Duloxetine for Major Depressive Disorder User Reviews (Page 5)

• Relief
• Taken for less than 1 month
• January 26, 2020

Cymbalta (duloxetine) "I suffer from many things: depression mostly, chronic back pain, cervical neuropathy, panic attacks, major insomnia, and high anxiety. I have tried almost everything under the sun: Zoloft, Mirtazipine, Wellbutrin, Abilify, Lexapro, and now Cymbalta. None of those other medications have helped me. Last night was my first night taking Cymbalta. Normally to fall asleep, I have to take a “cocktail” of meds (zzzquil, benadryl, Advil PM, Ambien- you name it and I’ve taken anything to help my insomnia because I just want one night of good sleep). I was reading all these terrible reviews which scared me, and although I have only taken this med once and the side effects probably haven’t hit me yet, it was the FIRST night I was able to turn my tv off and fall asleep. I slept great!! No cocktail! Insomnia: check! Now let’s see if it can help with chronic pain and depression. I am rating this on the lower scale because it has only been one day."

• TonyT...
• August 28, 2021

Cymbalta (duloxetine) "On cymbalta 60 mg for 5 years. At 11 months I was hospitalized with myocarditis. I continued taking it as doctors said that there was no connection. Although I had my doubts . Still have. It made me into another man, I was fearless, full of energy, it cured my depression and GAD - it is a real motivation drug. But not forever. Liver enzymes and cholesterol high. I decided to stop taking it cause I got scared of these side effects . My doctor helped me. I had the worst time of my life for about 2 1/2 months. The withdrawals are unbearable. Brain zaps, vomiting, headaches, insomnia, fatigue and tinnitus. I was prescribed clonazepam to control side effects. I'm off for about 7 months and I feel like I was living in a dream for 5 years on this drug. I don't know if it's good or bad. Was this the real me, or just the drug changed my brain function? For sure it helped me but not without price. I am frustrated. Either you are mental healthy or physical? Be careful if you are on Cymbalta and drinking alcohol. It makes you more resistant"

• Ann
• Taken for 10 years or more
• January 19, 2022

Cymbalta (duloxetine) "I have been on Cymbalta since it came on the market. Over 15 years. It saved my life. I have to use brand name as generic does not work for me. If you have long term depression a few temporary side effects are nothing compared to getting your life back."

• Graham
• December 29, 2020

Cymbalta (duloxetine) "Works great for my chronic muscle pain, and knocks out my sciatica pain...which I LOVE, but it doesn't really seem to work so much as well for my depression...although it seems to keep my anxiety under control, just doesn't seem to lift my mood at all, feel more so ‘numb' I guess is the feeling."

• Rachel
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• June 23, 2023

"I was prescribed duloxetine around 3 years ago after being on numerous alternatives (citalopram/amitriptyline/nortriptyline etc.) I suffer from chronic nerve pain, which can get so bad that I'm tempted to hit my knee with a sledgehammer"

• Anonymous
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• July 5, 2022

"I'm a 48 yr old woman and finally finally finally got a correct diagnosis and prescription. I had tried so many other SSRIs but now I've been on Duloxetine 60mg for 6 months. I have never felt this great in my life. Ever! My excessive crying has subsided, my intrusive thoughts are not as persistent, my nightmares have just morphed into weird dreams, my anger and rage which was so intense has turned into an irritant or a feeling of inconvenience. I'm more calm, level, rational. My anxiety and nervousness has almost disappeared. I have been sleeping so good at night! Duloxetine has worked for me and my issues (anxiety, depression, frequent urination, diarrhea, anger, rage, complex PTSD, fatigue, intrusive thoughts) and for the first time in my life I finally feel good. The first few weeks were uncomfortable regarding the side effects. The nausea was awful, I had constipation and diarrhea and sweats but they've almost all subsided now. Allow an adjustment period for your body to acclimate."

• Crod
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• June 1, 2021

Cymbalta (duloxetine) "Ok so this (Cymbalta) one worked good, but I had a bad experience with it. This stuff really peps up your mood and works quickly and will make you feel happy and energetic. However I forgot my meds when I flew from CO to TX for my sister's wedding and went into a horrible withdrawal I could not think straight and had unnerving thoughts and felt the lowest I've ever felt in my life, nasty experience. It worked well but the withdrawal I had from forgetting my meds scared me from taking it again. However it will help with depression, but has a few bad side effects."

• Lars
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• February 21, 2023

Cymbalta (duloxetine) "Cymbalta is a solid drug that I found tolerable. It took away about half of my anxiety and depression. This is more than I can say about most other SSRIs that I have tried. I just tried Nardil and had severe side effects from it so now I am going back to Cymbalta after my washout period. The only side effects of Cymbalta are some headaches and slight insomnia."

• boobo...
• May 27, 2015

Cymbalta (duloxetine) "Having nauseous feelings, dizziness, clouded distorted head as if hung over, every day at noon time and lasting rest of day! Just started taking 30mg at night along with Wellbutrin and trazadone that I have taken for a couple years now. Not a good feeling. Going to call Dr to see what I should do."

• Bengal
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• January 15, 2021

Cymbalta (duloxetine) "I take Cymbalta for my depression, anxiety and fibromyalgia. I was diagnosed MD in 1999 and over the years I have tried several medications. Lexapro was working great and I was on that for a few years until I found out I had fibro and the specialist recommended a change from Lexapro to Cymbalta. I was hesitant because the Lexapro worked GREAT! I was well balanced and able to self-regulate my emotions, but I was also taking Lyrica for the pain and I liked the idea of the Cymbalta helping with nerve pain. I was hopeful that I could stop the Lyrica. My PCP started me at 30mg a day. I knew it took 4-6 weeks to kick in and I was a wreck. At the 2 month mark I called my PCP in a mad panic asking him to bump it up because I was ready to let my inner screams out. He told me to start taking 60mg. I've been on that dosage for 9 months and I have cut my Lyrica down to just one in the morning from 3 times a day. It isn't as good as the Lexapro for me, but it helps with my nerve pain."

• WhyDi...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• September 14, 2020

"On duloxetine I went from thinking about suicide multiple times per week to not at all in 2 months. I have no other side effects and I go about my life externally exactly the same but internally without the underlying existential dread."

• Luke
• Taken for less than 1 month
• October 8, 2021

"I've only been on a 20mg dose of this medication for two weeks and the effects have already been life changing. I'm able to make calls and send emails for work without feeling like I'll explode from stress, I can feel happy without any melancholy, I'm sleeping better than I have in 20 years and I can watch an aspirin commercials without crying when the headache goes away. So far the only negative side effect I've experienced was some profuse sweating and flushing after about 1 week but those have already faded to the point that they're no longer noticeable."

• Aquar...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• March 12, 2021

"I take Cymbalta for anxiety, mood swings, ADHD, autism, and depression. Ever since the 1st time I took it my world wasn’t dark and dull!! I felt light and like a new person!! No depression, anxiety and it helps with my ADHD!! Since the 1st dose which was last week!! It has worked ever since!!! I’m at the lowest strength of 20mg am. I’ve been so focused that teachers noticed!! Before I started this drug I had to go to an alternative school for being dangerously impulsive. I love it!! It’s the antidepressant that’s done the most for me!! It’s my 3rd antidepressant med. First was Prozac and then Remeron. I had to try Cymbalta. I would recommend it!!"

• Leeka
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• October 16, 2023

"I have TRMDD, GAD, ADHD, PTSD. It's a mouthful! Although 'normal' (schedule 1 to 6) antidepressants can't do anything for my depression, I take duloxetine to help manage my anxiety, etc. I never actually knew if it worked. I take so many different medications that it's difficult to tell which is doing what. In an attempt to reduce the meds I take, I slowly decreased my intake, med by med, (under medical supervision) to see what the effects would be and if I would be able to detox off some. When this one had its turn, oh my! The first two days at 0mg, friends commented on my personality coming back to life. I thought wow, good change. But then the brain zapping started!! Electric shocks lasting a few seconds, running through my body and brain, sometimes numbing a muscle, making me fall or drop something. Day 11 it was as strong as day 1. I had to start taking it again to stop the zapping. I couldn't do it. So I don't know if it works, but it's hell to leave!! #prisoner"

• Metim
• Taken for less than 1 month
• January 3, 2021

Cymbalta (duloxetine) "I was on the prescription brand name pills Cymbalta 60mg 1x daily for 2 weeks. I was supposed to increase the dosage to 120mg daily per my physician at the 2 week mark. I experienced almost every side effect there is and some other terrible symptoms. I stopped cold turkey since I was having cold turkey symptoms also. My doctor and I believe I had bad reaction to it. It took me about two weeks to recover to my previous baseline issues, I was pretty thankful. It made me terrified to try any other anti depressant in going forward; it was a pretty bad experience."

• Pookie
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• April 28, 2018

"I wanted so badly to like this one. Within just a few days of starting on it, I started feeling productive and more on top of things. I am also autistic and have poor executive functioning and this medicine seemed to help a lot with that. BUT within a few days of taking it, my emotions took over and my sense of control was lost. I felt dark and violent. I hated everyone and everything. My anxiety and stimming increased. I had terrible dreams and night sweats. It only got worse, and brought out the worst in me. And the withdrawals were even worse! On to something else. . I have heard positive anecdotes about this medication, but please take the warnings pertaining to side effects and withdrawals seriously."

• Mau
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• March 18, 2022

"I am on generic duloxetine but it's the same thing. I am also on this to manage anxiety on top of depression. My dose is 60mg once a day (I take mine at night). I have to admit that starting the medication was a bit of a rough ride. The "worse before it gets better" phenomenon was kind of nasty and I did get suicidal thoughts but I didn't have the urge to do it, so I stood with it and I'm really, really glad I did. It was because of this drug that I was able to stop being agoraphobic and finally leave my home after months. I have also regained my confidence to talk to people again, especially over the phone, and I genuinely feel like I got my life back because of Cymbalta. All the staying-at-home quarantines really got to me especially since I was already suffering from mental illnesses and it made me retract and become someone else I didn't recognize. Cymbalta got me to a place mentally where I could feel normal again and I'm grateful for it."

• Nina
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• June 10, 2023

Cymbalta (duloxetine) "I first started taking psychiatric medication at 18 to help with depression/anxiety and bulimia. One drug after another, nothing seemed to help, and some even made things worse. I'm now 29. Been on 60mg Cymbalta for approx. 3 years. I personally have not experienced anything groundbreaking, but I also have not had any negative side effects. It's hard to say if Cymbalta has done anything, as I've been on anti-depressants for so long. I will say this is probably the first med that hasn't given me weird side effects. I'm hoping to begin titration soon to see if I'm okay without it. I started taking very low dose Adderall (10mg once a day) - prescribed to me as an off label use for depression - kind of as a last resort after my laundry list of unsuccessful meds. I was very lucky to find a doctor who recommended this route, as the Adderall has alleviated my depression symptoms far more than any anti-depressant."

• Railr...
• June 14, 2023

"On top of having MDD, I also have social and general anxiety and chronic pain due to arthritis. I have been on Duloxetine (30mg, the lowest dose) now for a month and I can say, with confidence, that it has changed everything for me and for the better. Side effects for me that has been a little bit of a nuisance at best is dry mouth, shaking first thing when I wake up and some small gastrointestinal issues. When I first started taking it, I was shocked at just how bad the shaking was first thing in the morning, it was actually frightening. Over the course of the next few days, I noticed that it diminished and once my younger sister reminded me that I need to get hydrated and stay hydrated, the shaking has pretty much stopped. I take a bottle of water to bed with me, drink half of it before going to sleep and once I wake up and BEFORE I put my feet on the floor, I drink the other half. If you take this, hydrate, hydrate, hydrate! I did say hydrate - right?"

• Skippy
• August 8, 2021

Cymbalta (duloxetine) "I had been on Lexapro for 10 years with good results. Until last fall when the world was going down the drain. I became super super depressed. Doc switched me to Cymbalta 60mg per day. It worked and felt so much better. However these last 3 mo or so I've noticed my happiness has definitely gone down hill. And I've noticed I've become very short tempered, agitated, and angry. I'm contacting my Doc today about switching me back to Lexapro...."

• tyhmy...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• June 26, 2021

Cymbalta (duloxetine) "Got prescribed Cymbalta for depression, anxiety and panic attacks. It quickly started working to alleviate all of them and I have not experienced a panic attack since. After being on the med for 3+ years, its effects on depression weren't adequate anymore. I begged my psychiatrist to increase the dose, and by the time they did, it was a bit late and I had an increase in suicidal thoughts & behaviour. Finally after 4 years I was weaned off to try something else. I was having a reaction to another medication so I'm not sure how much of the discomfort was the reaction or if it was the withdrawal. Overall a great med to try if you're anxious *and* depressed, especially since they tend to fuel each other."

• Cydney
• February 21, 2017

"I loved this medication. It really worked for me, however I had to up my does because I didn't feel motivated anymore but that was more of my depression, not the medication. I stopped taking his medication because it is incredibly expensive. My insurance would only let me get a 3 month supply at a time and they kept raising the price of my medication so I ended up paying $174 for 3 months. Might not seem like a lot but it is. Especially since I HAVE TO take this medication. I can't just not take it. It was too expensive and there wasn't any other generic kinds so I switched to Zoloft. Way more affordable. Good medication but you're gonna lose customers if you don't change the price."

• Trixi
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• November 4, 2018

"When I went to stop this I had awful withdrawals. It should be illegal because of the withdrawals. Worked well for about 18 months then stopped working. The short amount of relief was not worth the long withdrawals. The worst brain zaps ever ... over a month and they are still awful."

• title
• April 22, 2018

"The best I can say is that it was counter-productive. It was no where near as effective as other anti-depressants I've had in the past; for the first time in my near 50 years on the planet I hit my lowest point in my mind; anxiety was worse; zero energy (I'd sleep 15+ hours any day I did not force myself to get up, many I'd lie in bed for hours not wanting to move). While that is all horrible, the two worst parts were: The withdrawal brain shocks were incredibly annoying. I am significantly better with depression and anxiety since being off this drug, despite occasional brain shock symptoms. Side note: believe it or not, MMJ has been far better treating all of these issues, and without side effects - plus is the only effective pain killing relief for injuries as a result of an accident a few years ago. I was never a cannabis user until a couple of years ago, and it will take an emergency where I am unconscious to be put back on any pharmaceutical concocted in a lab."

• gcarv...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• September 11, 2018

"Didn't improve depression. I couldn't eat much, which made me lose some weight I gained after my treatment with Effexor. I also had constipation and very dark stool (it would come out only once a week, a side effect similar to Wellbutrin). Doctor then changed my prescription to Brintellix/Trintellix, which has no side effect after the first week, though it still not helpful after 3 weeks on it. Too bad efficacy of antidepressants is so limited"