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spoonie93

Updated 11mo ago

Switching from Zoloft to Cymbalta: Need Advice

I have been taking Zoloft for my anxiety but it hasn't been helping much. My doctor wants to try and switch me to Cymbalta. She said that it could maybe help my fatigue and some of my chronic pain. I'm nervous about taking new meds because I have had some bad reactions to certain psych meds before. Does Cymbalta work well for anyone anxiety/depression? Does it actually help with pain? Are there any bad side effects?

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CannabisAndChiari

2y

Hey there! Cymbalta has been incredibly helpful for me twice, and I'm currently still taking it. When I started it over a decade ago, I remember having the realization that I didn't realize "I wasn't normal," and my brain/heart/soul felt at ease for the first time ever - something I didn't know I needed at the time. It also took away my lower back pain for several years. I had to wean off to have children, and was off it for 4 years while I had 2 babies, then I got back on it. The second time around has not been as impactful, however I still have some relief from depression and lower back pain - I also have had my chiari malformation and fibromyalgia added to my bucket of fun since then so there's that. The big draw back for me is that it's absolute hell going on it and coming off. Terrible side effects for 2-3 weeks straight, dizziness, nausea and overall feeling terrible. After that tho I have zero aside effects for years until I have to wean. Sorry for the book! Hope it helps β™‘
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spoonie93

2y

@CannabisAndChiari - No need to apologize; thank you for the insight! Were the side effects really awful when you were starting to take it or when you were weaning off of it? I was put on Celexa at a low dose but I had a really bad experience with that (heart rate skyrocketing, cold sweats, nausea, dizziness/vertigo). I'm really hoping that the transition from Zoloft to Cymbalta won't be bad. But I do have a lot of issues with fatigue and low energy and a lot of joint pain so I'm hoping the Cymbalta can help with that. I'm really glad it has been helpful for you. Thanks again for the insight! πŸ€—
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QueenVEY

2y

I switched from Zoloft to Cymbalta after being diagnosed with Fibromyalgia. There was a week I alternated between the medications. Zoloft was great for depression but not as great with anxiety. Cymbalta has helped both but has not been as great as I would have hoped for the pain.
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CrzyCatLady2021

2y

I'm on Zoloft and Cymbalta but I have severe PTSD and major depressive disorder along with fibromyalgia. Zoloft helps tremendously but I have slowly been able to get my Cymbalta dose down until my mother was recently diagnosed with lung cancer and I had a chronic wound requiring a wound vac that triggered flashbacks and severe nightmares. They ended up adding the abilify, buspar, and klonipin over the next few months and prazosin for sleep.
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Persephone9

2y

I LOVE cymbalta! I have fibromyalgia and other neuro issues so I take depakote which makes me depressed so my neurologist added cymbalta to help with mood, energy, and chronic pain (although I would say it helps more with mood than pain, gabapentin worked better for me with the chronic pain). I personally have had a good experience, hope that helps :)

The content in this post is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.

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