Saturday, January 19, 2008

Cymbalta research results

Did some research on the drug Cymbalta (duloxetine). This is a drug used to treat major depression. I don't have major depression . Sure I'm depressed ,most people with MS are , especially when I first found out. I didn't even know what MS was. I confused it with Muscular Dystrophy and thought " that's it my life is over". In fact when I had trembling in my baby fingers that was around the time that Michael J. Fox made it public that he had Parkinson's . He said it started with trembling in his baby fingers. I was convinced I had the beginnings of Parkinson's and did the smart thing : ignored my symptoms .
Now 3 years later and I'm diagnosed with MS. Depressed ? sure. Feeling hopeless ? NO ! OK maybe sometimes ,but I get over it pretty quick.

Have I lost interest in activities or friends and family ? Yes to my family, because they annoy me with their unhelpful comments ( more about that another time) , except for my son, he's the best. Yes, to a degree with friends. That's mainly because I'm too tired after work to do any big socializing. That's were the phone and email come in handy .
No, to activities. I have my postcard club , this blog, writing, cooking , walking, doing puzzles, playing cards, watching movies . The only thing I do much less of is house renovations . I feel too weak to tackle any big house projects. I also neglect my garden in summer . I can't handle the sun and heat.

Do I have trouble sleeping ? Sure, when I have weird pains or twitching or muscle spasms or that crazy numb feeling in my forehead.

Change in appetite ? Well right now I'm dieting. Suicidal ? NO, I think suicide doesn't prove or change anything (more about that another time).

And I still take an interest in my appearance , which when you're 53 ,takes lots of time !!!

In other words no major depression worth treating with a drug like Cymbalta. It doesn't have any serious side effects, well at least when you're taking it it doesn't . Trying to get off if , that's another story. Serious, serious, withdrawal symptoms.

So thank you to the lady who suggested it. I hope she's doing well on that drug. Me I prefer to take a different route in trying to manage my emotional outbursts. Not that my way is better. It's just different. I'll write about that another time. This blog isn't going anywhere and neither am I .

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