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[T R Cullen]

My situation only took six days of Cymbalta consumption. I spent 14 years in the Emergency Medical Services industry and had a sudden downturn in my mental health. My MHP had me weaning off of Lexapro 20mg and starting Cymbalta 30mg, as well as Risperidone to help me sleep. I lost two of four days being in never-never land, and in six days started having the typical brain zaps; however, I also started having periods where I would just stare for 15-45 seconds, with another 3-5 minutes of altered mental status/confusion. My PCP decided that I should quit taking everything and see what happens. It got to where I couldn't work so I took a three-month leave of absence and waited for a number of tests to determine whether it was a new onset seizure disorder or migraines-it ended up being complex migraines.

It's been over a year since I quit taking Cymbalta and it's hard to tell if (1) I had a migraine disorder that was made worse by the yinging and yanging of my serotonin level; or (2) Cymbalta was directly responsible for causing the migraine disorder. In either case I'm stuck with a migraine disorder that greatly affects my career and am sorry I ever took Cymbalta.

If there are any words of wisdom I could impart on people considering Cymbalta as a treatment for anxiety/depression, it is this:

There are a number of opinions held by mental health professionals as to what causes mental illness. I can say with a fair amount of certainty that working on an ambulance and in Emergency Departments, seeing the worst people have to offer each other, and staying up for days at a time played a significant role in my current mental state. You should discuss why you think you are anxious or depressed openly and honestly and find out what their point of view is. In my case the MHP pretty much blew off all of the experiences I've encountered, saying she believes mental health is "80% nature, 20% nurture". Make sure you trust the MHP and that their opinions jive with yours.