Cymbalta

Maxsmom

Member
Joined
Jul 22, 2020
Messages
28
Reason
DX FIBRO
Diagnosis
09/1984
Country
US
State
NM
Hi everyone ! I’m in a fibro flare and went to the doctor cause on my own I was doing naproxen for pain and it helps somewhat . I have burning pain both upper arms and stiffness around both knees front and back . Also lower back pain , some muscle weakness - the usual ugh . He ordered cymbalta- anyone have good results ? Thank you
 
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Hello. I was in the exact situation you were when I went to primary physician. I had already been diagnosed with Fibro prior to that day by a neurologist and was on gabbapentin. So my primary weaned me off the gabbapentin and put me on Cymblata. Since it could help with the pain my anxiety and depression too. I was on 30mg for three months before moving up to 60mg this last month. I definitely think it is helping. Way more than the gabbapentin. I just hope it doesn’t poop out like a lot of these meds do. It is helping me fall asleep better and I haven’t had an anxiety attack. The pain comes and goes. I have better days than some days. But I like the drug. And I experienced no side effects cause I weaned up slowly. I hope it helps you.
 
Hello. I was in the exact situation you were when I went to primary physician. I had already been diagnosed with Fibro prior to that day by a neurologist and was on gabbapentin. So my primary weaned me off the gabbapentin and put me on Cymblata. Since it could help with the pain my anxiety and depression too. I was on 30mg for three months before moving up to 60mg this last month. I definitely think it is helping. Way more than the gabbapentin. I just hope it doesn’t poop out like a lot of these meds do. It is helping me fall asleep better and I haven’t had an anxiety attack. The pain comes and goes. I have better days than some days. But I like the drug. And I experienced no side effects cause I weaned up slowly. I hope it helps you.
Sydney —- you are a godsend for giving me this hopeful report ! I started it today so here we go! We just got to try and keepi trying —- again thank you !
 
Your more than welcome! You have to keep your head up and just keep trying different medications to see what works for you. We are all going to react to them different based on our DNA and metabolic makeup. Remember to avoid start up side effects on Cymblata titrate up the dosage slowly. Stay on 30mg for a while like I stayed On it for 3 months before I felt my body adjusted and was safe To move up to the therapeutic dose of Cymblata which is 60mg. And the same goes for getting of the medication if it isn’t working for you. Go down slowly in the dosage. Take it every other day if you have to at the end or beginning to avoid side effects you hear of about this class of meds. Look into supplements as well in a google search for Fibro. Do your research cause your doctors sure won’t for you. I wish you the best with the Cymbalta. Give it a good three months before determining if it’s the med for you or not. Message me anytime!
 
I have had very bad side effects from Cymbalta - it is a powerful drug. Before you commit to taking it for any extended period please check out the Facebook page Cymbalta Hurts Worse - getting off the drug is very, very difficult - I was on it a long time and it is taking the same number of years to get off it. Please be informed about it before you get stuck on it.
 
Ok I will thank you
 
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I have had very bad side effects from Cymbalta - it is a powerful drug. Before you commit to taking it for any extended period please check out the Facebook page Cymbalta Hurts Worse - getting off the drug is very, very difficult - I was on it a long time and it is taking the same number of years to get off it. Please be informed about it before you get stuck on it.
I'll second the difficult Cymbalta wean. I took it for several years for anxiety, not for fibromyalgia. It caused me mild side effects the entire time, including an almost always present mild nausea, and some other annoying issues, but I tolerated them because I believed it helped with the anxiety enough to make the side effects worth it. I do tend to be sensitive to a number of meds, so taking them is sometimes a matter of putting up with side effects or not being able to tolerate them at all.

After two or three years on Cymbalta, I decided to wean. I'm retired now, but when I worked it was in management at a psychiatric facility, so I always had access to medical advice. I told the doctor who'd prescribed Cymbalta how things were going, and that I didn't want to put up with the side effects anymore, and he advised a slow wean over three to four weeks. Long story short, the withdrawal was way too intense for me to do it in that short of time, and in the end I stretched it out over a period of 9 months. I could have easily stretched the wean out longer, because the withdrawal after 9 months of gradually decreasing the dosage (they are capsules with many tiny beads of medication inside - I was literally opening them and counting out lesser and lesser beads, which I learned from an online Cymbalta wean page) was still very significant.

When I worked at the psych facility, I saw many patients on many different meds. Some had a more difficult time than others finding something that worked, and some had a more difficult time than others weaning off of some things. Not everything requires weaning. In my experience, Cymbalta was one of the tougher ones to discontinue.

On the other hand, some people don't have issues with meds and side effects or withdrawal. I'd never discourage anyone from taking a medication recommended by their doctor, but I'd never want anyone to think that meds never come with a lot of baggage, either. Being someone with drug sensitivities and several drug allergies as well, I'm not interested in taking medication for my fibromyalgia. It's a choice each person has to make for themselves.
 
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Thank you for the honest assessment . I have had fibro for many years and considered myself in remission if you can say that until the last month when everything fired up with a bang so I have never needed a med to this level.
I do have sensitivities to SSRI I think because 10 years ago when my husband passed I was prescribed a anti depressant and had nausea and diarrhea so bad , that’s why I am approaching this with caution . I am willing to try it and as you say everyone is different . I still do the non pharamalogical things like stretches. Massages , naproxen , warm soaks - it used to work in the past but not this time .thank you and everyone else’s input as I find this invaluable in helping me maneuver my way around this .
 
I was offered Cymbalta by my Internist at the time of my DX. I declined because I am extremely drug sensitive, and told her I wanted to research it deeply before trying it. The info offered in this thread is valuable to me and I am interested in how others have done on it. My very real fear is that if I try it the side effects will be so much worse than the symptoms I have, and I don't feel confident it can help my nerve pain.
 
I am also on Cymbalta, I’ve been on it for probably around year now. I have FM but I also struggle greatly with depression and anxiety as well. The Cymbalta has been GREAT for me. I know everyone’s experience is different, but in my case it has helped a lot. It not only helped me manage the FM but also balanced out the depression/anxiety. I’ll be weaning off of it within the next year because my husband and I want to start a family, but hopefully this tidbit of info was useful to you. I see other people having trouble with symptoms, although I’ve not noticed any myself. I‘ve found that I’m not overly sensitive to medications though. I’m a little nervous to wean off the meds in the future, but I was glad to be able to read others experiences with this med.
 
I am also on Cymbalta, I’ve been on it for probably around year now. I have FM but I also struggle greatly with depression and anxiety as well. The Cymbalta has been GREAT for me. I know everyone’s experience is different, but in my case it has helped a lot. It not only helped me manage the FM but also balanced out the depression/anxiety. I’ll be weaning off of it within the next year because my husband and I want to start a family, but hopefully this tidbit of info was useful to you. I see other people having trouble with symptoms, although I’ve not noticed any myself. I‘ve found that I’m not overly sensitive to medications though. I’m a little nervous to wean off the meds in the future, but I was glad to be able to read others experiences with this med.
Thank you for this insight - it’s day 3 for me and I have experienced nausea but noticed less pain today .
Thank you again
 
Thank you for this insight - it’s day 3 for me and I have experienced nausea but noticed less pain today .
Thank you again

I’ve used natural aloe vera juice for upset stomachs before. My mom drinks aloe Vera juice for bad stomach all the time. We only drink George’s, and it’s a completely clear liquid that honestly just tastes like water to me. I’ve had the best luck finding it at places like The Vitamin Shoppe, but I’m sue amazon sells it too. Some places you’ll find aloe Vera juice but itll be an off color... I’d stay away from those, they taste disgusting. Stick to the clear one (George’s) if you decide to try it!
 

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I may just try that, thanks for the tip!
 
Sydney an update - am titrating up to 60 mg
 
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