Doc told me to take Duloxetine 30mg in the morning, but would it be ok to take it at night time?

Hi there!

Four days ago, I saw a new doctor and he prescribed me the antidepressant Duloxetine 30mg (once a day and for 30 days). He told me to take it in the morning time and on an empty stomach, but I'd like to start taking them closer to night time (6-7), as that is the time my brother gets home from work. I haven't taken any of the capsules yet, so I have no idea how my body will react to them, and I don't want to be home alone in case my body reacts badly to them. I've never taken an antidepressant before, so I don't know, maybe I'm just being silly...

Do you think it'd be ok to go against what the doctor told me to do and take the meds at night instead of in the morning time?

Oh, I have one other question... Do you think 30mg is an ok dosage for me? I'm a petite person and I've been hesitant to take these capsules, because I'm scared that 30mg may be too high of a dosage for me. Not to mention, all of the horrible side effects that could occur. I'm 25, a girl...5'2'' and 101 lbs.

Thanks in advance

welcome, agree with karen.

I understand your concern about the milligrams and your size/weight. I am 4'11" and 94 lbs. You can ask your pharmacist to check the P.D.R. for the milligrams to kilograms ratio to make sure that is a safe dose for you.

For a very long time, medication dosages were based on the average adult male, as they were the only 'human guinea pigs' to test medications. While this is usually not the case anymore in drug studies, it never hurts to ask the question.

Certain vitamin formulas for instance, are for 'average adult' or 'average adult male/female'. I avoid these preparations since I am not 'average' size or weight for my gender. When my vitamin D supplement says take two tablets, I should only be taking one, for my weight.

As for time of day...empty stomach or with food...certain meds work best under certain conditions. I take Lipitor for high LDL cholesterol. It should be taken at night, as that is when the liver produces this type of cholesterol. I found myself missing many doses because I do not have a set 'bed time'. I talked with my doctor and started taking it in the morning with my other daily meds. Turns out that, for me, this is working out just fine.

A talk with your doctor and/or pharmacist would probably be the best way to handle your questions.

Thanks, everyone! My brother was home all day today, so I took my first pill this morning (10 hours ago) and so far so good (I think). I was a little nauseous, but that went away a few hours after I took it. 4 hours after taking it, I felt so tired that I just had to take a nap. I just couldn't stop yawning and I felt like I was dragging my feet. My eyes were also a bit sensitive to light, which worries me a little... Is that cause for concern or will this side effect eventually go away? I almost felt like I needed sunglasses just to go outside. It wasn't even sunny outside...

Okay, so I just woke up from sleeping. It's nearly 6 AM and I'm not usually awake at this time, but I jolted awake (unusual for me) and my vision was all blurry, and I was unable to focus my eyes. My vision quickly returned to normal after sitting up on my bed for a few seconds, but it scared me. My heart was also racing a tad (maybe due to anxiety?) and I had this slight burning sensation in the left side of my chest. None of this has ever happened to me before and it scares me.

Should I stop taking the Duloxetine or should I continue with it?

Post Edited (Kage) : 3/25/2017 7:51:29 AM (GMT-6)

I don't like that word usually... I think in my case, it was the medication as I've never woken up with those symptoms before. All the symptoms I mentioned in my last post are now gone, but I went back to sleep and now that I'm awake, I'm getting mild stomach pains when I pee and also when I breathe in (only when I'm standing up). My doctor thinks that I have GERD or possibly a stomach ulcer from stress, as I get chest pains/pressure, as well as stomach pain, but not like I described. I wonder if the Duloxetine made it flare up worse than normal...?

Not sure if I should continue taking this drug or not... I skipped my dose today out of fear, but I might decide to take it tonight or maybe get back on it tomorrow morning.

I would call my doctor, but I have terrible anxiety when trying to explain something over the phone and nothing comes out the way I want it to.

First of all, stop listening to doctor google, that will scare you to death. Talk to your doctor. That is the best advice I can give you. I think a lot of your symptoms could be from anxiety and looking things up on the internet only makes that worse.

I hope you feel better soon. Call your doc...

Hugs, Karen...

Here is a link I found. It says call the doc immediately if you get blurry vision.

/www.drugs.com/cymbalta.html

Hugs, Karen...