problems with cymbalta?

[ellabrighteyes]

curious if anyone else has problems with cymbalta, and if they tried another medication that helped. i started on 30 mg, went up to 60 after 3 weeks. it does help some with the pain however, i couldn't sleep. we moved the med to the morning and that helped but then my depression tanked right down to suicidal. lowered the dosage to 30 mg but now it seems to make me hyper and agitated. so i'm going to discuss with my doctor again, but i'm thinking this may not be the med for me. i do already take gabapentin, ciprolex, pain meds (t3s and ibuprofen alternating).

it is a frustrating thing, to deal with this and the mental health stuff. and the not working and the reality of diminished capacity. sigh.

hope everyone is having a decent day.

 

[cmetryme]

ellabrighteyes,

the cymbalta only blocks a small number of messages the brain has to process to send pain.

it does sound like its helping but you need to document the drug for the doctor to see if its helping.

you know your body, the doctor is just guessing at it.

 

[Laurel]

I am just about to start Cymbalta tommorrow. I've been taking Meloxicam + an anti-depressent + anti-anxiety + mood stabalizer + 800 mg of Ibuprofin 4 times a day for a year and that was not working at all any more- not that it all worked that great to begin with. What helped with the depression and anxiety, for example, only increased the fatigue and took away all motivation to exercise.

And it is SO HARD.

Hang in there. That's all we can all do.

 

[ellabrighteyes]

thanks cmetryme and laurel. and the suggestion of documentation is good. just added gabapentin 3x a day. at least now i sleep lol

 

[moe1959]

Riht now I'm not sure if I'm the best to ask, I was put on 5 meds, including cymbalta and lyrica. I stopped both and my mind is back. It made me feel numb, I even tried to hurt myself once by cutting, this is while on cymbalta, don't want to scare you, but be careful. Ps my family pointed it out to me, my memory balance, you name it. I tried to ask my dr. To take me off, and they said oh you will be ok right?, I Just told her I was NOT alright, so, I ca e home and stopped everything. Except 2. Good luck and remember to be your own best advocate.

 

[dancingwithfibro]

ella, i wrote some of my experience about cymbalta in this forum, if you are interested in searching it, in addition to the info below. =)

some background info- i was not on any other drugs when i went on cymbalta for fibro. my fibro was somewhat mild at the time i started it, compared to now off of it. but it was bad enough to seek medication and go through the initial "hazing phase". i was on cymbalta for about a year. it was not an easy drug to get used to, it took about a month or two for the side effects to calm down, but every week got easier. i started with 30 mg for a few weeks, then increased to 60 mg.

when i first started taking it, i experienced intense anxiety, nausea, sweating, dizziness, drowsiness, and some other things that i'm not remembering i'm sure. it was really jarring and scary, but i was told that these side effects will calm down after a few weeks so i hung in there. the timing of when to take the drug was also tricky because if i took it in the morning, i would be too drowsy and nauseous for the rest of the day. if i took it before bed, i would still be too nauseous in the morning. if i took it in the afternoon, i would be too drowsy for the rest of the day. so for me, it was best to take it between 5-7 pm right after a meal, otherwise, the side effects were just too hard.

BUT cymbalta worked for me. it didn't take away all the pain, but it took away a lot of it. After about 2 months of getting used to, and finding the right time of day to take it, my side effects were mostly sweating, similar to what i imagine hot flashes to be from what my friends tell me. and also constipation, i went to the bathroom maybe once or twice a week. even with extra fiber intake, i was only going twice or three times a week.

if i missed a few consecutive doses tho, the nausea would come back with a vengeance when i took the next pill.

also, please do your research on getting off of cymbalta. it comes with serious and painful withdrawal symptoms that can last for months. one of which is severe depression and a very bad fibro flare up. i got off of it without consulting a doctor, i would not recommend that.

 

[ellabrighteyes]

thanks dancingwithfibro. they've increased my antidepressant, to see if that will help with the cymbalta depression side effects. but i'll stick with it; i do notice that the pain, with the cymbalta and gabapentin is less. moe1959, yes, i really notice mental side effects with gabapentin. much slower thinking, forgetting, problems with words. thanks for eveyone's kind words.

 

[Capecod]

Hi - I also was on cymbalta with horrible results - I was ready for the sweating, I was forewarned - but when I started having audio hallucinations and became hostile to my family - I had to call it quits, and it's not the greatest drug to come off of, I also tried Lyical but ended falling asleep for 4 hours and waking up with a migraine that lasted 2 days. I'm very sensitive to drugs - I give my doctor and pharmacist a run for they're money each time I have to be on a new med! Lol take and hope it works for you!

 

[moe1959]

Do you have family that can verify your symptoms? My whole family begged me....STOP TAKE ING THOSE MEDS MOM! I'm no longer on cymbalta or lyrica. I have moments of depression , but who doesnt? I'm in no way trying to play dr. Just.....well talk to Someone. I have the symptoms of fibro, but not as severe as some in this forum. I have good days and bad, I'm thankful I've lived, survived a very tramatic life, thus.......Fibromialgia. When I was first diagnosed, I was elated that I was not nurotic as my( better half)? Would accuse me. THIS IS WHAT I HEAR.....YOU WANT TO KILL ME DONT YOU? WHY DON'T YOU GET A JOB? YOU DON'T DO ANYTHING AROUND HERE, AT FIRST I TRIED TO EXPLAIN THE FIBRO, HIS RESPONCE, OH THAT'S JUST A BULLS HIT THING THE DRS ARE SAYING, AND YOU USE IT AS AN EXCUSE. SO GET THIS , I'VE BEEN MARRIED FOR 38 YEARS, AND JUST FIGURED I'M MARRIED TO A NARSASISTIC MAN. I DONT KNOW , MAYBE IT'S GOOD TO HEAR OTHER PEOPLE'S STRUGGLES. MAYBE MY PITIFUL TALK WILL HELP SOMEONE.
T

 

[Capecod]

Hi Moe1959 - I am so sorry you are dealing with the lack of support - especially with a partner. Has he ever gone to one of your doctor visits with you? They hopefully share can some of the knowledge with him - doesnt he understand the lack of empathy on his part is adding additional stress on to you hence more pain that you will suffer through.
I understand that I am a new kid on the block, but the reason I searched for this type of forum was to realize I am not alone, others have the same or worse pain and everyone is dealing with same issues of what meds will work.
This is a painful and terrible disease to go through alone.

I've been lucky that my husband is supportive, when he felt my frustration regarding meds be came to my doctors appt with me - he is now satisfied that we are in good hands.
I wish I could give you gentle hug of support and feel free to vent that's what we are all here for! Take care and I send my best as well!

 

[moe1959]

Thank you! Sometimes my venting is to much.

 

[KatInATardis]

I tried Cymbalta but it made me have severe vertigo. I tried sticking it out to see if it would go away as my body adjusted but it got to the point that I was afraid to drive and was missing work because I was so dizzy and disoriented. I was on Lyrica for about two years and I gained around 40 lbs and had to up my dosage every 2-3 months to maintain any relief. I've been on neurontin now for about a year and it helps control the neuropathy pain in my arms/legs though I still have occasionally flare ups. I have a whole other small pharmacy of meds I take along with it of course.

 

[ellabrighteyes]

hi moe1959. having a narcissistic (abusive) partner is horrible. dealing with this is enough. like capecod said, maybe things will improve if he comes to the doctors. but you have support here, and you're in my thoughts.

 

[ellabrighteyes]

capecod, thanks for posting that. the sweating had me curious. i was thinking early menopause! the side effects do seem to get worse as it goes on. the gp is up to 600 per day, i think maybe that is responsible for the lower pain so maybe i'll talk to my doctor about cymbalta stoppage.

 

[Riley]

I could not handle Cymbalta, it was horrible on my body! I want to try new meds but so afraid to as I am so unbalanced mentally already, so afraid of what would happen if I took the wrong medicine, and the horrible reactions, which has happened so many times in the past, so I try to just get through the grieving of this awful fibro. and how it has ruined my life. tramadol is the only pain reliever I have been able to take. It doesn't help when you're in a relationship with someone that is abusive in some fashion, we are sick already, do we really need their comments etc? My husband is not physically abusive, but he can cut to the quick with comments, and sometimes, that is worse,,and takes a toll... I feel for you...moe1959 and ellabrighteyes..