Posted by yxibow on August 6, 2008, at 23:44:36
In reply to Starting cymbalta, posted by socialphobic on August 6, 2008, at 21:51:24
> I am about to start cymbalta either today or tomorrow. My two main concerns are the possibility of insomnia (I already suffer insomnia as it is) and the withdrawal problems.
>
> Effexor didn't help for me, so is cymbalta likely to be any different? I heard that it hits norepinephrine a lot quicker than effexor and at lower doses.
>
> As for withdrawal, I have heard it can be just as bad as effexor. I went through hell coming off effexor but I fixed it by taking a single dose of prozac which relieved the symptoms within a few hours.
>
> Does the prozac withdrawal trick also work with cymbalta? If and when I come off cymbalta, I will take a dose of prozac at the first sign of any withdrawal symptoms. Has anyone else done this with success? It worked for effexor, so i'm hoping it will work for cymbalta.
>
> Also is cymbalta or effexor generally more effective? I'm guessing cymbalta would be a little more effective due to it hitting NE quicker and at lower doses?
I've heard of using prozac for withdrawals from medications -- I don't know about cymbalta specifically.Cymbalta actually has a lower profile of NE (6:1 5HT to NE).
I suffer from insomnia as well.
If you feel that it is activating, the best choice would be to take it all in the morning.
A fair number of people actually find Cymbalta sleep inducing, just as others find stimulants relaxing, paradoxically.
Yes, I'm afraid it like other SNRIs can cause problems coming off of it -- but if you go down slowly (like by 20s) you're less likely to experience problems then dumping the medicine entirely because it is ineffective for your symptoms.It is very subtle, and can take a fair time to show signs of work, but if it is the medication for you then of course it will provide benefits. When I was on it I did exceed Lilly's evidence based dose of 60 -- I was up to 120, and a lot of people do --- insurance may or may not pay for the extra dosing. I had some short "epiphany" at 80mg, but that was brief.
As they say, your miles may vary.
Good luck
-- best wishes
Jay
poster:yxibow
thread:844710
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20080805/msgs/844722.html