Cymbalta and Headaches: What Users Say (Page 2)

• Anonymous
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• August 10, 2021

For Chronic Pain "I tried Cymbalta about a year ago and had some pretty bad side effects. After reading the bad reviews, I quit taking it after about a week. My anxiety, depression, etc., only got worse as the year went on. I was having intense tension headaches on a daily basis for three years. My whole body was plagued with pain to the point I could barely get out of bed. I just assumed it was arthritis and I would have to live with it. I’m 55 years old, run my own business with nearly a thousand customers, and the anxiety was about to get the best of me. If you are still reading, DO NOT let the negativity change your mind. I stuck it out this time, and this has been a lifesaver. Headaches, gone! Most of the pain, gone! Getting my life back. It feels good to feel good. Anxiety is all but gone too! It’s only been two months now at 60 mg, but so far, so good. There is hope, my friends. Just find what works for you. I gave it a nine because I didn’t sleep for nearly five days, but worth it all right now."

• Joh...
• July 17, 2021

For Chronic Pain "I was prescribed this for severe fibromyalgia pain. It was awful! Insomnia, nausea, headache, restless legs while on it for a month. So even with a proper tapering off, I felt like I was going to die!!! Finally out of my system. Please stay away from this nightmare of a drug, and shame on doctors for not warning people about the withdrawal you may experience coming off of it."

• 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!"

• Use...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• March 25, 2021

For Depression "The withdrawals were so hard on me. The brain zaps were the most painful thing. I did not know a human can experience electric, painful zaps in their brains. It was the worst headache I could imagine. I was never so severely dependent (physically addicted) on anything like duloxetine. Benzodiazepine withdrawals were child's play in comparison to these withdrawals. Not to mention it worsened my depression. It made me completely numb like a zombie. You could crash a car in front of me, and I would not even flinch. I had terrible anger issues when trying to quit this. Screaming and destroying things. I had to taper off by opening the capsules and counting the beads. There are about 170 beads in each one. It took me more than one year to taper off slowly. The worst single substance I have ever tried. I would not give it to my worst enemy."

• Que...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• March 7, 2021

For Chronic Pain "After being on Paxil for over 25 years for anxiety/panic attacks, but as I age, I have ankle and leg pain. So between the dr and I, we thought I should try Cymbalta. So straight to Cymbalta 30 mg from 20 mg Paxil. What a nightmarish week: no appetite, nausea, throwing up, severe headaches, weakness, tight chest, and every side effect listed. Thank the Lord I do not work anymore, 'cause there is no way a person could function like that at work. Day 5, called Dr to see what I should do to get off Cymbalta, that I’m done. She said just start taking Paxil again. Day two, Paxil still, trying to get that horrible Cymbalta med out of me. Using milk thistle and B complex. Please read all the side effects. Liver and brain damage! Any drinking alcohol has a very high risk of liver damage. High blood pressure also. Do your research ... very scary, mind-altering drug. General med Drs really need to study more about the horrible withdrawal side effects and side effects of new antidepressants."

• 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."

• Anonymous
• Taken for less than 1 month
• January 16, 2021

For Anxiety "First pill made me feel like I was going to take off running. It wasn't pleasant at all, I could not fall asleep all night. When I finally got a nap, I woke feeling nausea and with a headache."

• 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."

• Ema...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• January 8, 2021

For Major Depressive Disorder "I have been struggling with GAD and MD for a long time now. I have been on most all antidepressants for one thing or another, and Cymbalta was by far the worst as far as side effects. I had pretty bad side effects with Effexor as well, so it is possible that class of drug for some reason does not agree. Cymbalta made me feel really high when I first began taking it, my pupils became enlarged. I even called the emergency psychiatrist after hours, but was told my body was just adjusting. Cymbalta sent me full-blown into a state, it was horrible. I also had the strangest pain in my head, almost migraine-like but throughout my whole head. I became delusional and had very strange beliefs during that period. It helped my chronic back pain, however, the benefits were outweighed by how it impacted my neurological functioning. Terrifying experience!"

• blu...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• December 25, 2020

For Chronic Pain "One of the worst medications ever. 1st 5 days, had no desire to do anything. Complete apathy about everything. Also had terrible nausea for 5 days. That finally went away. Then it started feeling like something was literally tapping on my brain. It did nothing for the chronic pain I had. I don't know how anyone can take this medicine. Stopped taking it. Had a headache for a few days, that was it."

• RJa...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• November 29, 2020

"I have depression, anxiety, PTSD, and fibromyalgia. I titrated off 40 mg of Prozac two weeks ago and started 30 mg of Cymbalta one week ago. This drug is a game changer. I already feel so much better, and apparently it’s only going to get better. After suffering for so long, I now feel so hopeful, have more energy, and focus. I did suffer some side effects and still have a headache, but that’s nothing by comparison to how much I was suffering before. I hope that this review helps others."

• Lyn...
• November 13, 2020

For Back Pain "Doc prescribed Cymbalta for nerve pain resembling shingles. Entire right torso, front and back, feels like I had been dragged on asphalt behind a truck! I also have severe diabetic neuropathy in my feet and hands. 1st day on Cymbalta, I was a little nauseous with a noticeable headache. Had trouble sleeping. I didn't hear the alarm, so I overslept. 2nd day (today), still can't sleep. Even with Ambien. No change in pain levels yet. Going to try taking it before bed tonight. Hoping it will work for me. Would like to get off gabapentin. Taking 2400 mg per day, which can't be good for me! Thanks for listening."

• Kel...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• September 4, 2020

For Anxiety "I have been on Cymbalta 30 mg for about a year and a half for anxiety. When I first started taking it, I could not stay awake. If I sat down and got still, I was asleep. After about 3 months, that started wearing off (never fully). I have also had muscle spasms since I started, and they have not gone away. I recently started having panic attacks and couldn’t seem to focus at all. I talked to my doctor about switching meds, they decided that moving to 60 mg would help my anxiety more. I took 60 mg for about a week and was having so many more muscle spasms. I also had headaches every day. I felt all over the place. So I went to my doctor again, saying I thought I needed something else. I will start taking Wellbutrin. I really hope this is going to be the medicine for me. My anxiety is out of control right now coming off Cymbalta. I also am having a ton of dizziness."

• ric...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• August 25, 2020

For Depression "Cymbalta is horrible stuff! Adverse effects when trying to stop taking Cymbalta. Went from 30 mg to 60 mg over a month-long period but don't bother with this drug as it doesn’t do what it’s prescribed to do (for me anyway, has not lessened anxiety or depression). Trying to stop taking it has worsened my symptoms. No sleep, rapid heartbeat, sweats, headaches, affected work, feeling like absolute shite, etc., the list goes on. I would not recommend this drug at all! Stay away."

• Maz...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• June 23, 2020

For Back Pain "Prescribed for back pain. I was told I have to start with 30 mg and in a week increase it to 60 mg. After two days on Cymbalta, I knew I would never make it. I got sick almost immediately - stumbling, brain fog, diarrhea, jaw pain, headache, and nausea. I told my doctor I wanted off, but she said to take it 'a few weeks' before I went up to 60 mg. I decided to give her the benefit of the doubt, so I stayed on it for a few more weeks, but didn't get better, and it actually got a lot worse. I called my doctor's office and told her I wanted off. There was no way I was going up to 60 mg. Since I had never increased the dosage, I immediately went to every other day for a week, then stopped. The withdrawal was every bit as bad as the reaction to the pill. There is finally a slight alleviation in the symptoms, so I've decided just to wait it out. MY RECOMMENDATION: My experience is this is the worst pill I have ever taken. Bottom line? DON'T TAKE THIS PILL!!!!"

• Fun...
• February 8, 2020

For Depression "I just want to share my positive experience with Cymbalta, since there are so many negative reviews out here. Before this drug, I was on Celexa, then Lexapro... for depression, anxiety disorder, and panic attacks. The SSRIs left me feeling flat inside, and there were days I couldn't even get out of bed. Cymbalta has changed my life. I have no depression at the moment and have much more energy. I'm more social and have started working out again. In the first few weeks, I had minor side effects - fatigue, brain fog, headaches, and nausea. They went away after a few weeks. Glad I stuck it out."

• Sky...
• October 20, 2019

For Anxiety "Was given 30 mg/day for GAD with chronic nerve pain and insomnia. It caused nausea immediately. The doctor said that should pass in 7-10 days. Around day 9, the nausea passed. At this exact same time, the initial benefits I was starting to experience (lessened pain and improved sleep) returned to original baseline, and an itchy red facial rash developed on my cheeks. On day 18, the doctor said to stop the medication and that 'tapering was not necessary' (or an option). The 3rd day off the drug, I was incapacitated by severe dizziness and headache. This lasted 3 days. I have heard that the research on the efficacy of duloxetine/how it really shouldn't still be on the market, as Effexor XR and many other SNRIs/SSRIs have been repeatedly proven better than duloxetine. Side note - my doctor said that in 13 years of prescribing duloxetine, she's only had 2 cases of withdrawal that were problematic vs. 25% of all her patients on Effexor XR having protracted withdrawal problems."

• Nan...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• September 29, 2019

For Depression "Absolutely terrible. I was prescribed 20 mg Cymbalta to replace Prozac, which didn’t help my depression at all. The first few weeks, there were no changes, so we increased it to 30 mg, then 60 mg. I lost the ability to feel emotions at all. I was numb. I couldn’t make myself eat. I lost 5% of my weight. I had started self-harming just to feel something and felt suicidal. For some reason, I told myself to go to the doc one last time. It’s recommended that Cymbalta should be tapered off slowly, but there’s almost no way to do that from 60 mg to 30 mg as it is a big jump and the capsules shouldn’t be opened. The doc said I should quit cold turkey since I was in such a dark place. The withdrawal was torture. I couldn’t leave the house for two weeks because of vertigo, “brain zaps,” headaches, and confusion. I’m on Wellbutrin now, and it’s a hundred times better in my experience."

• Tal...
• September 5, 2019

For Major Depressive Disorder "I was prescribed Cymbalta 60 mg daily by my psychiatrist after a rapid downslide in my bipolar depression. The first day was very rough for me - headache and severe nausea. The next couple of days, I was feeling slightly 'high' and couldn't stop clenching my jaw or rushing my words. Thankfully, all of that has passed (5 weeks in), now constipation is my only complaint. It has changed my outlook completely, and I'm so thankful. Hopefully, it doesn't change because it's been a lifesaver!"

• you...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• September 4, 2019

For Fibromyalgia "So... after now being on these for the second time, I can review them properly. As someone who struggles with mental health issues and fibromyalgia, these tablets worked a treat for both my pain and emotional regulation BUT be prepared for around a month of side effects before you fully notice a difference and can't function. Sickness, constantly sleeping all day; no appetite, rash, dizziness, nausea, constant headaches, not sleeping at all at night, and struggling to move are just to name a few, but once you get past that, they’re better than any pain killer. Despite struggling to feel emotions, the positives outweigh the negatives."

• Doe...
• September 1, 2019

For Anxiety "A heart specialist changed me from Effexor to Cymbalta. I stayed on a 37.5 mg dose of Effexor and started 60 mg Cymbalta. This med is not for me. After 3 weeks, I felt like I was falling apart. Severe anxiety like never before. I thought I was having a heart attack! So much tightness and pain. Called 911. Lots of tests later, it wasn't a heart attack at all. That was after 2 weeks on it. I was so deeply sad, severe nausea and vomiting, nightmares, sweats, biting down on my dentures constantly, itching all over. Dizziness, bad vision. My muscles ached. I've had serotonin syndrome before, and this terrified me. I could not eat. I'm diabetic, so I have to eat, but food made me sick. Headaches, dark thoughts. Could not take it anymore and switched back to Effexor 4 days ago, off the Cymbalta. Today I feel great! I had a spell of nausea and an overall feeling of so awful, lasted 20 minutes or so. I also had pain in my right side and abdomen, which is still tender but better. So glad to be feeling better."

• DMa...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• August 7, 2019

For Fibromyalgia "I took one dose of this medicine, 20 mg, and with an hour had severe diarrhea, a horrible headache, and then panic and anxiety set in. It was so bad that I had to leave work 2 hours into my shift. On my way home, I actually stopped at the ER and sat in the parking lot debating on whether to go in. Luckily, I was able to reach my doctor's office, who gave me the go-ahead to take a Xanax to counteract these side effects and didn't have to go to the ER. It was so bad that I even had my husband leave work because I was too scared to be home alone. I would rather suffer through pain than have to do that again."

• its...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• August 1, 2019

For Fibromyalgia "Cymbalta seemed to help at first, until the side effects became unbearable and it stopped working. It made me sleep over 12 hours a day, gain a bunch of weight, and made me have no libido whatsoever. Not to mention, it's extremely hard to come off of. I stopped it last week, and I'm still experiencing withdrawals -- brain zaps, nausea, headache. I would not recommend Cymbalta for fibro. It might help your pain, but it'll make your fatigue worse."

• one...
• July 21, 2019

For Depression "I started Cymbalta for my depression as Zoloft wasn't able to keep up. I also have myofascial pain syndrome, fibromyalgia, bursitis, sciatica, SI joint dysfunction, osteoarthritis in my left knee and right hip. Cymbalta pulled me out of the horrible depressive spell, but it really calmed my fibro and myofascial pain. Like 85% better. Worse in the summer, so I'm experiencing it still helping me but a pain flare-up trying to fight through. I'm susceptible to migraines, Cymbalta has not given me headaches. When I first took it, it really knocked me out, made me feel gross, so I learned to only take it at night, and it really helps me sleep. Only two bad things that have happened are forgetting to take it, the next day, I'm pretty miserable and feel slightly out of it. The other is, stay sitting up after taking it to make sure it does not dissolve in my esophagus, or I get severe pain and diarrhea. I'm on 60mg since February, and I still feel good. I've never had anything help my chronic major depression like this has."

• Ski...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• June 25, 2019

For Depression "I was prescribed 30 mg at first to help with depression. After talking with my doctor, he decided to increase the dosage to 60 mg. I was using it for 9 years, and at first, it seemed to help. But after a couple of years, it felt like I had a tight band around my head. And I was always dizzy when I stood up. I tried to stop taking it, and it felt like I had the flu. So I continued taking it. Then last year, I got tired of the head pain and dizziness. I opened up each capsule to remove 5 mg. I then waited for 2 weeks to remove another 5 mg. By doing it this way, I didn't have any withdrawal symptoms and am finally off of it! If it works for you, great! But be prepared for a struggle to quit taking it!"