Duloxetine and Headaches: What Users Say (Page 4)

• Anonymous
• August 29, 2011

Duloxetine for Anxiety "This medication did amazing things for me after being diagnosed with an anxiety disorder. I suffered panic attacks, inability to control my emotions, crying to bouts of anger, along with other symptoms. Within 2 weeks, there was a huge change. I am now laughing and joking again, I have no mood swings, no more crying, I have no anger issues now, just incredible. I did suffer side effects for the first 17 days and was very nauseous. The first few days are the worst, and then it eases off, some minor headaches, a small amount of fever, a little more sweating, some dizziness, but overall, it was worth it. Back to a happy-go-lucky girl."

• Mik...
• May 26, 2009

Duloxetine for Depression "Day 5 and I'm amazed already, the depression and anxiety have been wiped away with 30 mg. By far the best antidepressant I've tried in the last 2 years. Feel so much better, better mood, less irritable, and more energetic. Wonder drug for me. I'd highly recommend trying it, no side effects, just a slight occasional headache, but otherwise no complaints here."

• Sus...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• October 28, 2016

Duloxetine for Depression "I had/having a horrible time with this medication. Currently trying to wean off with my MD's help. I've had every listed side effect and subsequent health problems that required expensive work-ups. Most dramatically, I developed vertigo and severe headaches after being on the med for about 3-4 months. Vertigo was debilitating and required time off of work and multiple doctor appointments to rule out other conditions. I also had electrical zings and numbness and tingling down my body. The weaning has been the most problematic, causing these awful side effects to worsen. I'm a registered nurse, and I would never recommend this drug to anybody. I did not feel any benefits for my depression."

• Anonymous
• December 14, 2011

Duloxetine for Pain "I have fibromyalgia, rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, have had a hip replacement and extensive back surgery for spinal stenosis. I had pain constantly, at times almost to the point I could hardly walk. After beginning Cymbalta, the pain left. I feel like I did 25 or 30 years ago. I have had no negative side effects, except an occasional mild headache and night sweats some nights. This medication has been a life-saver, even stopping the nerve pains shooting down my legs. It's worth trying it!"

• Sus...
• February 1, 2017

For Peripheral Neuropathy "I took duloxetine for 90 days. It helped reduce my pain enough that I could stop most opioids, but drug side effects were worse than the pain. I had dry mouth, then nausea, which went on every day until about a month after I stopped it. I woke up in a panic sometimes after horrible nightmares, which I hadn't had before. I began teeth grinding, chipped many teeth, and was advised to have a mouth guard made. My headaches worsened markedly. My blood pressure rose substantially. I itched, sweated, and passed gas horribly. I had difficulty passing urine. My doctor had no idea how to help me; all I would be told was to 'drink ginger tea.' Stopping it was hellish, with shaking, wide blood pressure swings, and painful brain zaps."

• MEL...
• February 23, 2018

Duloxetine for Depression "I've been on every depression med available (including Trintellix -- one of the newest). Trintellix worked really well, but I gained quite a bit of weight on it, and the $300/mo copay got old after a while. I'm really surprised and pleased with Cymbalta so far. I'm taking the lowest dose (20 mg?), and have not had any major issues (had headaches at first, which happens with all new meds I try, and I always take it with food to avoid nausea). I experienced horrible fatigue on Prozac, but I need to take this med in the a.m. I'm a runner and so usually constantly ache, but I'm actually feeling 'lighter' and less stiff since I've been on this. I've also lost some weight/appetite, which I love. This may be a result of ending the Trintellix, but whatever the case, I'll take it. I've always been really constipated, and Cymbalta has helped with that as well (does this mean that 'regular' people might experience diarrhea?). I'm not agitated nor nervous, so all in all, Cymbalta has been really good for me."

• Sam...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• May 31, 2019

Duloxetine for Anxiety "I was diagnosed with major depression at quite a young age. I started off with Prozac, which didn’t work for me, then Lexapro, which made my skin crawl, then onto Viibryd, which I only took for a month because it was so expensive. Now I am on Cymbalta (day 2). I work as a CNA at a retirement home 6 pm-6 am. The doctor told me to take it on “my mornings,” which is about 4 pm. My first night was awful. My blood pressure was 189/110 and heart rate was 172. I felt like my head was swimming, and I was getting tongue-tied even on simple words. I felt weak and hot and had diarrhea. I am also a smoker, so I imagine that could’ve played a role with my elevated heart rate. But this is some strong stuff. I’m going to stick it out at least long enough to finish the bottle and see if some of these side effects subside. High hopes!"

• Bob...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• January 4, 2019

Duloxetine for Depression "Had tried 4 different meds before Cymbalta in various doses for GAD/depression. Had quit them due to side effects, usually 'brain fog', increased anxiety or depressive symptoms, etc. Psych doctor put me on Cymbalta 30 mg, morning/30 mg night. At first, I had some improvement with just mild brain fog. Kept on it for a total of 4 months, hoping this could be the one. However, slowly turned into a zombie. Tired, unable to think clearly, trouble processing. Dr. switched me to Vibryyd 20 mg and tapered me with 30 mg of Cymbalta at night for 7 days. She said the new med should help counter withdrawal effects. Well, during the first 7 days, I had mild vertigo, insomnia, heart palpitations, etc., and was dealing with it. The next 7 days without any Cymbalta have been the worst. Vertigo, confusion, agitation, severe vertigo, mood swings, sweats, loss of appetite, tinnitus, headaches, forgetfulness, etc. I pray I am not one of those people who have withdrawal for months."

• Som...
• September 20, 2009

Duloxetine for Anxiety "After years of knowing something was wrong, I went to the doctor, and he prescribed Cymbalta. I have been on it for 6 months. I love it! I will be married a year in October, and my husband and I were already talking divorce until I started Cymbalta. I did have very violent and 'gory' dreams when I took it right before bed. Now I take it in the morning, my dreams are back to normal. I am currently taking 60 mg but am going to request to take a lower dosage as I am now starting to experience headaches and nausea. I feel like I am finally the person I always knew I was and not the bitter, angry, weepy person other people saw."

• Sky...
• October 20, 2019

Duloxetine 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."

• San...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• July 2, 2018

Duloxetine for Depression "Started Cymbalta 30 mg/day. After 3 doses, I became horribly ill. Severe abdominal pain, headache, nausea (could not even keep sips of water down), palpitations, weakness, extreme fatigue, insomnia, foggy cognition. Flat on my back for 60 hours. Could not sleep, just lay in misery. I am better now but still not 100%. This is a dangerous drug. The pharmacist said my reaction is rare, even so, I would recommend against it."

• Anonymous
• March 27, 2012

Duloxetine for Pain "Been on 30 mg Cymbalta for 2 weeks. Started getting relief by the 2nd day. Am a 58-year-old male with spinal stenosis, degenerative disc disease, and spondy. The plan was to go to 60 mg, but I am getting enough relief at 30 mg. I believe I will try to stay on that dose to minimize side effects. Some constipation, difficulty reaching orgasm, some night sweats, and minor headaches. Oh, insomnia if I took it at night. I had samples of this medicine for 6 months but delayed starting it because of horror stories on the internet. Pain was ruining my life, so this medicine seems to be the best option."

• Lun...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• November 24, 2021

Duloxetine for Depression "While I was only on Cymbalta for a short time, it didn't help with my depression or anxiety - if anything, it made it worse. I had two major things occur. The first one was I slept almost constantly. I would sleep for 6 hours, wake up for 1 hour, go back to sleep for another 6 hours, and repeat the cycle almost daily. The second, and more concerning, was I had a major increase in suicidal thoughts. However, for me, the worst part about Cymbalta is trying to come off it. This goes for many medications, but Cymbalta has severe withdrawal symptoms. I had dizziness, nausea (and vomiting), irritability, headache, sweating, shaking, diarrhea, and tingling of the skin, the whole nine yards. So please just be aware if you are ever planning to come off of this medication for any reason, the recovery period will be hell."

• mic...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• July 20, 2022

Duloxetine for Anxiety "I’m female, 18, and I’ve been diagnosed with severe anxiety for a long time, and I have tried many medications (Lexapro and Zoloft), and they didn’t work on me and almost caused my anxiety to be worse. I’ve been on Remeron for a few months, and it has helped me a lot and helped me eat and feel better, but recently my anxiety has been getting worse, so they decided to take me off and try something new. This medicine warned me that there would be headaches and nausea, my psychiatrist said it goes away with time, I trusted it. The psychiatrist said if you feel suicidal at all to let them know, and I will be taken off immediately. I’ve only been on it for a day, so I wanted to share my experience. Everyone is different, and it could help people. I didn’t realize how bad my thoughts were until I took this. I am very paranoid, sick mentally and physically, and overall, I’m extremely sad this didn’t work. I feel very suicidal. Good luck."

• Anonymous
• April 16, 2009

Duloxetine for Anxiety "I was on Cymbalta for 5 days. It helped my anxiety, but I couldn't handle the side effects: nausea, extreme sleepiness and yawning for the better part of the day, feeling zombie-like, chills, clenching my jaw, headache. I stopped taking it after 5 days, and the withdrawal was terrible. I felt like I'd been hit by a truck: terrible headache and clenching of jaw. And I'd only been on 30 mg for 5 days. Even if I could have tolerated the side effects, I would have been worried about the withdrawal."

• Dav...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• January 25, 2022

Duloxetine for Anxiety "Pray you never have to wean off this drug!!! If it works for you, great, but I promise you that discontinuing is a complete nightmare that lasts for weeks or months. The Good: Helped with chronic knee pain and anxiety. The Bad: None of the good is worth the bad! Helped anxiety but felt like doing nothing but stare at a wall on the lowest dose. Insomnia, constant headache, decreased libido, unable to focus, out-of-body feeling. These did not improve with time. After 3 months, I decided it wasn’t worth it and started to wean off. Without a doubt, the worst experience of my life, and it is still going on. 24/7 headaches, nightmares that are so real, I wake up believing they happened, unable to focus, severe vision changes, a feeling that I am not me. The doctor said these effects can last a week or many months. Obviously, I’m going to be on the wrong end of this. For those it helps, I’m very happy for you, but coming off (pray you don't) will be a nightmare that seems to never end."

• dyo...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• December 8, 2015

Duloxetine for Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy "Not diabetic neuropathy, but neuropathic pain nonetheless. Works wonderfully... except for the terrible acne it's causing, and the relatively frequent but terrible headaches. I also have some issues with anxiety; it has done exactly nothing of use there."

• Wor...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• July 19, 2016

Duloxetine for Depression "Then everything went haywire. The psychiatrist kept me going until I was at 120 mg a day. Depression worsened, experienced disassociative episodes (foggy memory while on these episodes where I do not remember certain events), increased headaches, insomnia, irritability, and suicidal thoughts. I'm appalled that my psychiatrist thought it was okay to keep increasing the dose until it was more than double what I was taking initially (20 mg), despite symptoms getting much worse. During this time, I also had 0 access to adequate talk therapies, whether in a group setting or 1-1 with a trained counselor. I am absolutely sickened that these dangerous drugs are promoted as a band-aid fix-all solution when talk therapies are completely disregarded."

• Tas...
• July 25, 2013

Duloxetine for Depression "Have been on 30 mgs Cymbalta for about 3 months to treat major depression and fibromyalgia. Have previously taken just about every antidepressant on the market with no real difference to my mood. Have tried to come off antidepressants but without success. My experience with Cymbalta is it has been highly effective in treating joint and back pain, but the side effects I am experiencing are so bad that I am seeing my GP today to request help in switching to something else. Side effects include: sweats for the first few weeks, nausea for the first few weeks, increased energy levels, headaches/migraines on waking, dry skin, dry eyes and sharp pain in eyes, itchy palms and feet, constant phantom smell of strong, cloying perfume, severe constipation."

• Sug...
• March 9, 2017

Duloxetine for Depression "I took it for 5 days, 30 mg, and have never felt so sick. The first day, I was crippled with diarrhea and a headache, which continued to the following day. I then got a tightness in my throat and couldn't stop yawning. I stopped eating due to the nausea. The headache didn't go away, and by day 3, it was joined by an earache and sweating. Yesterday was the worst. All of a sudden, my vision became blurry, and I couldn't talk properly. It was terrifying. Like my brain stopped working. I couldn't drive and was so dizzy I kept falling over. I stopped immediately and now have to wait 3 days for it to leave my system. I still feel horrendous, and I still can't see properly."

• awp...
• January 1, 2012

Duloxetine for Fibromyalgia "Diagnosed with fibromyalgia in 1993 and tried lots of medicines. Lyrica was awesome, but became less effective after about 7 years and still had some level of pain and fatigue. Cymbalta has been fabulous. It took about 3 1/2 weeks for me to get over the side effects (restlessness, nausea, headache, jerkiness-especially at night with the morning dosage), but now-I feel the best I have ever felt. My pain and fatigue are gone, and as an additional bonus, chronic low back and arthritis pain are gone too. I had no idea how much pain I had been in until Cymbalta took it away. Beware of withdrawal though. Head spins, jerkiness, 'brain shock' when you move your eyes quickly, etc., very bad. Don't miss a dose or let the prescription run out by accident! Worth it to be pain-free!"

• Mar...
• October 13, 2017

Duloxetine for Depression "Took Cymbalta for depression for about 6 months, first 30 mg, which my doctor increased little by little until it got to 90 mg. She increased it because the medication seemed to work, but after a while, the symptoms were present again. I went on vacation, and when I returned, couldn't get the prescription on time, that was the beginning of the nightmare. Symptoms of withdrawal were going from vomiting, electric zaps, severe nausea, severe dizziness sensation that I am falling down, head pain, and so on for more than two months. I didn't stop taking the medication, it was only a gap in treatment that put me in that situation. Since that day, I asked my doctor to help me discontinue it, even following her directions, it is so bad that I don't recommend it ever."

• Ash...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• February 15, 2016

Duloxetine for Depression "This was the third medication I tried for my depression and anxiety. I'm not going to lie, the entire time I was on it, I felt like I was on ecstasy 24/7. Everything was rainbows and sunshine, and I felt so euphoric and amazing and warm and fuzzy. However, I had the nastiest headaches constantly, and they came on as soon as I'd take the meds. Almost the entire time, I felt so nauseous, and I had migraines, and it didn't let up. I switched at my monthly appointment because the headaches made the euphoria not worth it."

• In ...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• February 7, 2016

Duloxetine for Major Depressive Disorder "I was put on this med due to degenerative arthritis in my neck and depression. (I was taken off the other mood meds and swapped to just this.) For two weeks, I took 30 mg, which didn't seem to help much. I also suffer from headaches/migraines. I was upped to 60 mg, which after the 3rd day was the first time in over 40 years I didn't wake up with a headache. It's been 4 days now with no headache. I have a bit of a humming in my ear, like when an amp is left on, but I'll take that over headaches any day. Occasionally, I've had the runs, but not sure if this is med related. I have noticed an improvement in my mood. Also, I should mention I also started seeing a chiropractor for the first time, and she's also done some miracle work on the neck."

• Anonymous
• March 12, 2010

Duloxetine for Depression "Within 3 weeks of taking this medication, I found a significant difference in my mood. I felt overall happier and more at peace, like I remember my best self! Before, I had trouble with not being happy or excited about anything (other than sex). There were sexual side effects for the first month. The medication has evened out, and it no longer affects this aspect. I have noticed that I get bad headaches every month or so. I'm not sure if this is part of the medicine's side effect or another issue. I would definitely suggest giving it a try to ease depression and general anxiety. It hasn't helped my energy level, but I am able to work out or run, and I normally would. I have been taking the medication for 2 months at a 30 mg dose."