Duloxetine experiences pleaae

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Hello, Is anyone taking Duloxetine for depression? How are you finding it and did you have any side effects when you started them. Thanks

So sorry you are going through that. Well done for persevering with it.
I might be starting mine this week so I’ll let you know how it goes

I take it for anxiety and it’s been life changing. Turned the anxiety tap off. Only side effect I get is diarrhoea occasionally.

Started taking Duloxetine last night. Woke up way too early, but whereas these days I would usually just lie there scrolling through nonsense on my phone, I actually got up and did some studying for an hour and a half instead! One obvious side effect already, unfortunately - some diarrhea. But now back in bed and hoping to get another couple of hours sleep.

I started taking Duloxetine for long covid pain in March this year, as a bonus it's definitely had a positive effect on my mood. I've not noticed any side effects. It does need to be taken in the morning though as it can hinder sleep.

Yeah, after not sleeping at all for two nights I switched to taking in the morning, first night I got 4 hours sleep and last night almost 6, so definitely an improvement. I just hope I remember to take it though because I’m really bad at remembering morning tablets.

I wear glasses and balance my pill box on top of them when I take them off to sleep so they're the first thing I grab when I wake up (putting them on your phone if you don't wear glasses works too).

I asked my psychiatrist when to take it and he said at night. Things like that make me wonder if he knows what he’s talking about

My decision to take it at night is deliberate. I've got pretty severe osteoporosis and SNRIs like duloxetine can seriously interfere with bone mineral density levels. I got spinal fractures while on the only two antidepressants I've ever taken for any real length of time, and I've lived with unmedicated depression for years because I'm scared of fracturing. (I'm not elderly, I didn't fall - they were fractures without any discernible trauma to explain them.) But I've reached a point where I'm desperate to try an antidepressant again, so part of my strategy is to take it just before bed and that way there's a bit less chance of it interfering with the calcium absorption my bones need. I realise it might cause problems with my sleep pattern. Obviously I'm hoping that will even out with time, once my system gets used to the medication. If not, I will try and learn to live with it. Kind of have to weigh up the risks at this point.

I know what you mean. It’s so tough trying to juggle different medical needs, isn’t it?

If only it was as simple as just taking whatever they prescribe you! Definitely a minefield for me, and it sounds like you might understand that too OP.

Where are you up to with your decision to take or not take duloxetine? It has been more than 5 years since I last took antidepressants. I was on Sertraline and got a fracture in the first lockdown, so stopped a few months later. This time I feel a bit more clued up, but there are no guarantees. I can't keep going as I am though, my mental health is in the toilet these days, so I'm spinning the wheel!

That sounds so tough. I didn’t even know that ADs could exacerbate bone density issues. Hope you can find something that works for you.
I haven’t started Duloxetine yet as I can’t afford to feel any worse than I do at the moment and that’s a risk at the start. I’m tapering off Citalopram which is a bit self destructive but to be honest I feel like I deserve to suffer and I’m sick of this limbo between life and death.

I took it for years at high dose and it didn’t help my mood (no anti-depressant did quite likely as I was undiagnosed ASD with childhood trauma).

Coming off it was awful and took years, the tapering for the 15mg was like being a drug dealer having to use micro scales etc. This is just something to be aware of. I literally had to come down a couple of grams once a week etc, alternating between doses.

That's a really difficult way to be feeling OP, and that belief about yourself must've come from a very painful place. Your ambivalence over starting duloxetine is understandable, but I hope you get to a resolution soon because it might make the sort of difference that Citalopram hasn't.

Thanks for sharing that. Psychiatrist didn’t mention that either.

How is everyone getting on with Duloxetine now?
I’m still in the same position two months later but can’t carry on much longer as I am. My psychiatrist is threatening to discharge me if I don’t start taking it and I don’t blame him really.
Im scared of feeling more suicidal initially and of not being able to get off them too.

Chances of both of those are practically nil. Duloxetine is not one of the ones reknowned for suicidal thoughts. It’s easy enough to come off, just do it slowly. Not as bad as fluoxetine ime coming off. What have you got to lose by taking it? Potentially a slightly dry mouth (most common side effect). What have you got to gain? Control of your thoughts and life. Take it and tell yourself you’ll try it for four weeks.

I just took my 30mg tablet with more and more days between to come off it.

I’m really interested in the comment about impact on bone density - I also have osteoporosis and was on sertraline (SSRI) for years without knowing this side effect. But, I now know it impacts bone density. Do SNRIs also impact bone density?

Thank you, that’s so kind and I know you are right.

FWIW, I actually found fluoxetine really easy to come off despite seeing some horror stories of other peoples experiences online. Hope you get through it quickly x

Why did you decide to come off it?

Because i wasn’t feeling anxious anymore, i felt i had much better coping strategies and I had been on it for ten years. However, my anxiety is coming back again so i may well go back on it! Been off it for six months.

I initially took 30mg daily but gradually tapered it after a three years to one every three days and that was enough.

I'm still taking it, no plans to reduce the dose anytime, I'm doing really well on it.

I've had a couple of really bleak days, various reasons, but I've still been able to not only function but be productive. The bleak feelings haven't lasted as long as they used to either.

And just in case you're wondering, no they haven't included suicidal ideation or a desire to self harm.

Before duloxetine I didn't feel any good emotions, now I do - happiness, hope, calmness, excitement for things. I don't have any regrets being on it.

Thanks for sharing your positive experience @MatchaMatchaMatcha

In my (recent) experience, vile, zombifying stuff. I lasted 3 weeks and chucked the rest of the 2 months supply they gave me. How anybody feels better on those pills is beyond me. I decided to face what was in front of me and work stuff through as best I could instead, made some difficult decisions and a couple of important changes and I'm managing at the moment. Psychotherapy helped.

To the pp asking about SNRIs and osteoporosis, a Google search for a literature review on the subject convinced me that there are similar risks to taking SSRIs. But if you're getting plenty of calcium in your diet and taking a good vitamin D3 supplement, that can make some difference. Maybe the dosage levels make a difference too, but I don't have any evidence for that, it's just a thought.