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Sooner or later, everyone gets the blues. Feeling sadness, loneliness, or grief when you go through a difficult life experience is part of being human. And most of the time, you can continue to function. You know that in time you will bounce back, and you do.
But what if you don't bounce back? What if your feelings of sadness linger, are excessive, or interfere with your work, sleep, or recreation? What if you're feeling fatigue or worthlessness, or experiencing weight changes along with your sadness? You may be experiencing major depression.
Also known as clinical depression, major depressive disorder, or unipolar depression, major depression is a medical condition that goes beyond life's ordinary ups and downs. Almost 18.8 million American adults experience depression each year, and women are nearly twice as likely as men to develop major depression. People with depression cannot simply “pull themselves together” and get better. Treatment with counseling, medication, or both is key to recovery.
Major Depression: What Are the Symptoms?
Depression shows itself in different ways. Common depression symptoms are:
- Depressed mood, sadness, or an "empty" feeling, or appearing sad or tearful to others
- Loss of interest or pleasure in activities you once enjoyed
- Significant weight loss when not dieting, or significant weight gain (for example, more than 5% of body weight in a month)
- Inability to sleep or excessive sleeping
- Restlessness or irritation (irritable mood may be a symptom in children or adolescents too), or feelings of "dragging"
- Fatigue or loss of energy
- Feelings of worthlessness, or excessive or inappropriate guilt
- Difficulty thinking or concentrating, or indecisiveness
- Recurrent thoughts of death or suicide without a specific plan, or a suicide attempt or specific plan for committing suicide
Depression Treatment: When Should You Get Help?
If you have five or more of these symptoms for most of the day, nearly every day, for at least two weeks, and the symptoms are severe enough to interfere with your daily activities, you may have major depression. It's important to talk to your doctor about treatments to start helping you feel better.
Reviewed by Joseph Goldberg, MD on September 14, 2012
© 2012 WebMD, LLC. All rights reserved.
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Important Safety Information About Cymbalta®
The most important information you should know about Cymbalta:
Antidepressants can increase suicidal thoughts and behaviors in children, teens, and young adults. Suicide is a known risk of depression and some other psychiatric disorders. Call your doctor right away or seek emergency help if you have new or worsening depression symptoms; unusual changes in behavior, such as agitation, irritability, impulsivity, or restlessness; or thoughts of suicide. Be especially observant within the first few months of treatment or after a change in dose. Approved only for adults 18 and over.
Cymbalta may be associated with serious side effects. Call your healthcare provider right away or seek emergency help if you experience any of the following:
- Itching, right upper-belly pain, dark urine, yellow skin/eyes, or unexplained flu-like symptoms, which may be signs of life-threatening liver problems. Severe liver problems, some fatal, have been reported
- High fever, confusion, stiff muscles, muscle twitching, or racing heart rate, which may be signs of serotonin syndrome, a potentially life-threatening condition
- Abnormal bleeding, especially if Cymbalta is taken with aspirin, NSAID pain relievers (like ibuprofen or naproxen), or blood thinners
- Serious, possibly life-threatening skin reactions, which may include skin blisters, peeling rash, mouth sores, hives, or other allergic reactions
- Abnormal mood (mania), which may include greatly increased energy, severe trouble sleeping, racing thoughts, talking more or faster than usual, and reckless behavior
- Seizures or convulsions
- Decreased blood pressure upon standing, which can cause dizziness or fainting, mostly when first starting or increasing the dose. Cymbalta can also increase blood pressure. Your healthcare provider should check your blood pressure prior to and while taking Cymbalta
- Headache, weakness or feeling unsteady, confusion, problems concentrating, or memory problems, which may be signs of low sodium levels in the blood. Elderly people may be at greater risk
- Problems with urination, including decreased flow or inability to pass any urine
- Changes in appetite or weight. Children and adolescents should have height and weight monitored
Do not stop Cymbalta or change your dose without talking to your healthcare provider, as you could have side effects.
Cymbalta is not for everyone. Do not take Cymbalta if you:
- Are taking or have recently taken a monoamine oxidase inhibitor (MAOI), including the antibiotic linezolid, or Mellaril® (thioridazine). Taking Cymbalta close in time to these medicines can cause serious or even life-threatening side effects
- Have uncontrolled narrow-angle glaucoma (eye pain due to increased eye pressure)
Before taking Cymbalta, talk with your healthcare provider:
- About all your medical conditions, including
- kidney or liver problems, heart problems, or high blood pressure
- glaucoma or diabetes (Cymbalta may worsen diabetes or a type of glaucoma)
- seizures/convulsions, mania, or if you have bipolar disorder
- if you have ever had or been told you have bleeding problems, low sodium levels in your blood, or delayed stomach emptying
- About all prescription and over-the-counter medicines and supplements you take or plan to take, including
- antibiotics or medicines for migraine, mood, or psychotic disorders, to avoid a potentially life-threatening condition when taken with Cymbalta
- aspirin, NSAID pain relievers, or blood thinners, because they may increase risk for bleeding
- About your alcohol use (you should not take Cymbalta if you drink heavily)
- If you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant during therapy or are breast-feeding
Most common side effects of Cymbalta (this is not a complete list):
Nausea, dry mouth, sleepiness, fatigue, constipation, decreased appetite, increased sweating, dizziness. You are encouraged to report negative side effects of prescription drugs to the FDA. Visit www.fda.gov/medwatch or call 1-800-FDA-1088.
Other safety information about Cymbalta:
- Cymbalta may cause sleepiness and dizziness. Until you know how Cymbalta affects you, you shouldn't drive a car or operate hazardous machinery
- People age 65 and older who took Cymbalta reported more falls, some resulting in serious injuries
How to take Cymbalta
Take Cymbalta exactly as directed by your healthcare provider. Do not open, break, or chew capsule; swallow it whole. Cymbalta is available by prescription only.
See Prescribing Information, including Boxed Warning about antidepressants and risk of suicide, and Medication Guide.
DD CON ISI 02OCT2012
©Lilly USA, LLC 2013. All rights reserved.
Cymbalta is a registered trademark of Eli Lilly and Company.
DD83231 04/2013
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