Cymbalta is the name brand for the medication duloxetine hydrochloride. Cymbalta is a medication indicated for the treatment of depression, anxiety, neuropathic pain and fibromyalgia. Cymbalta works by increasing the overall availability of the neurotransmitters serotonin and norepinephrine. It was approved by the Food and Drug Administration in 2008 and has been studied in clinical trials and post marketing reports. Most of the side effects of Cymbalta are mild and similar to other antidepressants, but some side effects can be severe or abnormal.
Increased Risk of Suicide
The most severe possible side effect of Cybalta is the increased risk of suicide. The Food and Drug Administration requires that all antidepressants include a black-box warning, informing patients of the risk for suicidal thinking and behavior. According to Drugs.com, the risk is most prevalent in patients 24 years old and under. Patients 65 and older paradoxically have a reduced risk. Patients should weigh the risk of suicide with the clinical need for antidepressants. Patients should also work with a mental health professional for the first several months in order to detect any increase in suicidal thinking or behavior.
Abnormal Sexual Functioning
Patients taking Cymbalta may also experience abnormal sexual side effects. Sexual dysfunction may also be a symptom of the conditions that Cymbalta is prescribed for, especially anxiety, fibromyalgia and depression. According to Drugs.com, males are the only ones that usually experience sexual side effects. The most significant sexual side effect was the reduced ability to achieve orgasm. Male patients may also experience impotence, the inability to achieve and sustain an erection. In the July 2006 issue of "The Primary Care Companion to the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry," Dr. Craig Nelson and associates found that sexual dysfunction occurred in around 46 percent of patients taking Cymbalta, while the same subset of patients reported no sexual side effects prior to treatment. In the same study, 35 percent of patients with pre-existing sexual dysfunction experienced a worsening of sexual side effects during short-term treatment.
Serotonin Syndrome
Another rare but serious side effect of Cymbalta is a potentially life-threatening condition called serotonin syndrome. Serotonin syndrome is an acute toxicity of serotonin activity within the brain. According to Mayo Clinic, symptoms usually occur within several hours of taking a new medication or increasing the dose of an existing medication. Some of the less severe symptoms include restlessness, confusion, rapid heart rate, loss of coordination, diarrhea and headache. Some of the more severe symptoms include fever, seizures, irregular heartbeat and loss of consciousness.
Other Severe Side Effects
Cymbalta has several other severe side effects according to Drugs.com. One of the severe potential side effects is liver dysfunction. Cymbalta can increase liver enzymes to an unhealthy level. Patients may also experience jaundice, the yellowing of the skin and eyes due to excessive bilirubin in the skin and blood. Other severe side effects of Cymbalta include changes in blood pressure with the risk of fainting, activation of mania or hypomania, abnormal bleeding, seizures and hypoatremia. Hypoatremia is a dangerously low level of sodium and symptoms may include headache, difficulty concentrating, weakness, fainting, seizure, coma, respiratory arrest and death.
References
- Drugs.com: Cymbalta Prescribing Information
- "The Primary Care Companion to the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry"; The Safety and Tolerability of Duloxetine Compared With Paroxetine and Placebo: A Pooled Analysis of 4 Clinical Trials; Dr. Craig Nelson et al.; July 2006
- Mayo Clinic: Serotonin Syndrome Symptoms
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