![[dr. bob]](/dr-bob-sm.gif)
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 addinbc on May 3, 2006, at 13:02:01
Hello all;
Well, I just started taking Cymbalta for depression and A.D.D. last Friday (i.e.; less than a week ago). I started at 20mg. It made me a bit anxious at first, but the first day certainly gave me energy.
However, by day 3, the 20mg capsule became an "off" button for me. I basically laid in bed all day - couldn't really sleep, mind you - didn't want to/couldn't do anything. I just lay there. I would say that I lay there feeling nothing, but actually I felt more depressed in an apathetic kind of way (does that make sense?). I felt absolutely horrible but didn't care... stared at the ceiling.
So I decided that the 20mg tablets were just too much for me. I bought some empty gelcaps at the pharmacy and made myself a bunch of 5mg capsules (divided the pellets in the 20mg capsules by 4). I have been taking these the last few days. Yesterday, I felt HORRIBLY depressed and irritable - not at all myself. Last night I just cried and cried and I did a BDI online which indicated I was in the severe depression range.
I woke up this morning feeling much better - much more like myself. I have been taking Klonopin at night to help with sleep, so I thought maybe it was the two together that was making me feel depressed. I didn't take any Klonopin last night. However, within about 40 minutes of taking my 5mg Cymbalta today, I now feel down, irritable, and apathetic. Therefore, it would seem as though it is the Cymbalta itself making me feel this way. I don't like it at all!!!
This is all very strange because I found Strattera to be a MIRACLE drug for me before it pooped out after about 4 months. I couldn't go higher than 35mg on it, however, because it would make me more depressed. 35mg was the perfect spot for me!
My frustration now lies in the fact that I can tell the Cymbalta is having a similar positive effect on my ADD as the Strattera did. I am loathe to give up on it yet, but it is making me feel very down.
What should I do?
-Keep on at the 5mg mark and hope this increased depression is time limited and will pass once my system gets used to the drug?
-Lower the dose again and try 2.5mg?
-Stop taking the Cymbalta altogether?
I'm sorry for the long post. Any suggestions and/or experiences would be very very much appreciated!
Many thanks!!
NB.
Posted by addinbc on May 3, 2006, at 15:39:41
In reply to Feeling more depressed on Cymbalta. Suggestions??, posted by addinbc on May 3, 2006, at 13:02:01
Quick update:
The Clonazepam must have been doing something. It is about 5 hours now since I took my 5mg capsule and I am going into orbit with anxiety and a mix of apathy and agitation.
Strange feeling, apathy and agitation at the same time!!
Still feeling down though. It's a beautiful day outside, and normally I would be feeling better just because it's nice outside. But now I don't even want to look outside....
Posted by bassman on May 3, 2006, at 18:25:40
In reply to Re: Feeling more depressed on Cymbalta. Suggestions??, posted by addinbc on May 3, 2006, at 15:39:41
Sunny, happy days are really saddening when you're depressed, that's for sure. Whenever I take a new AD med, I get a bit of a lift the first day followed by several days of depression-same thing happens when I change dosage. I don't think you can ever go wrong starting low on a med, so I'd suggest the 2.5 mg for awhile and see what happens. Best of luck!
bassman
Posted by Phillipa on May 3, 2006, at 22:05:28
In reply to Re: Feeling more depressed on Cymbalta. Suggestions??, posted by bassman on May 3, 2006, at 18:25:40
Agree with above. Love Phillipa
Posted by fairywings on May 3, 2006, at 23:46:10
In reply to Feeling more depressed on Cymbalta. Suggestions??, posted by addinbc on May 3, 2006, at 13:02:01
Have you talked to your pdoc about it? I"ve had weird reactions to various meds. Since you're ADD, can you take a stimulant? If not, have you tried Wellbutrin, how about lamictal - it's supposed to work for depression, probly not good by itself with ADD though.
Good luck, hope it gets better.
fw
Posted by blueberry on May 4, 2006, at 6:56:00
In reply to Feeling more depressed on Cymbalta. Suggestions??, posted by addinbc on May 3, 2006, at 13:02:01
Same thing happens with me on some meds. With either milnacipran or cymbalta or wellbutrin I get a first day good effect, followed by a fairly decent 2nd or 3rd day, followed by a much deeper depression than I had and a total lack of motivation to do anything but die. And then when I stop them, I get even more depressed for 2 to 3 days as that norepinephrine drains away. On the good side, there is usually a rebound or boomerang effect where you will actually feel pretty good maybe the 2nd or 3rd day after stopping. But it is short lived.
My theory is that the extra norepinephrine buildup just causes everything to shut down and stop firing. It takes about 2 weeks for the receptors to adjust and resume firing. In the meantime, things feel real bad. I have never been able to make it through that period. I don't know why it only happens to some of us and not everyone.
This is the end of the thread.
Psycho-Babble Medication | Extras | FAQ
Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.org
Script revised: February 4, 2008
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/cgi-bin/pb/mget.pl
Copyright 2006-17 Robert Hsiung.
Owned and operated by Dr. Bob LLC and not the University of Chicago.