Cymbalta and Dizziness: What Users Say

• Meg...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• June 18, 2023

For Anxiety "I have severe anxiety and panic attacks, have since I was a child. I took this for about two years until I realized the reason I was having so many depersonalization episodes and panic attacks (that seemingly had no cause) was because of this medication. When going on it, my doctor forgot to mention it would be a living nightmare to try to get off. I've been tapering off this medication for the last couple of months, decreasing by one bead at a time per week because if I decrease it any more than that, I have brain zaps, vertigo, migraines, nausea, hallucinations, mood swings, increased suicidal thoughts, and severe anxiety/panic attacks. Even tapering as slowly as I have, I'm experiencing the mood swings and severe anxiety. This medication IS NOT WORTH IT. Please save yourself some time and just try something else. I don't know why this stuff is even FDA approved. I can't wait to be off it."

• Dan...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• June 11, 2023

"I take quite a high dosage of 120 mg once in the morning or when I wake up. It’s used to reduce pain from nerve damage I had when I severed my left leg - now reattached. If I take it consistently, I have a pretty good window of not a lot of pain. Side effects for me are that it ramps up my anxiety at times, dizziness, thirst all the time, and sweating a lot (I do exercise a lot though)."

• Rko...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• March 16, 2023

For Chronic Pain "I started taking Cymbalta a week ago; the first thing I noticed was dizziness and dry mouth. I also noticed difficulty falling asleep and staying asleep. I also noticed that my overall pain wasn't as bad as before. It took a few days, but the dizziness has subsided, and I currently take melatonin at night to help me sleep. I will see how I feel in another week or two and may provide an update."

• Goa...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• October 29, 2022

For Major Depressive Disorder "Prescribed 30 mg initially, then increased to 60 mg a day. Initially excited because have used every SSRI in the last 30 years. Cymbalta is an SNRI, which I thought would help with motivation, task completion, goal setting, lessen neuropathy pain, and decrease depression. I do NOT recommend Cymbalta because the only result was a rotating cycle of endless side effects ranging from bald patches to low blood pressure. My physical pain increased both in severity and frequency. Had to take Epsom salt baths daily. Frequently dizzy, no energy, no motivation, and mentally felt bleh. Believe they refer to this as blunted. It is as if the Cymbalta tricked my emotions into believing I didn't care about anything. However, the depression rebound felt like a full-on physical assault. My headaches lasted several days. Even taking Adderall at the same time didn't decrease my daytime fatigue. Would not recommend."

• Zpf...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• October 21, 2022

For Generalized Anxiety Disorder "I’m 30 years old. I started this drug about 5 days ago. Day 1-3 was horrible. I had side effects of fatigue, nausea, mild panic attacks, muscular skeletal pain and spasms on my eyelid, dry mouth, and some dizziness that faded. I am still experiencing muscle spasms, a little nausea, loss of appetite, and some depersonalization here and there. I noticed the positives. I felt some euphoria, less depression, and less fatigue, but overall I’m trying to do my best to just rough it out and see in the next 3 days if things get better. It is different for everyone. I’m only on a 30 mg dose, but little by little, I have breakthroughs that are positive. My thoughts did race a little, but just gotta pray and have hope it works. Overall, some of the negatives disappear. I will keep people updated! I have autism, ADHD, GAD, and PTSD, so just keep praying."

• NoM...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• September 26, 2022

For Chronic Pain "I was prescribed Cymbalta because of nerve pain and fibromyalgia. I took it three nights. The first morning, I had a little dry mouth. The second morning, dry mouth was worse, and I was feeling a little off. This morning, I woke up with severe dry mouth, shaking, off balance, cognitive function very slow, and I am fatigued. I felt like this once before when I was on gabapentin, which I will never take again. I was on it for 2 years and ended up with seizures. The seizures went away after I stopped gabapentin. I was not going to give Cymbalta any more time to do more damage. I don't think I will get withdrawals since I was only on it 3 days, at least I hope not."

• ell...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• July 21, 2022

For Major Depressive Disorder "Cymbalta is the worst medication I have ever been on. I took it for depression and anxiety, on the lowest dosage, and started getting terrible anxiety symptoms. Constantly sweaty but cold, shaking, a feeling of imminent doom, dizziness, headaches, and daily panic attacks for the first time in years. I couldn't grip the wheel well while driving. I started slowly decreasing my dose, which was super hard because you have to do it extremely gradually, but this medication was causing me so much pain and anxiety that I tapered too quickly. I had brain zaps (an electric shock going through my brain every time I moved my eyes), terrible pressure in my head, chest pains, nausea, dizziness, and even more panic attacks. This medication is genuinely the worst thing that has ever happened to me. I got chronic daily headaches when I started it, and they have not gone away, over a year later. Talk to your doctor about a different medication, unless you want to be on it for the rest of your life because tapering is impossible."

• Emm...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• July 14, 2022

For Anxiety "I suffer with generalized anxiety disorder, ADHD, and depression. This medication has saved my life. Initial side effects were severe nausea and dizziness, but only lasted 3-4 days. I’ve been on the lowest dosage for 7 months now, and I no longer feel anxious every day. I no longer have panic attacks, and I’m able to leave my house without feeling sick and dizzy. It’s also helped make me calm and taken away my anger/irritability. The only downside is that this medication makes me so tired. I feel like a zombie. This medication makes me sleep a ridiculous amount of time in a day, but it helps me with all my mental problems."

• Ken...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• June 20, 2022

For Chronic Pain "Guess it worked somewhat. Like all these drugs, difficult to evaluate vs the ridiculous 1-10 pain level thing. Have C2-T2 laminectomy and fusion with typical rods and screws. Obvious chronic pain issues. Would never take this med again due to difficulty stopping. Even weaning off had dizziness and brain zaps for months. Definitely debilitating. Really, this shouldn't be on the market. Easier coming off opioids. NOT WORTH IT was my experience."

• fri...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• May 23, 2022

For Chronic Pain "Cymbalta was a nightmare. I told my new doctor that I had bad reactions to SSRIs and SNRIs and preferred to avoid them. He agreed and said he wouldn't prescribe any, but instead would prescribe Duloxetine. I previously studied to be a pharmacist, so I immediately knew he was lying. I tried it anyway, thinking I knew what the likely side effects would be and once I was at my follow-up, I could stop them and redirect focus on finding the source of the problem. Mistake. Summary: brain fog, insomnia, brain zaps typical when weaning off these types of meds, restless leg syndrome reactivated which had been dormant for years, dizziness, lethargy, and couldn't get out of bed --- I needed help to get from bed to toilet. No, thank you."

• Hop...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• March 23, 2022

For Anxiety "I was prescribed Cymbalta for my anxiety. I suffer from migraines and paroxysmal hypertension, which have been debilitating. I really wanted Cymbalta to work, however, it made my hypertension episodes much worse, and I could not take it after the fifth dose. I also suffered from new onset night sweats, nausea, decreased appetite, dizziness, constipation, and increased anxiety and agitation. I’m sure that it has helped many people, however, the side effects for me were too severe to continue. It’s possible I could’ve continued if I did not have to work, but I have a full-time job. I will be trying another anxiety medication, perhaps an SSRI. I just think that my body cannot handle the SNRI. Everyone is different. My mom takes Cymbalta, and she had no side effects whatsoever, and it works wonderfully for her. My mom suffers from migraines and fibromyalgia. I hope this helps somebody."

• Lun...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• November 24, 2021

For Depression "While I was only on Cymbalta for a short time, it didn't help with my depression or anxiety - if anything, it made it worse. I had two major things occur. The first one was I slept almost constantly. I would sleep for 6 hours, wake up for 1 hour, go back to sleep for another 6 hours, and repeat the cycle almost daily. The second, and more concerning, was I had a major increase in suicidal thoughts. However, for me, the worst part about Cymbalta is trying to come off it. This goes for many medications, but Cymbalta has severe withdrawal symptoms. I had dizziness, nausea (and vomiting), irritability, headache, sweating, shaking, diarrhea, and tingling of the skin, the whole nine yards. So please just be aware if you are ever planning to come off of this medication for any reason, the recovery period will be hell."

• Ros...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• November 20, 2021

For Chronic Pain "If you are seeking treatment for chronic pain, anxiety, and depression as a person with Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, especially if you also have temperature or orthostatic intolerance or other dysautonomic symptoms. DO NOT TAKE THIS. I started at 30 mg and increased all the way to 120 mg (then decreased back down to 60 mg and eventually weaned off). I noticed no change to my pain levels. I did experience an increase in energy - but not a positive one - I experienced insomnia, tachycardia, and extremely severe anxiety. I did a lot of risk-taking while on this medication, and increasingly wished I was never born. Lost my appetite entirely and lost 20-25% of my body weight. The sweating was unbearable. Between the malnutrition and the nightmares, I managed to chip two teeth by grinding them in the few hours I was able to sleep. I may have bone loss as well. It made me very dizzy with the underlying POTS, and I now require beta blockers twice daily to manage my heart rate despite cessation of Cymbalta use."

• Bos...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• September 2, 2021

For Anxiety "Prescribed by Dr. to help withdrawal from gabapentin. Small (morning dose). Day 1, fuzzy, weak. Day 2, very dizzy, unable to drive. Day three, the works - raging loose bowel, intense nausea, headache, totally bed-ridden (except for time spent over the toilet bowl). This is not medicine for me, I might as well have taken poison."

• Jea...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• August 29, 2021

For Anxiety "I've been on Cymbalta for 4 weeks and still have dizziness, shaking, and weakness. Have others experienced the same, and when does it go away?"

• Ban...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• August 28, 2021

For Generalized Anxiety Disorder "Made me really tired at 60 mg, so went down to 30. I was on that for a year, I was very stable, and everything seemed very blah. I gained 10 lbs because I couldn't taste anything and nothing sounded good, so I would get really hungry and just eat whatever crap I could stomach. Getting off seemed insurmountable because if I missed a dose, it was like dizziness, migraine, brain zaps, full body aches, nausea. I switched to Prozac and then went off Prozac after a month with no withdrawal from either. I still have anxiety, though, so I am back on Cymbalta 20 mg. I get brain fog and can't focus on it, but at least I'm not anxious, right?"

• Mys...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• August 25, 2021

For Anxiety "I talked to my doctor about taking some medication due to having terrible anxiety and depression. I also have a lot of chronic pain. I was having panic attacks every day at work, I would get panic attacks in my house for no reason. I’ve always had anxiety. There was just a constant wave of anxiety over me at all times. I would also get very depressed. Very down for a long time. My doctor mentions Cymbalta, and I decided to give it a try. The first four days or so, I felt like I had the flu, I would say. I was just very tired, sleeping non-stop, feeling dizzy, wasn’t hungry, and felt nauseous. But after those days, I felt so much better. A switch flipped. My anxiety is still there but nowhere near as bad. I haven’t had a panic attack for over a month, I feel the start of one, but I don’t get one! I haven’t had a bad depressive episode either! This medication has been a lifesaver for me and my confidence. It hasn’t helped my chronic pain, though, so keep that in mind."

• Don...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• July 13, 2021

For Anxiety "I took Cymbalta twice: once in the evening and the next morning. It was prescribed for twice a day. After the first dose, I was mostly fine. I felt nauseous, restless, and didn't sleep much that night. But I figured it was just my body adjusting to the medication. After the second dose the next morning, I was driving to work when I got a sudden, very intense urge to sleep, my eyes suddenly became very sensitive to daylight, and I felt very dizzy. I ended up making it to work but had trouble walking. My vision was very blurry, felt like my eyes were rolling uncontrollably, and I had auditory/visual distortions. I sat at my desk for almost 4 hours, basically paralyzed. My heart pounded, and I had shortness of breath; I couldn't see well enough to read; I couldn't write. I had muscle spasms in my face and felt like I might choke on my tongue. After 3-4 hours, these symptoms started to go away but lingered at a less intense level through the day. Never. Again."

• Gan...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• July 11, 2021

For Anxiety "Was prescribed this for anxiety/panic disorder, and if I could give this medicine a 0, I would. Not only did it do absolutely nothing for me (and I stuck with it for about a month and a half, patiently waiting for it to work), it led me to have tremors, extreme dizziness, and extreme dissociation. It made me feel so empty and depressed, which was concerning because I didn't feel that way before I was placed on it. The medicine also made me very irritable and gave me very violent thoughts, which absolutely scared the poop out of me. My face swelled up terribly as well, which was the final straw that led me to stop taking it ASAP. When I finally was able to see a psychiatrist and I told her my experience with the medicine, she told me that Cymbalta is a very tricky med and most people don't react well to it. I wish I knew that before my PCP had prescribed it. Stay away from this med."

• Kat...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• July 2, 2021

For Fibromyalgia "I was hesitant to try this because of some of the bad reviews, but I have been desperate for a long time for some sort of relief. I've had fibromyalgia for 4 years, but the last few months have been excruciating. I work full time and have to usually take Tylenol and ibuprofen/Aleve just to make it through. I have been taking Cymbalta now for a week. I take it at night with a meal and get a slight headache and dizziness sometimes. It does subside pretty quickly. I must say I have felt better this last week than I have in a long time. Give this a chance, it really does help!"

• Qi-...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• May 26, 2021

For Chronic Pain "Cymbalta Day 2: 8 am and 30 mg dose and the effect: dizziness today and the clarity is there...that usual feeling I had at 10 am and wanting to dig a hole and hide so I could self-soothe my pain was gone so that it didn't happen. If this is a sign of pain control and my receptors are accepting the connection, then I am glad for the experience and I'm writing to tell you that it's not a great feeling to get here, though I'm going to push through as there is already an effect I find working for me. Mitigating the side effects today by eating, drinking herbal tea, and working on my yogi lifestyle at home."

• Pon...
• April 3, 2021

For Major Depressive Disorder "Cymbalta is the worst medication I've ever taken. I've never experienced a worse withdrawal. I started Cymbalta after Lexapro stopped working for me. After starting Cymbalta, things got worse. The little bit of work that Lexapro was doing was more effective than Cymbalta. I went from being barely functional to being in a catatonic state. I was on it for 5 weeks before my psych took me off of it. Big mistake. Despite tapering the medication and starting Prozac, I was met with nausea, vertigo, lightheadedness, brain zaps, hot flashes, and fatigue. They tapered me off more slowly. Still didn't work. Yesterday was my first day back off of Cymbalta, and I ended up vomiting, on top of the other symptoms I mentioned. And you know what happened when I took it again last night? All those symptoms went away. The physical dependency that this medication creates due to its short half-life is insane. Not recommended. Cymbalta is an ineffective drug with a severe withdrawal."

• Boo...
• February 24, 2021

For Depression "I have depression and anxiety, so my doctor prescribed me Duloxetine (generic for Cymbalta). I tried other ones, but they either made me too sick or suicidal. He started me at 20 mg and moved me up to 60 mg. It’s helped me a lot. I take it with a combination of going to therapy. I admit when I don’t take it, I become an emotional psychopath. I start to pick fights with people and cry all the time. I also get lethargic, headaches, brain zaps, and dizzy (what happens depends on how long I stop taking it). It’s really great when I’m not being careless or self-destructive. Something I really like about it is that I don’t get sick if I don’t take it with meals. Sometimes I have to skip breakfast, so that makes it convenient. If you choose to take it, I recommend the first week or two to take it at night because it’ll make you really sleepy, but after that, start taking it in the morning because your serotonin starts flowing. It’ll prevent you from sleeping if you continue to take it at night."

• eli...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• January 31, 2021

For Fibromyalgia "direct correlation with taking this medication and these symptoms. I am told it lessens over time, but I’m not sure I can keep going with it. - spamming urethra (new) - difficulty peeing (new) - pain in chest (new) - tightening and spasming TMJ muscle (so I am uncomfortable. can’t even smile and mean it). - feel strange to the point of the pain was completely gone I’d choose the pain to have my mind back - pain in my eyebrows - dizzy and a bit anxious - referred pain under breasts (can happen from time to time, cannot be 100% positive it’s caused by medication). All other symptoms I’m sure of. Mind you I’m only on day one, however I’m completely and utterly disturbed at all the changes this is having on my body. How can this be good? I can’t wait until it wears off."

• Joh...
• January 13, 2021

For Chronic Pain "I have primary progressive multiple sclerosis. I was prescribed Cymbalta for nerve pain. I was told it could cause diarrhea! I started on 30 mg per day, then after 2 weeks increased to 60 mg per day. I have never experienced side effects from a medication as dangerous and scary as the ones I had while on Cymbalta. After a week of taking 60 mg, I began having terrible stomach pain. A couple of days later, my feet started to feel ice cold, but they were warm to the touch. I then began having trouble urinating, double vision, ringing in my ears, dizziness, and severe headaches. I literally thought I was dying and close to death. My wife had looked up the possible side effects of Cymbalta. I immediately called the prescribing doctor, and he informed me to STOP CYMBALTA IMMEDIATELY!! I was instructed NOT TO STOP COLD TURKEY or else I could risk having lifelong damage from the side effects."