Is it normal to get extremely tired from Cymbalta?

While on this drug, I experienced fatigue that was so debilitating I couldn’t get out of bed for work. I slept so much. Too much. It was absolute hell, so I had to get off it or I was going to lose my job. I have never been that tired in all of my life. Not even during pregnancy. Everyone seems to react differently to this drug though.

Hi everyone. I’ve been on Cymbalta for 8-9 years and I’m now tapering off it. One of the main reasons I’m getting off it is because of being weak and tired all the time. It doesn’t matter how little sleep or how much sleep I get I’m exhausted all day. I still have to have an afternoon nap or I’m in a fog for the rest of the day. I’m down from 60 mg to 20 mg and all the side effects (which were many) are gone; except for this one. I did gain a lot of weight; which I found extremely depressing; but I have started to lose the weight now. I can’t wait to be completely free from Cymbalta and get my life back.

Hi, WVgal! Did your husband start on the 60mg? That is pretty much the high end dose for Cymbalta so perhaps asking his doctor about a dosage adjustment might be in order before switching to yet another medication, especially as Cymbalta seems to be helping.
Best regards to you both,

My husband has been on 60mg of Cymbalta for 3 months now. He has had moderate to severe fatigue since taking it. Sometimes he will sleep his weekend away. I keep hoping that it will get better because this is the only relief he has had from his anxiety attacks in two years. He developed anxiety 2 months after CABG surgery. He tried Celexa, Lexapro, and Buspar but they only made it worse. The Cymbalta have made his anxiety attacks manageable. He usually takes it in the morning but he is taking it a little later everyday to start taking it in the evening to see if that will help. He also complains of feeling like his head is in a fog a lot. How long should we give his body to get used to the medicine before we try a different medicine?

I was on it for 10 years, and slept every afternoon for 2-3 hours, plus 10 to 12 hours at night. I thought it was due to being depressed and having chronic fatigue . However I have tried to come off twice, and each time i have no longer required my afternoon nap, so it has clearly been the medication making me sleep so much. It also made me feel numb, emotionless.

Hi there,
Without knowing any details about your situation, I'll do the best I can. I love cymbalta for the sedative effects when given for Fibromyalgia, depression, anxiety. I would prescribe it to take right before going to bed as it helps you go to sleep which is a common problem for the conditions it is used to treat. If sedation continues the next day even with bedtime dosing, talk to you doctor about lowering the dose. I have found that lower doses, even 30mg are MORE effective when given at bedtime than higher doses are with daytime dosing.

Talk to your doctor and also make sure to get a sleep study to rule out an underlying sleep disorder! Sleep apnea can cause and worsen musculoskeletal issues, headaches, fibro, sleepiness, depression, anxiety, high blood pressure, you NAME IT :).

Good luck!
Linda

This medicine made me tired also. It was great for my back pain but I could not get over the tiredness. I only took it at night when I was in a lot of pain.

I have been taking cymbalta 60 for 10 years now for neuropathy but it has never made me feel tired.

Hi, I'm sorry you are going thru that, I have tried Cymbalta in the past for over 2 yrs combined, I actually did not experience fatigue with it. I did have fatigue cause by depression and the Cymbalta made that so much better for me so my experience was the opposite of yours, hope you find relief soon.

Cymbalta made me extremely tired. I never had this energy people talk about on it, not at any dose and I started at the low/starting dose and over 5 years went up to the max dose at one time for a brief time. I was always tired and had no energy, wanted to do nothing, among many other issues that it took me a while to put together. I didn't realize how tired and blah I had become until I quit taking it and started to see how much more energy I had and I actually wanted to do things. I also gained 30 lbs while I was on cymbalta. I don't know if it was the actual med or the inactivity but, I have never been happier to be off of a medication in my life. So, YES it most definitely can make you tired in the beginning, middle and end!

It's amazing how medications can affect people differently. Some people get fatigue and others get energy. When I first started taking Norco i had a lot of energy, but after a long period on it, I get lethargic like you are feeling. I hope you will talk to your doctor about it. Hugs

Wendy; Just as Jamie has said if you're just starting it, Then yes but if it continues to check with the doctor you may need a dose adjustment.

It doesn't seem to make me tired but I've been on it for almost 2 years.