Cymbalta and Insomnia: What Users Say (Page 3)

• Anonymous
• May 4, 2008

For Pain "I've been on Cymbalta for a year now. I had a bad truck wreck and had to have my neck fused. I was taking 60mg of hydrocodone, and it kept me from taking care of my company. Started with 60mg of Cymbalta, and after about six months, went to 30mg. Things so far have been great. My wife is happy because my bad temper has gone. Side effects have been, sweating bad at night and less sleep. Overall, it has been a lifesaver."

• Ali...
• August 9, 2019

For Depression "I’ve been on again off again taking Cymbalta for about 5 years. The longest amount I have stayed on it consistently being 2 years. Unlike most of the reviews I’ve read and experiences I’ve heard, Cymbalta actually gives me insomnia for the first week or two that I take it, it also suppresses my appetite a lot and makes my mind feel fuzzy. But Cymbalta also works immensely for me in terms of my depression, which has been severe since childhood, making it feel manageable. The withdrawals do suck, I get insomnia again, restless legs, and brain zaps. If you can stay on this medication consistently or long term, it’s a good option for depression/anxiety. But if you are not, then I don’t recommend it, the side effects at the beginning and end are rough."

• Izz...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• December 4, 2019

For Chronic Pain "I gave it a 2 because it helped with my pain, and I saw a very quick change in my anxiety. But I've lost so much sleep over the last year due to insomnia and severe night sweats. My doctor told me to take it in the morning instead, but since I needed help sleeping, this was already doing the opposite. If I miss a single dose, I get severe electric shocks starting in my head going to my feet. Burning head but freezing extremities, shakes, nausea, and that's the physical symptoms. Mentally, I would be wailing and almost hitting my head against a wall, begging whatever was going on to stop. I tried going off it cold turkey after a year on 60 mg, and the physical and mental pain is what I'd imagine heroin withdrawal to be. Now my dosage is halved, my chronic pain is back with a vengeance, so it was working for my pain, but I feel pushing through the pain from the get-go would have been easier than going through the side effects of this medication for a year. Be warned, this drug is for life."

• Anx...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• December 15, 2015

For Generalized Anxiety Disorder "I have experienced anxiety and mild depression for several years. I finally decided to get help. Cymbalta has really helped. I noticed a change in the first couple of days. My anxiety has all but disappeared. I experienced dry mouth and interrupted sleep the first several days. I have experienced tiredness, but that has lessened over this month, and I hope it will go away altogether."

• woo...
• July 31, 2013

For Depression "Been on most antidepressants and ended up with mirtazapine, which although very good, does make you really fat. Cut dose right down, but then the old feeling of depression, anxiety, and suicidal feelings came back. My psych doc put me on Cymbalta (after a roundabout of others that I couldn't cope with) and Cymbalta works. 30mg is lovely, but 60mg is way too strong for me. Blurred vision, restlessness, anxiety, insomnia, etc., etc. So went back to 30mg and now feel great. I do take half a mirtazapine at night to help me sleep and don't know if it's the combination or just the Cymbalta (as half a mirtazapine is a very tiny dose) working. It has taken about 3 months for it to fully kick in, but now I feel hopefully optimistic and more at ease about life."

• suz...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• February 6, 2014

For Chronic Pain "Almost 2 months on just 20 mg pain mgmt narcotics for chronic pain, many procedures little help, also CPTSD, GAD, pos. bipolar, depression. MY BACK PAIN AND SCIATIC GONE after 5 days on a low dose. Reserving judgement on the rest. Increase dose to 60 mg. I expect to get a hint in the next week. May have overactive mind/severe difficulty sleeping tho. Higher dose may help. But the pain relief - wouldn't have believed it if someone told me. So have to weigh pain vs insomnia or other side effect I might get. Good luck with this medicine! Insanely expensive and I know from girlfriend's experience withdrawal can be bad."

• suz...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• February 6, 2014

For Chronic Pain "Almost 2 months on just 20 mg pain mgmt narcotics for chronic pain, many procedures little help, also CPTSD, GAD, pos. bipolar, depression. MY BACK PAIN AND SCIATIC GONE after 5 days on a low dose. Reserving judgement on the rest. Increase dose to 60 mg. I expect to get a hint in the next week. May have overactive mind/severe difficulty sleeping tho. Higher dose may help. But the pain relief - wouldn't have believed it if someone told me. So have to weigh pain vs insomnia or other side effect I might get. Good luck with this medicine! Insanely expensive and I know from girlfriend's experience withdrawal can be bad."

• Joa...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• May 29, 2020

For Major Depressive Disorder "I've been on Cymbalta for about a year now and just recently increased dosage from 60 mg to 90 mg because of depressive episodes during quarantine. I've not had problems with the drug until now. I recently have started having trouble staying asleep, although falling asleep hasn't been an issue. I've also wet the bed, which is extremely unusual as I haven't done that since I was a child. Overall, it has helped relieve suicidal thoughts and anxiety attacks, but the higher dosage side effects are really making me consider going back down to 60 mg."

• Pet...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• November 8, 2019

For Depression "I took Cymbalta for 7 years, maximum dosage. At the beginning, it makes you 'move', motivation to do something, but as time goes on, the side effects drove me to a physical and psychological collapse. Excessive sweating, insomnia, and fatigue were the main side effects that gradually disintegrated my health globally."

• big...
• April 16, 2011

For Peripheral Neuropathy "I'm male, 52, and a diabetic on insulin. After developing severe peripheral neuropathy six years ago, I was prescribed Neurontin, which did not work for me. After two weeks with no relief, I checked into the ER due to intense pain. I was prescribed Cymbalta by the ER doctor and have never looked back. Within a couple of days, the pain was gone! My feet and lower legs felt great, and the ominous feeling of intensified pain in the evenings had vanished. As for side effects, I sometimes have difficulty sleeping, and sometimes I feel a bit wonky-headed. However, those are easy trade-offs to accept in return for the pain relief I feel. Cymbalta continues to be my miracle medication."

• Wor...
• March 23, 2013

For Back Pain "Never before had serious side effects. Never posted an internet comment. Continued side effects including constant nausea, constipation, erratic blood pressure, balance/dizzy problems, and poor sleep, erratic heartbeat. The first time I was dizzy and kept walking, then I fainted. Subsequent dizzy spells resulted in bed or couch time as I couldn't walk for 4 hours. I ceased this medicine after 12 days, and yet it took a month to completely recover."

• Dar...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• September 19, 2019

For Fibromyalgia "I have just started on Cymbalta 30 mg. It's working wonders for my chronic pain, but the side effects are horrible, such as chest pains, dizziness, muscle weakness in arms and sometimes legs, drowsiness, mental confusion, insomnia, increased anxiety, nausea, and it feels like my throat is a bit tight, plus heart palpitations. It's also difficult to urinate - it seems I have to really push. I plan on taking Cymbalta 30 mg for the rest of my life because it helps with the chronic pain that I'm in and works well. But I could definitely go without the yucky side effects... bleh. I'm 21 years old. I have Borderline Personality Disorder, anxiety, depression, fibromyalgia, and POTS (Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome)... So yeah, I'm in constant pain."

• JFM...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• February 11, 2016

For Osteoarthritis "Tried Cymbalta for pain and slight depression. It helped for maybe 10 months. Then began experiencing panic attacks, anxiety, mouth sores, racing heart at bedtime, insomnia, and increased pain and cramps in legs. Took me about 3 months to figure out that the Cymbalta wasn't working. I tried increasing from 30 mg to 60 mg, and that made it worse. Have changed meds. Made the change easily in one week, but I had already gone back to the 30 mg dose. The anxiety, panic attacks, etc. have stopped."

• eil...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• March 3, 2013

For Depression "I took this for 5 years at 90 mg. I eventually had to go off this medication because the side effects were intolerable. I had night terrors every night, severe night sweats, teeth grinding, and insomnia. The thing that finally did it for me was the migraines that were caused by my shoulder and neck tension on this medication. In short, it made me feel extremely anxious and stressed out. Also, withdrawal is very tough. I have been off this medicine for 3 weeks and still have severe nausea, anxiety, night sweats, and night terrors."

• Doc...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• August 29, 2019

For Chronic Pain "I have chronic pain from degenerative arthritis in the LS spine. I also have had 2 surgeries for spinal stenosis and foraminal stenosis. I tried Cymbalta about a year ago, and it did diminish the pain, but side effects forced me to stop. I had severe insomnia, and after two weeks of only sleeping 2 hours a night, I was coming apart. It was also very difficult to void my bladder and caused impotence at the same time. I tapered off and had auditory hallucinations, like lightsaber sounds. If I could have tolerated the side effects, I would have continued since it did help the pain."

• Nbk...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• July 30, 2016

For Fibromyalgia "I took Cymbalta for depression, anxiety, and for severe fibromyalgia symptoms. The extreme mood swings, depression, constant thoughts of suicide, symptoms that mimicked my already existing fibromyalgia symptoms, and unfortunately made them worse. Sleepless nights-even days at a time, drowsiness, complete change in my personality. When I started, a physician observed a decrease with intention to quit Cymbalta altogether. I tried killing myself multiple times, shakes, tremors, skin crawling, brain and body 'zaps', nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, mood swings, hospitalization. Don't, just don't take it. There are other drugs and CBT therapies that are tried and true, whose long-term side effects are well understood and documented. Almost ruined me."

• sti...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• April 9, 2018

For Anxiety "After my first dose of the generic version of Cymbalta yesterday evening for major anxiety and minor depression. I was surprised to feel a difference within a few hours. My mood lifted, and I had more energy. I still felt slightly anxious. Initial side effects: quite bad insomnia, slight jitteriness, slight diarrhea, very slight confusion at times, and nausea for the first 12 hours after taking it. After 2 weeks, I now have zero side effects and have changed to taking it in the mornings. It is a miracle drug for my depression! The constant dark feeling of sadness has lifted completely. It has also helped my anxiety quite a lot, however, I still have periods of anxiousness. I am definitely going to stay on this medication as it has drastically improved the quality of my life."

• Sad...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• July 6, 2021

For Depression "This drug has ruined me. I wasn’t told the effects it would have on my body when prescribed to me 8 months ago. I have tapered off over a 2-month period, and through this time, I can’t sleep, eat, work, I throw up constantly, my under-eyes are black, I've become more depressed going through this, and I’ve almost forgotten what it feels like to be okay."

• Kri...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• September 22, 2015

For Fibromyalgia "I have been on Cymbalta for my fibromyalgia since Nov. 2014. I had loved this med, helped somewhat with my pain and also helped my moods. (I called it my happy pill... lol) I have been experiencing many months of restless sleep and extreme sweating! I never considered it was my wonder drug. But it is, it has to be... Cymbalta is the only drug I take and the only change for me in a year. Also, I have gained an excessive amount of weight! I cannot handle this extreme sweating, also very fatigued. I am starting today to wean off of it... my doc started me on Lyrica. I sure hope this helps! So tired of being tired and in pain..."

• Deb...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• January 21, 2018

For Back Pain "Do not recommend. It made my back pain somewhat diminish at a major price. Side effects: short-term memory loss, severe headaches, severe hair loss (my shower drain clogs from all my hair that is falling out!), chronic numbing/tingling right arm, dental issues, body odor, extreme sweating and body heat spikes, complete loss of sexual interest, extreme fatigue, insomnia, malaise, more hair loss, constipation, confusion, technicolor disturbing dreams, felt like I had the flu, ocular issues of dry scratchy eyes and floaters with flashing lights, weight gain. Had to then take a Benzedrine to sleep, migraine meds, and a chemo nausea control drug. Had no get up and go. Flatliner. Just weaned myself off of Cymbalta and feel like myself again!"

• Anonymous
• February 13, 2012

For Back Pain "I have had chronic low back pain for over a year now. The doctor at the pain clinic said, 'Cymbalta is now FDA approved for low back pain.' It didn't help my pain at all and gave me the worst nausea, no sex drive, insomnia, random sweating, and stiff muscles. This is it!"

• Car...
• September 16, 2019

For Depression "I have summer SAD (seasonal affective disorder) (yes, it's a thing). My insomnia was made worse by this drug, Cymbalta, but it did take away my anxiety, and I may have lost some pounds on it. After a couple of weeks, I dropped down to 20 mg every other day so I could sleep better. It was toward the end of summer, and I started to wean myself off. I haven't had one in 2 or 3 weeks, and I am still getting dizzy here and there. Did not experience zaps like others, but I have to agree the withdrawal is quite lengthy for someone taking only 20 mg and for a very short time. Withdrawal symptoms included dizziness and daytime sleepiness - I only took this drug for maybe 6 weeks, and not every day."

• ItW...
• October 14, 2016

For Generalized Anxiety Disorder "I have GAD and mild depression. I initially had side effects such as insomnia, no appetite, and nausea, but they went away after a few days. This has helped my anxiety tremendously! It is not without side effects, though. If I forget to take it, I will get nausea, headaches, and dizziness. I did gain weight and some diarrhea, but it has had no bad sexual side effects. I have been taking this for a year now. I am finding that the depression is now increasing, so maybe time for a dosage change. Just keep in mind everyone is different, and sometimes the benefits outweigh the effects."

• JoN...
• October 27, 2009

For Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy "Cymbalta was the first drug that actually improved the diabetic neuropathy pain I was experiencing in my legs, feet, arms, and hands. For the first time, I was able to sleep through the night without waking in tears from the pain. I was so happy my doctor put me on this drug in conjunction with Neurontin. The pain almost disappeared! Approximately 6-8 weeks later, I noticed that the neuropathy pain started back up again despite continuing on the medicines. I too had insomnia, making it difficult, at best, to be alert, focused, or have any energy the following day. To this day, I still have some insomnia and an increase in the neuropathy symptoms; BUT Cymbalta 60 mg and Neurontin 600 mg are the best drugs so far in lessening the pain."

• Nec...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• October 17, 2019

For Depression "I've taken Cymbalta for about 10 years. 90 mg and lower. Helped at first, then started getting agitated, no sleep, constipation. Horrible. Don't recommend this drug. Had a mini-stroke 6 months ago. Dreading the tapering."