i have no idea what that is. im sorry i cant help. luv, M

reerose....duloxetine is sold under the brand name Cymbalta.

Sorry I can't help either but doctors use that drug for depression and I heard it was good for nerve pain.. people with fibro. Hoping it will help you with anxiety.

I tried Duloxetine. I have MDD and GAD. I was only on it for 2 months, but found myself seriously considering suicide for the first time in my life. I knew I had to make a change. I called my doctor and explained the problem. She said that because I'd only been on it for 2 months, I should just be able to take a half dose for 2-3 days and then quit taking it. I followed her instructions. The withdrawals from this drug are HORRIBLE. I was nauseous and couldn't eat, but I get low blood sugar so that made it worse. I had horrible head and body aches. I've never experienced worse mood swings in my life. I wanted to beat someone to a bloody pulp one minute and was bawling my eyes out for no reason the next. The worst symptom was something that I've heard referred to as "brain zaps" where it feels like being zapped with a moderate shock of electricity around the base of your brain stem and it travels through your body. Sometimes I'd only have them every 10 minutes or so, others it would be every time I moved my eyes. The general symptoms lasted about a week and a half, but with the brain zaps, I was bed-ridden for TWO WEEKS. I'd only been on the drug for two months! I called my doctor after 3 days of symptoms building and she said the only thing she could do for me was get me more Cymbalta. I don't see this hack of "psychiatrist" anymore. I ended up riding it out, but I still got the brain zaps for around a month after I quit taking it.
If you look into Cymbalta withdrawal online, you'll see a lot of people have similar problems. They even advise that they only way to get the drug out of your system is to open the capsules and take a tiny bit of the medicine out progressively until you can safely stop taking it. I believe the makers of Cymbalta have been sued and possibly ordered to make the withdrawal symptoms more well known. I've heard that it can help some people with depression and anxiety, but I don't think I'd ever consider the withdrawal symptoms worth the help. Cymbalta is basically a curse word in my family now...

dcblkbird.......What are you taking for your MDD and GAD now??

dcblkbird.....I started taking Cymbalta last Friday and have not yet experienced any side effects. I read on the package about suicide but it said in patients under the age of 25. I am 64 years old, are you under 25??

Why didn't you like the Paroxetine? That's Paxil, right? I've been researching antidepressants, trying to decide what I would like to try, as my doctor is basically letting me pick this time, since his last 2 choices did not turn out well for me. Paxil seems like a good choice, but I am curious to know why you don't want to take it anymore?

I tried Cymbalta several years ago for GAD and it did nothing for me. It is FDA approved for several, seemly unrelated, medical problems, which always raises the red flag for me that it may be a OK for many things, but not great for anything. However, my wife takes it for depression and it has been very helpful for her. However, it is tough to get off of if taken for a long period of time from what has been written about here on DS. In my case, I was not on it long enough to have any issues stopping it cold turkey. Maybe the reason it did not help, was not on it long enough to find out?? At that time it was brand only (no generic) so maybe pricing was another consideration (I do not remember).

littlesadie.....You are correct Paroxetine is Paxiil. I am getting off of it because it really did not work for me. My doctor did the Genomind test on me which comes back with a report on what meds would work better for me. The results showed that I would do better taking an SNRI instead of an SSRI. Paxil is an SSRI and Cymbalta is an SNRI.

What is a Genomind test? How does it work?

They take a saliva sample from your mouth using a cotton swab, similar to a DNA test. They send that sample to the Genomind laboratory, it takes about 2 weeks to get the results back. They send you a very comprehensive report which shows any problems your body might have with certain medications. You should ask your doctor about it, they should know all about it.

I doubt my doctor has ever heard of it (sigh). Have you ever tried an SNRI before?

I tried Fetzima back in March which is an SNRI, however that was a very bad time for me a lot of external stress going on in my life and I don't think I gave it enough time to start working.