Prednisone is probably your culprit for your mood swings. I know when ever my son has to take it for his asthma his mood swings are insane. I take a different steriod that comes in a dose pack and I don't take it often, I hate the way they make me feel.

And your right, your going to suffer depression when facing something like this. It's normal and very much expected. I have my pity me days when I am both angry and sad. I cry and scream.

Hope this helps you hon.

I don't know how long you have been on Cymbalta but it has a reputation of being hard to take for a lot of folks. Also you need to go to drugs.com and check the interactions of your drugs. I checked cymbalta and vistaril and it show up as a possible moderate interaction. Also drugs like Cymbalta need to be take everyday and if you quit they wean you off. Missing your dose for 3 days could be having emotional effects on you. Take care, Charlie

Oooh Tanyan just knowing yall are out there helps soooo much.
The day I had my blood work done my hands were swollen and red so I was given a dose pak.Then my results were pos. for RA and after the dose pak I was put on the prednisone. I'm not sure what it's suppose to do but I can't tell it has helped with anything.
Charlie , my Fibro fog is kicking in this morning but I think I've been on Cymbalta for about 7 months.I've taken vistaril twice. Once yesterday and once Mon. when the overwhelmed feeling was its worst.I was taken 300mg. of welbutrin and taking 150 until my cymbalta comes in (hopefully today). Then I will be cutting the welbutrin in half for a week.
Thank you for the advice on drugs.com. Right now I go to only one doc and one pharmacist and you would think they wouldn't mix meds. that shouldn't be mixed.
Thanks again for being out there for me and for your feedback. TW

Wellbutrin and Cymbalta are both anti-depressants so weaning off one and not having Cymbalta for three days would be a double-whammy hit, along with the dx of RA to deal with, so I'm not surprised that you're feeling like you are. As Tanyan says, Prednisone can also cause mood swings.
Also weaning off drugs like Wellbutrin and Cymbalta too quickly can cause horrible withdrawal symptoms for some people.
Hope you're feeling better soon.

oh wow TW, yeah stopping cymbalta like that is wicked. Been there done that. I hope the med gets to you soon. Next time try and time it ahead so that you are not without it. I no longer take Cymbalta but it was a b*tch to ween off.
Anyhow, with that and Prednisone, and all the other crap you are dealing with, yeah dropping a bag of milk bones and having a melt down, is totally understandable.
I have had lots of melt downs over the years. it's not just side effect of medications it is having RA, it can effect our emotions very much, it is a horrible disease and just does a number on our heads and hearts.

hugs to you.

Trust me you are not alone with the melt downs and crying fits. I think most of us have done it. Mourning for what we lost, for the pain and for all the unknowns. I usually cry when I am in my Rhuemy's office because I know he does understand and I trust him so much, my family doctor on the other hand, I like him but I don't think he has a clue about the interactions between the RA drugs and other things he might prescribe. For me, I don;t think the prednisone makes me moody, cause I am just soooo happy I have relief of a flare at least for a while. I really don't think any one other than someone with RA can understand what we go thru.

I cry several times a week. I don't know if it is from the medication I'm taking, going through menopause, the loss of my pets, unable to work, the economy, or what I think is that "no one cares". I just cry and then try to get on with my day. I never hold it in. I also feel like I'm a guinea pig for trial medication. It has changed my personality for sure. Don't worry about crying. It is a release that your body needs.