Generic Name: Cymbalta for Major Depressive Disorder (duloxetine)
Cymbalta for Major Depressive Disorder Reviews
"I've had Major Depressive Disorder for years, and Cymbalta genuinely gave me my life back. I had tried so many medications, therapies. I had been hospitalized 4 times, and nothing worked. Until I started Cymbalta. I remember being afraid of how happy I was. I didn't know I could enjoy life like I was. I have experienced no side effects, and I thank God for this drug every day."
"People, please stop saying 'don't recommend.' Just like birth control, everyone reacts differently to meds. Just because it didn't work for you doesn't mean it won't work for someone else. And maybe it will work for someone, it could totally change their life, and because of your review, they may never want to try it. My sister tried Cymbalta, and it didn't work for her, yet she told me to give it a try, and it changed my life."
"I’ve been taking the generic Cymbalta for just over four years now to help manage my Major Depressive Disorder. My current maintenance dose is three 30mg capsules taken by mouth once daily, which totals to a 90mg dose per day. Overall, I’d say my experience with Cymbalta has been a positive one. I don’t particularly suffer from any of the listed side effects. Compared to other antidepressant-type medications, in my opinion, I would say Cymbalta in particular “kicked in” the fastest, to where I started feeling better than the previous antidepressants I’ve been prescribed in the past. Cymbalta isn’t the common SSRI we’re all familiar with, this medication is an SNRI, which means it not only works to boost your serotonin but also norepinephrine (also known as noradrenaline). I personally find for my body/my brain, I do better with SNRIs than with SSRIs, but that’s just me personally."
"I have dealt with major depressive disorder, GAD, PTSD, and a whole lot of sensory issues, with no medication giving me relief. Normally, too much noise or any loud noises could send me off the rails, everything always felt dull and grey, and I would spend days or weeks obsessing over things that gave me anxiety. I lost job after job, and finally, I decided to try again and get rid of this once and for all, and I cannot tell you how glad I am that I tried Cymbalta. Cymbalta is the ONLY medication EVER to help with my noise sensitivity. I feel like I am not so agitated all the time anymore, and I feel like I am finally able to focus. I have had a few side effects, like diarrhea, a little bit of brain fog here and there, and felt jittery after drinking coffee with it, but they were all fixable or livable side effects. I haven't felt this normal in years...I finally feel like I have a chance at a meaningful life and not like I'm just existing and struggling through it all."
"Do not go on Cymbalta. If you ever have to or want to stop taking it, the withdrawal is nightmarish and severe. It's so bad it has its own term, "Cymbalta Withdrawal Syndrome." I tapered down very slowly and on the first week I was totally off of it, I almost lost my mind. My anxiety was through the roof. My thought processes had no logic. I would cry uncontrollably at minor sad and happy things like commercials, news reports, movies, etc. everywhere...in my car, at work, in a store, etc. I had to go back on a low dose of it and then start taking a low dose of Prozac, tapering slowly off of that to make the Cymbalta withdrawal somewhat tolerable. The makers of the drug have never let the public (or doctors) know about how severe withdrawal is. There's no black box warning. Many psychiatrists don't even know about this. Google "Cymbalta Withdrawal Syndrome" and "Prozac Bridge." It's all there, and personal attestations like mine. no matter what your doctor is prescribing this for say no."
"I was introduced to Cymbalta after many failed attempts of other meds for my extreme anxiety and depression. Before, I had problems sleeping, I had muscle pain from my anxiety, and I would be permanently tense. After Cymbalta, I FEEL NORMAL! I can go out in public and talk to strangers, I feel so free! A weird thing I’ve noticed is that in the past, I felt my brain was having 10 thoughts at once, now I only have 1 thought at a time in my head, and I can focus! I’m now on 90 mg and plan to go down once my situation changes, but it saved my life, and I’m so happy. After 18 years of staying in a bed and hiding from the world, I am a person in society confidently!"
"I don't even know how to start. In basic terms, Cymbalta is something I never could have imagined possible. I was also extremely suicidal, self-loathing, always denied anything happy or would get pissed off at just the idea of it, anxiety through the roof constantly, and stressed out and overthinking about every little thing, super isolative to the point where I can quite literally stay in my room for weeks and weeks, as well as skip personal hygiene for similar durations. I actually got my first job while I started Cymbalta, which says a lot coming from me and where I've been in life. This medicine is truly a divine experience for me. To go from the depths of the void into everything I seemingly had no awareness of or could see before taking it... It's mind-boggling to me even still."
"I am 63 years old and have had depression since childhood. I was told I was nuts and to just get on with life. In my early 30s, I began experiencing extreme pain in my ankles, knees, and hips from arthritis, rheumatoid, and osteoarthritis. I was still told there was nothing wrong with me. 7 years ago yes I was diagnosed with chronic depression and fibromyalgia and put onto Cambalta. After 50 years I was free of pain and loved life. Four months ago I was told to wean myself off them which I did. The pain slowly kicked back into the stage of hardly walking and my depression turned into suicidal thoughts. Two days ago I ended up at the hospital and was put back on Cymbalta and 4 nights of sleeping meds. At my age I don't care if there's long-term damage from taking this drug at least I feel sane and all that dreadful pain has gone. I think this drug works best when you have both underlying conditions, not one."
"I personally loved this medication. Although it didn’t really help with my back pain, it helped with my anxiety as well as depression. It took almost a numbing effect, so I wasn’t feeling the emotions as strongly as I used to. But I’ve heard it works differently for some other people. I recommend trying it out, thanks for reading."
"Cymbalta was introduced to me about 20 years ago for major anxiety & depression. I take a 60mg tablet daily in the morning with my blood pressure meds. I believe this has been a miracle drug for me as I now lead a fun & fulfilling life. I suffer with a lot of pain from osteoarthritis, but I believe this medication has helped with this pain, anxiety, and my depression. It is used more in America, but Australia should know about this more. I highly regard this to be a non mind-altering drug, but it helps me manage my anxiety, bipolar, and depression. I have a healthy lifestyle and a good mindset also. I will be on this drug for life. Hope this helps."
"I'm one of the lucky ones with minimal side effects. I couldn't fall asleep for the first week, but now I am sleeping very well and see a lot of vivid dreams. My appetite is decreased, and I am losing weight, which makes me happy because I tended to overeat, and I needed to lose some weight. I am exercising every second day. I am taking the drug for major depressive disorder and severe anxiety. My anxiety was gone by approximately the third day of using it. My negative thinking decreased. Before taking Cymbalta, I was constantly feeling fear, waking up at night, my thinking was severely impaired by negative thinking, I was constantly feeling like crying, I felt dumb in general, and wanted to die. I'm back to life now."
"This medication has literally saved my life. I was in a bad place 6 months ago and started feeling better within 4 days of taking Cymbalta. It has made my depression disappear and has made my anxiety much easier to deal with. I even yell at my kids less and am much less reactive. I will never stop taking Cymbalta!"
"I have probably tried 15 or more meds for MDD and GAD. I also was diagnosed bipolar, but another doctor didn't think so. Anytime I felt like it should be better, they would tell me I wouldn't ever be 100%, it was just supposed to help. I was ready to give up and went to a new place, and they prescribed me Cymbalta. I am on Buspar and iron. But I think the Cymbalta is the best thing I have ever tried. I felt a little difference after one dose of 30 mg. I'm now a month in, and I feel the best I ever have, and I literally was ready to give up. I was so miserable feeling that way. So after 10 years of struggling, I'm so happy. I feel like a different person. All my doctors tried me on SSRIs and never on SNRIs. I have faith in meds now."
"I have had depression as far back as I can remember, diagnosed with GAD and major depression along with PTSD due to two life-changing events I went through. I've tried Zoloft (did nothing), Effexor XR (made me sleep 24/7), Celexa (caused SEVERE anxiety attacks), and just started Cymbalta, on day 7, and I can't believe how much better I already feel at 30mg 1x a day. I also just had 2 major back surgeries and am learning to walk again at age 35, yet despite my trials, I feel happier, positive, lower anxiety, etc. The first day I did have severe throwing up spells, but that's gone, low appetite still but a good thing for me, INCREASED sex drive & sleep like a baby. I take it at 8 every day. Good luck, everyone's different!"
"Cymbalta is worst medication i have ever been on. I took it for depression and anxiety, on the lowest dosage, and started getting terrible anxiety symptoms. Constantly sweaty but cold, shaking, a feeling of imminent doom, dizziness, headaches, and daily panic attacks for the first time in years. I couldn't grip the wheel well while driving. I started slowly decreasing my dose which was super hard because you have to do it extremely gradually but this medication was causing me so much pain and anxiety that I tapered too quickly. I had brain zaps (an electric shock going through my brain every time i moved my eyes), terrible pressure in my head, chest pains, nausea, dizziness, even more panic attacks. This medication is genuinely the worst thing that has ever happened to me. I got chronic daily headaches when I started it and they have not gone away, over a year later. Talk to your doctor about a different medication, unless you want to be on it for the rest of your life bc tapering is impossible."
"After thirty years of taking Effexor, which did not help my MDD, it was recently revealed to me in a gene test from GenoMind in my psychiatrist/neurologist's office that my body cannot take Effexor nor several others, and that Cymbalta would be effective. I tried two others the test suggested, but stopped due to terrible side effects. Cymbalta 60 mg, along with critically depleted MDD patients' Methylfolate 15 mg, and Ace-L-Carnitine have given me my life back. Although I think it’s causing night sweats, it has taken the edge off of the stress from chronic pain, as well as PTSD, and I’m calmer and at peace. I’m able to shower, eat, and leave the house again. It’s been a miracle for me. Not perfect, but definitely a life changer."
"I was on 100mg of Pristiq which really wasn't working for me. I stopped taking medication and started having suicidal thoughts. A friend recommended Cymbalta, so I saw a doctor and started on 30mg. Within a month, my depression was nearly non-existent. I had off days, but overall, it was amazing. After the month, though, I noticed I was starting to feel down and irritable towards the end of the day (I take mine at night before sleep). I've been increased to 60mg and I can't be happier. I have not felt this calm and happy with life in close to 7 years. There are noticeable side effects for me. I have extremely vivid dreams most nights and I can recall most of them upon waking. Also, loss of appetite is a big one."
"After I started taking this, I was glued to this website reading everybody's positive feedback to give me hope. I had been on it a couple of years ago, and it worked very well, but I stopped as life improved with little side effects. A couple of years went by, and life took a turn for the worse. Going from being very comfortable financially to almost homeless and losing everything I had, including my wife, I went to get help. I cannot explain in words how horrible I felt. I was in such a dark place, this time, I had my doubts it would work, but it has. I am starting to feel better after a week and a half and hope it continues. I have tried many different antidepressants mentioned here, and none of them worked. Cymbalta saved my life!"
"I married a great man. I put this man through hell. I'm 34, was 32, had a hysterectomy, and here came menopause. I was living in hell. I felt every bad feeling you could possibly feel for no reason. Finally, this February 2017, I snapped. I don't remember much other than trying to kill myself. I almost lost my family. I reached out for help, my doctor put me on 30 mg, then 60, now 120. The first day I felt brand new. My face was numb, but that's it. Everything is brighter, better, warm, and I have love in my heart. Thank you for saving me!"
"I suffered from crippling anxiety and depression for 8 years, in and out of hospitals, ECT, nothing seemed to work. I just felt absolutely hopeless. Even the sound of birds hurt my ears. I was so deep in the darkness and tried everything. Every med. You name it. Then Cymbalta came along. It took a long time to kick in. 12 weeks, but when it finally did, it killed the anxiety. It came with crippling fatigue, though, for the first few weeks, but it was amazing to sleep without panic attacks for the first time in years. I just countered it with a ton of coffee. I have been taking it for 9 years now, and it is really messing with my stomach and intestines. It didn't for the first 5-6 years, but now it's bad, so time to get off it. First week weaning, and it's a real tough go, dizzy as heck, brain zaps, really weak and tired, can't focus, grumpy for no reason, but it will pass if I push through. Even with the hard withdrawal, this med gave me another chance at life when I needed it."
"HORRIBLE HORRIBLE HORRIBLE!! I was on Cymbalta for almost a year, it hardly helped with my depression and did NOT help with anxiety, and intrusive thoughts came back. I tried every dose, but it just made me worse. I was constantly crying and panicking over things that I thought were going to happen. And let me tell you, it’s absolutely sickening how horrible the withdrawal is. Cymbalta isn’t for everyone, but it messed me up."
"Cymbalta is the WORST medication I've ever taken. I've never experienced a worse withdrawal. I started Cymbalta after Lexapro stopped working for me. After starting Cymbalta, things got worse. The little bit of work that Lexapro was doing was more effective than Cymbalta. I went from being barely functional to being in a catatonic state. I was on it for 5 weeks before my psych. took me off of it. Big mistake. Despite tapering the medication & starting Prozac, I was met with nausea, vertigo, lightheadedness, brain zaps, hot flashes, & fatigue. They tapered me off more slowly. Still didn't work. Yesterday was my first day back off of Cymbalta and I ended up vomiting, on top of the other symptoms I mentioned. And you know what happened when I took it again last night? All those symptoms went away. The physical dependency that this med. creates due to its short half-life is insane. Not recommended. Cymbalta is an ineffective drug with a severe withdrawal."
"Cymbalta is great, and for me, I had 0 side effects. I removed a star because the withdrawal is what I can only imagine is akin to heroin withdrawal. I had read this before I started taking it and assumed people had a low pain tolerance, but nope. Some biblical stuff. Anyway, I take 20 mg in my PTSD cocktail. I can finally get out of bed in the morning, and life feels less flat. It’s easier to get up and walk, if that makes any sense, whereas before it was a huge taxing effort. I would 100% recommend this drug, but only if you are in really bad shape, and the normal alternatives haven’t worked. I wouldn’t wish that withdrawal on my worst enemy. Prozac made me suicidal, Zoloft was amazing but made me fat, Lexapro made me feel like crawling out of my skin, Trintellix was great for memory but no effect on mood, Wellbutrin did little to nothing."
"I started this medicine 5 months ago. Prior to my use of Cymbalta, I was taking 40mg daily of Celexa and interchanging lorazepam and buspirone for 3 years. Cymbalta (duloxetine) has CHANGED MY LIFE. I have struggled with major depressive disorder and anxiety symptoms from chronic OCD for many years, and this medicine has made me feel more alive than anything I have ever tried. I can wake up, I am capable of cognitive thought outside of sadness, and I am able to feel emotions and FINALLY have an orgasm. No medication is perfect, but I have finally felt free of the dullness and numbness that has consumed my life for so many years. Here is what you could expect (using prescription of 60 mg (2) 30 mg cap 2x a day): - light stomach irritation and sensitivity to eating - mild nausea and occasional headaches - more sweat - lowered appetite - real withdrawal! Follow a schedule! - insomnia - drink tea and take simple sleep aids!"
"I started taking Cymbalta 60 mg daily in 2010 after taking natural therapies that just didn’t work. I had severe depression and anxiety. First started on 30 mg the first month, then increased to 60 mg. Side effects were yawning, tight jaw. But I found the Cymbalta had helped me immensely, with my dark thoughts, sadness, and hopelessness had disappeared. I did try going off it a few years ago very gradually, as I thought I was well again, but every day was such an effort, serotonin was so low. Depression returned, and I just thought this is crazy, go back on it. I have so many friends that are so anti-prescribed drugs. So I just don’t enter into discussions as it only upsets me because I need this medication. I find I’m happy, healthy in mind. My libido is quite low, but I’m active in sport and the community, which helps me."
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