Reckless spending. cymbalta, mirapex

I have run through a great deal of money in the last 5 years to the point of being in serious trouble. This began when I retired and moved and also started on a very low dose (.125) of Mirapex plus paxil, replaced by lexapro, and finally cymbalta.

I am very happy with my drugs, but need opinions as to whether this spending is related to them.

Thanks

you probably need to let a doc know cuz spending is a symptom of mania and hypomania which can easily be set off by ssri's and other anti depressants in persons with bipolar tendancies. Cymbalty which I am on now, which I have had to stop till I get in with a p doc to get a mood stabilizer and ativan, the cymbalta caused me to immediately flip into a mania which most antidepressants have, I immediately just start getting paranoid and even more out of reality than the anxiety but in the past other ones just made me more excitable and more talkative and I wanted to shop and go out all the time.... Just fyi, I would definitely keep tabs on it in a mood journal or something and start noticing if you are getting very generous or having grandiose thoughts or any of the other symptoms, lack of sleep, agitation, restlessness, bizarre thoughts etc..

Hello you guys, and thank you for the posts -- and your welcomes! Here are answers to your questions

I've had anxiety and depression most of my life, but no problems w overspending till the 1970's (I am 66) when my 1st marriage broke up for good. That period of consumerism lasted between one and two years, and then was over. After that, during my second marriage, 10 years later, I began to spend too much, but since I was making good money, there were no real consequences. This situation continued for many years, and began to border on problematic, but I then came into an inheritance.

When I retired in 2003, I made a mistake in where I settled and ended up isolated in a small rural area. Abt 6 months later I decided to try Rx's to relieve my anxiety and depression. I tried Paxil, switched to Lexapro, and ended up on Cymbalta. Before starting any of those, my MD prescribed a very low dose of Mirapex for nightime restless legs.

That alone helped my mood (presumably the dopamine agonism) though the dose was/is so low, and that gave me the courage to try the other drugs. They have been a godsend, but somewhere in there I began to spend. I have used up all of my retirement money, all of the equity in my house (more, actually, since its value has dropped), and incurred a massive amount of credit-card debt (w interest rates of up to 28%). All of this in only 5 years.

As for bipolar tendencies, I don't know. Definitely, though, during my most frantic spending I would stay up all night buying things online. It seemed extremely important to make these purchases and, actually, there were very good "reasons," as there still "are," and they seem much more important than having money for the future, and I am talking about the very near future.

Other than rarely I don't really worry about it. Which makes no sense at all.

As far as how the mirapex and cymbalta help me, I wouldn't consider myself manic -- it is more an absence of the misery and agitation of the past. I have changed my living situation and am now living with old friends.

Assuming bipolar or mania is the problem, what action would I take? And how would that affect me emotionally?

For example, I've recently heard that Cymbalta withdrawal is extremely difficult. I wasn't too surprised, since going onto it was difficult.

Thanks again for your responses, and I am looking forward to hearing what you think now that you know more.

Hi Kitt --

Thank you so much. I'm now living happily in Ethiopia, living with friends I have from the days I lived here in my mid 20's. I don't think there are MDs here who know enough abt psychiatric conditions or the appropriate drugs, but perhaps I am underestimating the situation here.

I shall be going to Calif next month, though, and I shall see a number of MDs for cheeckups, including my primary MD. I think I'll get some good advice from or through him.

You know, last night I was thinking about the sentence you quoted. It is rather peculiar, isn't it.

At any rate, what do you (and others reading this) know about Cymbalta withdrawal? Is it always as horrific as I have read, or does it vary from person to person? What does one do to mitigate the bad side effect of going off of it?

I'll look at the bipolar forum for more info on that condition and the drugs used for it.

Many thanks. You are right -- this is a good place to visit for information and kind interaction.