Duloxetine for depression

[HezzaD]

Hi I have fibromyalgia and depression and gad, Been on duloxetine and after 2 weeks started to feel better then i stopped taking them felt horrible again, back on them and feel great.
all snris make my depression and anxiety better effexcor made me too edgy, nefopam in high dose made me nervous and tramadol sedates you in higher doses.
I dont feel like im in such a dark hole no more only on 30mg also on olanzapine 5mg and pregabalin 600mg and morphine which ive started to take properly as I know opiate abuse makes the depression worse.
I take half the pill extended and half instant as this works alot better for me since I have abused it, Will duloxetine help with depression for a while, when will i need a dose increase, any side effects,, ive heard its bad to withdraw from?

 

[Keif' Richards]

If it's working for you and you have severe struggles with depression, than I wouldn't look a gift-horse in the mouth, as it were. SNRI's (Serotonin-Norepinephrine Reuptake Inhibitors) are admittedly, known to be a little nasty to withdraw from. Like everything else, it varies greatly from person to person based upon their own perception and their unique physiology. Some say that SSRI's (Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors) are very difficult to withdraw from, but I've withdrawn cold-turkey from Citalopram (Selexa), Escitalopram (Lexapro), Fluoxetine (Prozac) and Fluvoxamine (Luvox) all with very minor symptoms, that couldn't be totally differentiated from placebo.

Everyone's experience will vary, but from all accounts that I've read, withdrawing from SNRI's can be difficult, but isn't in the same league as withdrawing from say, Benzodiazepines. I think, that if your quality of life is improved by the use of the drug, than you should continue using it for as long as it's effective and then cross that bridge when you come to it. It's possible that you will need a dose increase. It's common, like with all medications really, for SNRI's to be initiated at a lower dose and then raised a couple of times until the optimal level is reached.

This slow adjustment is mostly meant to ensure that the side-effects of the initiation aren't too severe for the patient to handle. In general, antidepressants like Duloxetine (Cymbalta) are not like Opioids in that they are continually titrated upwards to account for diminished effect. You should reach a stable, effective label and you should be able to remain their for some time, if not indefinitely.

If your quality of life is improved and you really think that you're doing better, don't let the anxiety get in your way.

 

[Agoraphobiaphile]

Trade name cymbalta, a SSNRI anti depressant. For anyone wondering what duloxetine is.

I have nothing to add really. If it works then don't change it. I have my own opinions on anti depressants but generally yes any drug that seeks to alter neurotransmitter activity is going to hurt when you try to quit it.

 

[Keif' Richards]

That is all accurate, but it's actually just an SNRI not an SSNRI. I'm assuming that that was just a typo but thought it would be worth mentioning.

 

[HezzaD]

is it as bad as tca withdrawal, I was on imipriamine which helped my depression loads but started to make me bit manicy and mate my shits were like rocks on that, coming off it was horrible it helped me sleep so couldnt sleep, had brain zaps eww.
also i feel it helps my adhd symptoms since it is in the samer class as atomoxetine which is non narcotic adhd drug which is good as stimulants can make me manic or proper anxious but strangely sometimes a coffee or energy drink makes me fall asleep!

Just got racing thoughts all the time, Olanzapine helps a little but i cant enjoy things and it makes it hard to clean and stuff its hard to explain