First time on meds and I have a few questions...

[hunnydewxox]

I was recently (last week) diagnosed with depression and general anxiety disorder (and possibly ADHD, but that has to be looked into more) and I was started on Cymbalta and Ativan. The Ativan does nothing for me, it's supposed to control my panic attacks--like when I feel one coming on, I should take one--but I've found they just leave me more tired after the panic attacks instead of stopping them. I'm currently on a 1mg dose of that. I'm not that big, and I haven't done a lot of benzos, so I don't think that tolerance is the problem. Unless I just naturally have a larger one?

The Cymbalta (30mg, moving up to 60mg tomorrow) has been kind of bizarre...I am sort of wondering what's going on here...I have some of the normal side effects, headache, some nausea, I was warned about those...but some other strange stuff has been going on. Sometimes I feel so intensely happy, like I feel like everything is going to be fine and I just love being who I am, etc. I would say it's like the kind of happiness that occurs when something you've been anticipating for a long time happens--like that kind of intensity. But then, sometimes I wake up in the middle of the night feeling so horrible, thinking about the ways I could kill myself. Not making plans or anything, but my depression before was more like would it matter if I died? No actual thoughts about killing myself.

I know it takes a while for the Cymbalta to settle in, but should this be happening? Is something wrong, or should I just wait it out the next three weeks until my next checkup?

[Slaka]

Just stopping the drug can make depression much worse for a while. I was taking Cymbalta for my depression and it worked wonders when I first started it but after a few months I was just left sleeping all the time and it wasn't working the same. When I stopped it my depression kinda rocketed and got rather intense for a while so its something you need to be prepard for. I would talk to the doc about taking something else for anxiety if the Ativan isn't helping. I take xanax which typically helps me, but often my panic attacks are pushed by my boyfriend (he doesn't mean to, he just can't give things a break for a min with them still being "unresolved") and its hard to take the medicine and get him to leave me alone long enough for it to full kick in before I can try and handle the situation again. Xanax has helped me get through many other situations perfectly though.

I would think about waiting to up the dose of Cymbalta untill maybe some more of the side effects subside so when you up it the side effects won't be as intense. Maybe wait another week or something before increasing the dose.

Take care and good luck.
Slaka

[Lakeisha]

Well it takes a few weeks before the medication to work and as for your anxiety, I have that too and am on 4mg/day so with that said regardless of what your on, it may or may not work for you so to talk to your Dr. about this would be a good thing. I takes a little while before you find your combination of meds, so be a little patient (even though that's hard to do).

[aquatidus]

Cymbalta at least a month.
(At a fixed dose.)
Yes , certain people need higher
amounts of sedatives.
Drs do not to adhere to doing this .