Psychiatrist has recommended Cymbalta for depression

Neither of those two worked for me. But I'm glad they work for you! Take care.

My psych also added cymbalta to my Wellbutrin. I wasn’t noticing much of an improvement either, and then I ran out and had to wait a couple of weeks to get it filled again. I had a few withdrawal type symptoms, but after a few days, and all the Cymbalta was out of my system that was when I realized just how much it was helping. I’m not saying that it’s fabulous, and I certainly wouldn’t take it alone for the kind of depression I have, but I do know that it absolutely is value added for my medication regime. And I will say, I am also using it partially for pain so between the two of them it has really helped me.

Thanks for sharing! Going to give the Cymbalta a try. My pain management doctor said it may help with my pain, too. Sure hope so.

Thanks!

Can you share the name of the antidepressant that seems to be working?

Cymbalta has been a life-saver for me. It also helps with pain.

Thanks for saying this. I have been off Cymbalta for more than two years and still suffer from withdrawal effects even though the drug dried stopped helping more than 10 years ago. For some of us, these drugs are incredibly difficult to get off of but I am so much more myself these days. Thanks for the warning.

I've been on 20 mg citalopram for over 15 years for depression and I'm on gabapentin for 3& 1/2 years for radiation induced neuropathy. I also occasionally have to take 5 mg Flexeril. I've also been on 1 mg Xanax at bedtime for many years and take .5 mg during the day for anxiety for the past 3& 1/2 years. In September my new psychiatrist prescribed 20 mg Cymbalta for my anxiety. I feel the Cymbalta has helped my depression and anxiety and I haven't had any issues with the combination of meds. The only thing I will say is that I now am more careful when I'm prescribed another new additional med in researching and making sure that the new med won't interact with any of the others. I hope you find some relief because I understand what a bear anxiety and health problems can be, feeding off of one another and snow balling.

Thank you for caring and sharing! Seems I am getting good comments about Cymbalta. May add it soon and see how I do.

@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).