starting duloxetine

[Kiwi_87]

Hi, I've just started duloxetine, Im on a low dose at the moment, 30mg. Its only my 5th day. I'm having a particularly hard time at the moment as I will soon be losing someone who was like a father to me so I'm extremely depressed. I'm crying loads, and I'm worrying the meds are making it worse? I'm seeing my GP on Tuesday...should I ask to increase the dose? does a dosage increase make a difference? I'm feeling so low I'm struggling to cope, sorry.

[panic_down_under]

Hi, I've just started duloxetine, Im on a low dose at the moment, 30mg. Its only my 5th day. I'm having a particularly hard time at the moment as I will soon be losing someone who was like a father to me so I'm extremely depressed. I'm crying loads, and I'm worrying the meds are making it worse?

My sympathies on your impending loss.

Unfortunately, antidepressants often make things worse in the first couple of weeks and take quite a while to begin having a positive affect of anxiety and/or depression typically taking 3-12 weeks to kick in.

I'm seeing my GP on Tuesday...should I ask to increase the dose? does a dosage increase make a difference?

A dose increase will make a difference, but not immediately. That isn't the way these meds work. They have no direct effect on anxiety, or depression in the way say aspirin has on a headache, or diazepam (Valium) does on anxiety, but work by stimulating the growth of new brain cells (neurogenesis) to replace cells killed, or prevented from growing by high brain stress hormone levels. The therapeutic response is produced by these new cells and the stronger interconnections they forge, not the meds directly, and they take time to bud, grow and mature.

I suggest you explain the situation with your GP as there may be short-term measures which can help such as diazepam.