Posted by bleauberry on January 24, 2014, at 7:05:06
In reply to cymbalta+lithium+? some advice please, posted by Elanor Roosevelt on January 23, 2014, at 19:16:15
Creating flat emotions is something both of those meds frequently do.
More serotonin? No. That's one of the problems...there is too much serotonin and that is what is damping down the ability to feel emotions.
What you need is different meds and a different doctor maybe. A second opinion at the very least, anyway. If you were to stay with your current meds, then to help the flat emotions would most likely require norepinephrine and dopamine assistance, such as with Ritalin or Adderall or Modafinil.
To switch out cymbalta for something similar with less emotional numbing, maybe consider prozac+nortriptyline, zoloft+nortriptyline, prozac+desipramine, zoloft+desipramine.
Docs commonly herabld Cymbalta as a SNRI which is really isn't. It is 30 parts serotonin to 1 part norepinephrine. The above combinations, in contrast, can be dosed for any desired balance of serotonin versus norepinephrine, creating a true SNRI that has the added benefit of flexible dosing.
> I am taking cymbalta and lithium and somehow have gotten through the last few years with almost no reward system. I just don't enjoy things, I would prefer to hide in my room and I have lost my sense of taste. I've been avoiding going to my pdoc bc I keep telling him this and he seems good with it. What do I need? Some serotonin?
poster:bleauberry
thread:1059366
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20140123/msgs/1059391.html