Posted by Racer on January 25, 2006, at 18:36:27
In reply to Cymbalta, posted by Berberis on January 25, 2006, at 14:10:31
Cymbalta is not an SSRI, it's an SNRI -- that's the quick and dirty answer to your stated question, "How is it different from SSRI's" It's a whole 'nother class of drug.
I don't think that's the question you're actually asking, of course, but just in case...
Anyway, Cymbalta is part of the same class of drugs as Effexor, but is also quite different from Effexor, too. Effexor hits serotonin at lower doses, and adds an effect on norepinephrine at mid-range doses, adding a mild effect on dopamine at the highest doses. Cymbalta, on the other hand, has a much more balanced profile: it it hits 80% 5HT and 20% NE (I don't know the percentages, just using random numbers) at 20mg, it's gonna have the same breakdown percentages at 120mg. The side effect profile is different, although it will have some crossover with the basic SRI groupings: GI upset, etc. It's really too new to know much about what it will do for weight, but my guess is that it's going to be very much like all the others.
NE tends to be involved with energy, motivation, etc, so it shouldn't be as sedating as some of the SSRIs can be.
I took it for nearly a year and a half, and I can't say I was impressed. That seems to be a pretty common experience, but everyone reacts differently, and I freely admit that I am Treatment Resistant.
Good luck, and I hope this helps.
poster:Racer
thread:602680
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20060122/msgs/602778.html