Anyone taking duloxetine want to keep me company?

[JustMyName]

Just started taking this again as I wasn't doing too well without antidepressants plus I have painful shoulders and wrists and in the past duloxetine helped with the pain.

In the past it has affected my sleep and eventually I felt a bit numb and had no libido. At the moment I think this is preferable to how low I feel now. It was awful to come off and I don't want to have to do that again.

Anyone else taking this and would like a buddy? I'm taking a dose of 30 ... (whatever the measurement is).

I've taken my second one this morning. I didn't sleep very well last night, but not sure if that's due to the duloxetine or being in pain or maybe both. I had a headache yesterday but a couple of paracetamol took care of that. It's starting again now, so I'll have another couple.

Today I've felt really tired and totally lacking energy, dragging myself around. I hope it passes quickly.

I'm just talking up myself, bit this will hopefully be useful for someone else starting duloxetine.

Today I felt dreadful, sick, drained, tired. I woke up after being asleep for two hours and had to read for an hour before I could go to sleep again.

I'm not very hungry, probably due to feeling sick, so I'm not eating much. I had an awful headache again until I took painkillers.

Typos ..

.. talking to myself, but ...

Hi, sorry you're not getting any responses. Mine mightn't be much use coz I'm on sertraline 100mg (almost 4 months) but I did try duloxetine 2 yrs ago. It was prescribed for depression and chronic pain and I lasted 3 or 4 wks before giving up. My experience was that it brought up a lot of uncomfortable self-consciousness that I couldn't shake off, feelings of self-hatred. Perhaps if I'd stuck it out I'd have really got some benefit but I was in a situation at the time at work in which the last thing I needed was to feel markedly worse in my own skin than I was already feeling! (Plus the physical side effects like sleeplessness some nights, and mild flu-like symptoms. Although it was winter so that may have been coincidence.)

I've thought back on that time and wondered if I'd have got better for staying on it, as I've heard good things about it from a couple of people I know. Sertraline is helping quite a bit at the moment - very gradually - so I'm going to stay on it for the foreseeable, but if/when it gives out I'd try duloxetine again and try sticking with it. My dilemma now is the sertraline is doing subtle but useful stuff for my anxiety and depression (not as consistently as I'd like but better than nothing), but I'm also dealing with chronic pain and not crazy about having to take separate medication for that.

You've started at a tricky time of year, so bear that in mind and try to give it a chance. Having been on it before I guess you're familiar with the way it affects you to start with, so at least you're not expecting it to be a 'smooth" start. Other forums might have posts from people who found ways of boosting their libido and improving their sleep while on it, so when you're feeling better maybe you could do some googling. I really hope it begins to help you very soon.

Thanks for replying. Sadly i've given up on it today. I felt so ill, like flu, yes, and not sleeping. I've taken it before, but didn't have these side effects.

I just can't cope with feeling worse than I already do. I think I'll have to give up on antidepressants. The side effects have all been unbearable. Yesterday I needed to go shopping but the combination of flu symptoms and pain and tiredness made it almost impossible to drive or do anything.

I'll give it a while and then think again.

Hi again JustMyName

Sounds like the side effects made you feel really rotten and fed up. It can be so demanding to tolerate that when you're already feeling like crap. Unfortunately it can be par for the course with antidepressants in the first weeks/months and a lot of people are put off continuing with treatment. I've been there many times. Just managed to put up with it long enough this time around to start feeling some benefits. Saying that, today has been tough and that's at nearly 4 months, so I'm still not convinced either.

Take some time to regroup, maybe speak to your GP after new year and see what they advise. Best of luck