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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 10 of 10. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by Justherself54 on December 9, 2008, at 15:18:07
I've been on 60 mg. of Cymbalta for approx a month. Last night I had a dreadful argument with my mom about my brother. I could not believe the rage I felt..I'm not talking anger..I had a meltdown on the phone and I swear if my brother had showed up at my door I would have done him harm. This type of rage is completely foreign to me. I have to suspect it's the Cymbalta. I want to get off this drug fast. Extra seroquel and clonazapam only made me feel stoned and I still had trouble getting to sleep. I'm exhausted and in severe pain as this has all caused my fibro to flare.
I'm waiting for my pdoc to call. I've been on a continual med trial..all failures..nardil, parnate, revisting Lexapro which didn't work again. I'm going to ask if I can do an immediate switch to Zoloft as I haven't taken it for a few years. Even if it doesn't work it may stop the withdrawals from the Cymbalta.
I don't know what to do. I haven't felt this badly in a long time...
This post may not make a lot of sense, but my brain is fried. Any suggestions and advice would be greatly appreciated.
Posted by SLS on December 9, 2008, at 17:26:45
In reply to Cymbalta Rage - Please HELP, posted by Justherself54 on December 9, 2008, at 15:18:07
You might have triggered a bipolar mixed-state.
In what ways has Cymbalta helped you?
Any history of bipolar disorder in the family?
- Scott
Posted by Justherself54 on December 9, 2008, at 17:47:33
In reply to Re: Cymbalta Rage - Please HELP, posted by SLS on December 9, 2008, at 17:26:45
> You might have triggered a bipolar mixed-state.
I am BP. Pdoc doesn't think it's a mixed state and it didn't feel like a mixed state either. We both knew Cymbalta could be too stimulating but we're running out of options, so I wanted to give it a try. A lot of the stuff that I said last nite had been kept carefully locked inside. I think as my anxiety shot up I just lost it.
>
> In what ways has Cymbalta helped you?Just a partial response for depression but I could feel my anxiety and irritability rising since Friday.
>
> Any history of bipolar disorder in the family?Just me that I know of, although depression, panic disorder and social anxiety runs rampant.
Pdoc called and we're stopping the Cymbalta and switching over to 100 mg Zoloft. Zoloft has worked twice before (then poops out). I hope it works again, even if it's just enough to get me though the withdrawal from Cymbalta. That and as much clonazapam and seroquel as I need to get through this, although I'm not sure how I'm going to find the balance between coping and over-sedating myself, which I find an uncomfortable feeling in its own right.
I've tried all mood stabilizers and they either don't work or I can't manage the side effects. I haven't had a hypomania in ages. It's been the crushing depression that's been so hard to treat.
Thanks Scott, for responding. Any tips for getting through the next week or so will be welcomed!
Posted by SLS on December 9, 2008, at 18:49:08
In reply to Re: Cymbalta Rage - Please HELP, posted by Justherself54 on December 9, 2008, at 17:47:33
Hi again.
> Thanks Scott, for responding. Any tips for getting through the next week or so will be welcomed!Did you plan on making an abrupt switch from one drug to the other, or are you going to wait until you get to 100mg of Zoloft before reducing the Cymbalta?
As an aside, Trileptal is being increasingly prescribed for aggression, hostility, and impulse control. How does it affect you? If the Cymbalta were working well for depression, you could use the Trileptal to prevent the rage episodes from occurring.
- Scott
Posted by Justherself54 on December 9, 2008, at 19:09:29
In reply to Re: Cymbalta Rage - Please HELP, posted by SLS on December 9, 2008, at 18:49:08
>
> Did you plan on making an abrupt switch from one drug to the other, or are you going to wait until you get to 100mg of Zoloft before reducing the Cymbalta?I'm stopping the cymbalta and starting 100 mg Zoloft in the morning. I went from 20 mg Lexapro to 60 mg Cymbalta without any discontinuation or start up effects, so I'm hoping doing the reverse going from cymbalta to zoloft will be OK. I feel physically ill tonight and have a splitting headache. My fibro is flared up so badly I'm barely walking. Thank goodness for friends who will pick you up and take you to the pharmacy. I don't trust my reflexes enough to drive. Cymbalta is obviously not a med that I can tolerate and I want off it, like yesterday.
>
> As an aside, Trileptal is being increasingly prescribed for aggression, hostility, and impulse control. How does it affect you? If the Cymbalta were working well for depression, you could use the Trileptal to prevent the rage episodes from occurring.If the Cymbalta was giving me more than a minimal partial response, we probably would look at augmenting it, but it just seemed to be making me more unstable. I haven't been on Trileptal. I've never experienced this type of reaction to any SSRI, SNRI, TCA or MAOI. It has freaked me out.
Posted by SLS on December 9, 2008, at 19:23:47
In reply to Re: Cymbalta Rage - Please HELP, posted by Justherself54 on December 9, 2008, at 19:09:29
> I'm stopping the cymbalta and starting 100 mg Zoloft in the morning.
Sounds like a plan.
:-)
You'll be OK.
- Scott
Posted by Justherself54 on December 9, 2008, at 20:00:29
In reply to Re: Cymbalta Rage - Please HELP, posted by SLS on December 9, 2008, at 19:23:47
I sure hope so..the next couple of days will tell the tale..I hope it's not too rough a ride..
Posted by zatar on December 9, 2008, at 21:22:25
In reply to Re: Cymbalta Rage - Please HELP, posted by SLS on December 9, 2008, at 17:26:45
60mg may be too high a dose. I had the same rage along with akathisia, agitation, disturbed sleep and palpitations at that dose. Lowering the dose helped alot. I have anxiety and am prone to panic attacks and adrenergic drugs and SSRIs don't sit well with me.
-zatar
Posted by Justherself54 on December 9, 2008, at 22:23:24
In reply to Re: Cymbalta Rage - Please HELP, posted by zatar on December 9, 2008, at 21:22:25
I'm too scared of it now to even consider lowering the dose. It wasn't doing much more my depression, just awful side effects.
Posted by Phillipa on December 10, 2008, at 0:50:37
In reply to Re: Cymbalta Rage - Please HELP » zatar, posted by Justherself54 on December 9, 2008, at 22:23:24
Oh wow just saw this and I'm so sorry. You've been through so much. I didn't have luck on cymbalta either. Geez hope the zoloft works for you. As a side note have taken trileptal baby dose and didn't do a thing but at higher doses probably would. Would you keep in touch let me know how your doing? Love Phillipa
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