sunshine1980

Hi.... I'm new here, don't really know where or how to start but I have had problems with depression and anxiety. Been in therapy since I was a kid. Always been really overly sensitive and have huge ups and downs.

I can go from super happy to literally wanting to die just like that, often I have no clue how or where the moodswing comes from.

My doctor has just prescribed me Cymbalta because even after all this therapy, I still have these really bad periods where everything feels just numb and I feel like I am in a haze. She says it will help me feel more stable and also help with my anxiety.... But I read a bit about this online and it has scared me. Now I am not sure what to do, whether to give it a try or not.

Anyone have any experience with it?

Thanks in advance.

Morning Glory

Cymbalta, Paxil, and Effexor are anti-depressants that you have to stop taking slowly. The withdrawals after taking them can be harsh. I just went through it with my nephew on Cymbalta when his doctor quit and he couldn't get a prescription right away. He was very ill from the withdrawals. Other than that the Cymbalta worked well for him and solved his problems with panic attacks.

Cleansing

I went on it and got off it without any withdrawals. It didn't help with my depression, but i was also drinking and getting high all the time, so I was gonna be depressed no matter what meds i was on.
I think the booze and drugs helped with the withdrawal symtoms I hear about. Not that Im condoning drug use.

try it, and if it doesn't feel good in two - 4 weeks, switch. psych meds are a game of mixing and matching sometimes.

sunshine1980

Thanks for the replies I appreciate it. I am seeing a new psychiatrist on Thursday so I will talk it over with him and then decide which way to go.

Freedom1990

Cymbalta has worked really well for me for about a year now. I can honestly say it was the easiest antidepressant to take as I had no side effects initially when I started it.

It takes about 4 weeks on an antidepressant to even accurately gauge whether it's the right one for you or not.

sunshine1980

Thanks, you know this might sound very superficial and silly..... but I have read some things about weight gain and it is one of the things stopping me.

It makes some of my friends angry that I would rather be thinner and depressed as opposed to a bit larger and feeling good, but I have always been very very insecure about my body and I feel if I gain weight it will only make me more depressed and anxious.

Freedom1990

Some of the antidepressants can cause weight gain. I was put on a second one eventually (in addiction to the Cymbalta), Remeron, because I was underweight. I completely lose my appetite when I am depressed. The Remeron has a side effect of increased appetite. The Cymbalta had no side effect of increased appetite for me.

Zencat

I'm taking Cymbalta now, have been for some time. I haven't noticed any adverse side effects. The drug dose help stabilize my depression symptoms. I also go to a PTSD group for CBT treatment too. I think the combination of the two treatments works the best for me.

I remember my Psych Dr. saying the mood stabilizer drug will get me to the point that I can do the CBT work. I think that's the way to go with drug treatment...a stepping stone to further treatments like CBT, private therapy, group therapy and such.