Posted by yznhymer on September 14, 2004, at 20:14:34
In reply to Re: Cymbalta (duloxetine) - report, posted by SLS on September 14, 2004, at 14:31:22
Scott,
Thanks for sharing your Cymbalta journey with us. I have been reading your postings and those of others with great interest.
I may be starting a course of Cymbalta in the near future. I have been taking moclobemide and, while the side effects are nil the benefits have been unremarkable. Furthermore, my new psychiatrist is suddenly "uncomfortable" prescribing moclobemide any more. So its on to another med.
I've been in an intimate relationship with depression for about 3 decades now and have tried many of the antidepressants out there. The results were either lack of response or an unacceptable cluster of side effects... more often than not I'd get the side effects and no relief.
This month I'm weaning off the moclobemide. That's really an overstatement because I've had no withdrawal issues whatsoever. My doc has mentioned two possibilities to replace moclobemide: Cymbalta or Lactimal.
From my reading, the Emsam patch(selegeline)might also hold some promise, though best case scenario seems to be an early 2005 release for that med. I'm wondering if its worth a go on an oral administration in the meantime?
What I know about my depression at this point is that its pretty clearly a case of dysthymia... and atypical. Not so much a case of the blues (in fact,my sense of humor is quite active most of the time)or feeling suicidal (though I've been there in the past)but a total lack of energy, motivation, and the ability to enjoy things. Fatigue, anxiety, and weight gain are the order of the day.
Of all the meds I've tried, Nardil stands alone in providing truly remarkable relief of these depressive symptoms. Normally socially anxious and introverted, I felt positively gregarious when taking it. Unfortunately, I gained 20 pounds the first 4 weeks and lost ability to function sexually. A future as a fat impotent began to look pretty depressing in and of itself. So, with some reluctance, I moved on.
One of the reasons I tried the moclobemide was to recapture the MAOI benefits... but no dice. Perhaps the emsam patch or orally administered selegeline might be the ticket. With a lot of luck maybe I'll get the benefits without a nasty side effect cluster. I plan to throw that option into the discussion when I meet with my pdoc in a couple of weeks. I don't know how he'll respond... he's still a new entity to me and I don't feel a good connection with him.
If anybody has any thoughts about the way to go between Cymbalta, selegeline or lamactil at this juncture, I'd be grateful for hear them. My best to all of you out there.
Mark
poster:yznhymer
thread:380308
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20040909/msgs/390811.html