A person was going through a bad divorce and was depressed. The MD put her on Cymbalta and she became much worse. More depressed, suicidal. Cymbalta kept being increased and she got worse. Then Antianxiety meds were added, she became worse and attempted suicide. She has improved since off Cymbalta but has a diagnosis of Bipolar and now on Lamictal. Could the Cymbalta caused all of this?
2006-12-04 01:32:44 · 7 answers · asked by Louise B 1 in Health ➔ Mental Health
Yes, possibly. These meds can all have paradoxical reactions, but the good news is that if the bipolar diagnosis is correct then Lamictal is a fantastic drug (I take it for bipolar).
2006-12-06 20:42:35 · answer #1 · answered by Random Bloke 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Cymbalta can trigger bipolar mania and increase bipolar depression as it works steadily on serotonin. But from what I've heard, you would have more difficulty working with an SSRI antidepressant, than an MRI (multiple reuptake inhibitor) like Cymbalta.
You did not describe the anxiety meds specifically, where the more common type of anxiety meds are benzodiazepines. Regular use of benzodiazepines is know to further increase bipolar depression as well.
It's not uncommon for bipolar patients to attempt suicide (30%). The theory with antidepressants and suicide, is that the individual may have suicidal ideation before taking the meds, but is too depressed to have the motivation to actually do it. Then the antidepressants kick in, the depression dissipates and if the thoughts are prevelent, it becomes easier for the person to follow through on them. It's important that the person be monitored by a Dr. while being prescribed antidepressants for this reason.
In my opinion, the suicidal ideation was probably there way before the Cymbalta. In addition, if suicide or self harm is ever apparent, this person should partake in psychotherapy and not just medication alone.
2006-12-04 05:26:38 · answer #2 · answered by Altruist 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
there are bad side effects from antidepressents/antianxiety. a lot of them do cause worse effects. like paxcel is an antianxity and after taking it i did feel more depressed. it does make you feel more aware of when you are depressed (for me at least) ive never heard of becoming bipolar. its seems like meds arent working, they should try another approach to get through the hard time.
2006-12-04 01:43:21 · answer #3 · answered by Nisey B 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Some SSRI's like Cymbalta can actually cause you to be suicidal.
2006-12-04 01:40:01 · answer #4 · answered by F T 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
All of those anti anxiety drugs have the potential to backfire and make things worse in some people. The best thing to do is get off all that stuff and stop supporting pharmaceutical companies that want us all numb and stupid!
2006-12-04 03:09:44 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 2⤋
yes, using antidepressants in bipolar disorder can cause suicidal thoughts
2006-12-04 02:24:29 · answer #6 · answered by LIz 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
i would not know but try going onto webmd.com and look it up and click on symptoms
hope this helps :)
2006-12-04 01:35:22 · answer #7 · answered by believeinwishes 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋