Arj72 Posted April 17, 2014 Share Posted April 17, 2014 I just started a course of duloxetine about 12 days ago (30mg) and increased to 60mg 5 days ago after fluoxetine induced anxiety failed to abate after 12 weeks. My pdoc rx'ed a small dose of diazepam (2mg) to help with some of the start up anxiety, but I've been hesitant to use it. My anxiety is strongest in the morning when I get up and I've often thought that the diazepam could help but I'm hesitant considering my previous experiences with benzo's. Alprazolam precipitated my first panic attack ever when the rebound anxiety hit. Lorazepam didn't seem to have any effect. Clonazepam was difficult to discontinue after 3 weeks consistent use. My pdoc understands all this but is hopeful that the diazepam, with it's longer half life, shouldn't be of any issue as far as tapering (and the fact that he only provided 20 pills), yet I'm still gun shy. At any rate has anyone else had any experience between the major benzo's and could you provide any opinions on the different effects? As far as the duloxetine, it's definitely been more potent in the SE's than the SSRI's, not necessarily in the start up anxiety (actually not as bad) but in the brain fogginess and loss of appetite. I hear it actually kicks in a little faster than the SSRI's. Is that true? Any input would be greatly appreciated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quiet storm Posted April 17, 2014 Share Posted April 17, 2014 (edited) I was on cymbalta for two years. Out of the AD's I've taken, it was the hardest as far as start up and had the most nagging SE's that stuck around, but it did work quite well. To me, it just felt "stronger" compared to all the other AD's I've been on. There is some thought out there that SNRI's can work faster than SSRI's due to their dual action on serotonin and norepinephrine, but I dont know how true that is. Everybody is so different when it comes to these meds. Cymbalta works on both neurostransmitters pretty equally at all dosage ranges(as opposed to effexor which is only a true SNRI at 150mg and above) and has somewhat of a rep for being quick acting. But then again norepiphrine is not everyones cup of tea and have a very bad experience. 2mg of diazepam is a pretty small dose. I'd say if you need it, take it. Edited April 17, 2014 by quiet storm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arj72 Posted April 17, 2014 Author Share Posted April 17, 2014 I was on cymbalta for two years. Out of the AD's I've taken, it was the hardest as far as start up and had the most nagging SE's that stuck around, but it did work quite well. To me, it just felt "stronger" compared to all the other AD's I've been on. There is some thought out there that SNRI's can work faster than SSRI's due to their dual action on serotonin and norepinephrine, but I dont know how true that is. Everybody is so different when it comes to these meds. Cymbalta works on both neurostransmitters pretty equally at all dosage ranges(as opposed to effexor which is only a true SNRI at 150mg and above) and has somewhat of a rep for being quick acting. But then again norepiphrine is not everyones cup of tea and have a very bad experience. 2mg of diazepam is a pretty small dose. I'd say if you need it, take it. Thanks for the endorsement of both meds. I'd say SE wise, the worse for me was clomipramine so far and I hung with that for a few months. As long as the nuisance SE's don't touch that, I'll be okay. I'm also hopeful this start-up anxiety tapers off too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Equivilency Posted April 17, 2014 Share Posted April 17, 2014 (edited) I took cymbalta for 2.5 years. It had an immediate affect after the first couple hours for me. However it did cause indigestion and serious weight gain for me (22pds). It definitely works well though, I didn't have a care in the world on that drug (in a good way). I'm sorry to hear your having trouble with benzos, I personally have no benzo problems and took Lorazepam regularly with the Cymbalta. Edited April 17, 2014 by dnautics Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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