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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 5 of 5. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by CA 2 NJ on November 17, 2006, at 16:51:48
Hello everyone. I hope you all are having a great Friday and have an even better weekend! :)
I have a question for those who are currently taking or have previously taken Cymbalta.
I am wondering what time of day you take/took your Cymbalta. Or if it's best to take it twice a day?
As of 1 1/2 weeks ago, I am taking 40mg but My Psychiatrist told me to take it all at night. Since I have started this med, it seems like I am not sleeping as soundly. '
Right now I am taking it as directed but have read that the half-life of Cymbalta is like 12 hours. And also that it says to take it twice a day.
So in light of this information, I have recently tried taking it in the morning and evening. And wow! I had no idea how DROWSY this stuff makes me! I want to sleep the day away when I take any of it in the daytime.
Also I should add that I take Lunesta at night to help with my sleep. And although it does help, I am not sleeping the way I used to prior to the Cymbalta.
Has anyone else had any experience with the daytime drowsiness when taken during the day? What about the disrupted sleep when taking it at night? Also I am curious as to whether or not these side effects go away as I adapt to the medication?
I seem to be more calm and relaxed since starting the Cymbalta, yet more energized in a sense. Is this a normal reaction? Believe me I'm not complaining! :)
If anyone could shed some light on these concerns or has anything else to share about Cymbalta, I would really appreciate it. I just want to know what to expect.
Thanks so much and take good care! I look forward to hearing your responses.
Sincerely,
Michelle
Posted by Phillipa on November 17, 2006, at 20:13:56
In reply to Cymbalta: Take it in the Morning or at Night? BID?, posted by CA 2 NJ on November 17, 2006, at 16:51:48
I had the opposite reaction it wired me. My whole dose was in the am. Could you cut down to half the dose and go slowly up on it. What does your pdoc say? Love Phillipa good luck
Posted by med_empowered on November 18, 2006, at 0:45:58
In reply to Re: Cymbalta: Take it in the Morning or at Night? BID? » CA 2 NJ, posted by Phillipa on November 17, 2006, at 20:13:56
antidepressants tend to suppress REM, so that might be part of the lack of restful sleep. Also, the first couple weeks sometimes involve an increase in insomnia, anxiety, and agitation (for some people, this is barely noticeable; for others, it can be pretty intense), so the side effects you're experiencing now could possibly go away or get better as the weeks go on.
When I took cymbalta (90mgs/day) I took it all in the AM, it one dose. Tell your doc that the PM dosing is interfering w/ your sleep and she'll probably try to help you in some way. If AM dosing makes your drowsy, that might go away as you continue to take cymbalta (or it might not).
Posted by stargazer on November 18, 2006, at 1:13:09
In reply to Re: Cymbalta: Take it in the Morning or at Night?, posted by med_empowered on November 18, 2006, at 0:45:58
I took 30 mg dose all at once in the AM. I didn't know it came in 20 mg dose. Doc gave me 30 and 60 mg samples. It was a capsule and couldn't be split. Then after 2 weeks,I was increased to 60mg and ended up having to stop it since I was getting worse on it. Here was my routine...wake up reluctantly get out of bed, wander around, use the bathroom, thoughts of doing something that day, everything seemed too overwhelming, might eat something (or not),then unable to make any plan for what to do,so I would climb back into bad for another hour or two, then the cycle would repeat itself. That's the drug not the depression talking. No need to continue that experiment. My philosophy is...you should never feel alot worse on the meds...annoying SE's are one thing, but dramatic changes are not good. I started to lose weight (not a good thing for those of you thinking, 'oh maybe that would help my fat *ss too'), finally after the 2nd day on 60, headache from hell struck me down and that was the deciding factor in stopping it. So I kissed Cymba goodbye and moved onto the next med, Emsam, only day 3 but holding steady...SG
Posted by yxibow on November 18, 2006, at 4:01:55
In reply to Cymbalta: Take it in the Morning or at Night? BID?, posted by CA 2 NJ on November 17, 2006, at 16:51:48
> Hello everyone. I hope you all are having a great Friday and have an even better weekend! :)
>
> I have a question for those who are currently taking or have previously taken Cymbalta.
>
> I am wondering what time of day you take/took your Cymbalta. Or if it's best to take it twice a day?
>
> As of 1 1/2 weeks ago, I am taking 40mg but My Psychiatrist told me to take it all at night. Since I have started this med, it seems like I am not sleeping as soundly. '
>
> Right now I am taking it as directed but have read that the half-life of Cymbalta is like 12 hours. And also that it says to take it twice a day.
>
> So in light of this information, I have recently tried taking it in the morning and evening. And wow! I had no idea how DROWSY this stuff makes me! I want to sleep the day away when I take any of it in the daytime.
>
> Also I should add that I take Lunesta at night to help with my sleep. And although it does help, I am not sleeping the way I used to prior to the Cymbalta.
>
> Has anyone else had any experience with the daytime drowsiness when taken during the day? What about the disrupted sleep when taking it at night? Also I am curious as to whether or not these side effects go away as I adapt to the medication?
>
> I seem to be more calm and relaxed since starting the Cymbalta, yet more energized in a sense. Is this a normal reaction? Believe me I'm not complaining! :)
>
> If anyone could shed some light on these concerns or has anything else to share about Cymbalta, I would really appreciate it. I just want to know what to expect.
>
> Thanks so much and take good care! I look forward to hearing your responses.
>
>
> Sincerely,
> Michelle
Your system will probably adjust to it over some weeks. The time to really get a lift out of Cymbalta can be very subtle from my experience.It sounds like for you, Cymbalta -mostly- but not completely stimulates you and the stimulation in turn is sedating.
For others, Cymbalta is stimulating and in turn is something that one typically takes in the morning or afternoon.
I guess I would probably take it in the mid to late afternoon and early to mid evening considering you mostly seem to react to it in a sedating manner, but I would follow up these questions with your doctor.
Lunesta is a little weaker than Ambien/Ambien CR, your doctor may be aware of this so you may have to take the full strength or even 4mg of it.
For me, Cymbalta is neither at the moment but that remains unclear since I also take benzodiazepines and I dont think there was a point when I was on lower doses of benzodiazepines and Cymbalta, so it remains unknown what it may actually be doing to me.
One thing I know is that I can't, or at least when I took it, stand Effexor. It was like a bag of coffee. Cymbalta is a bit cleaner I think.
But I take it mid afternoon and evening. I have a natural tendency towards insomnia so I dont think Cymbalta would increase that sky high more than it already is; I also take Lunesta 4mg currently or varyingly I have taken 20mg of Ambien in the recent past.
-- Jay
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