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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 6 of 6. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by sac on November 18, 2005, at 5:37:42
I've been on Cymbalta now for about 6 months...my problem is when I went from 30 mgs. to 60 mgs. I began having heart beat irregularities. I eventually had to back down to 30 mgs. again and now my heartbeat is fine. Trouble is..I'm depressed. I'm also taking 600mgs. Lithium for bipolar II. Does anyone have any positive or negative experiences with Cymbalta? I don't feel it's doing anything at this low dose and I'm leaning toward jumping on the AD merry-go-round again and trying something else. Thanks.
Posted by Racer on November 18, 2005, at 12:23:09
In reply to Cymbalta experiences anyone???, posted by sac on November 18, 2005, at 5:37:42
If you go back through the archives, to about August/September/October of 2004, you should find a fair number of threads about Cymbalta. When it first came out, a lot of us posted our experiences on it here.
I've been on it since late August of 2004, and can only give it a mixed review. It has helped my depression a bit, although it took adding Wellbutrin before it was anything like effective. It was helpful for pain from arthritis, but that seems to have tapered down a lot. (Meaning the pain is back again.) I tried everything from 30mg to 90mg, but raising it didn't help -- it made the sedation/amotivation worse, so we lowered it again and added WB.
As of yesterday, I've lowered it again, to 20mg, to augment the WB and (I profoundly hope) to ease the constipation my regimen is causing. I think it should be OK, since I'm not sure the Cymbalta is actually doing much for me.
Good luck, whatever you decide.
Posted by Phillipa on November 18, 2005, at 20:01:50
In reply to Re: Cymbalta experiences anyone???, posted by Racer on November 18, 2005, at 12:23:09
Racer so you're saying that the only benefit I had when taking cymbalta loss of pain doesn't last? Fondly, Phillipa
Posted by sac on November 19, 2005, at 7:26:57
In reply to Re: Cymbalta experiences anyone???, posted by Racer on November 18, 2005, at 12:23:09
Posted by Ilene on November 20, 2005, at 21:58:31
In reply to Re: Cymbalta experiences anyone???, posted by Racer on November 18, 2005, at 12:23:09
I'm happy to hear that someone else has constipation from Cymbalta! I take about 1000mg of Colace (ducosate sodium) every day to keep things moving.
I've been taking 60 mg. Cymbalta for about 5-6 weeks, and for the last week I've been feeling better. So it could be that something is finally working. I also take 300mg. Wellbutrin.
I.
Posted by Cybele on November 22, 2005, at 12:14:17
In reply to Re: Cymbalta experiences anyone???, posted by Racer on November 18, 2005, at 12:23:09
Racer, I've been reading back through old posts on "excessive daytime sleepiness" and "cymbalta," and your name came up a lot :) Did you find anything to actually help it? I am taking 60mg Cymbalta at bedtime. My PDOC recently gave me some Provigil samples, and I just took my first one (at noon after a 2 hour nap).
Typical day: I wake up when my alarm goes off at 6 feeling pretty good, no matter how little or much sleep I've had. But sometime between 9 and 11 I will start feeling sleepy. I will lie down for a nap, and might fall asleep or be bothered by the phone and give up. If I don't nap then, I'll definitely nap around 1 or 2. I usually start feeling better by 5 or 6 pm, but by then I am devoted to making dinner and taking care of family and cannot get anything else done. Get to bed late, say 11 or 12, because I've napped so much during the day.
I am tickled to no longer feel depressed and that I can concentrate now, but I can't get anything done for work or school. It looks like I will have to take a fail in the grad class I took over the summer, and which I took an incomplete in. Tomorrow is the deadline to turn everything in, and I'm not done yet.
<yawn>
This is the end of the thread.
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