PlainPill

Duloxetine

People mainly take Duloxetine for energy, mood. Based on 7 first-hand reports and 304 meta-analyses & systematic reviews in the medical literature. Ranked #1101 of 1,974 overall.

14
User score
Mixed
14% positive43% mixed14% negative29% unclear

Of reports that state an outcome, 20% are positive.

Clinical research
AStrong research base
304
meta-analyses
409
RCTs
3,770
papers

What Duloxetine does, according to users

Of the people who reported each effect, the share who said it got better.

3 more with fewer than 3 reports
betterno changeworse

What the research says

Systematic reviews and meta-analyses from PubMed, with their published conclusions.

AStrong research base

3+ meta-analyses or systematic reviews and 10+ randomized controlled trials in humans. The grade measures how much human research exists — read the conclusions below for what it found.

Lancet · 2018 · Meta-analysis / systematic review
Comparative efficacy and acceptability of 21 antidepressant drugs for the acute treatment of adults with major depressive disorder: a systematic review and network meta-analysis

Conclusion: All antidepressants were more efficacious than placebo in adults with major depressive disorder. Smaller differences between active drugs were found when placebo-controlled trials were included in the analysis, whereas there was more variability in efficacy and acceptability in head-to-head trials. These results should serve evidence-based practice and inform patients, physicians, guideline developers, and policy makers on the relative merits of the different antidepressants.

PubMed 29477251 ↗
Lancet Neurol · 2015 · Meta-analysis / systematic review
Pharmacotherapy for neuropathic pain in adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Conclusion: Our results support a revision of the NeuPSIG recommendations for the pharmacotherapy of neuropathic pain. Inadequate response to drug treatments constitutes a substantial unmet need in patients with neuropathic pain. Modest efficacy, large placebo responses, heterogeneous diagnostic criteria, and poor phenotypic profiling probably account for moderate trial outcomes and should be taken into account in future studies.

PubMed 25575710 ↗
Lancet · 2019 · Meta-analysis / systematic review
Pharmacological treatments for generalised anxiety disorder: a systematic review and network meta-analysis

Conclusion: To our knowledge, this is the largest contemporary review of pharmacological agents for the treatment of generalised anxiety disorder by use of network analysis. There are several effective treatment choices for generalised anxiety disorder across classes of medication. The failure of initial pharmacological therapy might not be a reason to abandon a pharmacological treatment strategy.

PubMed 30712879 ↗
Lancet · 2025 · Meta-analysis / systematic review
The effects of antidepressants on cardiometabolic and other physiological parameters: a systematic review and network meta-analysis

Conclusion: We found strong evidence that antidepressants differ markedly in their physiological effects, particularly for cardiometabolic parameters. Treatment guidelines should be updated to reflect differences in physiological risk, but choice of antidepressant should be made on an individual basis, considering clinical presentation and preferences of patients, carers, and clinicians.

PubMed 41135546 ↗

Dosage people report

As stated by users — not a recommendation. Follow the label or your doctor.

60-120 mgdaily
60mgdaily

Reported side effects

How often each side effect came up across all reports.

sexual dysfunction ×2brain fog ×2weight gain ×2suicidal ideation ×2emotional blunting ×1fatigue ×1sluggishness ×1blood sugar ×1

What users say

Verbatim quotes, shortened only — each links to the original discussion.

“Duloxetine's potent NRI increased my drive, energy and mood but it wasn't effective enough at 60mg.”
Source discussion ↗
“Duloxetine helped push me to act but increased baseline hyperarousal”
Source discussion ↗
“SNRI s work A BIT. But they make me suicidal, sluggish, give me brain fog, messes up with my blood sugar and makes me put on weight”
Source discussion ↗
“I tried using SNRI (cymbalta) as an experiment for chronic fatigue, and not only did the chronic fatigue disappear, but many of the ADHD symptoms also disappeared”
Source discussion ↗
“they make me suicidal, sluggish, give me brain fog, messes up with my blood sugar and makes me put on weight, increases the body temperature, sexual dysfunction”
Source discussion ↗
Top discussions (5)

Other options for energy

User data from public discussions; research from PubMed. Information only, not medical advice — talk to a doctor before starting, stopping or combining anything. Data updated October 2, 2026. How we rate