# Cymbalta vs. Effexor Opinions please!



## tltrull (Nov 12, 2005)

Ok, Ive been on Elavil for about a year now, I was 96lbs 5'2", and I gained 30+lbs, so I am 126ish now. Most was gained in the first 5 months or so, and I thought it had stopped until 6lbs came out of nowhere.Its not that the weight bothers me because of how it looks(even if I do look 8mo.preg), but my small frame cannot handle this. I get winded walking up my stairs, sweat like a pig just walking through the store, and I now snore horribly. It has also stopped helping me sleep.I wish it were different because it has really helped with my cramping and allowed me to cut my Lotronex dose in half. I have only had 2-3 D-episodes since January!SSRI's have been tried but they all had horrible side effects for me, either worse D, Nausea, no appetite(which was not good when I was underweight).The doctor wanted me to try Effexor last year, but I went with the Elavil. I called them today and they still tried to push the Effexor.So I did some research on both Effexor and Cymbalta, prescribing info and clical trial data, and to me it seems Cymbalta has fewer side effects.In the end I was called in the Cymbalta and will pick up the script tomorrow. Normally they would have to see me, but I cant get an appt. til June 4, and I have no Elavil refills and would run out before my appt. I have heard too many horror stories about going cold turkey off TCA's to risk it.I figure I can try it for a month, and if its not working I can always tell them and try the Effexor when I go in, right?I was just wondering what your opions and experiences have been if have taken either or tried both....which works best?What should I expect?Thanks in advance, and sorry for the long post!


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## h8ibs (Oct 24, 2004)

The challenge is that meds tend to work differently for different people. I've read plenty of posts on this board saying how bad Effexor is, but I personally was on Effexor for about a year and it was great. I recently tried to go back on it, but this time it made me feel nausiated, and just ill over all, so I decided not to go back on it. I guess what I'm trying to say is that is that the only way you're going to find out what works for you is to try different meds until you find one that agrees with you. Best of luck!


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## 21723 (Aug 19, 2005)

I tried both Effexor and Cymbalta and found the Effexor worked better. It seemed to take the edge off my anxiety. Cymbalta did nothing. I tried it because one of the side effects was constipation but unfortunately I did not experience that.Effexor did have more side effects however. The three I noticed was sweating, loss of appetite and sexual dysfunction.


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