I've been taking effexor and swithing to cymbalta. anyone taking cymbalta let me know?

Question

I work in a dr office and I went in and talked to him today. I take effexor and I have no libido. so he told me to start taking cymbalta tomorrow and stop with the effexor. has anyone taken cymbalta and have a libido still? I asked about wellbutrin and he told my cymbalta is better

Answer 1

I have been taking it for 3 weeks and the only side effect i've had from it is being tired. It has just kicked my butt, but other than that i have had no troubles with it. For me, it took about 3 weeks to kick in and it's a slow kick to boot, but it is great. It wasn't this big flashy thing where "hey i feel better like right now" it was more gradual and i never even noticed it other than i just feel good - no big moment. No more panic attacks and anxities. I was taking effexor and it KILLED my drive - i have had no problems with the cymbalta doing that - the drive is where it was 4 weeks ago.

Good luck! :)

Answer 2

Do not stop taking Effexor cold turkey!!!

Even the manufacturer acknowledges patients should be taken off it slowly. See the sixth bullet down on Wyeths' own site for the med http://www.effexorxr.com/ (and know that the manufacturers are absolutely reluctant to admit to any discontinuation problems.)

And check out the Effexor discussion board at http://www.crazymeds.org You'll see the link to the boards in the top left of the home page, and you'll need to scroll down the board topic page a bit to get to the ant-depressants and Effexor. You'll read again and again about how hard withdrawal can be, and no one recommends going cold turkey. Also, go back to the home page and look up the drug info for both meds. (The site has solid info on meds despite it's name.)

Talk to your doc some more before making this change as you just described. If s/he does not know about Effexor withdrawal, find another doctor who does.

Btw, Effexor is a serotonin and norepinephrine inhibitor. Cymbalta inhibits these two same neurotransmitters. It may work better for you or you may end up with the same side effects. Wellbutrin inhibits dopamine and norepinephrine - it's the only one to work on those two neurotransmitters, and it does nothing to serotonin. Most of the other anti-depressants like Prozac, Paxil, Zoloft, etc are SSRI's and just affect serotonin.

PS - I've been going thru hel1 the last month trying to get off Effexor and onto Wellbutrin. It is not at all pleasant!

Answer 3

Going off of Effexor cold turkey is a very bad idea. But...I believe that Cymbalta is the new medication in the same class as Effexor, which may make the transition easier. I had the same problem with Effexor (and Zoloft, and Celexa, and Lexapro). I've been on Wellbutrin a really long time now (I often need more than one antidepressant due to treatment resistant depressive episodes) and it has no sexual side effects for me. Cymbalta is worth a try (it's one I haven't been on....yet!) but because it is the same class of medication as Effexor, I would think the side effects would be similar. Make sure the doctor isn't just pushing the new medication just because drug reps have encouraged him to do so...that has been known to happen.

Just so you have the correct information, neither Wellbutrin or Effexor is an SSRI (effecting only serotonin levels.) The following is from their official websites.

Effexor effects serotonin and norepinephrine. Because of this, it is known as an SNRI, or serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor.

Wellbutrin helps balance the levels of two neurotransmitters called dopamine and norepinepherine.

Cymbalta is a selective serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor (SSNRI), and that it affects two naturally-occurring chemicals in the brain and in the spinal cord, serotonin and norepinephrine.

Answer 4

Cymbalta for my friend was much better than Effexor and Wellbutrin. It works differently than either of those medications it's a selective serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor.

Wellbutrin and effexor only work on serotonin.

Safety Information

Cymbalta has been approved by the FDA for use in the treatment of major depression. It is safe for most people to use.

You should NOT take Cymbalta (duloxetine HCL) if:

You are allergic to duloxetine hydrochloride or other ingredients in Cymbalta.
You currently or have recently taken monoamine oxidase inhibitor (MAOI).
You have uncontrolled narrow-angle glaucoma.
You are taking Mellaril® (thioridazine).

Answer 5

I know everyone reacts differently to medications, but cymbalta for me was VERY BAD! The first day I took it, it severely upset my stomach (horrible diarrhea and cramping). In addition to this, I had a very present feeling of being intoxicated... in a bad way. I had a lot of difficulty going to sleep that night because I felt wired.

When I woke the next morning, I still felt very intoxicated. There was a noticeable "different" feeling in a bad way. I figured my body was just getting used to the new medicine, so I continued for an extra week. I did not have any more stomach problems after the first day, but I did continue to feel intoxicated. It was almost like a feeling of overdosing on cough medicine. Reminded me of coriciden cough & cold pills.

For the whole week, the medication disrupted my work... I kept spacing out and was getting very little sleep (couldn't fall asleep and then woke up very alert very early.) I finally stopped taking the medication after 7 days.

Again.. this is just my experience. Obviously, this medicine is helpful for some, probably most, people.

Answer 6

I'm on Effexor XR, although I have noticed maybe I need to increase my dosage. However I was asked once to switch to Cymbalta since it helps with pain associated with depression.
Because I have not gotten any weight on Effexor I keep getting back to it. Lexapro made me gain weight. My libido has been unaffected with Effexor, while on Lexapro I could not care less.

Answer 7

I've taken effexor and had no problem w/libido. I now take cymbalta and have no problems w/libido either. I have taken various anti dep. & some of these did cause problems w/it. I've been taking it (cym) for about 6 mo & its pretty good.

Answer 8

Wait, wait, wait. Plz do not just stop your effexor.It is a ***** of a med to get off of.

Taper very slowly over several weeks.
I missed my effexor for two day and boy were things bad. I couldn't breath, fell on the floor as the room began to spin.I am amazed your Dr didn't tell you this.
Good luck.

Answer 9

When I was first diagonosed with deppression I had no libido it can also be increased (the no libido) as side effects of the meds. If you are male ask to be tested for testerone levels, it is fairly common and called andropause the male equivalent of menopause. Symptoms are IDDENTICAL TO depression.