amitriptyline and cymbalta
 

Hi,
I'm taking 50 mg of amitriptyline a night for RSD. I also was considering medication to treat my anxiety disorder, and was recommended cymbalta at 60 mg a night. My first doc told me to stop the amitrip. first, and I balked at that because the amitript helps a lot with the RSD and I'd read that other kinds of anti-depressants like cymbalta aren't quite as good against RSD. But then another doctor said they'd be OK together. Does anyone else have any experience or suggestions on this?

There is a risk of serotonin syndrome when using both together.

It depends on the individual and the doses. Not all people would get the same reaction, depending on your metabolic ability to
clear these meds through the liver.

Here is a formal explanation

http://www.drugs.com/drug-interactio...-949-2273.html

This can be highly variable, and some doctors don't even know it exists. (doctors can be clueless on interactions).

Starting at a high dose of Cymbalta while on amitriptyline is not wise.
Cymbalta starts at 30mg caps.
Cymbalta is heavily promoted now by Lilly reps. It is the only antidepressant that can cause liver damage. There are many other alternative choices open to you that are safer. The stimulant aspect of Cymbalta, raises norepi, which may raise blood pressure and cause MORE anxiety. IMO this is not a wise choice.

A plain SSRI may work, if done very carefully. Other drugs are Buspar and benzos, like Xanax. But Benzos are habit forming.
You should be getting a bit of anti-anxiety actions from the amitriptyline. But at 50mg they would not be large.

I've been on Cymbalta 60mg at night and Amitriptyline 100mg at night for a couple of years and have had no problems. I keep the cymbalta and a glass of water at my bedside and swallow it as I am ready to fall asleep - it is the very last thing I do before losing conciousness, and I have no problems waking up about 6 hours later.

cymbalta is going to be the biggest lawsuit of all time when it finally gets pulled off the market. just my opinion.....


i would try a different med.

Cymbalta is the only antidepressant that damages the liver.

It is only being used today because of aggressive marketing techniques, by Lilly, IMO.