Starting Duloxetine

[MrRedShirt]

Update:
Well, I've been on 60mg for about three weeks, having been on 30mg for the previous 3 weeks or so.

Duloxetine has been really good for me.

I still have moment of wobbliness, but on the whole I feel pretty much normal - maybe 95%? This feeling has built over the past week or two. I haven't even thought about diazepam during this period. I just hope it continues to build.

I am still on the zopiclone as my tinnitus is causing my sleep to be tricky - I tried a night without it recently and I had an awful night, and it almost undid all the positive effects of the duloxetine the next day. I'll need to speak to the doctor about a long-term solution to sleep. Previously the mirtazapine helped me sleep (although came nowhere near the duloxetine in helping sort the anxiety).

I still occasionally jittery, but this is easing off and is nowhere near the level it was when I started.

Oh the whole, I give duloxetine the thumbs up! I just hope it continues

[nicola1980]

Fantastic xx

[MrRedShirt]

Fantastic xx

I've held off posting this for risk of jinxing it!

[dan1234]

Just to add my input:

I am on a large amount of medication, so it is difficult to fully assess the situation but I think duloxetine has helped me. The first few weeks were pretty tough with ridiculously high anxiety levels, but now I am calmer and more relaxed.

Duloxetine definitely gets a thumbs up from me.

I have tried citalopram (12 weeks) Fluoxetine ( 3 weeks) and I think duloxetine is the best - just my opinion.

Dan

[sophiebolton]

Well now, it's nearly 3:15am and about 90 minutes ago I woke up into a major panic attack! Not pleasant at all, one of the worst I think I've ever had. I took a 2mg of diazepam and it's taken the edge off it, but that was pretty scary..

This is proving to be tough going.

this is what happened to me, took my first med and then went asleep, woke up 2 hours later in a mjor panic feeling like i wasnt in my body, was soo strange, seems to have calmed down a bit, found some lorazepam in my bag from over a year ago, im tempted lol

[MrRedShirt]

this is what happened to me, took my first med and then went asleep, woke up 2 hours later in a mjor panic feeling like i wasnt in my body, was soo strange, seems to have calmed down a bit, found some lorazepam in my bag from over a year ago, im tempted lol

Hi, from memory, I think the panic attack I had then could well have been due to my somewhat rapid withdrawal from mirtazapine.. but it's hard to tell with these things.

If it was your first dose you may have experienced an initial 'rush' (as I did), but these became less intense and disappear with subsequent doses.

The nausea is due to the serotonin in the digestive system being affected. I still get this, although it's nothing I worry about and is pretty minor now. Good luck with duloxetine

[Tracey51]

I'm also on day 2 of Duloxetine 60mg. I've come straight onto this dose from 45mg Mirtazapine. I wasn't given any diazepam to help with the start up and have been feeling very jittery and unable to sleep through the nights. I had to come off Mirt quickly though as after 9 weeks of swelling up it became unbearable with even my eyelids swelling up with fluid retention. I do hope that this SSNRI helps.

[MrRedShirt]

Hi Tracey, did you talk over the swap over with your doctor?

Did you start on 60 of Duloxetine or did you have some time at 30mg?

I am still on 60mg of Duloxetine and it's still helping me out.

[crosser]

ive only been on 60mg of duloxetine for a few days and getting stomach aches which cause me to panic, has anyone else had this?

[MrRedShirt]

Hi crosser,

Stomach and digestion issues are common when starting up. Apparently, 95% of the body's serotonin is found in the digestive tract, and these drugs affect serotonin so this is why. Some folk get diarrhea, I felt pretty queasy. It passed with me, like other start-up side effects.