad days. Over this time she has also gained about 30 pounds.
We recently moved to another state and she is waiting to get medical coverage (she's on Medicare and gets disability). She hasn't been able to see a doctor or therapist since she has no coverage or money to pay out of pocket.
We're convinced the medication is incorrect. The question is whether it's too much or too little. I think it's too much. I understand that Cymbalta is "time-release" and as the time goes by, her "symptoms" seem to go away. Almost as if she's having some kind of "toxic" reaction to it now. She takes 20mg once a day (at bedtime). She's been having trouble sleeping, has repeating thoughts, anxiety, mood swings, and has trouble getting moving/out of bed. These symptoms seem to lessen as the day goes on. By 2pm she's "normal" and gets clearer as the night comes. Then the cycle seems to start over when she takes the Cymbalta before bed.

I think she needs to get off the Cymbalta, but she's afraid to stop it.
Any advice? Has anyone has a similar reaction?

[Junior]

Hi Lou

I like your comment about your 'reason for joining' - tired of Drs that don't know what they're doing. I cannot tell you how many times I've read stories of Drs that just don't seem to understand the effects modern a/ds have on people, both while taking them and during withdrawal.

Anyhow.... You said the Cymbalta worked well in the beginning but that after 6 months, some depressive symptoms returned. But then, the other symptoms lessen more and more after the last dose was taken. Not quite sure how to interpret that... other than to say that Cymbalta is obviously not working for your wife now.

The question is whether your wife is stable following the original need for medication. Usually Drs say people should stay on their meds for 9 months to a year. Having said that, what she is doing now is clearly not working. Remembering that I am not a medical professional... I'm thinking about Prozac. Many people use it to alleviate the symptoms of Cymbalta withdrawal, then stop it later. In your wife's case, if it worked, she could possibly stay on it for a while to cover any likelihood of relapse. Just my opinion.

Let me know what you think
Junior

[QueenTimely]

I wish I had answers for you. What I can say is that I too suffer from depression and that her symptoms sound familiar. Repeating thoughts, trouble sleeping, anxiety, trouble getting out of bed. I can't say I have mood "swings" because I just tend toward the medium to low side, but I do "swing" into anger and extreme agitation. My worst symptoms are in the morning, too. The problem for me is that cymbalta has not relieved those symptoms and also makes me sluggish. Or it's not the right drug and so I"m still sluggish from depression. Unfortunately, after a while, it's hard to tell what's what. That's why I'm coming off, albeit slowly.

Has she been on other anti-depressants that have failed to work? Because there are people on this board who have felt sluggish on cymbalta. I never felt that way on Zoloft, but it just stopped working for me over time.

I don't know what to say about the absence of health care except to urge you to support a national health care system like most of the rest of the developed world has. I'm an American, but I've lived in Australia and now in Italy and I believe no one should be without health coverage. Sorry, but it's so awful that you can move states and lose coverage. Forgive me -- but I know what it feels like because it happened to me in the US too.

My wife has been taking Cymbalta since June of last year. At first, she had good results. It got her out of her depression and she as able to function as her normal self. As December came along, signs of her depression have returned. She has good days and bad days. Over this time she has also gained about 30 pounds.
We recently moved to another state and she is waiting to get medical coverage (she's on Medicare and gets disability). She hasn't been able to see a doctor or therapist since she has no coverage or money to pay out of pocket.
We're convinced the medication is incorrect. The question is whether it's too much or too little. I think it's too much. I understand that Cymbalta is "time-release" and as the time goes by, her "symptoms" seem to go away. Almost as if she's having some kind of "toxic" reaction to it now. She takes 20mg once a day (at bedtime). She's been having trouble sleeping, has repeating thoughts, anxiety, mood swings, and has trouble getting moving/out of bed. These symptoms seem to lessen as the day goes on. By 2pm she's "normal" and gets clearer as the night comes. Then the cycle seems to start over when she takes the Cymbalta before bed.

I think she needs to get off the Cymbalta, but she's afraid to stop it.
Any advice? Has anyone has a similar reaction?

[Lou_J]

Hi Lou

I like your comment about your 'reason for joining' - tired of Drs that don't know what they're doing. I cannot tell you how many times I've read stories of Drs that just don't seem to understand the effects modern a/ds have on people, both while taking them and during withdrawal.

Anyhow.... You said the Cymbalta worked well in the beginning but that after 6 months, some depressive symptoms returned. But then, the other symptoms lessen more and more after the last dose was taken. Not quite sure how to interpret that... other than to say that Cymbalta is obviously not working for your wife now.

The question is whether your wife is stable following the original need for medication. Usually Drs say people should stay on their meds for 9 months to a year. Having said that, what she is doing now is clearly not working. Remembering that I am not a medical professional... I'm thinking about Prozac. Many people use it to alleviate the symptoms of Cymbalta withdrawal, then stop it later. In your wife's case, if it worked, she could possibly stay on it for a while to cover any likelihood of relapse. Just my opinion.

Let me know what you think
Junior

Hi Junior,
Thanks for your reply. Let me clarify. My wife is still taking her meds as directed (20 mg once a day). She takes her meds at bedtime. She has her depressive symptoms from the time she wakes up in the morning (about 9 am) until about 7 pm. After about 7pm, she becomes her normal "non depressed" self. She take her meds at bedtime (about 11pm) and the cycle seems to start again the next day.

I think the Cymbalta is giving her the depressed symptoms she's experiencing most of the day. I would like to try weening her off it, but she's afraid. I know I should use the "removing beads" method. Meds like Prozac give her a "disconnected/unfeeling" feeling and she doesn't like it.

I'm just looking for advice from anyone who has had a similar reaction to Cymbalta and whether they decided to get off it or not...