What Is Duloxetine (Cymbalta)?
Duloxetine seems to be a part of the medication class known as selective serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SSNRIs). It may be sold as Cymbalta. This medication should be able to help balance brain chemicals. However, it appears to be associated with several significant side effects. Thus, patients may need extra monitoring when they are taking it.
Duloxetine may be prescribed as a medication for depression. It may also be used as a treatment for anxiety disorder. Additionally, it appears that it is one of the only medications that are approved fibromyalgia treatments. Many patients may also take this medication per their doctor's directions as a pain treatment. It may even act as a treatment for diabetic neuropathy. However, before taking it, patients may want to understand how this medication should work first.
How It Should Work
This medication should help balance the chemicals in the patient's brain. However, the research does not seem to have focused on the medication's precise effects on the brain. It appears as if doctors have observed the effects that the medication has on symptoms instead. The best guess on how this medication should work is that it can change how serotonin and norepinephrine, two brain chemicals, interact with the central nervous system.
Serotonin should help with how patients perceive their pain, how their digestive system should work, and regulate some of their emotions. Norepinephrine should help some of these functions as well, such as how they see their pain, emotions, and mood. However, it also appears that this chemical can affect the 'fight-or-flight' instinct. This instinct seems to be triggered fairly often in anxiety and depression patients, even if they may not actually be in danger.
Continue reading to learn about the possible uses for this medication next.
Possible Uses
It appears that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved this medication for a few different conditions. This should include both physical conditions as well as mental health disorders. It seems as if duloxetine is a common medication for depression in adults. It may also help treat anxiety disorders in adults as well as children. The evidence seems to indicate that it is also approved as a fibromyalgia treatment. This means that it is likely one of the only medications that have been approved for that condition. As it looks like this medication helps individuals deal with pain, it can be prescribed for chronic pain. It might benefit patients with joint pain and lower back pain. Some individuals may find relief from diabetic nerve pain with this medication.
Duloxetine may help depression patients from reabsorbing the two chemicals mentioned previously into their central nervous system. If this is indeed the case, it should help relieve the severity of some of their symptoms. It may also assist with inflammation, though there does not appear to be enough research on this yet.
Discover the potential side effects of this medication next.
Potential Side Effects
Most doctors claim that the side effects of this medication should be fairly mild. At least, the most common ones appear to be mild. This medication seems to cause dizziness and fatigue. Patients may feel sleepy during the day as well. This may be more common among the patients who experience insomnia at night. Regardless, however, they may want to avoid driving until they can determine how the medication affects them. It also seems to be possible for patients to experience flu symptoms such as nausea, constipation, and diarrhea. Some individuals may have an increased appetite as well. Others may find it hard to stay hydrated due to side effects such as low sodium and problems urinating.
It appears that some individuals who take this medication deal with excessive amounts of sweat. If they have diabetes, they may also encounter issues with their blood sugar control. Some severe skin reactions may also appear due to this medication. If patients take this medication for too long, it may damage some of their organs. Serotonin syndrome is also possible. This syndrome is a medical emergency. Patients should watch out for warning signs such as agitation and hallucinations. A coma may also occur.
Learn about the possible precautions associated with this medication next.
Possible Precautions
There seems to be a few possible precautions that patients and their doctors need to take with this medication. Women do not seem to be able to take it if they are pregnant or breastfeeding. This medication could negatively affect the baby. Suicidal thoughts also appear to be possible when patients first start taking duloxetine. This may be more common in children and teenagers. Due to this, doctors may choose to add extra monitoring to their patients in the first four months of them taking this medication.
It may also be vital to avoid drinking alcohol or smoking cigarettes while on this medication. Smoking, for instance, may decrease the medication's effectiveness quite significantly. Doctors may also check their patients for bipolar disorder before they recommend this medication. The reason for this may be because it can cause manic or rapid-cycling episodes in these individuals.
Get the details on the potential medication interactions next.
Potential Medication Interactions
Duloxetine seems to have many potential medication interactions. Due to this, patients may want to consider writing a list of their current medications. Doctors may be able to use this list to help avoid these potential medication interactions. It appears that patients are not able to take duloxetine with any medications that are considered MAOIs. However, it also seems that they will need to wait approximately fourteen days after stopping MAOIs if they want to switch to this medication.
Patients will also likely need to avoid taking other medicines that impact their serotonin. Taking more than one of these medications may increase their risk of serotonin syndrome significantly. Thus, they may want to make a point of mentioning any other antidepressants they take to their doctor. Other medicines that may interact with duloxetine seem to include migraine medications, heart medication, diuretics, and anti-inflammatories. Certain ADHD medications may also cause significant interactions with duloxetine. Some herbal supplements can also create issues, so patients may want to include these on their list. An example of a herbal supplement that this may apply to is St. John's Wort.
