Cymbalta and Sweating: What Users Say (Page 4)

• Mar...
• October 28, 2009

For Depression "I have been on Cymbalta for about 4 years. Worst side effect is sweating, which can be annoying. Also, if I lay down during the day, I can go to sleep at just about any time; so I don't lay down. Much less sexual side effects than other anti-depressants I was on (several of them). Since there is no generic, it is a bit expensive, but I feel so much better than I did before; it is worth it!"

• skb...
• February 16, 2012

For Fibromyalgia "My doctor put me on Cymbalta for fibromyalgia, and I have to say that it was really effective at reducing my pain, helping me sleep, and clearing up the brain fog. However, I began having some side effects that became serious when my doctor increased my dosage - being clumsy, hot all the time and sweating profusely, and agitation bordering on hypomania. I also noticed my blood pressure seemed to be high - around 150/94 - which was unusual for me. The last straw was the day my blood pressure went up to 170/120. Turns out that the Vyvanse I take for ADHD plus the Cymbalta caused serotonin syndrome. Then I had horrible withdrawal coming off of it. Make sure your medicines won't interact before starting Cymbalta!"

• Con...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• January 1, 2016

For Major Depressive Disorder "This drug is the devil. It destroyed my life. It took everything that made me who I am away from me and locked it in a little box. I didn't notice my personality changing, I didn't notice how heavily I'd started to drink because it was creating more symptoms than it was treating. My partner, also on Cymbalta for slightly longer than I (probably still on it), also changed... He went from kind and considerate to selfish and cold. He avoided conflict at all costs when I met him, when we parted ways, he would happily start arguments. Yes, Cymbalta helped me for about 2 months, but from there it was all side effects (apart from the aforementioned) of uncontrollable sweating and mood swings on top of the depression and anxiety it was supposed to be treating."

• bla...
• February 8, 2012

For Depression "I started taking Cymbalta after my doctor prescribed 2 other medicines over the space of 8 months, they made me feel worse, not better. I was so ill I was hospitalized at one stage. It took Cymbalta quite a while-about 2 months-to kick in noticeably, however, my depression was severe. The nausea was awful the first two weeks and dizziness lasted about a week with me. I am pretty sensitive to medications, however. I have been on Cymbalta for almost two years-at a high dose (90 mg). I do find I am hot and sweaty (at times), I need a lot of sleep and have put on weight (though HRT could have caused this). However, these side effects are a small price to pay to live a normal life and be free."

• aht...
• November 23, 2017

For Anxiety "Within two days of starting Cymbalta, I had 'flashing lights' in my peripherals (which didn't go away for two years) and nausea. Not that big of a deal. But on day three, I was hit by an insane attack on what I assume was my central nervous system. I felt like my chest was in an ice bath, my internal temperature dropped several degrees, my groin felt like it was on fire (burning/cramping), I started shaking and sweating and went into full-blown panic. After taking a week off, I tried the drug again. Same thing. Absolutely awful. My doctors/pharmacies had never heard of these side effects, which were worse than my symptoms (anxiety-related feeling of throat/tongue swelling). I switched to Effexor (SNRI), which finally worked."

• meh...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• September 19, 2016

For Depression "This medicine was a disaster for me. I was put on 30 mg once a day before bed, and the day I started it, I felt the effects. I started to get the shakes, I got hyper, I was nauseous, all my muscles were tense, especially my neck. I sweat CONSTANTLY; I couldn't drink enough for how bad I was sweating. At the one-week mark, I was directed to double the dose. BIG mistake. My throat started to get very tight, and my pupils were so dilated you could no longer see the color of my eyes; I have glaucoma, so that could be why. I eventually went to the ER, where they directed me to take one more half dose and stop. I had 0 benefits; it just made me feel horrible. Seeing as I had a similar reaction to Effexor, I'm clueless as to why I was put on this medication."

• 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."

• Anonymous
• October 28, 2011

For Pain "My new pain doctor put me on Cymbalta a few weeks ago. I took 30 mg 1x per day for a week, then increased the dosage to 60 mg 1x per day. I have post-thoracotomy pain syndrome (nerve and muscle pain) and pain from scar tissue from major abdominal surgery. The Cymbalta works beautifully. I am pain-free for the first time since 2006! My next step is to gradually stop taking the opiate pain medications. Two 'cons' about Cymbalta--side effects (these have gone away finally after about 5 days)--including nausea, waking up in the middle of the night, sweating and unable to go back to sleep, and some cold sweats in the morning. The second not-so-great thing is that since there is no generic, I pay a lot for it. My insurance covers it, but still."

• Mam...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• September 11, 2016

For Generalized Anxiety Disorder "I started taking Cymbalta Time Release (for Major Depressive Disorder and Anxiety) before bedtime at 11 p.m., 2 nights ago. I felt fine that night, until the next morning. I started feeling very nauseous and sick (which I have a severe phobia of vomiting). I started sweating, chills, a dizzy feeling, which threw me into a severe panic attack, which made me feel even more nauseous, which made my panic attack last longer. I couldn't calm myself down. I felt like I was in a nightmare! I didn't start feeling any better until about 8 p.m. that evening. It's been 2 days since I've taken Cymbalta, and I'm still experiencing major panic attacks 3-4 times a day with nausea and vomiting. I wish I had never taken that medicine now!"

• Mad...
• May 22, 2015

For Major Depressive Disorder "Don't take this drug. Just don't. My doctor told me nothing about the side effects or how potent it really is. I took it for a week and I felt like I was cracked out the whole time. Total depersonalization, suicidal thoughts, weird head pains, chest pains, vomiting, and completely drained of energy. After only taking this for a week, the withdrawals were horrendous, and I was only on 30 mg. Brain zaps, palpitations, chills, insomnia, sweating, diarrhea, and the list goes on. Worst two weeks of my life. I can't imagine what coming off this drug feels like when you have taken it long term. Do not take this drug."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• March 29, 2016

For Depression "For over 20 years, I've used antidepressants, and this, by far, is the best I've ever used. However, there are some downsides. I'm constantly hungry all the time. I've put on 2 stone, which is giving me another problem to deal with because that doesn't make me feel good, and excessive sweating. I've reduced my dose with doctor's supervision to try to help these side effects, and the tiredness is so bad, but I've definitely had little or no anxiety."

• Anonymous
• October 30, 2011

For Pain "I have severe neck pain from herniated discs, bulging disc, foraminal stenosis, osteophytes, and arthritic changes in the neck. I was also depressed from chronic pain and anxious about the pain. It has interfered with my life and stopped me from enjoying life. I started on Cymbalta about a month ago. My pain seems to have improved some but has not yet gone away. The side effects have been troublesome, including dry mouth, constipation, palpitations, rapid heart rate, some sweating, tremor, and difficulty urinating. I plan to give the medication three months before I suggest a change to my doctor, based on the comments above. Hope it works."

• Anonymous
• October 2, 2009

For Anxiety "I took Cymbalta for 7 weeks for postpartum anxiety/depression. After the initial week of feeling nausea and fatigue, I started to feel better. I stayed on 30 mg, but found after 5 weeks I was having vivid, disturbing dreams, insomnia, sweating, and the anxiety came back. I started tapering off, and even at the low dose, the withdrawals are quite uncomfortable - after tapering and stopping the drug I still get a buzz/pulse/shock-like sensation in my head almost constantly after a week. Great if it helps, but hard to get off!"

• Cha...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• July 22, 2021

For Anxiety "I was prescribed this medication for anxiety, and now I remember why I decided not to take it. I had taken it for three days before, and it constantly made me feel nauseated and sleepy. If you lose weight on this medication, that's how. It's because you constantly feel like you're going to throw up. I didn't take it for a while, but then my anxiety started getting really bad lately, so I decided to try it again. I took one pill last night and could not go to sleep. Then when I finally did go to sleep, I woke up at 2 am feeling like I was going to puke, heart racing, scared out of my mind that I was going to die and sweating. This might work for some people, but it didn't work well at all for me. I will never take it again, it only made me feel worse."

• the...
• August 19, 2011

For Fibromyalgia "I am a 45-year-old male who tore major muscle groups in the right side of my back and neck 23 years ago. I have suffered horribly since then. I have had surgeries, but the pain was still bad after. The first breakthrough was Lyrica, as it addressed the nerve pain. Now, it appears Cymbalta may have dealt with the remainder of the nerve pain. It has only been a week, but I have cut back on Lyrica and feel only 10% of the pain I once had. If I can survive this ungodly string of opening side effects (sweating, anxiety, weakness, nausea, constipation, dizziness), things may end up OK after all this time. Due to comments on this forum, I am going to ignore the side effects and wait until they go away. If they do go away, then Cymbalta is amazing."

• Pam...
• February 26, 2017

For Generalized Anxiety Disorder "Please do not take this!!!! I have been taking it for 7 years. It never really worked, I don't know why I kept taking it. When I was diagnosed with a mood disorder, they put me on new meds and took me off Cymbalta. They did wean me off, but I was awful. The withdrawals were, and still are, 3 weeks later so bad!!! The brain zaps are the worst, and then there is sweating, shaking, nausea. Please don't even start it, even if it makes you feel good."

• tan...
• March 18, 2011

For Depression "Have been taking this now for 2 years for anxiety and depression. I had minimal side effects when starting the medicine (needed minimal time to adjust as compared to other SSRIs) but can note I now perspire a lot more, and my cholesterol and blood pressure have increased. This medicine has worked relatively well for me and has made me better balanced. I still get some anxiety and depression, but it's not as debilitating. It will be disappointing if my cholesterol and blood pressure remain high, as I will have to seek alternatives. I have had some weight loss on this medicine and am not hungry all the time like I was on Avanza and Luvox. Fingers crossed, some weight loss will fix the high blood pressure."

• Lee...
• May 11, 2019

For Anxiety "I got bad/severe serotonin syndrome from Cymbalta 60 and tramadol 50. Everyone thought this was strange, as both are low doses. Recently tried Cymbalta a few months ago as monotherapy, after a month, I got mild serotonin syndrome, confirmed by my psychiatrist. I had delirium, nausea, delusions, sweating, and diarrhea. Could this both times be from my huge caffeine intake I’ve had for years, as caffeine and Cymbalta are both CYP1A2 substrates? My son had severe reactions to multiple 2D6 substrates, and gene testing confirmed he is a normal metabolizer. Was just too much medication hurting his 2D6 enzyme. Thoughts on my caffeine abuse with my Cymbalta nasty reactions?"

• Cat...
• November 7, 2011

For Fibromyalgia "I have taken Cymbalta for about a year and a half for fibromyalgia pain. It is great as a pain reducer and an antidepressant, however, the side effects outweighed any benefit I got from it. I had trouble with restlessness, being tired constantly, dizziness, dry mouth, numbness and tingling in my feet, and horrible sweating. I am being weaned off of it now. Went from 60 mg to 30 mg and now to 15 mg. I will be off completely in about a week. The fibro pain is coming back, but I would rather deal with it than the side effects."

• MPP...
• March 11, 2012

For Depression "I have been using Cymbalta for the last 5 years. I started at 30 for a month, then 60 mg, and finally 120 mg because I was under treatment for severe post-traumatic stress disorder, where initially I started with Effexor XR 250 mg, a very bad medicine for people with high blood pressure (made me sweat like crazy and I have up/down mood issues and increased the feeling of hunger). Then the doctor put me on Paxil... even worse. During the last year, I tried to leave Cymbalta for good, but it did not work, I started feeling very anxious, upset, very depressed, and electrical shocks feeling in my head, nausea... I went back to my doctor, and from 30 mg, I went back to 60 mg."

• Sal...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• August 9, 2021

For Anxiety "I have just started week 2 on Cymbalta. I was on Lexapro for 3 years and tapered off. After 1 year, my anxiety attacks started to return. It got so bad that my periods skipped or stopped altogether due to stress. I was crying off and on all day and was paranoid from sunup to sundown. Cymbalta has already started making minor changes in my life for the better. The first few nights, I suffered horrendous panic attacks, excessive sweating, and ice-in-my-veins sensations. (That also happened when I started Lexapro years ago.) I can say that most side effects have subsided, with the exception of low appetite. I am focusing at work, I feel lighter and happier, and have not experienced an anxiety attack since starting the medication. I feel better than I have in almost a year and look forward to this new journey. Thank you, science!"

• dir...
• August 19, 2011

For Depression "I have been on Cymbalta for depression for 3 weeks now. I have had a wide range of side effects: sleeplessness, stomach cramps, loss of appetite, sweating, nausea, a constant bad taste in my mouth, and a total loss of libido. I spoke to my doctor about this, and he said it may take a few weeks to really kick in. I hope it hurries up. I had been on other antidepressants a few years ago with no side effects. After 2 days, I feel the medicine has lifted me slightly, but not as much as I would have hoped."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• April 14, 2019

For Major Depressive Disorder "Cymbalta does its job for depression, but with possibly some of the worst side effects I have had from a medication. If I start taking this or up my dosage at any time, I am vomiting and sweating with terrible stomach pains. Withdrawals do exist with this med, and they make you shake a lot. It keeps you from doing anything harmful but leaves you in quite a daze and sometimes unable to feel emotions."

• HLP...
• May 23, 2011

For Depression "I started Cymbalta 30 mg last night for the first time. The medicine made me very sleepy, and I fell asleep. I awoke during the night with very sharp pains in my head, the left side of my face felt numb, a lot of sweating, very unusual racing thoughts (I was a businesswoman with a briefcase walking the streets in New York)...(possible hallucination, not sure), heart palpitations, and my head felt like it weighed a ton. It is now the next day, and I feel very weak, dizzy, and lightheaded. I'm nauseated and still having headaches. Wished it could have worked, but I can't take it anymore."

• Anonymous
• December 28, 2010

For Depression "I have been using Cymbalta for over a year now. I have since discontinued. The withdrawals are awful... brain zaps, nausea, dizziness, sweats, fever, body aches all over. I have also gained 10 to 15 lbs since taking this medication. I am active and do not eat crazy. This medication worked at first, but the side effects are awful. I want to start a family, and it's time for me to wean off my medicines."