Do you have to take Cymbalta every day?
The recommended Cymbalta dose for treating chronic musculoskeletal pain* in adults is 60 mg once daily. You'll start by taking 30 mg once daily for a week. Then, assuming you respond well to the drug, your doctor will increase your dose to 60 mg once daily.
If you forget to take it
If you usually take duloxetine once a day, take the missed dose as soon as you remember, unless it's less than 12 hours until your next dose, in which case skip the missed dose and take the next one at the usual time.
Cymbalta can restore balance by preventing your brain cells from quickly absorbing these neurotransmitters. By bringing equilibrium back to the chemicals in your brain, Cymbalta can help alleviate anxiety, lessen panic attacks, and improve your mood.
Duloxetine may improve your mood, sleep, appetite, and energy level, and decrease nervousness. It can also decrease pain due to certain medical conditions.
It takes two to four weeks for duloxetine to start helping. It could take some weeks or months to get its full effect. Scientists believe that at first the higher levels of serotonin (and possibly noradrenaline) have direct effects which do not help relieve the depression or anxiety.
Taking Cymbalta can improve mood, sleep, appetite and energy levels while also decreasing nervousness. For medical conditions such as chronic back pain and fibromyalgia, it works to relieve pain.
Stopping duloxetine abruptly may result in one or more of the following withdrawal symptoms: irritability, nausea, feeling dizzy, vomiting, nightmares, headache, and/or paresthesias (prickling, tingling sensation on the skin).
How long will it take to work? It may take 2 - 4 weeks before you feel pain relief. It may take longer (up to 2 months) to get to the right dose for you and to allow the medicine to build up in your body.
- you get a skin rash that may include itchy, red, swollen, blistered or peeling skin.
- you're wheezing.
- you get tightness in the chest or throat.
- you have trouble breathing or talking.
- your mouth, face, lips, tongue or throat start swelling.
Stopping duloxetine abruptly may result in one or more of the following withdrawal symptoms: irritability, nausea, feeling dizzy, vomiting, nightmares, headache, and/or paresthesias (prickling, tingling sensation on the skin).
How do I get off Cymbalta?
Taper schedule: The main way to manage Cymbalta discontinuation syndrome is by slowly tapering the dose with the help of your doctor. Generally, duloxetine tapers last around two weeks. The dose may be halved in the first week, and then halved again in the second week before discontinuing the drug.
Side effects of Cymbalta include nausea, dry mouth, and constipation. Cymbalta is not addictive when taken properly, although withdrawal symptoms can occur. Long-term effects of Cymbalta may include appetite changes and weight gain.
The onset of action is after about 2 hours and it reaches a maximum plasma concentration after about 6 hours. This medication is metabolized in the liver. If taken with food, this drug may not reach peak concentration for about 10 hours.