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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 11 of 11. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by Allan on September 20, 2004, at 16:16:58
Does anyone have any idea about whether Cymbalta would be better for an anxious depression than Effexor?
The usual SSRI's all cause agitation in me.
Effexor seems to be causing severe chest tension in the afternoons.
Posted by jrbecker on September 20, 2004, at 16:47:27
In reply to Cymbalta for anxious depression?, posted by Allan on September 20, 2004, at 16:16:58
> Does anyone have any idea about whether Cymbalta would be better for an anxious depression than Effexor?
>
> The usual SSRI's all cause agitation in me.
>
> Effexor seems to be causing severe chest tension in the afternoons.I have anxious/agitated/atypical depression symptoms as well.
I did not suffer from chest tension/shortness of breath, but effexor did cause me some agitation, even at the low dose of 37.5mg.
At the equally low dose of 30 mg of cymbalta, there has been almost nil agitation comparably. Of course, I can't speak to higher dosage levels, but it seems that most of the other posters have reported that cymbalta is "cleaner" and is less likely to cause the agitation side effect.
As for anxiety and mood, cymbalta has also been an improvement on both.
Posted by Allan on September 20, 2004, at 16:50:53
In reply to Re: Cymbalta for anxious depression? » Allan, posted by jrbecker on September 20, 2004, at 16:47:27
Were you already on the effexor when you switched to cymbalta? I am on 100 mg twice a day of the regular effexor and am waiting for a call from my pdoc regarding how to switch it over ... I cannot stand this agitation ...
> > Does anyone have any idea about whether Cymbalta would be better for an anxious depression than Effexor?
> >
> > The usual SSRI's all cause agitation in me.
> >
> > Effexor seems to be causing severe chest tension in the afternoons.
>
> I have anxious/agitated/atypical depression symptoms as well.
>
> I did not suffer from chest tension/shortness of breath, but effexor did cause me some agitation, even at the low dose of 37.5mg.
>
> At the equally low dose of 30 mg of cymbalta, there has been almost nil agitation comparably. Of course, I can't speak to higher dosage levels, but it seems that most of the other posters have reported that cymbalta is "cleaner" and is less likely to cause the agitation side effect.
>
> As for anxiety and mood, cymbalta has also been an improvement on both.
>
Posted by jrbecker on September 20, 2004, at 17:10:26
In reply to Re: Cymbalta for anxious depression?, posted by Allan on September 20, 2004, at 16:50:53
> Were you already on the effexor when you switched to cymbalta? I am on 100 mg twice a day of the regular effexor and am waiting for a call from my pdoc regarding how to switch it over ... I cannot stand this agitation ...
yes, I was. I did not cross-taper though. However, my doc had recommended a 1 week cross-taper. It would be prudent to do stick to a cross-taper in your case though. I'd wait to see what your doc says about how to go about it.Hang in there, you'll hopefully be fairing better soon enough.
JB
Posted by Allan on September 20, 2004, at 17:13:33
In reply to Re: Cymbalta for anxious depression? » Allan, posted by jrbecker on September 20, 2004, at 17:10:26
Thanks for all the info.
Without a cross-taper from 37.5, did you have withdrawal sx from effexor?
Posted by jrbecker on September 21, 2004, at 9:24:00
In reply to Re: Cymbalta for anxious depression?, posted by Allan on September 20, 2004, at 17:13:33
> Thanks for all the info.
>
> Without a cross-taper from 37.5, did you have withdrawal sx from effexor?If there were sx, they were hard to distinguish. There were some very subtle start-up effects when starting cymbalta. But I can't say if I should allocate these effects to effexor withdrawl or cymbalta start-up. Considering that the pharmacology of both of these drugs are fairly parallel, the switch shouldn't be too much of a rough transition.
Posted by vikala on September 21, 2004, at 12:22:12
In reply to Cymbalta for anxious depression?, posted by Allan on September 20, 2004, at 16:16:58
I've taken Effexor and wouldn't say it helped me with my 'anxious depression'- Cymbalta at 30mgs has taken away my anxiety. It hasn't helped my 'motivation' or things like that - but it for sure helped my anxiety. I was able to stay overnight in my own home alone for the first time ever - which is huge for me. I normally have to ask people to stay with me if my significant other has to work out of town or something.
> Does anyone have any idea about whether Cymbalta would be better for an anxious depression than Effexor?
>
> The usual SSRI's all cause agitation in me.
>
> Effexor seems to be causing severe chest tension in the afternoons.
Posted by Bill LL on September 21, 2004, at 12:39:26
In reply to Cymbalta for anxious depression?, posted by Allan on September 20, 2004, at 16:16:58
There is a good chance that Cymbalta will be better for you with regards to anxiety, especially since the SSRI's aggitated you. Cymbalta affects norepinephrine more than SSRI's and more than the lower doses of Effexor.
> Does anyone have any idea about whether Cymbalta would be better for an anxious depression than Effexor?
>
> The usual SSRI's all cause agitation in me.
>
> Effexor seems to be causing severe chest tension in the afternoons.
Posted by Allan on September 21, 2004, at 14:39:52
In reply to Re: Cymbalta for anxious depression?, posted by Bill LL on September 21, 2004, at 12:39:26
The thing is though ... I always thought that having more norepinephrine around would tend to *increase* anxiety?
> There is a good chance that Cymbalta will be better for you with regards to anxiety, especially since the SSRI's aggitated you. Cymbalta affects norepinephrine more than SSRI's and more than the lower doses of Effexor.
>
> > Does anyone have any idea about whether Cymbalta would be better for an anxious depression than Effexor?
> >
> > The usual SSRI's all cause agitation in me.
> >
> > Effexor seems to be causing severe chest tension in the afternoons.
>
>
Posted by Bill LL on September 22, 2004, at 9:44:54
In reply to Re: Cymbalta for anxious depression?, posted by Allan on September 21, 2004, at 14:39:52
Until a few months a go I only took Lexapro. It worked great for my depression but I was too jittery. Then I added Strattera (120 mg) which is supposed to increase norepinephrine. It has made me feel significantly more relaxed.
> The thing is though ... I always thought that having more norepinephrine around would tend to *increase* anxiety?
>
> > There is a good chance that Cymbalta will be better for you with regards to anxiety, especially since the SSRI's aggitated you. Cymbalta affects norepinephrine more than SSRI's and more than the lower doses of Effexor.
> >
> > > Does anyone have any idea about whether Cymbalta would be better for an anxious depression than Effexor?
> > >
> > > The usual SSRI's all cause agitation in me.
> > >
> > > Effexor seems to be causing severe chest tension in the afternoons.
> >
> >
>
>
Posted by Racer on September 22, 2004, at 12:03:28
In reply to Cymbalta for anxious depression?, posted by Allan on September 20, 2004, at 16:16:58
I'm into week five of Cymbalta, one week at 30mg, four at 60mg. So far, it hasn't done much for my depression, but I'm holding onto SLS's experience as a bit of hope for me. While it didn't help my own anxiety per se, it certainly didn't increase my agitation, and it was rather sedating for me.
As far as I can recall, Effexor was similar, although I did get perhaps a bit more of an anxiolytic response to it at first. The Cymbalta seems to be different-but-similar to Effexor, with a smoother ride so far -- based on what I remember from six years back.
What has been helping a lot with my anxiety is propranalol -- a beta blocker, which I started last week. I'm still in the adjustment phase, so it's too soon to tell what it will do longer term, but it's helping more than anything else I've ever tried, so I'm hopeful. (I'm especially hopeful that it will put the brakes on the anxiety enough that I'll be able to stop taking it regularly, and go to PRN in a couple of months.)
As for your situation, I would say that Cymbalta and Effexor are going to be like close cousins -- a family resemblance, if you will, but enough differences that it would be worth a try. I've certainly not found it to be problematic with the anxiety.
This is the end of the thread.
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