Is It Safe To Use Cymbalta During Pregnancy?
While you are pregnant, your body goes through a myriad of changes. Although, some of these changes are good, some can lead to complications and make your pregnancy difficult. In such cases, you have to turn to medications for relief. However, you need to know what medications are safe to use while you are pregnant. One such medication is Cymbalta or Duloxetine. Read our post below to learn more about the safety of using cymbalta during pregnancy.
What Is Cymbalta (Duloxetine)?
Cymbalta is prescription medicine for depression and general anxiety disorder (GAD). It is also used to treat peripheral neuropathy, which is nerve pain that diabetes patients often experience. Other conditions that Cymbalta treats are back pain, arthritis, and fibromyalgia (muscle pain and stiffness with fatigue and sleep problems). Cymbalta (duloxetine) falls under the classification of medications called serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs). SNRIs such as duloxetine work to balance the amounts of norepinephrine and serotonin (neurotransmitters) in the brain.
Cymbalta is the brand name of the drug while its generic name is duloxetine. It is available as a delayed-release capsule. Delayed-release refers to a medicine that breaks down in the intestines. Cymbalta dosing is different for each of the conditions it treats. The dosing may also depend on individual health conditions [1].
Is It Safe to Use Cymbalta during Pregnancy?
Cymbalta is not considered safe to use during pregnancy.
The use of Cymbalta during pregnancy may harm fetal health. If you use Cymbalta in the last trimester of your pregnancy, there is a chance that your newborn will develop some withdrawal symptoms. These symptoms can be difficulty in feeding, seizures, trouble breathing, irritability and muscle stiffness [2].
More research is needed to study the effects of duloxetine during pregnancy. But existing studies show that use of duloxetine can cause maternal and fetal harm. Your doctor may prescribe you Cymbalta during your pregnancy only if necessary and after weighing the drug’s usefulness to you versus its harm to you and your unborn child [3].
If you are receiving treatment for any of the conditions treatable with Cymbalta use, take precaution. If you are planning your pregnancy, it is vital that you inform your doctor about it before using Cymbalta. Use of duloxetine may also not be safe for during breastfeeding. But there are no adequate data available as yet.
Use of duloxetine during pregnancy may also increase the risks of spontaneous abortions [4].
[ Read: Flu During Pregnancy ]
Side Effects of Cymbalta During Pregnancy:
The use of Cymbalta while pregnant can produce many side effects.
- Consult your doctor if you experience the following side effects with Cymbalta use:
- Nausea
- Dizziness (may be caused by changes in dosage, initial use)
- Dry mouth
- Constipation
- Diarrhea
- Fatigue
- Drowsiness
- Weakness
- Decreased appetite
- Muscle pain
- Stomach pain
- Low libido
- Decreased sexual ability
- Frequent urination
- Trouble urinating
- Heartburn
- Tremors
- Confusion
- High blood pressure
Cymbalta use in pregnancy can also cause some serious side effects. In case you experience the following symptoms with Cymbalta use, seek immediate medical attention [5].
Severe effects:
- Abdomen Swelling
- Flu-like symptoms (fever, chills, muscle pain)
- Irregular heartbeat
- Trouble breathing
- Difficulty in swallowing
- Swelling of feet, hands, tongue, throat, and face
- Mouth sores
- Rash
- Hives
- Hoarseness
- Extreme fatigue
- Itching
- Unusual bruising
- Changes in urine color
- Yellow tinge in the eyes or face
- Bloody stools
- Pain, redness or swelling in the eyes
- Changes in vision quality, blurred vision
- Seizures
- Serotonin toxicity
You may also experience any other side effects with Cymbalta use. Anytime you feel discomfort, pain or any persistent symptoms after using Cymbalta, speak to your doctor [6].
[ Read: Constipation During Pregnancy ]
Drug Interactions:
If you are using Cymbalta along with any other medicine, you must reveal this to your doctor during your initial consultation. Cymbalta may interact with certain drugs and cause some side effects or health problems. Drug interactions also reduce the efficacy of one or more drugs you may be using at the same time. [7]
List of drugs that may interact with duloxetine:
- Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as aspirin, naproxen or ibuprofen. NSAIDs are used to treat pain or inflammation. Aspirin use alongside Cymbalta can cause bleeding.
- Monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs) such as linezolid, tranylcypromine, rasagiline, isocarboxazid, methylene blue, procarbazine and others. MAOIs are a type of antidepressants. If you plan to use Cymbalta, don’t use any MAIOs two weeks before your first dose. Also, wait at least five days after your last Cymbalta dose before taking any MAIOs.
- If you take other drugs that also increase serotonin, then you may suffer from serotonin toxicity. Examples include antidepressants like fluoxetine or venlafaxine.
- Blood thinners or anticoagulants like warfarin.
- Certain tranquilizers like zolpidem.
- Herbal products containing St John’s wort.
- Antihistamines like diphenhydramine.
- Cymbalta can reduce the efficacy of certain drugs like tricyclic antidepressants, antipsychotics and antiarrhythmic medicines (for normalizing heart rhythm).
- Quinolone antibiotics like ciprofloxacin can reduce the efficacy of Cymbalta.
[ Read: Cymbalta During Breastfeeding ]
Use Of Antidepressants During Pregnancy:
Your doctor may recommend the use of antidepressants during your pregnancy depending on your health and need for treatment.
A Word Of Caution:
- Depression during pregnancy is harmful to both maternal and fetal health. Some doctors may prescribe the use of antidepressants to keep your depression symptoms in check. Even though there are risks associated with antidepressant use during pregnancy, some drugs like SNRIs (such as Cymbalta) are known to have minimal side effects. There are also other antidepressant drugs that contain low risks to fetal health.
- If you suffer from mild depression, it is likely that your doctor will ask you to stop using any antidepressant drug.
- Your doctor is likely to continue your prescription for Cymbalta or any other antidepressant in case you suffer from recurrent depression or suicidal thoughts.
- If you suffer from depression, it is better to complete your treatment for depression before you plan your pregnancy. If your depression continues with pregnancy, weigh all your treatment options and their risks and benefits.
Remember, all antidepressants including Cymbalta contain risks to fetal health. So, make an informed decision about any drug use during your pregnancy.
Did you take antidepressants during your pregnancy? Did you experience any side effects with its use? Tell us below.
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