Duloxetine and Depression: What Users Say (Page 4)

• Rea...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• November 21, 2022

For Depression "Many people don't think of Duloxetine (Cymbalta) sometimes to use it as it is an older medication. I was having a real tough time with depression. I was put on Trintellix, which they said was the Mercedes of depression medication. It did not work for me, and I was still depressed. I also had anxiety, and I would take Xanax for that. My Dr. decided to switch my medication to Duloxetine. I am so happy she had been a Dr. long enough to think of this medication to try with me as it worked really well for me. Now I will say what I call the ramp-in or transitioning from one med to another or just starting Duloxetine. Initially, it was tough and caused more depression, anxiety, and worry. But I stuck with it, and finally at week 4, it started to really kick in, and I was better. By week 8, it was amazing that it had really almost cured me of my daily depression. It also helps with anxiety as well. So, not only did it really help with depression, it helped with overall start needing way less Xanax."

• Anonymous
• November 8, 2010

Duloxetine for Anxiety "I have been on Cymbalta for about 3 months for anxiety. Started at 30 mgs for the first two weeks, then up to 60. My doctor also prescribed me Lorazepam for the occasional 'melt down.' Before Cymbalta, I was anxious about everything, whether it made sense or not. Had 'melt downs' at least three times a week. I have noticed a huge change, my family has as well. I feel like myself, not afraid or anxious. But I missed two doses (just two) and am now experiencing some not-so-fun withdrawal symptoms. I'm extremely nauseous, dizzy, my brain feels muddled, and I'm feeling a bit depressed/emotional. Now, I seem to be questioning this 'miracle drug' and think I may need to find another way to deal with my anxiety issues."

• Cym...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• October 25, 2016

Duloxetine for Anxiety "Cymbalta is from the devil. Evil, evil drug. Trying to stop it is hell on earth. Severe anxiety and emotional pain. Horrible dreams. I am an absolute wreck. Didn't take it for three days and was in extreme trouble. They don't make the dose low enough so you can get off it. Lowest is 30 mg. Load of garbage."

• Pha...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• June 25, 2022

For Depression "I've been on them a week. I'm so tired I feel terrible, I can't function even simple tasks. I feel drunk without the pleasant effects. I'm literally staring at the walls all day, sleeping off and on, and my brain doesn't work. I'm literally an emotionless zombie. This is hell on earth, worst drug I've ever taken in my life. Surprising people write positively about this stuff, 'cause for me this feels like a chemical castration of the brain. I'm a 100k a year sales rep, on this drug, I don't think I could scoop ice cream. This is a scary medicine."

• Gig...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• January 10, 2017

Duloxetine for Major Depressive Disorder "Have been on multiple antidepressants in my lifetime, all were duds. They caused weight gain, fluctuating moods, extreme sadness. My doctor has recently prescribed me 20 mg of Cymbalta, after 2 weeks, I will switch to 40 mg, 20 mg in the morning and 20 mg in the evening. After reading reviews online, I am hopeful, as everyone has reviewed it mainly positively. Currently, after being on it for 5 days, I am experiencing MAJOR nausea. I can barely breathe without wanting to throw up everywhere. Thankfully, a coworker has given me 'Phenergan,' which is used for nausea, but it is a prescription pill. I called my doctor and explained that this has helped, and she refused to put me on another prescription just to treat the side effects of Cymbalta. SOS!"

• Ang...
• October 29, 2020

For Osteoarthritis "Duloxetine is the worst drug I have ever been on, now for only 10 months of 30 mg a day. My doctor took me off it last week. The side effects and withdrawal effects are a nightmare that don't seem to be going away. I've suffered loss of balance and had two bad falls. Severe, debilitating insomnia, depression, head zaps, irritability, and for me, the worst is intense itching all over my body, my scalp, everywhere, every day, all day. This drug is dangerous and should be taken off the market."

• Pho...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• September 13, 2020

For Pain "I took duloxetine for pain and then stopped after 2 weeks. Took it for chronic pain, which helped, but the side effects were not great. Felt like puking after stopping it and major depression the 2nd day I was on it. I had many nightmares, and sleep was not that great either. Glad I stopped it."

• Joh...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• August 5, 2017

For Depression "I have PTSD. Depression. Anxiety. Bone pain. I'm not one for pills. In the past, I've been used as a guinea pig for a plethora of meds, and I've also self-medicated before PTSD was diagnosed. I have several issues from long-term injuries, including a broken leg and multiple internal injuries from stabbing. I was on sertraline for a year while on diazepam and dihydrocodeine for pain relief, they made me a shadow of myself. I found a new doctor who recognized instantly my TBI, PTSD issues, etc. He prescribed me duloxetine 30 mg. A month later, I've felt nothing. If anything, I was doing less, still in pain and still in a dark place mentally. I revisited him last week to review, he upped my dose to 60 mg, and the difference is unbelievable! Pain down, depression gone! Anxiety all-time low! ✅"

• mag...
• April 5, 2011

Duloxetine for Depression "My family knows if I miss a dose. If I'm not around them during the day, then I know by mid-afternoon if I've missed it. I feel unloved, depressed, yearning to just die. But we try to keep the dose as low as possible that will still work for me. When taken regularly, I'm a 'normal' person."

• Tha...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• September 6, 2016

For Depression "I had severe depression and suicidal thoughts due to chronic pain, stiffness, eye health problems, and hair loss (symptoms of an arthritic condition I have). Had tried Lexapro, and that didn't work out well for me personally. I have been on duloxetine for about 10 weeks now, and it is brilliant (took a month to work). I am back to feeling myself again. I'm looking forward to things, planning activities, and meet-ups with friends and family I haven't seen in ages. Got my appetite back and am sleeping so much better now. I've even started planting my own flower garden. I can't believe I waited so long to get help. My advice is don't get discouraged - there is medicine out there that will work for you!"

• Anx...
• December 11, 2017

Duloxetine for Anxiety "I have severe anxiety, and this drug made me depressed to the point of hurting myself and thinking about suicide. I’m not a depressed person, I’m usually a happy-go-lucky person. Everybody reacts differently, but that was the worst three weeks ever."

• Sci...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• February 6, 2018

For Depression "I am taking duloxetine, just had a horrific experience with the generic manufacturer Solco. I have taken 4 different manufacturer versions in 3 different dosages since June 2017. First day taking a Solco pill, I had a depressive episode, woke up the next morning and had a panic attack. Crying, severe headache on the right side, unconscious arm and leg twitching, inability to control my voice volume, loss of coordination. It was as if I suddenly reversed what remission I had achieved and broke through to a whole new ultra low. This went on for 4 days before I suspected my meds. Went to the ER because I thought I might be dying. Walgreens doesn't want to stock Teva's pills, and CVS has to special order them too, leaving me with a different manufacturer and dosage combination again. I was really excited to feel good again, but I had to crawl back to start over a proprietary formula and delivery method that has no published science available to the public. I will report this to the FDA."

• Stu...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• July 13, 2022

For Depression "I was placed on duloxetine to treat my depression. I do not remember the exact dosage that I was given, but I was still on the trial dosage when I took myself off of it and met with my doctor to change my medication. My temper was shortening, my suicidal ideations were worsening, my mood was tanking, and my overall motivation to get anything accomplished tanked. For some reason, while I was on duloxetine, I was not aware of these changes until some friends pulled me aside and told me what they were saying. These effects wore off roughly a week or so after I stopped taking it and was placed on a different medication."

• Kra...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• June 6, 2018

For Depression "I've been on duloxetine for about 9 years now, and I absolutely love it. I struggled with sleepiness as a side effect of just about every antidepressant I've ever used except with Cymbalta. I do suffer from a couple of side effects (hyperhidrosis and HBP-treated with a cheap BP med), but the good outweighs the bad. The only real surprise and drawback has been a recent discovery that my generic duloxetine made by manufacturer Solco is complete rubbish. I've never had a problem with any generics in the past, and it took me a few weeks to figure it out. I'm having horrible fibromyalgia pain and depressive episodes because the Solco version is NOT working!"

• Jay...
• November 24, 2020

For Peripheral Neuropathy "I took duloxetine in conjunction with gabapentin for my neuropathy, but it didn't work, not relief at all. With the time, this medication caused more harm than benefits. I started to get dizzy, confused, and depressed. I decided to stop it and start a natural treatment."

• Rob...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• June 18, 2020

For Depression "I took this medication, duloxetine, for a week back in 2016. I had bad side effects, so I decided to stop it just 1 week in. After I stopped it, my penis was numb. I couldn’t feel pleasure in my penis. I also had mild pain around my face, which I thought was a sinusitis infection at the time-when, in fact, it had messed up the nerves. I also couldn’t feel emotions properly. Four years on and these side effects are not only still with me, but they have gotten worse. Duloxetine gave me permanent side effects, and I think it did this by messing up my vagus nerve/5-HT1A receptors. I now have M.E. because of it! M.E. is similar to fibromyalgia, which duloxetine can treat. So it makes sense. Don’t touch this! There are so many better options with no side effects like deep transcranial magnetic stimulation, which I wish I knew about back then!"

• Jus...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• August 26, 2021

For Osteoarthritis "Never ever again!! I was on this for one month for osteoarthritis pain, mildly helped but gave me anxiety, depression, panic attacks. Withdrawal symptoms were horrendous and almost hospitalized for suicidal thoughts with constant crying because of nausea. Please I beg you to do your research before using duloxetine. If I could give it a negative 10, I would."

• max...
• December 20, 2019

For Depression "Duloxetine made me want to sleep all the time. It also made me feel depressed, and I am not a depressive person. I quit taking it and am more back to normal. Other meds helped more with my high anxiety."

• AJP...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• December 29, 2022

For Depression "Took various dosages over my 2 years on duloxetine. It worked quite well for about a year for my depression, then pooped out. It was very effective for anxiety, but sexual dysfunction and emotional blunting were quite debilitating. Withdrawals have been absolutely awful. If I had known about them prior to starting the drug, I would have never started this medication."

• Anonymous
• December 9, 2010

Duloxetine for Depression "Been on the medication for almost 2 months. Don't know if it has any good effect on me, but a few days ago, I stopped taking it, and I had the most horrible depression ever, so now I'm back on it, and I started to feel much better."

• OLA...
• February 11, 2017

For Depression "My first experience with this drug was absolutely horrible! Dr. prescribed me Cymbalta for mild depression and sleeping disorders. So, on the first day, I started feeling a little chills, then hot flashes back and forth. As a woman my age, 52, I thought it was just menopause. But it was really heavy. Then something happened to my brain-everything, my thinking, my reaction, even my speech became really slow. I hardly drove back home from work, it felt like I was drunk. But it got worse, I became more anxious and depressed, and I haven't slept the whole night. On the second day when I went to work, my coworkers thought I was coming down with a cold because I looked absolutely sick. Then my face and neck turned red, then I knew it was a side effect."

• Woo...
• October 3, 2019

For Fibromyalgia "On duloxetine for FM, I felt disconnected. Lost sense of smell. Became highly anxious with surges of stress hormones. Pain levels from fibromyalgia lessened a notch. However, real problem when coming off. Terrible effects of withdrawal, including dark depression and suicidal actuation. Think seriously before accepting this drug. I truly wish I had never been put on it."

• Lil...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• July 5, 2018

For Fibromyalgia "Like many of you, I started taking Cymbalta for fibromyalgia. It did help with my pain. I was functioning again, and pain had lessened. After 5 years, I decided to stop. I went from 60 mg to 30 mg for 2 months, then stopped. OMG! Worst time of my life! I was totally unprepared for this withdrawal. At first, I thought I had the flu without fever. Night terrors followed...10 per night is no exaggeration. Jolts of pain in my brain. Physical pain intensified. Severe depression. Exhaustion. Fatigue. Constant crying. I could not work and took almost 1 month off. This was 3 months ago. I am better than I was but not at all well. Now I am afraid to take any meds. My doctor is giving me 3 months to try lifestyle changes of less stress, exercise, and Tai Chi."

• sgo...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• June 20, 2021

For Bipolar Disorder "Duloxetine did nothing for me but induce my mania and depression. I was also misdiagnosed. My emotions felt a little torturous because I couldn’t control my emotions at all. I fell into depression, being slightly triggered, and tapering off this medication, it sucked so badly. It’s been the worst, with my mood swings, crying spells, hypomanic episodes, depressive ones became triggered, etc., etc."

• sgo...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• June 20, 2021

For Bipolar Disorder "Duloxetine did nothing for me but induce my mania and depression. I was also misdiagnosed. My emotions felt a little torturous because I couldn’t control my emotions at all. I fell into depression, being slightly triggered, and tapering off this medication, it sucked so badly. It’s been the worst, with my mood swings, crying spells, hypomanic episodes, depressive ones became triggered, etc., etc."