Hello cymbalta!

Hi everyone, well after my 16 week trial of zoloft with no real considerable improvement, I'm going to be cross tapering to cymbalta. Terrified to change meds again, but hopeful. Any one have any positive insight?
Thank you!!!

Amanda

Good luck, good luck! Myself and lots of others on here are on venlaxafine (Efexor), which is from the same class, an SNRI, whereas Zoloft is just an SSRI. As a dual effect medication, it works in at least two different ways towards improving your mood. ;) Lots of positive effects!
For a little more insight on what to expect, check out a thread I posted awhile back on ven. As I say, they are in the same class and are very similar:

http://nomorepanic.co.uk/showthread....t=effexor+tips

Do stick out the side effects and think positively! There is twice the chance this one will work out for you! :hugs:
Any questions, please feel free to ask away! Lots of us are doing well with it!
Marie xx

Oh wow, thank you so much for the encouragement! I've been in a very bad place for months now and I just want some relief... I haven't been able to work or anything...
So I just took my 30mg and will drop to 50 of hellish zoloft tonight. Slightly panicking at the moment, expecting something terrible to happen...
I read through your link, it was very reassuring, thank you again!

Really glad to be of help :D Yes, I too never really did feel right on Zoloft. I stopped bottoming out and feeling hopeless, but I never really felt connected emotionally to anything going on, and couldn't get excited-happy no matter how much fun something was supposed to be. :shrug: Just depends on the person I think, some people do find it helpful. We're all different!

Now with the SNRI, ever since I got past the side effects phase, I have felt good-normal. The only thing I would add to the tips would be that while you are cross tapering, you just may also experience a few discontinuation symptoms from the other drug (in this case, Zoloft). So, in addition to the start-up things you read about, you may notice a few head zaps. When you turn your head too fast, there will be a sort of disjointed affect to your vision for a few seconds. Odd but normal symptom of the old med leaving. Like your ordinarily "smooth" vision gets kind of choppy for a few seconds. That's it.

Once you are able to understand what is happening and that that is all it is, after a couple times you will get used to it. And it will pass. You aren't losing it, I promise, lol! :roflmao: And you may not get them, just letting you know in advance what it is and that it goes away soon, just in case. Most symptoms of discontinuation won't be felt though, because you are simultaneously cross-tapering onto the Cymbalta. So, yay!

Take it easy and stay well-hydrated and eat regularly, that will help too. Try to chill out when possible. I can't get over how "normal" I feel now on my SNRI, just need a bit more motivation and I'll be good to go! After 3 months on the ven, my doctor has also added the starter dose of Wellbutrin for that, and I haven't noticed any side effects so far beyond a transient sleep disturbance that has already passed, and a little more dry mouth again. :yahoo:

Keep chatting on here, and don't worry, you'll be fine! xx
Marie

Thank you again for the encouragement! I must say I do feel like hell, I did sleep last night but feel like I didn't. A little more anxious too, and since I am already an anxious disaster, I'm not having a very good day. Pretty much have all the s/e you mentioned.
I'd love to chill out but I think I have forgotten what that means :D

Amanda

Amandala, my sisterinlaw has been on cymbalta for about ten years with great results. She takes it for depression and worry. Hope you feel better soon! :-)

Lol! I know what you mean about chilling, even though my "gig" is moreso depression than anxiety. Everyone with anxiety reports that it usually spikes some at the beginning. This is because the serotonin doesn't tend to kick in for a little while. I had a couple of weeks of unrelenting muscle tension, especially in the stomach around the time that the med was apparently starting it's actions on this, but if you are the anxious type, you may interpret this as heightened anxiety. It's true, it is often felt as spiking during this time, but it does get better soon. :hugs:

Deepthinker, I'm pleased for your sister in law, that's awesome, 10 years! There are lots of inspiring stories on here as well. Watching tv movies, eating favorite dishes and not worrying about anything much beyond that. Getting out for little walks, however short they may be. That's kind of what I mean by chilling. It's worth sticking it out to see if SNRIs will help you as they have helped others! Remember you're not alone in this, you have us! :flowers:

Marie xx

Thank you both for the kind words :hugs:
This battle with relentless anxiety needs to stop as my life has been on hold for 6 months now. I am very hopeful that cymbalta will be the right choice. I was on it back in 2009 and I don't recall any side effects at all, however, I was in a much better mind set back then. I wanted to switch because celexa was making me too tired... I wish that was most of my worries ;) I'm feeling a little bit better now, my doc suggested I try taking it tonight and see if I feel better since I was so drugged feeling yesterday/this afternoon.
So I took the 50 of zoloft this morning instead of the evening. and REALLY forcing myself to eat..this has been a problem for months now. So, from 100mg of zoloft for 3 weeks, I am going back to 50 for a week and then 25. Once I finish the 25 I'll increase my cymbalta to 60mg. fingers crossed!

Fingers crossed! :yesyes: The titration down sounds familiar, except I remember at the end we tacked on an extra week of one night on, one night off the zoloft. Then that was it. With the Cymbalta you may not need that, but if you are struggling you can ask your doctor if you can try that. :winks:
Keep in touch!
Marie xx

---------- Post added at 18:51 ---------- Previous post was at 18:44 ----------

ps sorry to hear about the lack of appetite. Me too, at first. I would buy my favourite fruits and make a fruit salad, or crackers and cheese and a pickle, cup-soups or things like that. Yogurt is good if you are able to eat it. The more frequently you can have a little something, the better off you will be, really.