Hello, Thanks for choosing health care magic for posting your query. I have gone through your question in detail and I can understand what you are going through. From what you have stated it is quite clear that you are having a depressive episode and that needs treatment. Depression can occur with regular stress and it can also occur biologically without any stress as well. You need proper treatment for the same. Treatment of depression can reduce your pains as well. Cymbalta which your doctr has prescribed is a good option but if you have had side-effects in the past then there are many other options available. There are various effective therapies for depression like fluoxetine, venlafaxine, bupropion, mirtazapine or escitalopram and they are all very effective and mostly safe. You may also require some benzodiazepines like clonazepam or lorazepam for a short period like 2-3 weeks to reduce the anxiety and help with your sleep. If you are averse to the drug therapies then there is also an option of cognitive behavioural therapy. This therapy is taken by either a psychologist or a psychiatrist in which the therapist identifies impaired cognitions (Thoughts) and try to correct them. They are 15-20 min weekly session and there should be around 8-10 sessions to help you with your illness. Hope I am able to answer your concerns. If you have any further query, I would be glad to help you. In future if you wish to contact me directly, you can use the below mentioned link: bit.ly/dr-srikanth-reddy Wish you good health, Kind regards Dr. Srikanth Reddy M.D.