First days on Duloxetine

[mpuddleduck]

I am newish posting on this forum. I was recently prescribed Duloxetine for quite bad long-term depression. I was very suprised just how quickly my libido was affected. After two days. I have had the same thing in the past with Cipralex which caused me to stop taking it. However, this time I am determined to see things through - The other side of things will just have to be put on hold.

I am taking 60mg a day and I am hoping and praying that I will feel better than I do now.

[ElizabethJane]

Hi I was taking 60mg of duloxetine too earlier in the year. I had other problems/ side effects including nausea and vomiting and severe giddiness (I was falling over). My psychiatrist took me off duloxetine staight away. I was mean't to go onto duloxetine and eventually decrease the prothiaden that I am still taking. I noticed problems with my sexual response too which was very frustrating. I am not sure whether this would have improved or not. A friend told me to give it more time but I'm not sure whether that would have made any difference. I had high hopes for duloxetine as an anti depressant though.

[mpuddleduck]

After one week things are the same. Libido suppressed. No noticable improvement in the depression, but is is very early days. Feel a bit shaky and even small amounts of alcohol cause extreme sleepiness which is no bad thing late at night. Waking very early though (4-5am) with my mind going 1000mph.

[mpuddleduck]

I took Duloxetine for a month as advised by my GP. The physical symptons were hard to comes to terms with. Badly suppressed libido, tremors and twitching, insomnia and altered sleep patterns and even constipation.

The worst thing was "restless" limbs at night in bed. Doesn't sound like much but it was awful.

After the month was up I gave it a few days to see if the drug would "clear" my system. The physical stuff did subside quite quickly and then I did notice a distinct improvement in my mood.

I quickly made an appointment to see my doctor and he agreed that Duloxetine can affect some folk quite badly. So I am back on Prothiaden which I took years ago.

I desperately want to keep the improved mood - I feel better than I have for a very long time.

:)

[ElizabethJane]

I'm sorry that you have had bad side effects as well whilst taking duloxetine. I was expecting to be weaned off dothiepin/prothiaden and onto duloxetine. I am also prescribed lithium. Current NICE guidelines are to take patients off dothiepin as it is very toxic in overdose but it an older anti depressant that works well for most of people who are on it. My pharmacist thinks that it might not be effective for me anymore. I still seem to gain benefit from it especially its sedative effects at night. Apart from a few months towards the end of my pregnancy with my son I have been on it for about sixteen years. I have no desire to rock the apple cart having experienced severe depressive episodes in the past resulting in hospital admissions. If I relapse I expect my psychiatrist will add on another anti depressant. He has previously added in mirtazapine but I put on loads of weight. If I am suicidally depressed I dont think that I will care much about the loss of libido and weight gain. When I'm feeling better I care very much. How much dothiepin/prothiaden are you taking? I'm taking 150mg at night.

[mpuddleduck]

I take 2 x 25mg capsules last thing at night, but I have only been on them 3 days.

I took them years ago for a very long time. I don't think they exactly turned me into "Mr. Smiley Happy Guy" - but they don't work like that anyway, but I was never as down as I have been in the last few years.

Anyway - Feeling better now and looking ahead.

:hugs:

[ElizabethJane]

There is plenty of leeway there if your GP wants to increase the dose. I hope that this medication suits you better than duloxetine. It should allow you to sleep better although you might feel a bit drowsy in the mornings. Also you might experience a dry mouth and nausea and constipation. All these side effects should pass within a few weeks.

[mpuddleduck]

Thank You EJ - I remember getting all these warnings from my GP way back when I was first prescribed Prothieden and thankfully I didn't experience any bad side effects at all.

I always had a glass or two of wine in the evening and I never had any problems with a "hangover" or drowsiness the following morning unless I went crazy with the hooch !

:D