All Change
Life has suddenly changed.
- I start studying again next month.
- My boss quit and I have been given her job! I start that next month too.
- I am coming off Mirtazapine and starting Duloxetine (Cymbalta).
That last one is the one causing concern. I have to come off the Mirtazapine because it saps all my energy and makes me dopey. Life is about to become incredibly busy and I need my wits about me. So bye-bye Mirtazapine. I really wanted to go onto Wellbutrin/Zyban, but they just won’t prescribe it over here. The UK, backward land of the world. So I thought of Reboxetine, an NRI, as an alternative. For some reason my GP went with Duloxetine instead. An SNRI. It affects both Norepinephrine and Seratonin. You get the side effects of both SSRIs and NRIs. Yay!
SSRIs are bad for me. They make me anxious, agitated and push me into rapid-cycling, even with a mood stabiliser. If I had realised that Duloxetine affects Seratonin levels I would have refused it outright. But I only realised that when I got home and went on Crazy Meds. I am scared of losing my stability all because I need to be less tired.
Oh well. I guess I just have to put my faith in the good ol’ NHS once again and hope for the best. So far, I’ve been on SSRIs, which are fine on my body (apart from destroying my sex drive) but bad for my brain, and Mirtazapine, which is good for my brain and bad for my body. Maybe Duloxetine will be good for both my brain and my body. You never know.
On a lighter note… go and read this, it’s utterly hilarious!
Just thought I’d pop in
I can only remember Mirtazapine for the week I lasted on it. I couldn’t walk and spent the week crawling. Luckily I had an allergic reaction (which yes sounds like a very odd statement)and was taken off it.
Now I’m on venlafaxine (with seroquel), which is my wonder drug bar the hideous side effects.
Good luck with the swap anyway. I hope duloxetine is THE one x
Venlafaxine, isn’t that in the same class as Duloxetine? It’s one of those multi thingy type drugs, right? Anyhoo, I hope this one works too, I’m starting to lose track of how many anti-depressants I’ve been on…
Randomly came across your blog there and wanted to say thanks for posting the David Thorne link, it is hilarious!
Good luck with the duloxetine, I was on it for a while and although it didn’t particularly help me, I also didn’t suffer any side-effects while I was on it, which was a definitely a plus. And I’m glad to know I’m not the only one who comes straight home from the doctors and goes on to crazy meds!
Glad you like the link, I laughed so hard it hurt!
Oh yeah, Crazy Meds, they’re far more informative than doctors!
Good luck with the meds! I know it’s a royal bitch to have to keep switching around all the time, but hopefully, Cymbalta is okay. I’ve heard it can be a decent one. I’m on Lexapro, an SSRI, and it’s okay but makes me manicky. Which is not a word, but oh well.
Grats on the new job!! And, good luck with the studies and meds. Wow, that’s a lot of excitement. Enjoy it!
I have been on Cymbalta and did well on it.
I hope that Duloxetine is the one for you… ah, the elusive perfect drug…
On a lighter note, I loved the link!
Thanks guys, sorry I’m late to respond – I’ve been on holiday for two weeks!
Thinking of you. I hate hate hate med changes, but you never know when the right med combo will show up. I’ve not much to say about Cymbalta: I tried it and went all anaphylaxis on my poor husband. But, I’m the 2% girl. If there’s a 2% chance of a negative reaction to something, I’ll have it.
I’m special that way.
Thanks, Sophie. I’m doing well, just very busy and not very bloggy at the moment. I’ll come back soon, I promise!