How to sleep while taking Cymbalta?

People often associate themselves with conditions like depression and anxiety. These conditions often cause irritability and uneven sleeping disorders. Many antidepressants like Cymbalta often work to relieve the patients of these conditions. They work by correcting the balance of neurotransmitters which help relieve the symptoms of depression. They significantly improve the mood and mental state of the patient. 

One of the many side effects of antidepressants like Cymbalta is the lack of sleep. It causes sleep problems in the patients, which increases the feeling of agitation. 

In this article, we will discuss how to sleep while taking Cymbalta. 

What Is Cymbalta?

The name duloxetine is known as Cymbalta. This drug mainly belongs to a group of medicines termed Selective Serotonin and Norepinephrine Reuptake Inhibitors (SSNRIs). 

Cymbalta can boost the effects of serotonin and noradrenaline present in the CNS (central nervous system). This boost helps tackle disorders like depression and anxiety while relieving the patient from certain chronic pain conditions. The Duloxetine drug has the approval of the FDA to treat depression, chronic pain, or anxiety.

Forms of Cymbalta

Cymbalta medicine is only available in capsule form. This capsule’s main strengths are 20mg, 30 mg, 60mg, and 120mg. The most effective of them is the 60mg capsule, as it helps eliminate disorders. 

Oral Administration

It is strictly written in the directions only to swallow the whole capsule. You can take it with or without food. Never crush, open, or chew the capsule, as they can cause different side effects. 

Cymbalta functions as delayed-release capsules into your body over time. You must not take two doses of Cymbalta at a time. The strong medicine will only increase the side effects if the dosage is high without the doctor’s prescription.

What Does It Treat?

Some common conditions which can be cured by Cymbalta consist of the following:

Depression And Anxiety

These two conditions, known as depression and anxiety, are the feeling of being down and sad for days. The feeling can persist for a month and may worsen, making the patient feel suicidal. The good news is that you can cure these feelings using antidepressant drugs like Cymbalta. The drug Duloxetine balances the chemicals in the brain, which causes depression in these individuals. It is a safe and effective way to treat both of these disorders.

Neuropathy (Nerve Pain) Due to Diabetes

In Diabetic Neuropathy, most patients observe nerve damage in the legs and feet. These nerves cause pain and numbness in other body parts, like legs, feet, and hands. 

Furthermore, it can cause problems with the patient’s digestive system, heart, urinary tract, and blood vessels. The FDA has recently approved the Cymbalta drug to cure Neuropathy in these patients. 

Chronic Pain 

People often suffer chronic pain due to any injury or conditions like arthritis or osteoporosis. Cymbalta helps reduce chronic back pain or pain in bones or muscles. This pain reliever, while being non-narcotic, if taken in the correct dosage, keeps the pain at bay in these people.

Fibromyalgia

This chronic condition is associated with widespread pain all over the body. This musculoskeletal condition amplifies the number of painful sensations, which causes fatigue, sleep, mood, and memory issues in the patient. Many doctors are now prescribing Cymbalta to fight the condition and symptoms of Fibromyalgia (also check the top-quality mattresses for fibromyalgia).

How To Sleep While Taking Cymbalta

To get the most benefit from Cymbalta medicine, take medicine regularly. Take it at the same time every day to avoid missing a dosage. In most initial cases, patients often complain about insomnia and a lack of sleep. To get the best possible sleep while taking Cymbalta, you can follow the following tips:

Slowly Increase Dosage

You should increase the Cymbalta dosage slowly and gradually. A high dosage from the beginning may cause severe side effects in the patient. A slow dosage increase may not interfere with your sleeping pattern, and your body adapts to the slow change.

Reduce Dosage If Needed

Sometimes a high dosage can interrupt your normal body functions and cause mild to severe symptoms. If a symptom persists in the body for a long period, your doctor may check and decrease the dose. However, it may cause fatal conditions or create suicidal thoughts, which can be dangerous for the patient.

Establish A Routine

A missed dosage of Cymbalta can render the effects useless. For regular intake of the capsule, form a schedule. Make sure you eat it at the same hour every day to avoid missing your dose.

Use Sleep Aids

If you have sleep problems whilst taking Cymbalta, you can use sleep aids. First, try some sleep-promoting home remedies but consult with your doctor first. Some natural sleeping aids which you can pair up with Cymbalta consist of:

1. Magnesium supplements
2. Glycine

Avoid Caffeine or Exercise Before Bed

An amount of caffeine in higher amount can interfere with antidepressants and cause symptoms like an irregular heartbeat or an increase in blood pressure. Any amount surpassing these quantities will interfere with the working of Cymbalta medicine. 

• Tea more than 225 mg 
• 2 cups of brewed coffee
• 4 cans of cola or soda

Caffeine or exercise decreases sleep chances as they increase the metabolic rate. With antidepressants, it is necessary to get a night of sound sleep. You should avoid caffeine like tea, coffee, or caffeine drinks for good sleep. In addition, that combining alcohol with Cymbalta medications will deteriorate the cause. It will elevate the side effects into stronger ones while also affecting the performance of the Antidepressant.

When To See a Doctor

The dosage by the doctor of Cymbalta depends on your age, weight, and medical condition. It is quite common for medicines like an antidepressant to develop side effects. If some side effects persist for longer, you must consult your doctor at once.

Mild Side Effects

Severe Dizziness

One of the most common side effects associated with Cymbalta is dizziness. A patient may experience mild to severe dizziness on starting days of the medicine. 

With time, this side effect will disappear. Dizziness usually occurs after standing up, which causes a sudden drop in their blood. It increases the chance of falls and accidental injuries.

Just remember to get up from bed after a night of sleep slowly. If you feel dizzy, lay down or call someone to help you out of bed.

Hives, Or A Red or Purple Rash with Blistering or Peeling

An allergic reaction to Cymbalta medicine can cause drug rashes in patients. This includes Hives and red or purple rashes on different body parts. This can cause further blistering and peeling of these rashes. These rashes appear moderate to severe and may cover a small or a big part of the body. These rashes are itchy and appear red or grey. This usually happens due to an inactive material used in the outer capsule or any active ingredient of the capsule as well.

Dry, Parched Mouth

Many patients complain about having a parched mouth while sleeping. This is a side effect of taking Cymbalta, which creates a feeling of discomfort for the patient. Therefore, it can be less favorable to use sugar-free treats or bubbles.

Itching Or Swelling, Particularly of The Mouth, Face, or Throat

These symptoms can again occur in a person when they start taking Cymbalta. It may include itching and swelling on different parts of the body. The parts that particularly get affected are the mouth, throat, or any part of the face. 

Sometimes swelling in the throat may cause life-threatening conditions by blocking the patient’s airway. It is therefore recommended to consult a doctor if you experience any itching or swelling with this Antidepressant.

Trouble Breathing

One of the symptoms while taking the Cymbalta antidepressants is trouble when breathing. These medicines often make us feel sleepy or nauseous, which has a direct impact on breathing and the lungs. They are responsible for lowering your immunity and increasing the risk of acquiring and developing lung infections and breathing issues.

Seizure

Since Cymbalta is an antidepressant, it may cause seizures in the patient. It is very unlike to get a seizure of duloxetine drug, but it still can happen in some patients. These seizures include jerking movements of legs and arms, confusion, uncontrollable sensations throughout the body, and loss of consciousness. 

A seizure is a serious condition that may cause death in certain conditions. Contact your doctor as soon a seizure is reported in any patient due to the use of the Cymbalta drug.

Sexual Side Effects in Women and Men

Several side effects are reported in both males and females when using Cymbalta. However, the effects are more on males than on females. A higher dosage of Cymbalta can cause symptoms like erectile dysfunction or a decrease in sex drive in males. 

Other than that, some urine problems are also reported by male patients from oral use of the Cymbalta capsule. If the condition worsens with time, consult your doctor as soon as possible.

Serious Side Effects

Panic Attacks

A serious side effect of Cymbalta is panic attacks. A patient may feel the worst case of a panic attack in the first few weeks of the initial dosage. This includes rapid heart movement, sweating, and tremors throughout the body.

Mania

In a patient who has bipolar disorder, an antidepressant like Cymbalta can create Mania. The symptoms of Mania include agitation, impulsiveness, aggressiveness, restlessness, or hyperactiveness with higher energy levels. 

It may trigger racing thoughts, worse mood conditions, and pressured speech. It is advised that bipolar patients take the mood-stabilizing drug along with the Cymbalta drug. Although not life-threatening, Mania still needs to be properly diagnosed and treated.

Confusion

An antidepressant like Cymbalta often interferes with the blood level confusing the patient. This is a very common side effect, which causes agitation and frequent headaches. It is mostly seen in elderly patients who often deal with low sodium levels, commonly known as hyponatremia. 

Thoughts Of Suicide

Antidepressants increase the risk of suicidal thoughts in children, adolescents, and young adults. The starting period of the Cymbalta medicine can cause a temporary worsening case of depression and anxiety. It can cause increased thoughts of suicide, especially in people younger than 25.

If you or a patient tend to have increased suicidal thoughts after taking Cymbalta, get medical assistance as soon as possible. A case of neglect will only encourage suicidal thoughts, whose results can be quite fatal sometimes.

Liver Failure

Liver failure is quite an uncommon symptom of Cymbalta but not unheard of. It can cause serious issues to the liver that can be quite fatal. The risk can increase if you drink alcohol while taking the Antidepressant. If you develop the following symptoms, contact your doctor immediately. The symptoms include itching, pain on the upper right side of the stomach (where the liver is situated), dark color urine, and yellow skin or eyes.

Other serious side effects may include lower or higher than normal blood pressure, Serotonin syndrome, Withdrawal syndrome, abnormal bleeding from urine or stool, and low sodium levels. Some of these symptoms are serious and, if not monitored, can cause death.

Responsiveness and Effectiveness of Cymbalta

After taking the capsule orally, the drug may take up about two hours before the start of the absorption process. You can expect Peak concentrations to reach six hours after a dose. You may expect mild to severe symptoms in the early days, and the full clinical effects, which include relief from depression, anxiety, or pain, will occur after several weeks. 

A dosage lesser than 60 mg causes fewer side effects, while dosages greater than 60mg daily are known to cause more side effects in the patient.

Does Cymbalta Interfere with REM Sleep?

REM (Rapid eye movement sleep) occurs at many intervals. It includes rapid body movements, faster pulse, and breathing rate. Many antidepressants, including Cymbalta, suppress REM sleep in patients. With your REM sleep suppressed, you will likely wake up more frequently in between. This allows you to remember dreams more vividly.

Understanding Sleep Challenges with Cymbalta

About Cymbalta and its Uses

Cymbalta, known scientifically as duloxetine, belongs to the group of medicines called Selective Serotonin and Norepinephrine Reuptake Inhibitors (SSNRIs). It’s primarily used to treat conditions like depression, anxiety, chronic pain, and Neuropathy (nerve pain) due to Diabetes.

Side Effects and Sleep Disturbances

One prevalent side effect of Cymbalta is sleep disruption. Patients often experience insomnia or sleep disturbances, which can exacerbate feelings of agitation and discomfort.

How to Optimize Sleep While on Cymbalta

Improving sleep while on Cymbalta can be achieved through methods such as gradually increasing the dosage, establishing a routine for medication intake, and considering natural sleep aids like magnesium supplements. Additionally, avoiding caffeine or vigorous exercise before bedtime can significantly improve sleep quality.

Other Notable Side Effects of Cymbalta

Patients on Cymbalta have reported side effects ranging from dizziness and rashes to severe ones like panic attacks, thoughts of suicide, and even liver failure. It’s crucial for patients to monitor these symptoms and consult with their healthcare provider immediately if any side effect persists or becomes severe.

Interaction of Cymbalta with REM Sleep

Antidepressants, including Cymbalta, have been found to suppress REM sleep. As a result, patients might experience more frequent awakenings during the night and may remember their dreams more vividly.

Conclusion

Cymbalta is an excellent drug that helps deal with many disorders like anxiety and depression. However, it causes several sleep issues in the patients, out of which insomnia is the most common. 

To find the cure to the sleeping problem, contact your doctor and get the dosage checked. Increasing the drug dosage gradually is also recommended, so it doesn’t affect the patient’s sleep. 

Some other effective ways to sleep better while orally taking Cymbalta consist of using natural sleeping aids like magnesium and maintaining good sleep hygiene. Try to take medicine in the morning to avoid insomnia.