Psycho-Babble Medication Thread 974323

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cymbalta causing sadness and depression

Posted by gatorlevi on December 22, 2010, at 19:47:55

I have been on a plethora of anti-deppressants, 99% of which had no effects on me. The only one that worked was nardil and then it pooped out. I have tried cymbalta 3x, and each time it led me to have an overwhelming sadness with an increase in hopelessness and suicidal ideation. This occurred within 2-4 days of starting the medication, at regular dosage.(nothing like this happened with effexor) Any thoughts on what this might mean? on what might be beneficial??
thanks

 

Re: cymbalta causing sadness and depression

Posted by Tomatheus on December 22, 2010, at 21:36:22

In reply to cymbalta causing sadness and depression, posted by gatorlevi on December 22, 2010, at 19:47:55

Gatorlevi,

Hello, and welcome to Psycho-Babble. It sounds like you and I have had similar experiences with antidepressants -- Nardil is the only treatment that I've tried for my depression that significantly reduced the severity of my symptoms for more than a few days, and I too noticed a worsening of my symptoms when I took Cymbalta. I only tried it once, though. I'm not sure exactly what the sadness, hopelessness, and suicidal ideation that you experienced on Cymbalta mean in terms of your illness and treatment, especially considering that you didn't have a similar response to Effexor. I would, however, be sure to avoid Cymbalta in the future. It's hard to say what might benefit you treatment wise, but it sounds like you've probably been through a lot of antidepressant medications. Have you ever tried any alternative treatments, like St. John's Wort, SAM-e, fish oil, or l-methylfolate? You might find herbs and supplements to be helpful in treating your depressive symptoms. Even if you've already tried some herbs and supplements, odds are that there are some potential alternative treatments that you haven't tried that might just do the trick when it comes to controlling your depressive symptoms.

I wish you luck in finding a treatment or combination of treatments that works -- and keeps working -- for your depression.

Tomatheus

 

Re: cymbalta causing sadness and depression » Tomatheus

Posted by Phillipa on December 22, 2010, at 21:44:23

In reply to Re: cymbalta causing sadness and depression, posted by Tomatheus on December 22, 2010, at 21:36:22

Seriously how was the St johns wort or Samee? Phillipa

 

Re: cymbalta causing sadness and depression

Posted by bleauberry on December 23, 2010, at 7:59:40

In reply to cymbalta causing sadness and depression, posted by gatorlevi on December 22, 2010, at 19:47:55

> I have been on a plethora of anti-deppressants, 99% of which had no effects on me. The only one that worked was nardil and then it pooped out. I have tried cymbalta 3x, and each time it led me to have an overwhelming sadness with an increase in hopelessness and suicidal ideation. This occurred within 2-4 days of starting the medication, at regular dosage.(nothing like this happened with effexor) Any thoughts on what this might mean? on what might be beneficial??
> thanks

What does this mean? Well, in my view it means you should probably stay far away from Cymbalta. Listen to what your body is telling you. It sounds like it is screaming NO.

Some people claim you have to go through a period of worsening before the med kicks in? I dunno about that. I sort of disagree with that being a sound strategy. Putting up with early side effects is one thing, but putting up with a worsening of the condition is a different beast.

All meds and herbs that are intended to improve mood can sometimes do the opposite. So it's important to pay attention to that. They don't put suicidal warnings on antidepressant labels for no reason.

Hidden from clinical studies are details that happened during the study. For example the suicides. They happen and are not generally made public. Obviously. Sheds a bad light on the pharm company, the drug, the researchers, and the FDA. It is always blamed on the depression not the drug. Of course, they didn't commit suicide before taking the drug, so go figure that kind of defensive logic.

This drug has been a miracle for some people. Others react very badly. All meds are like that.

Personally I found tiny amounts of cymbalta rather helpful, but higher amounts felt like dark death. My best dose was in the 10 beads per day range (the beads inside each capsule....10 of them is about 1mg). If I hit 5mg (50 beads) it felt really bad. But just a smidgen felt good.

If you want a true mix of serotonin/norepinephrine, it won't be found in cymbalta. Even if it was, you couldn't adjust the ratio. A much better bet than cymbalta would be to combine whatever SSRI you had that was most agreeable, and a TCA such as Nortriptyline.

And keep in mind it may not be any antidepressant that gets you feeling better. It is not unusual that something else will do it....mood stabilizer, antipsychotic, benzo, stimulant, herb, supplement, antibiotic, food choices.

If all those antidepressants failed you, that itself is your body trying to tell you something. Just listen.


 

Re: cymbalta causing sadness and depression » Phillipa

Posted by Tomatheus on December 23, 2010, at 20:25:28

In reply to Re: cymbalta causing sadness and depression » Tomatheus, posted by Phillipa on December 22, 2010, at 21:44:23

Phillipa,

I had a decent response to SAM-e that lasted about three months when I took it with the version of tranylcypromine that Goldshield markets in the U.K. I wouldn't recommend that anybody take SAM-e with tranylcypromine, but I did respond partially and consistently to the combo while I was on it. I didn't do too well on St. John's Wort when I took it. I lasted a little less than a week on the herb, and I can't remember what prompted me to discontinue it, but I don't remember tolerating it too well.

I do think that SAM-e and St. John's Wort are evidence-based treatments for depression that ought to be considered by patients afflicted with depressive disorders. I think that alternative treatments are oftentimes overlooked, perhaps partially because there is a lack of scientific evidence to support the use of some supplements, but from what I've read SAM-e has been found to be comparable to the tricyclics in terms of efficacy, and St. John's Wort has been established to be more effective than placebo at treating mild to moderate cases of depression.

Tomatheus

 

Re: cymbalta causing sadness and depression » Tomatheus

Posted by Phillipa on December 23, 2010, at 21:16:58

In reply to Re: cymbalta causing sadness and depression » Phillipa, posted by Tomatheus on December 23, 2010, at 20:25:28

Thanks I didn't know that about Samee. I'd read St Johns Wort was good for mild to moderate depression also. No worries of me taking an Maoi. I just can't. Phillipa


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