Experience reports on the drug Duloxetine:
Duloxetine User Reviews, Experiences
Posted in Nervous system
Reviews, Experiences, Questions
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I can only recommend the drug duloxetine to a limited extent, I have been taking it for 4 years and used to take 60 mg. But due to severe restlessness and nausea, I ALWAYS reduced it to 45 mg after taking it. I currently take 45 mg every 2 days and then 30 mg again. The medication hardly works and makes me much more restless than I already am. There is no increase in drive due to the restlessness, as I would prefer to just lie down after the tablet because everything is spinning and I am so restless. Withdrawal is very bad, I have already tried withdrawal 3 times, but always failed due to the strong side effects such as head flashes, really strong panic attacks, with trembling and an unreal feeling. I would be happy if I could only take 30 mg permanently. But you notice a clear difference from 45 mg to 30 mg. Unfortunately, after 2 days on 30 mg you are completely confused in the head, then you take 45 or 60 mg again and it’s all over. Only then does the nausea, sweating and desire for nothing come back. I really can’t recommend the medication, but pain is felt differently and is less affected. But I don’t recommend the tablets at all for an anxiety disorder.
I have been taking 60mg duloxetine for 4 days.
The first 2 days strong nausea with vomiting, anxiety, nervousness, yawning, nausea, feeling like I was on a bad drug, difficulty falling asleep…
These side effects disappeared on the 3rd day, currently only mild headaches and loss of appetite.
My mood felt better because the unbearable pain in my neck, back and jaw (CMD) had already disappeared on the first day (in conjunction with a few massages and two osteopathic sessions), so I recommend everyone with pain to persevere! It’s worth it! Finally quality of life again…
Hello,
After a job change that I didn’t like and quitting cannabis after 18 years, I developed severe depression with an anxiety disorder. Suddenly, I couldn’t do anything anymore, not even cook or drive a car; I felt “disabled” and had suicidal thoughts. I was diagnosed with severe depression with anxiety symptoms.
Then, starting with 30 mg duloxetine in early ’23 at 69 kg and 167 cm, the first few days made me feel very strange. I felt like I didn’t belong to this planet, and I was also afraid of taking these antidepressants because I never believed in them. But unfortunately, there was no other way. The following days on 30 mg, I still felt worse, I was off work for a few weeks and didn’t want/couldn’t leave my bed because I was incapable of doing anything… I didn’t want to see, hear, or do anything. It felt like dying consciously…
I also had pretty much all the side effects like headaches, bladder problems, fatigue, loss of appetite, stomach pain, night sweats, many dreams, etc. My doctor suggested increasing the dose to 60 mg after a week, which I didn’t do because I was already not feeling well on 30 mg duloxetine… and I was scared of this stuff… so I continued to suffer for 2 more weeks.
The side effects gradually improved day by day. However, after more than three weeks, my mood and overall well-being still hadn’t improved, and I was unable to do anything all day. So, I finally decided to increase the dosage, thinking it couldn’t get any worse. From the day I increased the dose to 60 mg, I started feeling a tiny bit better each day. I was off work for another three weeks, but slowly I began to regain some drive and managed to get out of bed again. The side effects were almost gone, and things started to get a little better. But after another three weeks, there was no further improvement. My beloved cat passed away after 16 years, and I found myself sinking back into that hole. That was in mid-March. My doctor suggested increasing the dose to 90 mg, and then, things consistently got better; I felt better every day. I no longer had any feelings of fear, the grief over my cat’s death was processed quicker than I thought, and I was able to drive again and participate in social life. I didn’t feel much of anything; I wasn’t feeling particularly good, but not bad either. I stopped crying and didn’t feel sadness anymore. Then I finally landed my dream job. I was so happy, and everything was looking up.
However, one side effect progressively worsened. I developed an uncontrollable appetite, constantly eating and snacking, and since I’ve had weight issues all my life, it brought me down a bit, but it didn’t bother me too much. The summer was quite pleasant on 90 mg, although I often thought that I wasn’t quite myself anymore. I didn’t feel anything, but I wasn’t feeling bad anymore, and I was no longer afraid. That was great. In September, I reduced the dose back to 60 mg because of the appetite, and my mind remained stable; I even started to feel a bit more again.
In October, I reached my highest weight of 79 kg. That’s when I realized something had to change. So, I reduced the dosage to 30 mg without consulting my doctor. I didn’t care, as my doctor would have likely advised against it… but they don’t understand what it’s like to keep gaining weight and feeling down about it, especially after I had worked so hard to get down to 69 kg two years earlier, a weight I was truly happy with.
Now I’ve finally weaned off the 30 mg tablets in mid-February. I took them every other day or every third day and then stopped completely after two weeks. The withdrawal symptoms were manageable, my mood was good, and I found the brain zaps rather amusing. It wasn’t bad. Currently, I don’t feel as stable as I did on 60 or 90 mg. I cry a bit more now, and I’m much more emotional, but that’s okay. At least I feel alive and emotional, and after surviving severe depression, it seems nothing could be worse. I was lucky to have my parents’ support during this time, as I’m a single mother to a (then 4-year-old) daughter. Without them, I don’t think I could have made it…
I hope I never go through something like this again because it was the worst experience of my life, and I’ve had many tough experiences. As for losing weight, it’s very hard. I’m eating less than half of what I did back then, avoiding all sweets, etc., switching to a higher protein diet, and yet, there’s not much change, unfortunately… I’ve lost 2,5 kg since October, and I’d like to lose another 6 kg by summer at the latest… hopefully, it will work out somehow.
I would definitely recommend this medication; it somehow saved my life, despite the weight gain. The side effects really do go away after a few weeks, and you start feeling better and more grounded.
Much love to all of you, and I hope my experience can help someone out there. Stay strong. ❤️
I have been taking duloxetine since 2006. I have lost all relationship with money and shopping as a result. Depression has gone since then. Emotions are still there. But I want to finally stop taking the medication.
This medication leads to confusion, forgetfulness, and a constant feeling of dizziness. It causes a dry mouth, memory issues, and shaky hands. It’s nearly impossible to quit, as you find yourself longing for just one pill to alleviate the pain if you attempt to stop. This medication should be prohibited for everyone. When you cease taking this medication, the pain intensifies, becoming about 50 times worse than before. It leaves you feeling like a zombie.