Duloxetine for Bipolar Disorder User Reviews

• jus...
• February 28, 2014

"This antidepressant literally saved my life. I had tried every other medication for bipolar depression, and nothing worked, not even a little. Then after 2 weeks on Cymbalta, the feelings of worthlessness and hopelessness subsided, my mood changed dramatically for the better, I could actually concentrate, and I've had no problems with taking it after a solid 2 months. I would call this a miracle pill for those with unmanageable bipolar depression."

• Cjw...
• March 7, 2013

"I have Bipolar Disorder 1. My biggest problem has always been crippling depression of the type that causes me to become non-functional. My manias have been bad but not as dramatic as some - mostly career self-sabotage. But severe manias have been few and far between. Here's the deal for me: Cymbalta works. It lifts the fog, lessens the awful physical pain, stops the anxiety, and keeps me from lying in bed too hopeless to even believe death would help. At 60 mg, it gives me some mild mania - just enough to let me live my life - but not enough to make me wild. It messes up sex some, but not near as much as Zoloft and others. I take it with Wellbutrin 300 XL. Stopped it once because of dollars - but never again."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• March 28, 2016

"I am 48 and have been struggling to break my roller coaster ride that is bipolar disorder. I self-medicated with alcohol for a long time, I became 100% disabled and sober in 2008. In the past, when I was drinking, I would never give any medications a chance, and my diagnoses would change with doctors. At Christmas time in 2015, my cycles were steady. I am a single father of four kids, and my kids did not deserve this. My mental health provider had tried so many different drugs. WARNING! Be honest with yourself and your healthcare team. They are so much more effective if they know all of your story. I felt like I was at the end of my rope and that I would never feel like me again. This medicine worked for me very, very well. Keep fighting."

• Lyn...
• May 18, 2019

Cymbalta (duloxetine) "I was prescribed Cymbalta for my bipolar, BPD, and PTSD depression episodes. I was on this medication for one week, and I will explain why. At first, this medication did affect my energy level, and I felt more productive and positive, waking up in the morning looking forward to the day. The downside as to why I stopped taking this medication is because Cymbalta began to give me side effects of horrible anxiety. My heart felt like it was in my throat, and not even Ativan I was prescribed would help. The anxiety drove me into madness, intrusive and racing thoughts coming back. The anxiety made me depressed because it was disabling, feeling like my life came to a standstill because the anxiety prevented me from doing hardly anything. I gave this medication a three-star review because I do know people who are taking it, and it works wonders for them, and they get no anxiety-related symptoms. Everyone is different, but for me personally, it wasn't a good experience."

• Ida...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• October 15, 2018

"I switched on and off different medications for bipolar, and in 2009 found the combination of Cymbalta DR 60 mg and Depakote DR 500 mg. I find that one of the drugs without the other does not work. However, both with DR really helped stabilize my moods, I never cry and get depressed anymore. The Depakote has stabilized my occasional hypomanic episodes as well! Hooray! I will never go off of these because they work!!! High five! Hopefully, this review will convince somebody out there that this combination of drugs is a winner. The Cymbalta is the least destructive on neurotransmitters as well...another bonus."

• Fre...
• June 24, 2019

"I've taken Cymbalta twice now with mixed results. The second being very nice results. The first time, my psych was being a bit aggressive, I was on Adderall, lithium, lamotrigine, Seroquel, and trazodone. Adding Cymbalta basically gave me serotonin syndrome, and I was hallucinating at work (pretty awful work meeting). However, this time I was in a mental hospital for my depression and attempting suicide, and the hospital psych prescribed it. I was worried at first, but the pit in my chest went away by the end of my stay. Maybe I'm a bit hypomanic now, but I feel great. I haven't not wanted to jump off a bridge in years, and now I'm good. I even have the courage to quit my crappy job most recently."

• ray...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• September 22, 2016

"I have suffered from manic depression and peripheral neuropathy for years. I have tried every med under the sun, and nothing ever worked until I tried Cymbalta. I started on 30 mg, and after 1 month, increased to 60 mg. I feel as though I'm living my life now and not just existing. I'm not needing to take naps every day, and I have energy once again to do the simple things in life. I feel as though my life isn't on hold anymore, thanks to Cymbalta."

• Min...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• January 29, 2016

"This medication is a beast. Be very careful if you take this for your bipolar II with possible mixed episodes. While on it, I tried to cut my vein through. I was on 120 mg per day was the dose! Withdrawal symptoms = diarrhea, feeling ill, shaking hands, concentration problems, brain zaps, hearing noises like moving sands in my both ears, stomach aches, feels like there is a direct current connected to my brain with signals going from left to right and vice versa. Be careful using it! Especially if you are that special type of bipolar II with dominant depression symptoms!"

• Lba...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• April 5, 2020

"I am also taking Lamictal for bipolar depression... Have tried Zoloft, Celexa, and Prozac over the last 10 years. Started Cymbalta in October 60 mg, and I no longer have panic attacks. My mood is really stable, and I feel really levelheaded. I couldn't fall asleep before, but now I can go to bed and fall asleep within 30 min. I still wake up at night, but I don't need to watch TV to fall asleep. My doctor switched me because of my fibromyalgia... It doesn't help with my pain."

• Anonymous
• June 3, 2008

Cymbalta (duloxetine) "Cymbalta is the best medication I have ever taken. After years of being treated for depression, I was re-diagnosed as bipolar 2.5 years ago. I have been on an endless parade of SSRIs, and Cymbalta controls my depression and anxiety better than anything else I've tried. For the first couple of months, I experienced some numbness and tremors in my hands and forearms, but not bad enough to stop the medication; they stopped after 2 or 3 months. I strongly recommend you ask your doctor about Cymbalta."

• sup...
• November 30, 2010

Cymbalta (duloxetine) "I am one of those people who will get the side effects that are listed as the 0.02%, and I have to say I have been diagnosed as bipolar for about 11 years, and I went on Cymbalta 8 months ago, and I feel like it saved my life. I love my Cymbalta."

• own...
• November 15, 2009

Cymbalta (duloxetine) "This medication is the best antidepressant I have taken, and believe me, I've tried them all! Works fast, in 5 days, I felt normal. I had to go off it due to loss of medical benefits, and I had no bad side effects. I started taking it again and felt normal again in 5 days. I've been on it now 3 years straight, and it keeps working just as well as it did when I started."

• Ano...
• January 12, 2020

"Originally I was put on what I would consider a high dose of 60 mg duloxetine, I was on that for about two years and then I took a year off. After having episodes during that time that I was off, I decided to get back onto it. Currently, I’m taking 30 mg daily in the morning and 100 mg of trazodone at night. My reason for taking it is due to depression, fatigue, and mostly for mania. All three of those have been greatly reduced by the use of the Cymbalta. With the combination of the trazodone, it has also helped as well in that I’m able to get a better night's sleep, which helps aid in less mania overall. Some say it causes them hyper anxiety, I have also experienced that as well, but primarily when taking the Cymbalta and then having large amounts of caffeine or sugar during the day or morning."

• Cja...
• March 7, 2021

"I’ve been on Cymbalta for about a year and two weeks, and it has worked a miracle on me compared to how I used to be and feel with all the mood swings, mania, and anxiety. I can say that this is the first year in 28 years that I have improved with the ups and downs."

• Anonymous
• July 28, 2011

Cymbalta (duloxetine) "As someone else pointed out that they have like 0.02% of side effects. That's me... my psychiatrist has to look up my side effects because they are so random and uncommon. I tell everyone Cymbalta saved my life. I have battled blood pressure for 10 years and have been on 27 different medicines for it. Although I luckily do not have a severe case of blood pressure, I do need to learn how to handle stress better and went on Cymbalta after a nervous breakdown that put me in the hospital. Was put on Cymbalta and Depakote, the best medicines ever. 16 months later and 70 pounds heavier, I am doing great. Weight gain was from Depakote, and so I got off of that 3 months ago, but Cymbalta is still keeping me afloat."

• Anonymous
• May 5, 2011

Cymbalta (duloxetine) "I battled with Bipolar I since 1992 but never experienced major depression until mid-2009, and it was terrible, lots of crying, despair, horrible guilt, just hating myself. I tried 2-3 antidepressants when I finally found an M.D. who would let me try one (they are so concerned you will spiral up into a manic attack). I then tried Cymbalta (60 mg), and the depression is most days just gone. I have had some bad days like everyone; a few times when crying, regretting, etc. would start, it seems it was capped off and subsided quickly. I continue to have significant constipation and hand tremor. I eat a lot more fiber in my diet and take 2 natural fiber pills a day to help with the constipation. Cutting back on caffeine helps the hand tremor."

• zul...
• January 19, 2011

Cymbalta (duloxetine) "Do not take this medication without reading this. It conflicts with many medications, including many common over-the-counter medicines. 5 years, 60 mg - 120 mg a day, suicidal and non-functional much of that time, and it got worse. Diagnosed with bipolar 2, also BPD. Thank goodness for the drug interaction checker because I had 4 red lights. No wonder I was sick. I am going off Cymbalta. Remember: you are in charge of your health care, not your doctor."

• Anonymous
• June 29, 2010

Cymbalta (duloxetine) "I was not diagnosed with bipolar disorder when Cymbalta was prescribed to me. While taking Cymbalta, I was more irritable and manic. If I were only depressed and not bipolar, I think it would have been O.K."

• ora...
• January 10, 2010

Cymbalta (duloxetine) "This medicine has been a lifesaver for me. Minimal side effects (the sexual issues, occasional dizziness on standing), and it completely changed how I saw myself. I used to look in the mirror and see some kind of inhuman troll thing, now I see myself. Helps with fibromyalgia pain as well. The only problem is if I ever have to go off it, it won't be pretty. I ran out for about 11 days, had an awful in-the-head shocky feeling for about 7 of these days before I started up again. Not fun..."

• N3G...
• September 14, 2011

Cymbalta (duloxetine) "This is the 2nd time using this medicine. The 1st time, it rid me of the severe depressive cycle I was in, but the mania crept back in very slowly, so I didn't notice it until it was too late. And by late, I mean 'all over the place,' so I stopped taking it. This time around, I am taking it coupled with Lamictal. The cycles are normalizing now after just over 2 months. Want to add that I put myself on a sleeping schedule and use medicine if I need it after 20 minutes of no sleep. This sleep program has helped tremendously."

• kol...
• September 11, 2009

Cymbalta (duloxetine) "Cymbalta was a lifesaver; I started on 30 mg and quickly went to 60 mg. I felt relaxed, less anxiety. My dose was increased to 90 mg - I became psychotic, talking a mile a minute, the sweats, etc. I was placed back on the 60 mg."

• mik...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• October 18, 2016

"I'm very treatment-resistant bipolar type 2, typically severely depressed, with OCD and several other comorbid diagnoses, and antidepressants for me, if they work, will tend to poop out after only a few weeks to a few months. This was not the case for duloxetine. I started on 60 mg, and it worked wonderfully for several months, the longest any antidepressant has worked for me. Then, that summer, I became depressed again. After trials of other meds, I wound up back on duloxetine, this time at 90 mg, which worked for another 6 months. I begged for 120 mg, but for some reason, my psychiatrist refused to prescribe it, so I had to switch to something else. Recently, I wound up back on it for about a month or so at 120 mg, then at 80 mg."

• She...
• June 18, 2009

Cymbalta (duloxetine) "I was diagnosed 13 years ago as bipolar. I have been on a total of 14 different medications. After a few months, the effectiveness of the medication would start to wear off. I would tell my doctor, and he would up my dosage; then I would become a zombie. Cymbalta, so far, has been the only medication that I have been on for more than a year and a half. The only side effects I have noticed and that are starting to subside are tremors, excessive sweating and night sweats, excessive rambling, minor confusion, and fatigue. They are starting to subside, but the medication has been a godsend for me and my family."

• ck1...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• January 26, 2021

"Starting at duloxetine 20 mg, I felt nothing, so I moved on to 60 mg with no mood stabilizer at the time for Bipolar 2. Went into a horrific mixed episode, with bad anxiety, self-harm, and insomnia, before going to 40 mg. It was much better - I'd tried Prozac and Zoloft, and both were awful for me, but duloxetine was the first that not only improved my mood but never felt noticeably different aside from that. After a few months, it got less effective, but I switched to 60 mg again with lamotrigine, and it makes me feel as close to normal as I ever have. I have had mild auditory hallucinations at night, but only when I'm incredibly anxious. Always remember that people's brains work differently, so don't take my word as law."

• Anonymous
• November 14, 2011

Cymbalta (duloxetine) "I have been taking Cymbalta for the second time after going off it cold turkey 5 months previously (wouldn't recommend it). I have found in the last week feeling very hyped up again. The depression is not as bad, but the hyped-up feeling is becoming hard to control. I'm on the 30 mg. Only sexual disinterest and constant feeling of wanting to go to the toilet are a little frustrating."