Cymbalta for major stress???!

Cymbalta for major stress???

I am not depressed person by nature, but I am stressed out from just everyday life lately. Sometimes I become a little depressed because there seems to be no relief for my stress. Its like a cycle. My doc gave me a RX for Cymbalta but I don't see any indications in the literature that it relieves stress, it seems that it is for depression only. I am on day 2.. willing to take a chance.. Please share your experiences.. Thanks so much!

2 weeks ago
extraex- thanks you are right! and..yes I am trying to be superwoman.. finishing up grad school with 2 young children under foot with no help. No I do not have time for myself and I do not sleep enough because my kids are waking up during the night. All of your remedies I would take in a heart beat if it were possible. I would give the same advice to someone else too. Thanks for taking the time to care enough to write all that info. ; )

2 weeks ago
Girlie: actually I have experienced depression in my life.. I had post partum depression and it was horrible. I took Cymbalta for that at that time but it was for the depression, not stress. Thank you for caring.

A lot of times, doctors give patients who have had a heart attack antideprssants after their recovery. Most of these patients have never had depression before, but it is thought that a major stress such as a heart attack may lead to depression, which in turn might take away the motivation for these people to eat healthy, exercise and take all the crucial steps to preventing another heart attack. That's just one example of doctors giving antidepressants for stress rather than depression. There are many such examples. Another one is when antidepressants are prescribed to post-partum mothers as a precaution, even before they show signs of depression. Depression can be caused by chemical imbalances in the brain or due to life circumstances. Sometimes life circumstances that may lead to depression first manifest themselves as stress. Stress, anger, loneliness and other such triggers can cause depression in those who have never before had it. So to answer your question, it is possible that your doctor has opted to give you this medication not so much that it will relieve the stress in your life, but so that it will not lead to depression. If the chemical levels in your brain are where they should be at all times through use of the antidepressants, then the major stresses in your life have less of a chance to throw you into depression. I hope that makes sense. Sometimes it's hard to explain how depression works to someone who hasn't experienced it...but I hope this clarifies that the Cymbalta will not relieve stress; it will simply act as an extra line of defense so that you do not DEVELOP depression based on all the stress you are experiencing. I wish you the best of luck!