Cymbalta (duloxetine) is a medication that, in my opinion, saved my life.
I’m 37 years old and male. Since childhood, around the age of 5, I had hypnagogic hallucinations and a fear of being alone. At 14, I developed persistent lethargy and fatigue.
In the fall of 2007, my condition became significantly worse. I developed derealization, my mood deteriorated, and my anxiety increased. Since then, these symptoms would regularly come back every autumn, while I would usually feel somewhat better during the summer.
In 2014, my health deteriorated even more severely. As far as I remember, I developed more than 10 different symptoms: a feeling of shortness of breath, heart problems, derealization, worsening hearing, sadness, low mood, irritability, intrusive thoughts, sleep problems, severe evening sleepiness, hypnagogic hallucinations, lack of motivation to do anything, chronic fatigue, worsening memory, migraines, and insomnia.
Since then, I had been treated with different courses of medication, but no one in my country could accurately determine the cause of my condition. I was prescribed different antidepressants that simply did not work well for me, usually for 2–3 months at a time. I was also given various IV infusions. Doctors were convinced that everything was related to some kind of brain defect or impaired blood circulation in the brain, but no one considered that the underlying problem could actually be depression.
Last year, I started talking to artificial intelligence. Different AI systems suggested that I might have recurrent depression and recommended discussing duloxetine with a doctor, especially because I was also experiencing pain.
Eventually, I found a good doctor in my region and, under his supervision, started taking duloxetine (Cymbalta), initially at 30 mg per day.
At first, I experienced constipation, a slight increase in blood pressure, and headaches. After about 40 days, the dose was increased to 60 mg as the headaches and constipation started to improve.
During the first 2–3 months, I noticed practically no improvement. In fact, my sleep became worse, and sometimes I even felt that my condition was getting worse. I started to doubt whether the medication was working at all.
But around the fourth month, I began to notice gradual improvement. The constipation almost completely disappeared, my mood started to improve, and then other symptoms gradually began to fade as well: anxiety, sadness, low mood, the feeling of shortness of breath, chronic fatigue, and insomnia.
I also used to have very unpleasant dreams in which I felt like I was getting stuck in narrow spaces. Over time, this went away too.
My memory also improved, I became much more active, the hypnagogic hallucinations disappeared, my irritability went away, and I no longer experienced the severe sleepiness I used to have in the evenings.
I have now been taking duloxetine for 7 months. There are two minor side effects that I still notice.
First, it takes longer to reach orgasm, and the sensation is not as intense as it used to be, although both sensitivity and the intensity of the sensation have gradually started to recover.
Second, I gained some weight. I used to be very thin, and now my weight is actually normal for me. Personally, I have not experienced significant weight gain, although some people say that they gain a lot of weight on this medication.
I understand that my experience is individual and that duloxetine does not work for everyone. But in my particular case, this medication has had a very significant positive impact on my quality of life.