Cymbalta and Nausea: What Users Say (Page 4)

• Sam...
• March 9, 2015

For Depression "Cymbalta helped me so much. I suffered severe depression after a very rough time in my life. I began taking 30 mg, which worked for a few months, but my anxiety and depression were beginning to get worse. My doctor raised me to 60 mg, and at first, it made me very nauseous, dizzy, and just sick for a few days, but after that, I felt like a new person. I had energy, I was happy, and once again back to myself, the girl I was before depression consumed me. I was on Cymbalta for 3 years, until I got pregnant and had to immediately quit. The withdrawals were terrible, considering you're usually weaned off of this medication. Overall, Cymbalta is a wonderful medication for depression."

• Tho...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• December 26, 2019

For Major Depressive Disorder "While Cymbalta took care of my major depressive disorder and my chronic pain, I feel as though I've been chemically castrated from this medication. Not only can I not achieve an erection, but my desire to have sex has virtually disappeared. I decided to quit cold turkey, and man, it's tough. I've had crazy dreams, lots of dizziness, and nausea, but what's great is that my sex drive has exploded. I won't go back on it, especially since neither my chronic pain nor any symptoms of my major depressive disorder have returned. Stay off this stuff if you can. I won't go back on it, not for anything."

• nes...
• March 1, 2016

For Chronic Pain "My husband took this drug for 1 month. He started losing his hair, and that was a deal-breaker for him. Not enough of a trial to know the effectiveness of the drug-but this bad rating was given because of the withdrawals. Brain zaps, nightmares, anger, vomiting, and nausea. We started reading up online concerning the dependency called 'Cymbalta Discontinuation Syndrome'... um, WTF?? Please look it up-people are staying on the drug ONLY because the withdrawal symptoms are so bad and can last longer than the time you were taking the drug. My husband could be suffering for a year-we are newlyweds! Please do not start this drug if you haven't already!!!"

• jac...
• August 13, 2010

For Generalized Anxiety Disorder "I have been taking Cymbalta (60 mg) for 7 weeks, and it has been of great help with the anxiety, depression, and chronic abdominal pain. I have some minor nausea and fatigue most days, but nothing really bad. The most serious side effect I have is the sexual one - lost libido and inability to reach orgasm. After 7 weeks, I fear it will be a permanent side effect, which is hard to deal with. Thank you."

• Rac...
• March 26, 2017

For Fibromyalgia "I was prescribed Cymbalta when I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia last year. Cymbalta is by far the worst medicine I could ever imagine being on. It did nothing for my fibromyalgia pain. I stayed on it to see if it would work with time, nothing. I told my doctor I felt no better about my fibromyalgia pain and decided to wean off. This is the ugly part. My dose went from 60 mg to 30 mg for the next two weeks, and then I was told to take it every other day for 2 weeks, and so I did. Here I am, 3 days off of it completely, and I feel horrendous. Muscles are stiff, mouth is constantly dry, diarrhea is nonstop, vomiting, constant nausea, headache, body zaps, brain zaps, feeling exhausted but can't sleep. Cymbalta is hell. Please avoid at all costs."

• 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."

• Flo...
• September 12, 2019

For Depression "I had been taking Lexapro for years with no problems. Extreme fatigue had my doctor suggesting I change to Cymbalta. Immediately, the anxiety, fuzzy head, vertigo, hangover feeling started with nausea, diarrhea, unquenchable thirst, weakness, you name the side effect, and I had it. Within 3 weeks, I don't know how I was literally able to function. Very happy to be going back on Lexapro."

• 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."

• Anonymous
• January 11, 2011

For Pain "I have been on Cymbalta for 2 months and it has really helped my back pain. I have had chronic back pain for 3 years due to a fall. I have had my back MRI and I have no disk problems, so it is muscle pain. Cymbalta has really helped. It does still bother me some days but not as much as before. In the beginning, I had a lot of nausea with Cymbalta but that went away after about a week. I was determined to give it a chance. With some of the side effects, it is easy to give up, but it does get better. Now I have no problems, maybe a little less of an appetite, but that might not be such a bad thing."

• 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."

• 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."

• Lis...
• January 9, 2017

For Anxiety "I'm on Cymbalta 30 mg for my anxiety and depression, and I have been on it for a month. I have no side effects, but nausea and being tired, but that all went away in about 2 weeks. Great meds, works great for 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."

• Bry...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• April 9, 2019

For Anxiety "I started on 30 mgs a day and stopped on the 5th day. I felt so nauseous and intestinally challenged. The drug also caused my heart to go into afib/aflutter with moderate tachycardia. As soon as I told the doctor what was happening, he had me stop immediately. Now I am waiting to see a cardiologist to assess the arrhythmia situation. I know the literature says that my side effects are rare, but it happened to me."

• Gae...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• October 8, 2015

For Depression "The initial side effects were horrible. I felt exhausted and nauseated all the time. After a month, I noticed a dramatic improvement in my mood. I had energy, I was less depressed and anxious. Prior to starting Cymbalta, I had tried two different antidepressants that did not seem to be effective. The decreased libido with Cymbalta is worth having my life back."

• Anonymous
• August 7, 2019

For Fibromyalgia "I started Cymbalta to help with pain. I had horrible side effects. I was extremely nauseous, tired, sweaty, and more. I took this medicine for about a month, and the side effects never seemed to go away. So I stopped taking it, even though I know you’re supposed to slowly do so. I just felt sick taking it, and I still feel sick after stopping. I can’t stop throwing up. I honestly don’t even think it’s worth trying this medicine. I would stay away at all costs."

• tes...
• April 22, 2012

For Back Pain "I started taking Cymbalta as a last resort for radicular sciatica pain. I had surgery and tried many medicines. I've been on Cymbalta for 1.5 months (5 days - 20 mg, 5 days - 40 mg, 1.5 weeks - 60 mg, 2 days - 40 mg, 2 days - 30 mg). I experienced most of the side effects (nausea, lethargy, somnolence (sleeping 18-20 hours a day for 3 weeks), from that to insomnia to today's date, flatulence, constipation, tingling all over, throat pain, blurry vision, nightmares, night terrors waking in drenching sweats, profuse sweating, hair loss). This is the weirdest medicine I've taken. I took Fluoxetine for years with no unusual side effects or withdrawals. I am reducing because of the side effects of night terrors, sweats, etc. It does work for pain, but the cost is high."

• 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!"

• Me ...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• August 16, 2019

For Fibromyalgia "I took Cymbalta for 1 month for my pain. After about 2 weeks, bad side effects set in. I had stomach pain, memory loss, nauseated feeling, no hunger, dizziness - almost falling over. I felt so bad I knew not what to do. Finally, I told a few close people about what was going on, and I decided to call my doctor to get off Cymbalta. The doctor told me to stop immediately and rest. I did and slowly began to feel better. It's been 3 days and I'm still not normal, but a little better. I'm putting my words out there that if you're afraid of stuff like this, please stay away from Cymbalta. I think it should be taken out of the pharmacy. It is horrible."

• Sti...
• January 29, 2023

For Depression "I have been feeling very low because the person I have loved for 27 years has metastasized stage 4 cancer. I have watched him go from an active, social person to someone who sleeps most of the time and is very frail. I was feeling so low (I still am) and decided to try Cymbalta. I took one 30 mg pill at noon, and like many other people who posted here, everything went downhill very fast. I felt fine at first, but by 2:30 pm, the room was spinning. I was very nauseated, and my head felt like cement. I immediately laid down and felt my heart pounding in my chest. I kept doing breathing exercises to keep myself calm, eventually falling into a restless, semi-conscious state until 8 am the following day. There was no way for me to leave the bed. Had there been a fire, I would have literally had to crawl to safety as I was too sick to stand up. The bottom line is that it took the whole next day for me to recover. Unfortunately, I could not continue the Cymbalta."

• the...
• October 20, 2013

For Fibromyalgia "During my mid-40s, I began experiencing excruciating neck pain. I had cervical fusion for a ruptured cervical disk. After the surgery, I have had extreme chronic fatigue, bone pain, overall body pain, and paralysis of one vocal cord. I tried numerous pain medications which had absolutely no effect on my pain. Ultimately, the combination of medications that helped were a low dosage of methadone, Prozac, and Provigil (for narcolepsy). Recently my doctor changed my Prozac to Cymbalta. My pain is now almost gone! (I am still taking methadone, but maybe it will no longer be necessary. (I changed to Nuvigil for extreme daytime sleepiness.) No side effects from Cymbalta except for slight nausea during the first week of use."

• Spe...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• June 19, 2017

For Anxiety "I'm pretty sure that I don't suit this medication. The first three weeks were absolute torture with blurred vision, headaches, nausea, and no energy. After that time, the medicine did seem to help my anxiety and depression. However, after three months, the side effects came back worse than the first three weeks. I went to my doctor and asked to switch medications immediately. Coming off of the Cymbalta was the worst experience of my life. At one point, I had uncontrollable shaking and muscle movements. I couldn't even concentrate enough to go to the kitchen and make a sandwich. I know this drug works for many people, but for myself, it was like taking poison."

• 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."

• big...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• January 7, 2013

For Fibromyalgia "I started taking depression medicine when I was 11 years old. I am now 24 and I have been on probably 10 different antidepressants over the years. Nothing has had such a positive effect on me as Cymbalta has. I am truly happy for the first time in a long time. I've been taking Cymbalta for about 8 months now, and I feel great. I have also been diagnosed with fibromyalgia, which is one reason why my doctor thought Cymbalta would be best. Cymbalta has also helped some with my aches and pains. I have very little side effects with this medicine. I get nauseous once in a while and am tired a lot, but it's nothing compared to being without Cymbalta. This is by far the best medicine for depression and fibromyalgia."

• Anonymous
• March 12, 2008

For Depression "To begin with, I experienced nausea, excessive yawning, extreme fatigue - I'd fall asleep in the afternoon, sweating, and bad dreams at night, and really bad anxiety. These side effects lasted for a few weeks, but then I started to feel great. After 5 months, I decided to stop taking it - big mistake. I felt dizzy, sick, pounding heart, headaches, and the depression came back almost instantly. I started taking it again 2 weeks ago. Side effects aren't as severe this time, but they haven't kicked in either."