@clemsonbabe, I am opposite-person when it comes to antidepressants: The ones that are supposed to be calming rev me up, the ones that are supposed to be weight-neutral make me gain!

So when I tell you that Cymbalta did nothing for me, I'm hopeful that it will be beneficial for you. (I know that sounds a little weird, but I sincerely mean it.)

FWIW, I have a great psychiatrist with a great education (not his fault that he can't solve the mystery of me-as-oppsite-patient); the fact that he thought Cymbalta might help me also makes me hopeful for you, tho of course I realize that everyone is different.

If the following bugs you, I apologize profusely, but I'm offering it with good intentions, and I hope that's clear. I feel very strongly that the food eaten by most people in the US is killing us, making us depressed, and creating massive pain in our bodies.

In 2019, at age 58 and after a lifetime of a relatively standard American diet, I changed to what is more or less a Mediterranean diet: a lot of veg and beans; whole grains; fish and tofu (you can skip the tofu, but I wanted to cut down my intake of animal products); some fruit; a little dark chocolate but otherwise almost no added sugar; and very few lab chemicals (I occasionally ate fake chicken and fake beef). I live near a good organic market with a good bulk section, so my beans, grains, fruit, and pb were organic.

I didn't weigh or measure anything, and I didn't deprive myself -- I was never hungry. I gradually lost 36 lb and I've kept it off. The biggie, though, is that I felt significantly better -- more energy, less joint pain, no new joint deformity, better mood. (Food isn't a cure-all; I'm on this site bc I have pancreatic cancer. But I have pancan bc there's a heavy genetic predisposition to cancer, including pancan, in my family -- 1/3 of my parents' generation. Meanwhile, the relationship between my new diet and the elimination of joint pain makes me confident that diet is crucial to health.)

I know that making a big change can seem daunting when you're in pain, but if you can see this as a series of small changes and tackle one per week (ex.: "This week I'll make a pot of organic steel-cut oats and have them for 3 or 4 breakfasts") or even change just one meal per week, you'll be doing yourself a favor. I wish you well, and if I've overstepped with this advice, I apologize. My goal is to help.

If you decide to try this, the website Vitacost is a great source for reduced-price organic food (non-perishable).