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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 4 of 4. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by AmeliaBedelia on January 16, 2005, at 12:24:05
i've been on just about every "new" anti-depressant, including all the SSRIs, wellbutrin. i am bipolar II, but more depressed and lethargic. my hypomanic episodes are relatively mild and i get into trouble more from verbosity and over-committment than anything else. the last two meds i tried were effexor (had to stop because of constipation, of all things!), and luvox (great for 1st 10 days then i started sleeping 15 hours a day and overeating!). i just started cymbalta yesterday, 20 mg (i am very sensitive). i have the usual insomnia i get with these meds, and some anxiety, both of which i expect and can handle, as i can the headache. but both days i have been really...well, not tired, exactly, but UNMOTIVATED - i can't get off the couch. if this is going to to be lexapro redux, i don't want to gain 10 pounds and lose a week of work to before i realize that. has anyone had this lethargy to start and then overcome it? btw, wellbutrin was great for my compulsive-overeating and lack of motivation but it eventually left me just jittery and irritable. i was hoping this serotonin/norepinephrine combo would be a nice balance. so far, not so good. i would appreciate hearing from others on their inital cymbalta experiences.
Posted by Wildflower on January 16, 2005, at 13:24:58
In reply to need cymbalta feed-back, posted by AmeliaBedelia on January 16, 2005, at 12:24:05
I think everyone is different but I seem to like cymbalta (at the higher doses). I've tried so many and this is the only one that gave me a glimmer of hope. I don't think my motivation is that much better but overall I think I'm doing OK. I'll take OK over depressed anyday.
Posted by Minnie-Haha on January 18, 2005, at 15:13:28
In reply to need cymbalta feed-back, posted by AmeliaBedelia on January 16, 2005, at 12:24:05
> ... i just started cymbalta yesterday, 20 mg (i am very sensitive). i have the usual insomnia i get with these meds, and some anxiety, both of which i expect and can handle, as i can the headache. but both days i have been really...well, not tired, exactly, but UNMOTIVATED - i can't get off the couch. if this is going to to be lexapro redux, i don't want to gain 10 pounds and lose a week of work to before i realize that. has anyone had this lethargy to start and then overcome it? btw, wellbutrin was great for my compulsive-overeating and lack of motivation but it eventually left me just jittery and irritable...
I went through a number of SEs starting up on Cymbalta. Most have resolved or are manageable but the feeling that stays and worries me most is amotivation? Apathy? Low-energy? Not sure what to call it. I've finished about five weeks now and I wonder how much longer to give it. My mood is definitely better (not crying all the time) but I mostly want to sit around and watch DVDs. Then again, I'm kinda at a transition point in my life, so maybe I have some decisions to make and some moving-on to do. Maybe this is an anxiety thing? Ugh... Don't you get tired of trying to figure things out?
Posted by AmeliaBedelia on January 18, 2005, at 16:06:38
In reply to Re: need cymbalta feed-back, posted by Minnie-Haha on January 18, 2005, at 15:13:28
> I went through a number of SEs starting up on Cymbalta. Most have resolved or are manageable but the feeling that stays and worries me most is amotivation? Apathy? Low-energy? Not sure what to call it. I've finished about five weeks now and I wonder how much longer to give it. My mood is definitely better (not crying all the time) but I mostly want to sit around and watch DVDs. Then again, I'm kinda at a transition point in my life, so maybe I have some decisions to make and some moving-on to do. Maybe this is an anxiety thing? Ugh... Don't you get tired of trying to figure things out?hi, thanks for the post.
i decided to bag the cymbalta after 2 days at 20 mg. i didn't get that initial "sproing" even, just tiredness, apathy, amotivation right off - not a good sign. can't afford to stick it out and see if it diminishes. reading others' posts, i think it'd only get worse. now i'm totally confused. i've tried it all, desperately want my p-doc to supplement an SSRI with provigil, but she won't bcz i'm bipolar and she's afraid it'll induce mania. but i think we should at least give it a whirl. if i get manic, i stop. what's the big deal there? so, now, i've decided to shell out $350 for a consultation with a top NYC p-doc for another view. feel like i have to leave no stone unturned, don't really trust my p-doc anymore. (she's occasionally given me mis-information about meds that i've researched at producers' own websites!) and now i think she's plum out of ideas - her next "new" idea is for me to go back on celexa. been there, done that. yeah, it helped, but pooped out then the withdrawal, even slowly, was horrible. there's seems to be nothing left to try. and with an eating disorder (compulsive overeating, no purging), i won't even CONSIDER anything likely to make me want to eat more, i.e., the SSRIs. wellbutrin was great for energy and appetite suppresion but, after awhile, just left me jittery. luvox knocked me on my rear, too, but for those first few lovely days of clarity, humming to myself, improved concentration. soomn as i went to a therapeutic dose, wham, i was in couch and DVD-land. it's better than suicidal despair, but it's still no life, especially with a mouth full of carbs, which the SSRIs make me crave. thanks for the feedback. wishing you luck...wishing us all luck.
Amelia
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