i have been on
cymbalta now for 2 months.
i started off on 2 7-day trial samples of 60 mg taken once daily. dr recommended to take in the early morning for a boost of energy. so i have taken it always between 7-8 a.m.
sought use for: generalized anxiety/non-stop negative thoughts; mild-to-severe depression
previous experience with anxiety/anti-depression meds:
paxil (1994), imipramine (1994),
effexor (2001), effexor XR (2002-2003)
i chose cymbalta because it is comparable to effexor and although i was able to see results with my anxiety and depression with effexor, i had more problems with sleeping and irritability that i ended treatment with effexor.
cymbalta has by far exceeded my expectations in not only treating my anxiety and excessive negative thoughts but also lifted my depression. i immediately felt results on the first day, approx. 4 hours after the first dose taken.
during the first month, i did experience an increase in yawning but i wasn't tired. as a matter of fact, i had finally established a good sleeping pattern getting to bed early and wake up well rested. i started to arrive to work on time and able to focus better. i did experience a reduction in appetite and an increase in libido/desires. i also experienced a reduction in waking up in the middle of the night to go urinate. it was amazing. i always would wake up around 2 or 3 am and have to pee and then have trouble getting back to sleep.
the biggest difference between taking cymbalta vs effexor for me has been a more stable functioning as a person. with cymbalta i don't have a fluctuation of moods as i did with effexor which was really unstable.
after my first month of cymbalta, i was able to get excited or at least focused on jogging during my lunch break a couple times a week. that was great.
the two side effects that i experienced during the first week: (1) dry mouth in the morning; (2) constipation. i have always been a heavy sweat person and now i find it easier to sweat even more. so i guess that can be the third side effect. although i had experienced increased libido during the first three weeks, it went away, and then returned again.
during the beginning of second month of cymbalta, i regained my appetite although it is still slightly reduced from my normal usual eating. still dealing with constipation but dry mouth has resolved. libido seems to be fine.
from what i have been reading, there is no benefit in taking more than 60 mg per day of cymbalta. i just wanted to highlight this as there have been some postings here of people taking more than 60 mg per day.
so far, i am very pleased with my cymbalta experience.
