Ive been on duloxetine/cymbalta for about 4 months and i was about 150 and i am now 128 and still losing. I am not sure if any one else has had this but its kinda strange. I have had fibromyalgia for about 4 years maybe longer not sure. Im also on gabapentin.
Losing weight fast on duloxetine/cymbalta?
Question posted by fibrofreak20 on 20 Jan 2016
Last updated on 10 August 2023 by Anotamous
26 Answers
Anotamous
10 Aug 2023
I asked to be put on cymbalta because other people with erythromelalgia and neuropathy have had positive experiences with helping the pain. Mine is in my hands and starting in my feet so i needed more than the other meds were able to do. I'm on gabapentin too. Yes I've noticed I'm losing weight fast and have to make myself eat or i won't. I'm on 60mg after starting at 30mg for a month. I don't mind at all seeing as it has taken the edge off the pain and made it to where i can get dressed every day again. That alone is worth any amount of weight loss to me. I didn't really notice until my bathing suit was too big : I've been on it for 2 months now.
Leslie1080
26 July 2023
I've been on duloxetine/Cymbalta for about 20 years! Started out on Prozac then Psych switched me to cymbalta because it quit working. They call it the "Prozac Poop-out." Then was diagnosed with fibromyalgia and doctor switched me to Cymbalta because it had just been approved for fibromyalgia. It was a blessing. It helped me tremendously with the the fibro while still controlling my depression. I have never noticed any weight problems. My weight does fluctuate from 30 to 40 lbs one way or another. Maybe this is why! Never thought about Cymbalta being the culprit. My Cymbalta did stop working at one point about 5 yrs ago, so Doc added Abilify It worked wonders but the drawback is sleep problems. Why didn't he just increase the 60 mg Cymbalta? Gotta get some decent sleep! Will talk to him next visit about this. Right now... 50 lbs overweight!
smchurch
24 July 2023
Just a quick note regarding my experience with Cymbalta. I have been on Cymbalta (duloxetine) for about (7) seven years, starting at 90 mg daily, then reducing to 60 mg daily after (1) one year and continuing with that dosage to date (i.e., I take it for both Chronic Pain and Anxiety). I have continued with this dosage (i.e., 60 mg daily) to the present, and I have never had any issues with weight loss; however, over the years, my weight has fluctuated often, but I did not relate this to the Cymbalta, but perhaps the Cymbalta could have been playing a part in this weight fluctuation, and I was unaware due to this pattern of gaining and losing weight being common to me! Not much help with answering your question, but I wanted to express to you my experience with Cymbalta! Good luck.
Bearded3414
24 July 2023
Me Too
I’ve lost 34llbs in 10 months , I was given Duloxetine for the nerve pain in my feet and legs , it does work for me but the weight thing is scary , I have to force myself to eat as I don’t think about food like I used too , I’m a type 1 diabetic so it’s a problem !
SenseiMark
24 Nov 2020
I'm on duloxetine (120mg/day), not a high dose, but I'm not losing any weight. I'm not sure if it's a metabolic thing or what.
SenseiMark
24 Nov 2020
It's not helping my pain either. My doctor says the maximum is 180mg/day
Viennagirl49
24 Nov 2020
Hi
I've been on duloxetine 60 mg for about 6 months and haven't noticed any weight loss. I actually gained 10 pounds
Fenner39
9 Oct 2020
Hi - same thing happened to me. My orthopedic doctor prescribed Cymbalta for my knee pain due to osteoarthritis. In the first two weeks I lost nine pounds. I started at 262 lbs and now I'm at 248. Started the medication in mid July 2020. I'm still loosing and it frightened me in the beginning. So rest assured... you're not alone.
Candfreak
2 Aug 2020
Yes I also loss a lot of weight I was 155 now I’m 127 , and I have no appetite. Food & drinks I loved I have no taste for them now. And when I do eat it’s just a bite of this & that. I have nerve damage in my spine from shingles & nerve damage in my foot from surgery
adoptmeow
11 July 2020
I have lived with fibromyalgia for 35 years. Most drugs make the muscle pain worse and disturb my GI tract. Could not tolerate Gabapentin, Cymbalta or Savella. Just curious to know how they help you and how you measure the improvement.
jengoldberg70
11 July 2020
Gabapentin worked great for my nerve pain, but the side effects got to be to much. Lost my short term memory, which is just getting better and I have been off it for almost a year. I had shakes, still do, but not as bad. Switched some other meds and am getting very little relief, was awake most of the night in pain.
adoptmeow
16 July 2020
Have you tried amitriptyline? Just 10 mg helps me sleep but some people need 25 mg. My doctor said he has had a few patients on it 24 hrs a day for fibro.
jengoldberg70
11 July 2020
I have been on Cymbalta for a few months now. I'm not sure if my weight loss started before or after I started taking it. I take 30mg is the morning and 60mg at night. My Dr will let me up the morning on to 60mg. I'm taking it for nerve pain with the weight loss bonus. Do you think if I up the morning one, I could lose weight faster?
TurnAround
18 Sep 2019
I was on Cymbalta years ago and gained weight quite quickly, though I cannot remember what dose I was on back then.
I have now been back on it for about 3weeks, just 30mg at the moment, but I am due to increase it to 60mg with the possibility of further increasing if I am still not seeing the desired results. For now I have neither lost nor gained any weight on the 30mg, and I also haven't noticed any other perks of the medication yet so I guess I do need to increase the dosage and see what happens then :)
Dbesnia
11 Sep 2019
I wish I would lose weight. I gained 10 pounds and can’t get it off. I’m on 30mg daily. Maybe I need to increase.
Jazzy074052
11 Sep 2019
I had the gastric bypass and having a lot of pain everywhere and on 120 mg of cymbalta.
Papillon2019
5 July 2019
I was on this drug awhile back. I initially lost a few but then gained 40 lbs in 6 months! Still haven’t lost it all. It helped my IBS but wow that was ridiculous. I weaned off if it.
cindy-59
6 July 2019
Almost every person who I have talked to that’s on Cymbalta/Duloxetine have either lost weight or gained weight. A lot of the ones who lost weight was happy with it at first but they kept losing weight and ended up losing too much. Personally I was prescribed Cymbalta for chronic nerve pain and I gained a lot of weight; over 80 pounds. My whole body started swelling up; especially in my face, hands and feet. I believe Cymbalta messes with our metabolism and of course it changes our brains. I had so many other horrible side effects such as anxiety, depression and suicidal thoughts. Along with dizziness, exhaustion and confusion. I lost interest in everything and everyone. I also had blurry vision, hearing loss and memory loss. I ended up having to quit reading because I couldn’t remember what I had just read. I thought I was in the early stages of Alzheimer’s. I also experienced excessive sweating and a huge amount of hair loss.
My once perfect teeth are ruined now. I had one front tooth break down the middle and one broke off at the gum line. I have many cavities and a lot of the enamel has chipped off my other teeth. My blood pressure was high and my cholesterol was high. My liver enzymes were high also. I had a hard time to urinate and I couldn’t empty my bladder. I had never had a problem with any of these before taking Cymbalta. I also had muscle pain and muscle weakness. Then it went on to muscle loss. I had joint inflammation with pain and stiffness along with terrible lower back pain. Over these years I went from a happy woman with lots of energy to a woman who had to use a cane. Then when I kept getting worse I ended up bedridden for 3 years. I was diagnosed with Fibromyalgia. One day I was researching all of my symptoms and Cymbalta came up and then it lead me to a Cymbalta group where the people were having the same problems that I was. There are almost 20,000 people in this group now. They are all trying to safely get off Cymbalta. I knew then that I had to get off this drug. But I suddenly realized I had to taper off slowly. So in 2017 I started to slowly taper off Cymbalta (60 mg) and I’m down to 1 mg now and every side effect is gone. Even the pain is gone. I was misdiagnosed with Fibromyalgia and I do not have Alzheimer’s. I am getting my energy back and I’ve started a short exercise routine and I’m getting out of the house. I have a life again. I’ve started to lose the weight and I no longer look or feel like I’m pregnant. I’m spending quality time with my children and grandchildren and I’m loving life. I will never take another medication like Cymbalta again and I will never advise anyone to take it.
MHOpenDoors
23 April 2019
I have been taking 30mg of Cymbalta daily for Depression and I unintentionally lost about 25lb in two months.
Coffeegirl001
5 June 2019
For those who have lost weight, are you taking the generic or brand name? I used to take Cymbalta a few years ago with Adderall, and it didn't impact my weight (no weight loss/gain). I had to change because I started to have short term memory issues. However, a month ago I got back on it and also take Zenzedi (ADHD stimulant). I started at 30mg, then to 60mg, and I've gained 5lbs in a month!
It's been a struggle to lose weight or keep it from going up. I've been following a strict diet and doing 40 mins of cardio. If I don't work out but follow a diet, I'll still gain weight. My body/weight is sensitive, but not like this. Has anybody had any experiences like mine? Ideally, I'd like to lose weight and not gain. Any insight would be appreciated!
Related topics
cymbalta, depression, anxiety, back pain, fibromyalgia, generalized anxiety disorder, duloxetine, chronic pain, major depressive disorder, weight
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