r/cymbalta

I am MAD. My psych only warned me about possible serotonin syndrome and sexual dysfunction. First off, I might have reconsidered if he had explained that a common form of this sexual dysfunction is literally genital numbness, which some people say never goes away! Thankfully I'm not having that side effect, but goddamn.

I want to get off of it, been on only 3 months, was having heat intolerance pretty much from the start, then a month ago started having night sweats and vivid dreams, switching to taking it in the morning didn't help.

I was prescribed it for chronic pain that we don't even know the cause of. It was my PCP who recommended it but he wanted my psych to prescribe because of other meds I take, including Wellbutrin. I'm not sure it's helped my pain at all and the side effects are becoming really aggravating. Also having lowered libido, which I thought was due to other factors, but idk.

A few days ago my psych told me to go the ER when I called in about the heat intolerance and night sweats, and also that day had some dizziness and mental confusion. I assume he suspected serotonin syndrome. ER said I was fine, though I'm not sure they even looked for that beyond my vitals, because I also went in for shortness of breath.

After the ER, psych said I could reduce my dose from 60mg to 30mg. He sent me 13 pills with no special instructions, just to take them once a day. I took the first 30mg yesterday, second one today, and this morning I noticed I was feeling really weird. My ADHD meds weren't working and I felt physically anxious. My jaw was clenched and I could hardly relax it. Appetite was 0 and I got distracted and waited too long to eat, I couldn't think straight and was afraid of falling by the time I went to eat 4 hours after breakfast. I felt a little better after eating, but then got very depressed. Took me an hour just to drag myself out of a chair and I couldn't finish cleaning up from lunch.

Oh gods... I've been on so many antidepressants over the years, I can't even remember what the issues were with the 5 or more I tried in my teens. But I just had a memory, and I bet THIS is the one that caused brain zaps several times a MINUTE when I was withdrawing (under doctor guidance).

I see that it works fine or even great for some people, and some don't even have awful withdrawals. But for how many people DO have terrible side effects and withdrawal, we should really be warned about this! I really had no sense this was much different from my Wellbutrin. It is WILDLY different.

Also, really pissed that my primary Dr suggested this instead of any NORMAL PAINKILLERS besides OTC ibuprofen and acetaminophen. Because I have fibromyalgia, I would guess is his reasoning. Chronic pain for over a year, no diagnosis, (don't believe it's all fibro, it got much worse and very different in the past 18mo) and every time I told him about the debilitating pain he would blame it on me being "deconditioned" and said opioids would only increase my pain sensitivity. Absolutely no mention of any non-opioid prescription painkillers. Except Gabapentin which I was on before this and got off of because it didn't help at all and can also have horrible withdrawal.

Edit: Look, I am very glad it works wonders for some people. And of course I know different meds work different for different people. But this is like an ABNORMAL amount of people saying they had these horrible side effects and withdrawals AND weren't warned about them. Not to mention the manufacturer keeps getting cited for failure to warn, so it's not just an opinion thing or a "weighted negativity" thing.

Last year I was prescribed Strattera for ADHD before my psych would let me try a stimulant. It was absolutely horrible, felt like I had ODed on an actual stimulant, I was violent and suicidal. But when I looked it up, I saw practically no one else reporting these effects. So I didn't ask about Strattera, "Why wasn't I warned?" Clearly those side effects are pretty rare.

Both anecdotal evidence and lawsuits pretty strongly indicate these side effects and withdrawal symptoms for Cymbalta are NOT rare.

I know what that sounds like, take your meds right? I’m a little over 6 months in, having transitioned off lexipro. The side effects have been bothersome: brain fog, general malaise and periodic muscle spasms (funny, since part of the reason for taking this is neuropathy). I’m usually incredibly militant at taking rx each day, and I just forget to take it sometimes. Maybe like once or twice every 2 weeks. I’ve noticed more recently when I forget to take it, the side effects are intense: dizziness while standing, balance issues, severe migraines. I’ve been reading here about people’s struggles with getting off the meds, too- brain zap? Basically, im concerned about what this med is doing to me long term if this is the effect from missing a single dose. That seems crazy to me. Thoughts are welcome and appreciated.

From my depression and its really not enjoyable always reading about all the negatives of meds. I hate taking meds and have fought the need tk take them my entire life. At this point Its either this or im done. Im making some scary changes and my psyche has been wacky, and getting worse and worse for years. I thought it was bad when I was younger but no, it will increasingly always get darker. So this is where im at, trying meds again. Due to the economy and being on my own again, I am also signed up for college for the first time in 20 years. I have no idea where that will take me, but I have to do something. I work full time from home, work out from home, enjoy making/recording music from home and simply need a better life. Winters always wreck my mental health after getting on track with diet and exercise over and over and over. Im also finally acknowledging a crippling adhd. Sure i can hypee focus on things i enjoy (music, Mycology, and sometimes games) but I am so disorganized when my mental health takes over. My roomates worry about me which just creates more anxiety, so leaving my cave is also hard. I go from Mr. Social to afraid of leaving the house. Mr. Romantic to Mr. Depressed. Its depression for sure, and adhd. Not bi polar. I am not a fan of stims but will be taking vyvanse alongside this for school. I really need to build a life. Low dose meds, diet, exercise and focus on work/school. Wish me luck and try to share some positive experiences when you have them, because people tend only to post when things go wrong.

**Long post, but PLEASE read, I'm sort of spiraling**

So I've been on Cymbalta before, and it worked great. Hardly any anxiety, was able to function through mild depression, motivated, just a little sleepy and had headaches. This was from around 2021-2024.

I got off Cymbalta around May 2024 to be able to get pregnant with ny first baby because I heard it would cause harm to either me or the baby, and the withdrawal was HORRIBLE. I'm not trying to scare anyone, but it genuinely was the worst I've ever felt in my whole life. Brain zaps for months, body aches, severe tremors, anxiety, SI, etc.

I eventually ended up on Zoloft while postpartum (had terrible PPD), I started 50mg December 1, 2025 and have been on it since. I'm not doing too hot. When I first started it, I had the worst symptoms (brain zaps, severe dizziness, nausea, depression). I stuck it through thinking it would get better, and it ultimately did but the 50mg just isn't doing what I'd like for it to with my anxiety/OCD.

Now, I'm starting Cymbalta again, because it worked so well for me in the past.

But, I'm scared of coming off Zoloft because I did have such horrible side effects. For anyone thats been through something similar, or have come off Zoloft, what was it like for you?

My doctor and I have talked it through, and I just wanted to get some thoughts, advice and/or opinions. He wants me to go from 50mg immediately down to 25mg for a few days, then immediately start the 30mg Cymbalta. I'm nervous how it would affect me, since its considered to be an "aggressive" approach and how sensitive I am to med changes. He mentioned doing it so fast because he didnt want to prolong any discomfort and do it as fast as possible.

Day 3 of 120 mg to nada! CT. So far nausea, night sweats, nightmares + sleep paralysis. Brain zaps are kicking pretty steady. What else do I have to look forward to?

20mg for 2 weeks, 40mg for 2 weeks, now 60mg for 5 days now.

Anxiety is still very high and has gotten worse since upping to 60mg. I had one of the most horrendous panic attacks recently. When does the side effect of worsening anxiety pass?

I know it can take 6-8 weeks for the medication to work. However, I want some hope. I’m also cross tapering from Lexapro so maybe that is contributing to my worsening anxiety.

I've been on duloxetine 30 mg for about 6 months. It's helped with anxiety, pain, energy. I feel like I may need a larger dose and I'll talk to my doctor about it but I've read a lot about people having a hard time with withdrawal if they need to stop taking it eventually. I'm just wondering what the reasons are for stopping - it didn't work, bad side effects, etc.

Coucou,

I started taking Cymbalta 30 mg two weeks ago for anxiety (mainly physical anxiety), depression, and fibromyalgia symptoms.

I’ve noticed some water retention as a side effect, and my period is now 10 days late.

My main fear is gaining weight. I’m active and exercise regularly, and I eat properly even though my appetite has been low for a while.

I’d love to hear your experiences regarding weight gain and menstrual cycle changes.

Thanks for your help!

Does anyone have any suggestions on how to deal with the night sweats? I’m waking up drenched in the middle of the night and my bed and myself smell of sweat every morning despite changing covers/showering before bed. I can’t bear it, please can you let me know what has worked for you or if this gets better? I’ve been on Cymbalta for 5 weeks. 🙏

I tried cymbalta for the first time today, felt completely dissociated and uncomfortable, couldn't eat, but most of all I feel like something is choking me even though I can breathe and drink water. As a singer has a test tomorrow I'm terrified and I don't know if I should continue and give it a shot or whether the nausea is going to stick, specially with the withdrawal and everything...

Tomorrow marks 6 weeks on 60mg cymbalta, after a 1 week cross taper off 20mg lexapro and starting on 30mg cymbalta the week prior.

Im struggling with sleep a bit more, waking up super early (average 5am, today was 3 30 am) even though I take it in the morning. Overall anxiety is a bit lower and its a bit easier to be mindful. Brain fog and the "wired and tired" feeling still occurs a lot. I will say I am coming from a couple years of weed addiction (quit in May 2025, was high daily in 2024) and lots of psych med turmoil through all of 2025, so its hard to pinpoint what uncomfortable feelings and symptoms are from this drug versus long term nervous system recovery. I know it is typically said to give something like this 8 weeks for full effect, though considering my long term stress and recovery state, I am thinking I may need even longer to reach a true stable state (assuming I can reach such a thing on this medication). Not sure if that is true or just me coping.

What are peoples thoughts? I have never taken an SNRI before this, but lots of SSRIs, and none of them really worked well... a part of me feels these medications are what is causing me this long term brain fog and mental instability. My primary diagnoses are OCD and ADHD.

I posted a while back because I started the Duloxetine for OCD around March 1st. Its now May 10th. Im on 30mg. It mostly does its job, but not being able to orgasm during sex really sucks. It happened a couple weeks ago and I'm still angry about it. "Oh you have to get used to it" well how long and what do they mean by "get used to it"? I took Zoloft for years and the same thing happened no matter how many times until I stopped. Do I just stop taking the medication or what?

Hello all,

I started taking it 2 days ago for major depression and severe anxiety, I took my third dose this morning.

I get the nausea, but it may also be due to the fact that I also started taking Iron, multivitamin, iodine, and creatine every morning alongside the Duloxetin. So I can't be sure what's doing what.

But the slight nausea definitely seems to last for far longer than if it were only vitamins and minerals.

I find myself grinding my teeth more than I normally do, and this slight buzzed feeling emanating from head, I can describe it like a similar feeling of MDMA without the high (although this could be a misperception due to placebo, and me knowing it does something with serotonin) , my pupils appear normal sized , and my symptoms have not changed.

I'm 29, male, and I want to have control over my life, I want to do the things I want without the debilitation of my mental predisposition

What has been your timeline on it? whether it worked or didn't

I’m 10 days back on duloxetine. Sleeping a lot with no motivation.

Is there anything I can do to improve motivation? Did it come back for you?

Thanks so much.

I’ve got the SSRIs sweats bad and need a good deoderant for this summer. I used secret clinical last year and it worked vid left a lot of white marks. Anyone have a good deoderant that stops the sweat and doesn’t leave too much of a stain behind?

hi all ! i recently got a new doctor , she was very attentive to my needs and noticed i was on lexapro , she herself was on cymbalta and basically explained it might be a bit better for me as i also have ibs and stomach issues which she said goes hand and hand w the anxiety i experience , so i said let’s give it a try . i slowly weened off my low 10mg dose of lexapro and began introducing my 20mg dose of cymbalta . first month wasn’t bad at all— no side effects ! didn’t necessarily feel like it was the miracle drug people describe it as but i didn’t think much. fast forward to about 1.5 months in . i wake up in a drenched sweat , experiencing the worst panic attack ive had in ages , rest of the day my appetite was shot and im left with extreme anxiety— this has been on going for the last 5 days . waking up in sweats and panics , leading to extreme anxiety throughout the day , and having to force myself to eat, absolutely NO appetite . on top of that my eye doctor noticed there is pressure in my right eye , and i have been experiencing slight blurriness in that eye and i looked it up and sure enough that can be a side effect . NONE OF THIS HAS STOPPED ! i’m scared , i don’t know what to do and i don’t know if it will get better ? im scared ive made a terrible mistake and im kinda just wanting to stop all together and get my lexapro back .

please share your thoughts and opinions , any help is appreciated , thank you !!!

so I’ve been on Cymbalta since last year. I would say january 2025. I believe i started at 20. then up to 40.

well, ive been doing really bad the last couple months for whatever reason. life stuff on top of just being burned out and frustrated I can’t “get over” stuff so my doctor upped me to 60mg.

she said I should see improvement within two weeks but I deff am not. I cry almost everyday and I’ve had two or three panic attacks. I did see a ketamine doctor Thursday and am waiting on what my insurance is going to cover with that. I will see my psych doctor again at the end of the month.

maybe cymbalta isnt right for me, but I have a lot of room to increase. I feel like it was helping and now all the sudden I’m not responding well. Maybe I need to give it more time?

also been on like every SSRI Prozac is my longest one but it literally made me into a zombie so I wanted to try Cymbalta. There just seems to be no good answer :/

I've been taking cymbalta for about 2.5 months, and I will gladly credit it with saving my life. 3 months ago, I was about to commit suicide, I was in the worst OCD spiral I had ever experienced in my entire life, my intrusive thoughts were genuinely almost causing me to hallucinate, and I frequently felt like they were transporting me to other places and times. Cymbalta stopped all that. Within 8 hours of taking my first dose, I felt my brain empty out like someone had opened all the windows and the wind blew everything clear.

Since then, though, I have been experiencing so much inconsistency that I don't think I can stay on this. I've had biweekly (every 2 weeks) swings in mood, with some pretty bad depressive episodes stopping me from getting off the couch for 2-3 days. My insomnia has ranged from giving me 3-4 hours a night of broken, awful sleep, to 9 hours a night of broken awful sleep, and I am constantly exhausted throughout the day. Not just tired, but like, walking through molasses, unable to think straight, can't do my job type of exhausted. The nightmares have ranged from confusing to downright traumatizing, with me waking up screaming and/or crying some nights.

I just share this to see if anyone else has had this sort of experience, and has transitioned to something more suitable? I know zoloft is often presribed for OCD, and I am considering that next.