PhoenixJ

I am beginning to wonder if the Anti-d (duloxetine) Iam on for diagnosed major depression after a year of sobriety has left me disconnected from emotions. I have read heaps, asked all the right questions to the right 'experts'. The amount of answers and symptoms, side effects differ incredibly. It can give you the runs or constipation. Lethargy or hyperactivity, weight gain or weight loss. Does anyone have similar experiences? Also with stopping using a-d's or reducing dosage?

2ndhandrose

Hi PJ, I am on an AD (Trintellix), at the lowest dose (I went up to the normal dosage and experienced awful side effects that went away when I reduced it).

I don't have experience with your AD but have you tried anything else?

I had to try a couple of different AD's before I found one that I could tolerate.

Not much help to you but I hope you get it figured out.

gregknight

What you are on is also known as Cymbalta, I believe, and I was on that for several months and while I did not have the exact same side-affects, I did experience increase fatigue, lethargy, decrease libido, and a general sense of mental dullness. I switched to Bupropion, which is also known as Wellbutrin, and I am much happier with it. I have been on it for four months with very few, and mild side effects with the same good results I was hoping for. You might ask your doctor about that.

tomsteve

if you decide to stop use, PLEASE talk to your doctor. cold turkey off of duloxetine( Cymbalta) can be fatal.

I was prescribed Cymbalta 1 year into recovery- 11 years ago.
after about a week I was feeling really strange mentally and emotionally. I wasn't having high highs and low lows- they were more even and that just didn't seem right.
talked to a friend about it- someone who has been sober a long,long time.
he said,'welcome to reality,tom. that's what normalcy feels like. now, give it at least a month so youre body and mind can adjust to it and see how you feel."
I realized I didn't really know what normalcy in my melon was supposed to be like.

once my body and mind adjusted, it was pretty nice to have a new way of emotions and feelings.

one thing I do is take mine at bed time as if I take it in the morning I can get very tired early afternoon.

courage2

I get it. I'm not sure that my (medicated) emotional spectrum is as full or connected as it would be if I were "normal" -- like, what's that, anyway?

But overall my experience is similar to tomsteve's. It took me a while to get my meds "right" but now (3 years) I'm kind of used to what I thought at first were side-effects. Like I'll have a week when I feel dull and spacey and abstracted -- until that passes and I realize that without the drugs, that might have been the onset of a serious depressive episode.

Whatever you do, do NOT stop taking an anti-d without discussing it with one-- or two-- doctors. Try to remember what your depressive episodes were like. Do you really want to re-experience that? It's a brain-chemistry thing. If I stop my meds, my depression will return, eventually. Depression worsens with age, and sometimes if you stop medication and try to restart after a depressive episode, meds that worked before don't work again.

((PJ))

Doug39

I tried Zoloft in 2013 and I hated it. It got rid of my anxiety and depression but it also took away everything - I couldn't even laugh or cry. I was only on Zoloft for 2 months and really didn't give it a chance because I wanted to get back on the booze.

I quit drinking 110 days ago. I started taking Celexa 107 days ago. My doctor added Remeron about 2 months ago.

I feel great; I feel emotions but I am not overly emotional.

PhoenixJ

There is no way I would just stop. Also take it for neuropathic stuff 9burns). Thanks for the feedback. Helpful.

Forward12

There are tons of anti-depression meds out there, with the effects varying wildly from person to person. I've been on quite a few over the years until finding the right "concoction" of meds and dosages that work well for me.
If you feel that med isn't working well, you can talk to your doc about it and should have no issue switching you to something else.

dsmaxis10

I take it for fibromyalgia I can't live without it. No side effects