Does Cymbalta hinder weight loss?

Hey everyone! I am taking 30 mg of Cymbalta a day to help with fibromyalgia pain. This is new; I've only been on it about 6 weeks.

I am 11 years out from my RNY, but have been working on getting rid of regain. I am eating and drinking perfectly, but now I've noticed that my weight loss has come to a screeching halt. In fact, some days it goes up a pound, and that's a bit discouraging.

Anyone else experiencing this? Could it be the Cymbalta?

I sometimes think there are as many different experiences with Cymbalta as there are people taking it.

Having said that, I've been on Cymbalta since 2010. I take a huge dose (120mg). My surgery was at the end of 2008 and I lost the majority of my weight before the switch to Cymbalta. I've had a couple of big regains - one was 40+ pounds and one 50 pounds - that I've been able to take right back off as soon as I am eating correctly. So I have gained weight taking it (the regains) but I have also been able to lose weight (the same regains) while on Cymbalta.

If you're concerned could you run it by your psych or counselor? These antidepressants seem to have such variable results. For me, the only ones that truly scared me because my weight shot up immediately are 99% of the old tricyclics and Neurontin (gapapentin).

Good luck. It can be such a crap shoot.

Ok, that gives me hope. It has begun to help with pain but I was rethinking whether it was worth it if I wasn't going to be able to lose any more excess! My regain is totally my own fault but I've been doing all the right things and have been stuck. I'm going to hang in there! Thanks so much for your reply.

We have a saying in research - correlation does not equal causation. Correlation is when two variables move in the same direction together. For instance, today my foot was sore and it started to rain. Did the rain cause it to be sore? Well, not really, because I had been cycling for 30m and then scuffed my foot on the ground briefly.

It could be that Cymbalta is causing it, however it could also not be the Cymbalta. It's difficult to determine if it is. Weight fluctuations can be caused by so very many things. For instance, female sex hormones cause huge variations in weight. If you eat more carbs you tend to store more glycogen as water weight.

Also, most people naturally fluctuate between 2-4 pounds a day in either direction during the same day. Even between days this can vary. The body is a dynamic system which is always changing, so weight is never a constant.

At any rate, enough tangents... back to Cymbalta!

My personal experience: I have taken 60mg of Cymbalta for 6+ years and have lost hundreds of pounds. I have found it helps tremendously with my back and neck issues, actually, so I've stayed on it though my depression has been fairly non-existant.

Professionally, I've seen Cymbalta be very well tolerated. It also is (in theory) better for weight loss as it does not function like typical SSRIs from a pharmacokinetic perspective; it basically affects dopamine reuptake in the prefrontal cortex. It's an SNRI and not an SSRI. It has a sort-of-kinda-stimulant effect, but is not a stimulant and does not quite do the same things.

Having said that, everyone responds differently to drugs. There is no predictable reaction to medications, and there is quite a bit more guess work with psychotropic drugs in particular.

Also, any intestinal malabsorption will alter cymbalta absorption, because Cymbalta has an enteric capsule. That's the plastic thingy holding the small balls of drug in it. It's designed to dissolve in the intestines, which are alkaline rather than the stomach, which is acidic. Skipping much of the duodenum means the absorption pathways may be altered...I'm not sure to what extent/if it matters.

Here's a study that talks about medication absorption post-RNY if you are curious.

Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts. I do wish that Cymbalta came in a different preparation than Extended Release. I have wondered about how much of any drug I've been given I actually absorb. I just try to pay attention to how I feel after I take things.

I don't have depression, either, I am just taking it for pain. I'm encouraged by your experience with it in that regard, and that you were still able to lose weight while having that pain relief. :)

Well, most drugs are not 100% absorbed. We actually excrete a bigger percentage than you might think, even without a gastric bypass.

Cymbalta is supposed to be great for fibro! I hope it works really well for you Stephanie:)

Thanks, Donna! It is off to a good start; at least when I get up in the morning I don't walk like an old lady now! WooHoo!

Is Cymbalta extended release? For some reason I thought it was sustained release and there is a difference between the two.

Of course I could be way off base because I have been on the stuff so long that I don't remember all of the details. It just seems to me that I was concerned about that same thing way back when I started it and the psychiatrists said Cymbalta was not actually extended release, but sustained. Caveat: I take 120mg which is the highest recommended dose - maybe I could get by with less if it were immediate release. But it's all academic in the end I guess as long as you are getting the dose that is helpful to you.

Just random thoughts and the usual necessary disclaimer. =)

By the way, this is a great question to ask, and it's one I always ask every doctor whenever I take a new medication. So many things can affect weight loss or gain, and we know less about many medications than we may think, sometimes.

Is it helping your pain? If so, I would try to think of ways to tweek my diet even more. What does "eating and drinking perfectly" mean? I know I am always a work in progress and can improve on my diet. I am 9 years out from RNY, in my 50's, and peri-menopausal. Things are just different than they were a few years ago. I have to work a lot harder now.