Having been down the road to depression recovery isn’t exactly what most people want to put on their resume. I have been there; for me it was no party. I kept trying to decide if this Cymbalta was for me. After about five days of Cymbalta, I felt great. My body felt great. Aches and pains from muscle tension were noticeably diminishing. Overall, Cymbalta was the best medicine I encountered, or so I thought.
It wasn’t until one day, while I was making daily phone calls when my step mom pointed out; I had just called her 30 minutes earlier and asked her the same question. For a few seconds I had totally forgotten we spoke. Luckily a friend had been helping me to watch my behavior and report anything odd. She said I had been forgetting a lot of things. I was aware I was stressed, but not that my short-term memory was suffering. Keep in mind…I felt great…”Normal” as I like to think of it. Having memory loss wasn’t something I could handle so I moved on to another medicine.
My thought on Cymbalta’s side effects and your decision; Does the “good” outweigh the “bad? Bottom line: It doesn’t make good since to take a medicine that works great for the original problem but has side effects that are unacceptable. There are so many different medicines to try, it makes since to “Shop Around”. If you find something that works better than what you had before then great, if not, you know what you could go back to….basically don’t be afraid to try new meds. Just talk to your doctor. The more you talk to him, the better job he can do for you.
Tips to help cope with side effects:
First, know that recovery is a process. Finding the right medicine for you is also a process. So keep the faith. Next, take your medicine at the same time every time you are scheduled to take it. The more level the medicine is in your system, the fewer roller coasters of emotions you get. Next, don’t change more than one medicine at a time, period. Changing multiple meds can leave you dazed and confused when trying to figure what side effect came from what, or better yet, what medicine reacted with what? Next, don’t give up (did I say that already)? Next, read the drug information pamphlet that “should” come with your medicine from the pharmacy (hint * ask for it if it is not in your bag). It contains information about what side effects this medicine can cause. It is better to be informed. Then ask a friend that is around you a lot to help you watch for anything different about you. It is not necessary you share the details, but having an outsider on your side can help you see the forest for the trees.
Here is a link to Cymbalta’s Web site: http://www.cymbalta.com/
