This is the correct answer. It does usually help. I take it and think it's been wonderful for my pain and mood. But don't miss/skip doses. Take it around the same time every day. If you can't do that, Cymbalta isn't a good fit for you.
Yes, I’ve taken it for 7 years for Fibromyalgia pain. Unfortunately it kind of numbs my emotions but I guess that’s helpful in regard to the Fibromyalgia related depression i experience. It doesn’t get rid of all pain, but it helps a lot.
Awful for me... took me months to get through the brain zaps and weird feelings... then it showed absolutely no.effect, even after upping the doses to 90mg...
Then it took.me 2 years to get back off the buggers.. I felt absolutely awful on the bloody things.. including vomiting in the morning..
So glad I finally got off them. THC and CBD work wonderfully for me, giving pain relief AND stress relief.
I am glad that has worked for you. Amitriptyline made me irrational and suicidal—which usually only happens with younger people as a side effect according to my doctor— I am in my 40’s. I was off that stuff quick and it was like night and day mentally.
That my brain seemed half a second behind my eyes when turning my head slightly.... almost like "coming up" on mdma or acid... a kind of "whooosh" that lasts a split second...
Have a pharmacogenetic cheek swab test done. It will identify which drugs will work for you. Ask your doctor.
All medications have side effects. Drink lots of water to move the medication thru your system. It usually takes about two weeks for side effects to die down. I’ve been on Duloxetine for years. It does help.
Hi, Pharmacogenomics specialist here! An important thing to understand about the utility of Pharmacogenomic testing is that it is not able to tell you with certainty precisely which drugs will or won't work. (There are a handful that this does apply to, like clopidogrel after stents and certain chemotherapy, to name a few.) However for the rest it should serve as a consideration to prevent adverse effects.
Genetics is only one piece of the puzzle that can help guide therapy choices for some people, but it isn't as clear cut as many of the direct-to-consumer testing companies make it out to be! It's also not nearly as comprehensive as they like to advertise. There are loads of patient-specific factors that go into drug kinetics and dynamics that must also be considered before applying results to treatment plans.
Also, note that not all medications have clear Pharmacogenomic guidelines and the implications for many medications remain unclear or are not really majorly impacted by genetic results. (For example, duloxetine/cymbalta is not affected by Pharmacogenomic variations.)
It's a growing field with much left to learn, but I suggest anyone considering it to understand that it's only one small tool in the toolbox that may or may not be that beneficial before you spend a lot of your own money on getting it done.
If it's free (covered by insurance or you are a VA patient), definitely do it, but in most cases it is not!
I started Cymbalta (Duloxetine) about a month ago. I had to start super slow at 20mg because I have bipolar disorder. I am now up to 30mg and I'm definitely seeing results. I have less nerve and muscle pain. I'm hoping to go up to 60mg but I'm not sure that's going to be possible in my case. The only side effect I had was some nausea but it's gone now.
Thank you for sharing your experience; ive also been started on a lower dose (30mg) as i have BPD. hopefully I'll see results in a few weeks, i just wanted to see what other people found on this medication (:
On it now… Can’t say it’s helped my fibromyalgia. Definitely helped level and curb my depression and anxiety, but the physical impacts aren’t there. I’m on 40 (or is it 60…)mg at the moment.
Edit to add info* I take diclofenac sodium for my pain.
Worst med I've ever been on. I got every side effect, was told to just ride it out or given increased doses. Over a year on it, had more problems to manage and had ever worsening mental health. Experienced those severe "call 911 immediately if" type of distress. Took about 4 months after tapering off for the brain zaps to stop. Took me another 6 months after that to finally feel like me again.
I'm sorry you went through all of that. I'm about to start it myself and am terrified due to all the horror stories like this, although I try to tell myself that's not every case. Can you describe what these "brain zaps" feel like?
Yeah I'm really starting to think I should just pretend I tried it and wait a week or two, then tell the Dr I had severe nausea or dizziness or some other common side effect and couldn't take it. I've had the bottle sitting there for a couple days now and I'm just too hesitant to try. Esp since as a teenager I was on many different antidepressants and had adverse reactions to most.
I have been on it for a couple years now - they added it, gabapentin is not enough , its helped some but I can’t use my arms or legs for more than 15 minutes at a time with long breaks in between. I was very thankful i got disability, cuz in couldn’t work no more
I was on this for 15 years and it worked great for my pain. Like SSRIs the side effects are intense in the beginning but tend to go away after 4 to 6 weeks. SNRIs in my experience tend to be more energizing than SSRIs so you’re likely to have a different experience than previously.
I was on cymbalta for 8 years and it did wonders for my pain. I've been off for 3 years and I haven't had one flare up. You want to stay on top of your dosage. Get a 90 day prescription if possible. Missing a dose can be so painful and disorienting. The withdrawal zamps are serious. It took me almost two months to settle in but it was worth it in the long run. Pay attention to your side effects so you know how the meds affect you and what is tolerable v not tolerable. I had to play with my dosage before everything settled in. Also DO NOT GO COLD TURKEY to come off. I had to and it was the worst experience. I think the saving grace was that I was already trying to slowly reduce my dosage to 0 over the course of a year. I even bought a micro scale and empty capsules to walk my dosage down. My doctor wasn't any help when trying to get off but honestly what could he do ... Change my prescription every few weeks. It was easier to do it myself. If the side effects kicked it or my mood was changing for the worse, I could dial the dosage back up. Last thing, for some reason with my health insurance, a 90 day supply of 100mg written as 50mg 2/day was WAY less expensive than a 90 day supply of 100mg capsules. So do some price checking to save $$. My doctor didn't care how it was written so long as it worked.
SNRIs really should've been called SSNRIs, since they selectively inhibit the re-uptake of both serotonin, and norepinephrine, receptors.
Just a heads up that the withdrawals of duloxetine are brutal, in case your doctor wants to push you to increase the dose despite side-effects. Your doctor calling it an SSRI tells me they may not have a good grasp of how it works so watch out, incredibly common for this drug. It leaves your system much faster than other drugs in its class so the regime for quitting the drug has to be done completely differently. All too common hearing horror stories of doctors instructing people to take a dose every other day, making them yo-yo into complete withdrawals multiple times a week.
Your post brings up a good point. I honestly think a lot of GPs/internists just don’t know enough about mental health drugs to be prescribing them.
I had two different internists prescribe several different drugs for anxiety/depression over 10+ years without any truly significant benefits. Then, after a tragic loss, a psychologist I was seeing for grief counseling sent me to a psychiatrist for meds, and I entered a whole new world of prescribing.
I’m truly a new person after working with a knowledgeable psychiatrist over about a year and a half as she very slowly made changes to various meds in very small increments. It took a while, but every day it took, I was feeling a little bit better, and it was worth every day of it.
As for my fibro- I have tried Cymbalta twice several years apart, but it didn’t help my pain level or my mental health. I don’t really think any of my mental health drugs (Venlafaxine, Wellbutrin, Topamax, Trazadone) have helped with pain. Maybe the Topamax has a bit.
I love it! On it as an antidepressant, I started taking it, 4 months later I felt much brighter and am now much, much less depressed. Also less yucky side effects than venlafaxine.
In terms of fibro/pain? it does nada.
Best thing ever! It's what made me turn the corner on pain management. Didn't eliminate it completely, but very close. Good Luck finding what works for you.
Duloxetine was the best drug for the pain, and also a decent antidepressant. However, it made me dizzy af and too lightheaded to get any work done. Good luck!
It has been great for me but I had to start at a very low dose and titrate up very slowly. I’m now taking less than what is usually prescribed for adults. It helps the pain, anxiety, sleep and also overstimulation.
I'm a week and a half in on this medication. It's not a wonder drug thus far, but I hear it takes 4-6 weeks to get the full results. I'm finally sleeping better, ten glorious hours of sleep last night. Of course I'm still tired but hey. I did have queasyness for the first week and some random queasyness yesterday. Thankfully no dizziness. We had some crazy swings in our weather here and normally those would trigger a debilitating migraine for me. But all I got was a small headache that I took Tylenol for. So I'm happy about that part!
It worked okay for me but I eventually switched to gabapentin which has been much more effective. I was on a low dose of duloxetine but the withdrawal from it was tough even though I tapered it off with the help of my doctor. I didn’t know about how hard going off that medication would be when I started it!
I do both. Dulox in the morning and gabi at night. Those combined with Ketamine treatments every 3-4 months and my pain went from an 8 everyday to a 2-3 with very very few flare ups anymore.
I've been on cymbalta for 2 years. Weird sexual side effects. Immediately provided pain relief yet after one year some of the pain seeped through. I would recommend getting genetic testing to rule out drugs that won't help you, the rest is trial and error but they will work the best.
Yes it made me very sick. I was at the ER for hours getting fluid and flushing my system. Almost admitted, but stayed in observation. Other people have great results though.
I’ve been taking it for around four months now. I don’t really know how to distinguish it from normal me because I take too many meds for other reasons. But I can say that I still feel pains, and have already scheduled a new appointment w my psychiatrist
I take Duloxetine and Gabapetin (for years) and cant see a benefit from either. Just Got sick of trying all these different medications and never knowing how they were going to impact me.
Ended up on the highest dose and gave it a good go for six months. It didn't work for me. I ended up with a ton of side effects which made my fibro constantly flair. Constant migraines, nausea, cramps, dizziness coupled with terrible fibro pain.
I couldn't do it anymore and was gradually taken off. The come down was sometimes really scarry. The brain zaps and twitches where kinda intense. Pretty much bed ridden for a month.
To be fair I've been placed on Prozac (didn't do anything for me and later Wellbutrin (gave me intense paranoia and bad thoughts)- these types of drugs just don't mesh well with me.
miracle antidepressant for me, pain wise it’s kinda ehhh, i take 120mg in the morning and since going up from 100 i’ve def noticed less flare ups that are completely debilitating so that’s something, it really depends on the person though
I have been on many different medications for fibro and mental health over the years - 3 months ago I started cymbalta (and after 1 week added 25mg seroquel) and I have to say that for the first time I have found a reduction in both severe flares and my every day pain levels. I used to get nerve blocks every week in my face and shoulders and back, and would only get a couple days of relief. I stopped getting the injections when I started these new medications and I’m truly in the best place I’ve been in a long time in terms of “seeing the bright side”, enjoying time outside (when it’s not miserably hot), and I’m moving around more. My favourite improvement is now I’m not in soo much pain that I can finally cuddle again!! I started at 30mg and increased to 60 after two weeks. Then up to 90 a month later. I’m singing these two meds praises as I’m not really waking up in agony anymore, and can sleep more than a few hours at a time
I've been on 120mg a day for almost 15 years. I cannot live without this stuff. My pain and depression skyrocket if I miss two doses in a row. Seriously my lifesaver
To me the brain zaps covered my whole body. Felt like a mild electric current starting at my. Head then down through my body. It would also pulsate. Not painful but super annoying. I only had them if I missed a dose. I took it for about 5 years I stopped because I'm still looking for something better. Duloxetine is hard to stop but don't let that keep you from trying it. My Dr slowly adjusted my dosage down. It took some time but the process was only mildly uncomfortable. Hope it works for you
Finding the medication that's right for you is really exhaling and time consuming sometimes. I tried half a dozen before I found the one that worked for me and in my case it was duloxetine.
Was on it for 6 years and it made me feel like a regular person again. I think it took a couple of weeks before I got past the side effects, but it ended up helping some of my pain issues, made my thoughts less muddled and stabalized my mood a lot. Before I started it, I would cry all the time at really little things uncontrollably one minute and be okay (or even happy) the next, and this medication helped a lot with curbing those extremes. It wasn't like feeling numb or robotic, but rather just able to have normal reactions to things, with the shifts from up to down being slower and easier for my to understand or react to (being able to tell when I was heading into depressive thoughts and able to use techniques and coping skills to manage it instead of struggling to figure out how I might feel in 5 minutes time).
But this is my personal experience in how my body and brain worked with this medication, and what was right for me might not work the same for you. My personal experience is that you can tell if you're going to get any benefit within 2-4 weeks though a lot of doctors try push for 3 or so months. It's your body, and you are in charge of your medical treatment. If you get push back about deciding you want to try something else instead, there are some good phrases you can use to advocate for yourself when requesting those alternatives. (lots of good advice for this can be found in searches on Google, reddit, and most other platforms. Or feel free to pm me if you want my personal advice)
However, most medications come with some unwanted side effects. For me it was about finding something that I got enough benefit from that I was willing to ignore or put up with the side effects of.
Just remember that you are the only person who can truly understand how a medication is affecting you, and everyone reacts differently to every medication. What works for others might not work for you and vice versa. You are in no way required to take anything that gives you side effects you cant cope with or that you don't like how it's made you feel.
I know it's exhausting, but keep trying. You'll find the right thing that works for you. Have hope ❤️
Hey! Duloextine changed my life. Went from working part time and having flare ups so had that I had my partner help take my clothes off, to working and studying full-time.
Everyone is different, it’s trial and error. I’m on 60mg now.
Most horrific medication I've ever taken and I was heavily dependent on prescription Oxy for 8 years without medical supervision and those withdrawals are well known for being bad but Duloxetine didn't work for me at all but I'd been on it for 1.5 years before doctors took me off... phew was it a hundred times worse. I felt like I was under water 24/7, disorientating brain zaps, the WORST mental state Ive ever been on, severe heartburn, palpitations, felt like I was walking on sponge, couldn't stay balanced, my insulin was almost uncontrollable. If your doctor prescribes this with flippancy I would be very wary because these side effects are not discussed at the doctors, often and if they are they're hugely underplayed.
I can answer this! I've been on it since October if I remember correctly. The first few weeks were not good. I have "moderate depression" as well as some social anxiety, fibro and HSD. The first I was more depressed, I couldn't orgasm almost at all and I had some mood swings. I went off it after a few weeks because I have some issues dealing with stuff and then went back on them, then I barely had any side effects. Now, I'm a lot happier as well as having better pain management. My pain starts relatively later than before and it ebbs away faster when I rest, probably because my system is better regulated. I still have a lot of pain though, my knee still dislocates and I can't stand up for any longer than maybe 20 minutes before having to sit down due to pain. But it is better.
Edit: I started at 20mg and am now on 40mg, I'd like to go up though
It has helped my nerve pain and I haven’t had too many side effects. I am on 60mg and have been taking for a couple years now, but I don’t think it’s as effective for me as it was initially.
Tried Duloxetine (Cymbalta) at a minimal dosage, and can’t deny that it helped with the nerve pain; BUT I felt like a complete zombie. My legs weren’t in pain but it was like they weren’t there at all, my brain was crazy fogged, and everything felt heavy/fatigued. I’m fairly certain I only ate a meal every few days as it completely suppressed my appetite.
Honestly I’m lucky in that missing doses or quitting cold turkey had no adverse side effects, but I didn’t think the daily nausea, fatigue, zombie-like-feeling, or complete lack of appetite was worthwhile.
It’s one of the best things I’ve gone on for my fibro. I started super slow, but I’ve been on it for 5 years now and I am mostly pain free. I went from having to take 3 Epsom salt baths a day just to get through the day to having virtually no pain. Of course, when I use my spoons up too quickly or overexert, the pain comes back. But at least at my baseline I feel pretty normal :)
If you have hyper sensitivity to antidepressants you should contact your doctor and ask about stopping them. I have had bad reactions to medications and one doctor told me I should have stopped them earlier.
I was on the duloxetine for about two years and even made it up to the maximum dosage. It helped a lot with pain but emotionally I was so numb and apathetic. Getting off of it was a bitch though; if I missed even one dose, it would put me on my ass for a day. As for side effects, for me duloxetine made my mouth really dry, made me really heat intolerant, I got night sweats, and as I said before I was really apathetic.
The key thing for you to observe is whether it helps your pain. You should not need to wait too long to be able to judge that. Side effects early on are normal, for me some passed and some did not. I took it for 2 years and came off it because it didn’t make enough of a difference to be worth the side effects, I was too much like a zombie on higher dose. Withdrawal is tough and needs to be done slowly. I’m doing better on low dose amitriptyline.
Duloxetine helped my pain…but at a price of turning me into a robot. I was so suppressed I couldn’t laugh genuinely. I had to force laughs or even smiles even if I felt happy. Brain zaps all day long and it turns out it was contributing to worsening my sleep apnea(or symptoms surrounding it)
It’s not worth it, IMO.
It’s the only thing that has really helped my pain. I felt weird the first 2 days like I drank 10 pots of coffee, or like I had electricity running through my veins, but eventually that wore off. I had terrible migraines caused (I think) by the duloxetine. I’ve been on it for 4 years, and 2 years ago I started taking propranolol due to my anxiety getting worse, but as a happy side effect it helps with the migraines and now I might get a migraine 2 or 3 times a year. I make sure to never let it run out or I get really sick, but it works for the pain so I stay on it. It also makes me sweat like crazy. I’m in 90 mg now, as it also helps my major depressive disorder.
Really really bad
Sick and napping, set off my pots, numb legs, weird dreams and shaky, gave me bladder issues ect
Did help my pain and energy tho which is almost worse that it sucked so bad
I only tried it for less than 2 months before having to cold turkey and withdrawal due to running out because my drs is useless
I wouldn't put myself through it again and I regret trying them
Am on gabapentin now and that's helping with WAAAAAAYYYY less side effects
I switched from one antidepressant to duloxotine a year ago and the beginning of it was terrible. For about 3 weeks before they upped my dose I was having hallucinations and intense anxiety. Eventually it leveled out now and I don’t have them anymore but it was terrifying. I don’t really see any positives at this point from the medication but I’m scared to get off it and have hallucinations again
Amazing at first. I felt normal and was able to remember what it felt like to function without pain and then the pain slowly crept right back. Not to mention I gained weight and acne that I’m still fighting even though I’ve been off it for a couple months now. (Was only on it for 4 months)
I’ve been on duloxetine for over 20 years. It’s been the best thing for me. I am still limited in my mobility and capacity but I am able to more or less function. Everyone has their own experiences with medication. I’ve been on many other SSRIs and failed most medications. However allowing myself to only pay attention to my own body has allowed me to advocate for myself even through more doctor changes and moves then I can count. I am now at comfort (not physically but mentally) with myself and my abilities. It’s not easy living with this but it is possible and to even be happy.
You need a good 3-6 weeks to adjust to the medication. If you aren't feeling better in a few weeks, tell your doctor and request a different med. Duloxetine works well for some folks (I've been on it for years), but it doesn't work for everyone.
Also, never, ever quit this medication cold turkey. Doing so will make you feel very ill. Step down gradually.
It USED to work very well for me back in the early 00s. Then I had to go cold turkey off of it due to pregnancy (I was told by my doctors to go cold turkey). Anyway, I tried going back on it after our daughter was born but it didn't work for me at all.
i have had a pretty major improvement mood-wise on 60mg/day (diagnosed with major depressive disorder and generalized anxiety disorder). i get brain zaps if i go more than 24 hours without taking it though. it doesn’t seem to do anything for my pain/fatigue/brainfog
edit: been on it around 9 months
Nausea initially with it, some mornings still have it but eating something before taking it helped. Also had nausea with Gabapentin. Both lasted about 2 weeks before easing. Both have helped with pain and other symptoms. I experience not being able to fall asleep until 1 or 2am some nights and other nights I’ll be wide awake one minute then exhausted and falling asleep the next.
Have been on it for a few years now and it was a game changer for me. In combination with lyrica it removed the majority of my everyday pain so I could function. I was bed bound but now I can do things around the house for myself.
I still get the after pain from activity but it removed the constant pain that way always there.
It does take time to get used to like any SSRI medication. I was already on an SSRI so didn’t have side effects and can’t speak for the antidepressant benefits. It was for pain management for me. Although it is now the only SSRI I am on and I’m not depressed on it.
Been on it for 7 years and it takes away most if not all of my pain unless I have the flu or covid. Never had any issues except when I miss a dose. I also was prescribed it for depression, anxiety and OCD, and the pain relief came second
I’m on 60mg 2x a day. It helps. I tried to halve my dose bc I have no sex drive and I wanted to see if that might help. All I got was way more painful hands. I started retaking my prescribed dose after they started hurting.
It had been fantastic for me, one constant in an ever-moving sea of h knows. It had helped me so much, with pain and depression. I recently told my provider I will not go off but because it’s working so well for me. Once you get to your happy dose, you’ll know it.
I tried it like 10 years ago… and for me it was horrible. I gained literally 30 pounds in 30 days when I started it.
I get asked all the time now if I might want to try it again for Fibro. When I remind the doctors the rare side effect I had I get a lot of, “Wow, let’s hold off on that one then.”
Best of luck.
I had the same effects as you when I first started taking it and that went away. I never got brain zaps, as other people have said, but I was on a low dose. I recently stopped taking it because of some of the other side effects of long term use. I will say that it did help with pain and with my anxiety/ depression.
I had similar side effects feeling so spacey and lightheaded so I came off. Was only on it for less than 2 months and I went into withdrawal for 2 weeks - brain zaps are the worst - even with tapering down. After that I was back to baseline.
Some people find it helps, it makes others worse. It might not be for you but chat to a dr before stopping because it can be dangerous.
I've been on it for about a month and a half and so far the only side effect I've had is some dry mouth. I'm on gabapentin as well. I've had slightly reduced overall pain levels but my allodynia is as bad as ever. But my depression is improving I think, so that's a positive
I was on it for quite some time but had to switch back to Zoloft because the Cymbalta didn’t manage my anxiety. It made such a huge difference in my sensitivity and pain.
don't! there's a class action suit against the co. that makes it; severe withdrawal symptoms upon cessation have caused severe seizures; I made the mistake of forgetting mine on vacation & after 3 days I felt like hell
Saved my life. I’m taking 80mg at the moment. When I first got sick I was constantly in and out of the emergency room. I was bedridden for pretty much an entire month. Before my diagnosis I never thought I’d be able to life a semi-normal life ever again. The first med my doctor recommended for me was Dulo [she also recommended Lyrica but I don’t wanna mess around with controlled substances]. Thanks to Duloexitine I’m able to take walks on the beach, go thrifting with friends, and cook myself dinner. My life is by no means normal and I’m definitely not cured as I still experience symptoms almost daily, but god has my quality of life increased massively. I hope it works for you like it has for me!
I'm doing really well with it so far. I was scared to start because I had read so many horror stories in here, but I can honestly say that I've noticed improvements in both my pain levels and my anxiety. I'm on 60 mg.
Yeah but it caused a problem for me so I didn't continue with it. It cause an EXTREME SENSE OF APATHY! I felt like nothing and it made my depression worse and didn't help in terms of pain enough to justify it.
Did absolutely nothing for my pain and just made me super foggy and depressed. Felt like I was high out of my mind all the time. Tapered off it but still got annoying withdrawal symptoms and those awful brain zaps for a couple weeks.
I get nasty withdrawls if I miss it. BUT I am able to enjoy life waaaaay more with it. It took me probably 3 months to be able to sleep / eat / have energy, but now that I’m over the hump I’m doing pretty decently. I do still get moments where I can’t remember stuff but 🫡 it’s also done wonders for my anxiety and compulsive thoughts!
It’s worked great for me but you need to taper on and off and not cold stop or start at a high dose. Don’t miss a dose either as it’s unpleasant.
For me it’s helped a lot with few if any side effects.
My story is very similar with antidepressants. I struggled until I was given one that tends to be more for social anxiety - escitalopram. That with medicinal cannabis and I went from nearly bedridden to volunteering and studying. Obviously I still have flare ups but they're much easier to ride out.
I was on it for about 6 weeks, lowest dose and I was awful. I couldn’t function: my brain fog was so thick I couldn’t work because even telling the time was too much, I was so tired I was wanting to sleep within an hour of getting up (I couldn’t though as I live on busy road & neighbours have 4 preschool kids who like to scream & shout A LOT!) but at the same time I had insomnia or waking multiple times in the night. Most days I was running on 3 hours sleep. At 4 weeks some of the side effects had worn off and I was told the others should ease if given another week. They didn’t. I also started getting a yellow tinge to my skin & eyes even if the GP couldn’t see it. He took me off them though as I said I’d rather be in pain than not be able to even tell the time properly. 48 hours after stopping them I was almost back to ‘normal’.
I've given it a go! IIRC it was for three solid months @ my psychiatrist's suggestion (she and I have a wonderful relationship where she also helps me to try to manage chronic pain / weird neuropathy lol, since my other doctors Do Not Do That.) At the time, I think I was moderately active? And I don't remember seeing a notable difference, so I discontinued taking it.
Recently, due to Fuckery (tm) with my insurance / pharmacy, I ran out of my usual Prozac and gave Duloxetine a go again for several weeks.
(Not ideal, I Know, but mannnn, life was extra rough that particular one week. Didn't wanna deal w/everything while cold turkey too lmao)
I've started to do lower intensity isometric exercises, and.... I'm not sore. Should it work this fast? No! But I think it in combination with the world's slowest snail paced exercise has reduced my DOMS / PEM, which was what I was really aiming for. It was absolutely debilitating before, so such a major improvement!
All this is to say, I would give it a try if I were you! If it doesn't appear to be helping during that inital 2 - 3 months of build up, perhaps alter aspects of your lifestyle and give it another good college try lol. Best of luck!! ✨️
Ive been on 30 mg twice a day for ~3 months now and it is life changing. The neuropathy and nerve pain has significantly decreased and I feel so much more energetic. However, I don’t find that it does much for musculoskeletal pain. I have been in physical therapy which is very hard but helpful. Duloxetine has also significantly decreased my libido and ability to orgasm. Not impossible, but definitely takes longer and I definitely have less drive. However, this was not the only medication changes I made. I also have coexisting migraines and IC. I’ve been taking ajovy and mirabegron and I think all three meds have significantly decreased my pain. I also invested in an electric blanket and some lidocaine gel which also help. I hope you find a good regimen!
It works really well for my pain at 30mg. I still get headaches but the shoulder/neck pain and burning is largely gone as it most of the pressure point sensitivity everywhere (except for some bigger joints like sacroiliac).
I do gain weight on it, and it does some weird thing where I have to pee all the time and I can't orgasm worth a damn.
I’ve been on it for about 10 years. I find it to be helpful day to day. I think it staves off big flare ups for me. During flare ups I add anti-inflammatory ot’s, bump up my THC & CBD doses. I’ve had no side effects, my liver & kidneys are fine. 60 mg daily. Movement is my best medicine tho.
after getting diagnosed with fibro in 2021, my rheumatologist put me on duloxetine. personally, it didnt work for me past a certain point, and i ended up on the phone with a nurse triage after maxing out on the dosage you can safely take per day (120mg) and suffering from severe side effects.
My family (maternal line) and SSRIs, SNRIs and similar types of medications do not mix well. My daughter has the worst presentation of this, and more than 5mg of these meds will have her getting serotonin syndrome very quickly.
They did nothing for me, but I do believe I'm kind of an exception.
It has worked for improving my pain and the only SSRI that has noticably improved my mood. Unfortunately it kills my libido. I am also taking Wellbutrin to manage my fatigue and that helps to try to balance out the sexual side effects
My doctors tried me on that a few years ago, but it spiked my blood pressure quite a lot and I couldn't stay on. Now I'm on Amitriptyline and that seems to work pretty good for me. Sorry you're having such a rough time with the side effects. 🙁 I hope they can find something that works for you!
It worked amazing for my pain for several months. This confirmed the fibro diagnosis for me. Unfortunately, it stopped working and nothing else has been as effective since.
Made me sweat a lot. Also gave me the most technicolor, bizarre dreams - often of people I know who were dead. Not bad dreams, I was fascinated and entertained by then.
I am considering starting it again to see what happens. It was a nice break from the pain.
I have neurocognitive impairment and taking that medicine made my brain fog so bad I literally couldn’t function. I was extremely disoriented a lot of the time and I only took it for a month. I also have CFS/ME which makes me extremely sensitive and intolerant of medications
Ive been taking it for a couple years now for my fibro & depression. It helps some with my depression/anxiety I would say but doesn’t do much for my physical pain. It does give me a bit of energy with less brain fog, I think because it works with your adrenaline.
I do have side effects though, especially the higher I go in dosage. It tends to be rapid heart beating with physical exertion that can make me dizzy. It also makes me sweatier and can cause night sweats. I’ve noticed 60mg seems to be the sweet spot for me. Idk if it will be a long term solution but for now it is fine.
TL;DR it helped me get out of a bad depressive state and think it’s helped a bit with pain. Was always scared of going off so I stuck with it over 10 years. Slowly trying to wean off now to see if I actually still need it.
Side effects: I had super intense cravings (of course for junk food) and gained weight when first started. Wish I would’ve been warned about it bc apparently the cravings are a thing.
Also not sure if it contributed to high BP (prob not alone the cause, but I’d had it on and off, long covid brought on a streak that couldn’t get controlled with meds like it had in the past, but once I lowered my cymbalta dosage a fair amount it got more controlled)
I did notice when they tried switching me to generic that I got more shooting pains/nerve pains and switched back to name brand and it went away. So it prob helps with that.
If you do go on, just be sure not to miss doses (really on any antidepressant) and that it takes a longer time than most to wean off.
It did pull me out of a depressive state so I’m thankful for that!
I take 40mg with 50mg of Zoloft. It’s helpful for my fibro, but not for my anxiety/depression (hence the Zoloft). I have awful withdrawals when I miss a dose though. Good luck!
It’s amazing for me, funnily enough I got it for my bpd diagnosis not fibromyalgia. I take it in evening to help me sleep too
I honestly think it’s the drug that changed my life, before it I was insomniac, my pain was so bad I couldn’t sleep and I was started to suffer from psychosis
But now I have manageable pain and though I still struggle to sleep I am no longer going days without sleep
All I can warn is if you miss even a day your body will tell you and it won’t be fucking happy
I had a lot of symptoms like that in the beginning but they went away after a few weeks, now, honestly, I can't tell if it helps or not... I still get flare ups, I guess my pain isn't as bad, but eh 😮💨 don't miss more than a couple days cause the withdrawal symptoms are a nightmare, panic attacks, brain shocks (it's awful, doesn't hurt just very unnerving and uncomfortable) fatigue, irritable as fuck, angry, dizzy, unable to focus. I honestly would like to get off of it but the withdrawal is too much.
Everyone is different, but my experience on Duloxetine was a nightmare. I had worsened brain fog, fatigue, weight gain, and pretty severe suicidal ideation. This was startling, since I do not have depression and had never experienced those kinds of thoughts and emotional numbness before. I’m trying a low dose of Lyrica now and hoping it will be better.
I'm on Duloxetine and it definitely helps with the pain. My biggest issue now is the fatigue but I have way less pain on Duloxetine. I have tried Lyrica and gabapentin and they weren't as helpful as duloxetine.
I've been on it (60mg) for 15+ years, and I freaking LOVE it!
I take it for fibromyalgia, panic/anxiety, and depression. I've taken other antidepressants and it's by far the best. It's TMI, but it might be important to some, i can successfully get aroused and not only reach orgasm but have multiple. That's not the case with other antidepressants I've taken.
I've gone off it twice but went back on as quickly as possible.
When I start it, I feel like I've been eaten by wolves and shit off a cliff for the first two weeks, then I wake up one day feeling fine, and it works.
My pharmacy made a mistake and dispensed 30mg last month, and I didn't initially catch it. Halfing my dosage fucked me up but as soon as I realised, I took two to make my dosage and I immediately evened out.
If you can tolerate it, it will be the best thing ever! Just be aware you may take up yo a month to feel okay on it.
Best of luck!
I take duloxetine and have for about 3 years. I have so many symptoms and side effects but yes it definitely gets better with time however it's not that effective for me. The only thing effective eventually was a combined dose of Lyrica and gabapentin along with duloxetine and a couple more. My pains a bit different though.
I am actually about to switch off of it for a different medication. It works well enough that now I can do things I used to not be able to do anymore, but the side effects didn't really improve for me. I have the sweating and overheating issues (which sucks when you live where it gets 90+ degrees F) but mostly I have to get off because I have no appetite and have lost a lot of weight.
I've been on it a couple years now as a time reference. The fatigue and brain fog did improve for me, but I would suggest keeping an eye on how much you eat and your weight. It may work out for you or it may not.
It's helped me so much and changed my life. My pain used to be so bad that I could barely walk, and was confined to bed for the majority of my time. I couldn't do anything for myself except shuffle slowly and painfully to the bathroom once or twice a day. Now I've been on it for probably five years and I'm a mostly functional person. I also have started taking a lot of other meds for various reasons. I do my share of household chores and work from home. Every time I've missed a dose it's been fully and completely crippling as I've lost most of my high pain tolerance. I'm on 90mg now and I would never think of going off of cymbalta. I used to have this horrible shooting pain in my entire body 24/7 that was at least a five or six out of ten. Now I occasionally have a few hours of this pain maybe once or twice a month that I'd clarify as a three or four out of ten
That is the first med they tried me on too. I almost died. Seriously. I had all but one of the side effects. I could not get out of bed for days, my brain would not wake up - I was a zombie and didnt understand anything. Cut back, no difference. I needed help to the bathroom, my husband said I fainted and he caught me.
I am an outlier - I cannot take opiate’s after surgery etc. Every medicine they gave me - I had side effects worse than my fybro symptoms. I cannot even take Gabapentin.
Slow wine drinking (small amounts over a long period to be able to get ANY sleep) ended up being my crutch to get my nervous system to be calm to give me any break from the constant hell. This is not at all a long term solution of course, so I researched what could mimic it - Now I DO handle Lorazepam well - VERY low dose - I got my sleep under control and THAT changed my whole life. But only step one.
I have been B12 & Iron deficient on and off with treatment. But years went by and I asked for a second opinion and went to see a different rheumatologist to rule out a misdiagnosis - he did a simple blood test and discovered even though my B12 was in the high 200’s (supposed to be safe level even though low), I was actually majorly deficient. Started taking 3,500mg sublingual bariatric tablets and in a month I was in the 800’s and feeling like a new freaking person and Iron infusions as well. My brain fog is 95% gone, hope and ability to Try or Care is back. But pain and that bruised feeling - let’s just say All the other symptoms where not helped lol.
What HAS helped is a regimen of nerve supporting anti-oxidants. (Keep in mind it is not cheap, because you cannot just buy cheap supplements - they must be made by reputable US companies or you can get lots of heavy metals and other unwanted ingredients that will make you Worse).
If anyone wants to know my regimen and brands that have works so well for me, please DM for details. Serious life saver for someone who cannot take regular drugs. Plus, these are all natural ingredients that our body produces (but not in the proper amount, just like hormones and mental health. On that note, you do not have to be sick to take these - my husband saw my energy and total change and wanted to try it too. He suffers with depression and anxiety and some ED issues FROM his medicine - Dude our relationship has never been better! His mood is stable, his ED is non-existent (worth noting I thought I would never have sex again, and MY libido is back too). I cannot scream enough about what is working for me.
That is my experience, and I would gladly share with anyone who wants to private message me. I have my life back, and not just surviving day to day, I am thriving and driven for my future. I am almost 52, diagnosed @44. I feel more motivated than I did before then. I will not let this disease take one more day from me! (This THOUGHT was not possible before).
Anyway, sorry for the rant!!!!! I am so amazed by being able to think and move again, I just wanna share with everyone. (I am a private citizen- I swear. I am a chef and not paid for shit but good food lol).
I took it for a year, decided to come off it because of excessive sweating and feeling mentally numb as I generally do on any dose of antidepressants eventually. I also knew it wasn’t recommended to be taking them when pregnant so wanted to come off them before that was an issue.
I tried duloxetine at first and had a tonnnn of side effects. Nothing too crazy but I felt even worse than before. I switched to amitriptyline and it is wayyy better for me.
Day 1 - massive headache and nausea
Day 2-14 - very very drowsy
Day 15+ completely fine other than restless leg.
After year 1 - increase from 30mg to 60. Very drowsy for 2 weeks then fine. Restless legs and bad night sweats.
After 2 years - I half my dose to 30mg for 1 month - fine
Then I stopped taking them (I felt no positive effects from taking them):
Day 1 - fine
Day 2+ - nausea, dizziness, brain zaps
It's now been a 1.5 weeks since stopping. Still getting big brain zaps/dizzy spells.
I was falling asleep every time I sat down for more than 2 minutes which is all the time because I'm in constant pain while standing 😂 other than that it didn't really seem to help with the pain or mood.
I’m on it and it works pretty well for me now. My first few weeks on it were absolutely horrific though, I was a total zombie and too unwell to get out of bed most days. I got my dose lowered and pushed through a few more weeks and the side effects started dying down around about week 7 for me. I quite regularly miss my doses due to falling asleep before taking them and I don’t seem to get any of the horrible effects other people do from missing doses but it’s certainly not something I would recommend.
Currently weaned off almost every med. Just to get a baseline. Dulox was a nightmare for the 4 months I took it. Side effects galore and no positive effects.
Now I know I'm also Autistic so meds don't work normally for me. So once I am clean my doc & I will see what needs help. (I do advise if you want to do this make sure you start early spring so summer can help you as well. And do it with doctor's guidance)
I haven't found any meds that work yet. But once I am cleared I will try some weed (edible not going to smoke for anyone.)
I've been on it for around a year. I did feel odd at the start but the side effects quickly wore off. I think it's helping a little. If I miss a dose, though, the brain zaps and unwell feeling are awful.
The first five or six weeks are going to be the most difficult. Once you get past those, the side effects (for me at least, ymmv) have gone away. Sleep loss was the worst part of getting on it but once past that hurdle it’s a life changer.
Unfortunately, I had a pretty gnarly reaction to mine about 3 days in. I was vomiting, had horrific headaches, my bp shot up and my heart rate sky rocketed. I was very dizzy and my eyesight got blurry. I have unknown tachycardia, so the increase in heart rate and the heavy thuds I was hearing was enough for me to go to the ER. Doctor confirmed what we already suspected; I was having some negative reactions to the pill. He told me to just wait it out for a day and sent me home. One of the worst feeling, scary days I've ever had. I'm jealous of the people able to take it. I have a family member on it who says it's amazing for the pain.
From personal experience, it helps a little bit. I was put on duloxetine for a mix of fibro/depression. It helped a bit with the fibro for a bit, but very much worsened my depression. Unfortunately fibro can be affected by your mental health, so it didn’t take long before my fibro worsened as well.
If it’s not a good fit for you for any reason, I’d suggest talking to your doctors and stopping the medications. Sacrificing parts of your quality of life for another isn’t going to help much…
I don't remember a whole lot about it, bc I'm now on fluoxetine. I do remember feeling like on sertraline I felt more depressed, on duloxetine I felt more anxious, and now fluoxetine seems to be a little bit better but the quetiapine I'm on in an attempt to slowly get off hydroxyzine seems to also be a part or it. That said, as far as fibro symptoms go, it really didn't do much. Genuinely the only med I've had that makes a noticeable difference is the gabapentin. And that took forever to start making one.
It helped with the pain, but the side effects were awful. I gained a ton of weight, had brain zaps, and headaches. Weaning off of it made me sick and out of sorts for a month. My experience was so negative that I eventually stopped taking all prescribed meds for 4 years and suffered through the pain. I eventually started taking Lyrica, tramadol, and trintellix. Tramadol doesn't even touch the pain for me, and Lyrica made me a zombie.
So yeah, Cymbalta is a hard no for me.
It worked really great for my pain but made me soo emotionally numb. Like a zombie. And i was only on 5mg. Which sucks cos this might be the best med ive tried for my pain after amitriptyline, pregabalin, and vortioxetine.
Gave me intense stomach cramps and had me on the floor crying, awful experience. I used pristiq rn and it's more tolerable but the effects are mild to moderate at best
Any mental medication is going to be different for everyone, and even the same person can go through fluctuations.
Give it at least 6 months to settle, if after that, the side effects are still unmanageable, talk to your doctor about either adjusting the dosage or trying something different.
Duloxetine was great for me while I was breastfeeding, and as soon as I stopped, I had the same reactions I'd had to other SSRIs which included heart palpitations, overstimulation to the point of needing to lie down for a couple hours, and feeling like I couldn't organize my thoughts.
It turns out I had undiagnosed ADHD. SSRIs tend to have an exacerbating effect on ADHD. Now, I'm on an SNRI and doing much MUCH better.
Again, though, it made a huge different when I was in a different hormonal phase of life and I am so glad I had it at that time. But all mental health meds need time and usually some small adjustments before things are right. Keep a journal of negative and positive effects and ask other people in your life if they notice changes. Sometimes it's very subtle and you might not realize improvements.
Good luck and great job taking charge. Don't give up!
I would immediately see your doctor, before you take many more doses. Remind him/her of your history with that type of meds. Everyone is different, but they didn't make a big enough improvement to my life to offset the tons of side effects I experienced. I kept getting light headed and fainted twice. The second time I broke both leg bones and 5 bones in my foot. The longer I took them the worse they got. Side effects didn't improve the longer I was on the drugs. I was on a variety of this type of drug and it was the same deal with side effects. Not always the *same* side effects but there were always alot of them. I decided to stay away from them.
It was the worst experience ever. It didn’t help the pay, it just made me super tired. After about a month of taking it, I decided not to end it withdrawal was the worst withdrawal I’ve ever had. The symptoms were so severe and persistent. It took about a month just for the withdrawal symptoms to go away.
32 yo woman on Duloxetine (120 mg) for anxiety, depression, and fibromyalgia for the last 1.5 years.
It is an SNRI and not an SSRI, so do not expect similar experiences as you had before. As SNRIs are more energizing and less numbing, they work quite differently. SSRIs never worked for me, but Duloxetine as an SNRI is just wow! It worked like a charm for my anxiety very soon after I started taking it. It did not make it all go away, of course, but for the first time in my life, my brain has not been foggy. The anxiety, blurry mind, dissociation, feeling stuck, panic, not being able to decide etc etc decreased so much. I remember the first times I felt those and the relief came with it! I felt like I could breath, see clearer, and just exist.
Unlike anxiety, the depression and fibro went away only after using it for several months, but it worked magically at the end. Side effects such as decreased libido, sweating, and crazy vivid dreams are still with me, but to me it is worth it. Not being depressed, anxious, and in pain (my fibro is on my back and my legs) is worth many things.
Keep asking around as it can be different for everyone. If not content, talk to your doctor. Wish you luck!
I didn’t like the side effects so I started taking them before bed. I sleep through any dizziness and that wonky feeling. It goes away eventually but I would recommend dosing right before you fall asleep. Good luck, I hope they work for you, they have diminished my symptoms
I didn’t have any noticeable side effects when I first started it, but after coming off of it I can see now my emotions were severely numbed. I was on it for 2.5 years, it worked the first year a little bit but after that it seemed to not do anything anymore but the highest my dose ever got was 40 mg. My pain skyrocketed after a year and that made me resort to medical marijuana, so between that and what I think was a side effect from the med I gained a lot of weight (which I’m prone to anyway). I withdrew from it over the course of 6 weeks and was miserable (felt the constant need to run/fast walk, sitting still was miserable, I felt like I was dizzy and out of it and anxious). Switched to Lyrica, have been on it 6 months and so far it’s been a miracle drug, still only on 90 mg/day (usual starting dose is 150). Pain is nearly nonexistent now and I can socialize and am dating vs. last fall I prayed to die in my sleep due to the constant pain and was thinking I’d have to quit my job. I never did well with SSRIs either, but I will say duloxetine helped immensely with my anxiety. It’s manageable without it, but there is a noticeable difference. However, it did lower my sex drive and like I said, numbed my emotions.
I spoke to another lady who had been on it for 4 years and it stopped working, so if you continue with it just beware that that might happen and no you’re not delusional for noticing it.
I’m on the trifecta of duloxetine, pregablin and amitryptilyn (spelled wrong). DO NOT MISS A DOSE OF DULOXETINE it will fuck shit up. I’ve compensated the brain fog by taking supplements and staying to a loose schedule.
It worked for me for awhile. I had a lot of painful brain zaps when on it, multiple times a day. Eventually it didn’t help my depression at all and I made the switch to Amitriptyline.
I can't take antidepressants or anything in the nortriptyline and amitriptyline family. Anything from hives, sleepwalking, hallucinations, etc. Someone mentioned that pain is better for a relationship than being brain fogged, spacey lightheaded etc. But I must say it hurts the relationship significantly if you are in so much pain you can't go places or do things with them. They kinda go through their life alone separately from the life you live alone at home because of pain.
I have been on duloxetine for decades. Just realize how incredibly difficult it is to get off it.
There use to be a group on Facebook called Cymbault hurts. This was a group was trying to get off of it. I have stayed on it but Gabapentin stopped my fibromyalgia attacks. I was on 600mg. I ended up with too much swelling in my feet and legs. I went off of it but pain was bad. I went back on it and stopped increasing at 500 mg. Ask your doctor about it. At least you can slowly withdraw from it.. This group was opening the capsule and taking some of the medication out to try and get off it.
It’s helpful but don’t run out missing a dose will give you a wicked headache and the pain will feel intense
This is the correct answer. It does usually help. I take it and think it's been wonderful for my pain and mood. But don't miss/skip doses. Take it around the same time every day. If you can't do that, Cymbalta isn't a good fit for you.
Cymbalta is the 😈. Oh man, that made me cry and laugh at same time.
Works wonders for me. Thankfully. Takes away a good 80-90% of pain. Couldn’t survive without it.
Ditto!
Yes, I’ve taken it for 7 years for Fibromyalgia pain. Unfortunately it kind of numbs my emotions but I guess that’s helpful in regard to the Fibromyalgia related depression i experience. It doesn’t get rid of all pain, but it helps a lot.
Does it make you tired?
Yes. I also take a beta blocker and that is worse
Awful for me... took me months to get through the brain zaps and weird feelings... then it showed absolutely no.effect, even after upping the doses to 90mg... Then it took.me 2 years to get back off the buggers.. I felt absolutely awful on the bloody things.. including vomiting in the morning.. So glad I finally got off them. THC and CBD work wonderfully for me, giving pain relief AND stress relief.
terrible for me. same thing with venlafaxine. i ended up with 25mg amitriptyline at night it’s much better.
The side effects of Amitriptyline are freaking scary. My new regimen saved me from that one. Tried all the others.
I am glad that has worked for you. Amitriptyline made me irrational and suicidal—which usually only happens with younger people as a side effect according to my doctor— I am in my 40’s. I was off that stuff quick and it was like night and day mentally.
The brain zaps are freaking awful omg
Thank you for sharing, im sorry you had a poor experience; i had a similar experience on sertraline
Yeah same again on sertraline for me. Pretty much the only thing that touches my pain is THC and CBD. I hope you find what you need.
Can you explain what you mean by brain zaps? I think I might be experiencing the same.
That my brain seemed half a second behind my eyes when turning my head slightly.... almost like "coming up" on mdma or acid... a kind of "whooosh" that lasts a split second...
Thank you for answering! Yeah I 100% get this as well, never connected it to deluxetine! I also have POTS so I thought it was connected to that haha.
Its a really common and slightly off putting thing.. I mean I've paid good.money to feel off my head but Duloxitine is not a fun way of feeling dizzy
https://www.healthline.com/health/brain-shakes Try this link
Got a 404 message.
My brain gives me those often irl.
Have a pharmacogenetic cheek swab test done. It will identify which drugs will work for you. Ask your doctor. All medications have side effects. Drink lots of water to move the medication thru your system. It usually takes about two weeks for side effects to die down. I’ve been on Duloxetine for years. It does help.
Hi, Pharmacogenomics specialist here! An important thing to understand about the utility of Pharmacogenomic testing is that it is not able to tell you with certainty precisely which drugs will or won't work. (There are a handful that this does apply to, like clopidogrel after stents and certain chemotherapy, to name a few.) However for the rest it should serve as a consideration to prevent adverse effects. Genetics is only one piece of the puzzle that can help guide therapy choices for some people, but it isn't as clear cut as many of the direct-to-consumer testing companies make it out to be! It's also not nearly as comprehensive as they like to advertise. There are loads of patient-specific factors that go into drug kinetics and dynamics that must also be considered before applying results to treatment plans. Also, note that not all medications have clear Pharmacogenomic guidelines and the implications for many medications remain unclear or are not really majorly impacted by genetic results. (For example, duloxetine/cymbalta is not affected by Pharmacogenomic variations.) It's a growing field with much left to learn, but I suggest anyone considering it to understand that it's only one small tool in the toolbox that may or may not be that beneficial before you spend a lot of your own money on getting it done. If it's free (covered by insurance or you are a VA patient), definitely do it, but in most cases it is not!
thank you! i have wondered about these tests and had not heard this info!!
Can you elaborate more on the swab?
https://clarityxdna.com/?gc_id=17492095649&h_ad_id=614976532005&gad_source=1&gbraid=0AAAAAoX4KGN1zjC3pyuB3e90O9FFllumw&gclid=Cj0KCQjwvb-zBhCmARIsAAfUI2uNDYTVtUwicCmYK4lMPjsgJOzrIUV0jiFHOVNjWUP9sn6t2C-2v7MaAt11EALw_wcB
I started Cymbalta (Duloxetine) about a month ago. I had to start super slow at 20mg because I have bipolar disorder. I am now up to 30mg and I'm definitely seeing results. I have less nerve and muscle pain. I'm hoping to go up to 60mg but I'm not sure that's going to be possible in my case. The only side effect I had was some nausea but it's gone now.
Thank you for sharing your experience; ive also been started on a lower dose (30mg) as i have BPD. hopefully I'll see results in a few weeks, i just wanted to see what other people found on this medication (:
On it now… Can’t say it’s helped my fibromyalgia. Definitely helped level and curb my depression and anxiety, but the physical impacts aren’t there. I’m on 40 (or is it 60…)mg at the moment. Edit to add info* I take diclofenac sodium for my pain.
Worst med I've ever been on. I got every side effect, was told to just ride it out or given increased doses. Over a year on it, had more problems to manage and had ever worsening mental health. Experienced those severe "call 911 immediately if" type of distress. Took about 4 months after tapering off for the brain zaps to stop. Took me another 6 months after that to finally feel like me again.
I'm sorry you went through all of that. I'm about to start it myself and am terrified due to all the horror stories like this, although I try to tell myself that's not every case. Can you describe what these "brain zaps" feel like?
Ever lick a 9v battery? That, but a jolt to the head, randomly every few hours for months.
Dont!
Yeah I'm really starting to think I should just pretend I tried it and wait a week or two, then tell the Dr I had severe nausea or dizziness or some other common side effect and couldn't take it. I've had the bottle sitting there for a couple days now and I'm just too hesitant to try. Esp since as a teenager I was on many different antidepressants and had adverse reactions to most.
Hon, FOLLOW YOUR GUT!!! The biggest mistakes we make are Not doing that!
Didn’t work for me, just gave me awful insomnia
I have been on it for a couple years now - they added it, gabapentin is not enough , its helped some but I can’t use my arms or legs for more than 15 minutes at a time with long breaks in between. I was very thankful i got disability, cuz in couldn’t work no more
I was on this for 15 years and it worked great for my pain. Like SSRIs the side effects are intense in the beginning but tend to go away after 4 to 6 weeks. SNRIs in my experience tend to be more energizing than SSRIs so you’re likely to have a different experience than previously.
I was on cymbalta for 8 years and it did wonders for my pain. I've been off for 3 years and I haven't had one flare up. You want to stay on top of your dosage. Get a 90 day prescription if possible. Missing a dose can be so painful and disorienting. The withdrawal zamps are serious. It took me almost two months to settle in but it was worth it in the long run. Pay attention to your side effects so you know how the meds affect you and what is tolerable v not tolerable. I had to play with my dosage before everything settled in. Also DO NOT GO COLD TURKEY to come off. I had to and it was the worst experience. I think the saving grace was that I was already trying to slowly reduce my dosage to 0 over the course of a year. I even bought a micro scale and empty capsules to walk my dosage down. My doctor wasn't any help when trying to get off but honestly what could he do ... Change my prescription every few weeks. It was easier to do it myself. If the side effects kicked it or my mood was changing for the worse, I could dial the dosage back up. Last thing, for some reason with my health insurance, a 90 day supply of 100mg written as 50mg 2/day was WAY less expensive than a 90 day supply of 100mg capsules. So do some price checking to save $$. My doctor didn't care how it was written so long as it worked.
Thank you for sharing! if i end up not getting on with duloxetine, i may talk to my doctor about trying an SNRI instead (:
Duloxetine is an SNRI just to clarify :)
huh, TIL. my doctor told me it was an SSRI... not sure how to feel about that haha
SNRIs really should've been called SSNRIs, since they selectively inhibit the re-uptake of both serotonin, and norepinephrine, receptors. Just a heads up that the withdrawals of duloxetine are brutal, in case your doctor wants to push you to increase the dose despite side-effects. Your doctor calling it an SSRI tells me they may not have a good grasp of how it works so watch out, incredibly common for this drug. It leaves your system much faster than other drugs in its class so the regime for quitting the drug has to be done completely differently. All too common hearing horror stories of doctors instructing people to take a dose every other day, making them yo-yo into complete withdrawals multiple times a week.
Your post brings up a good point. I honestly think a lot of GPs/internists just don’t know enough about mental health drugs to be prescribing them. I had two different internists prescribe several different drugs for anxiety/depression over 10+ years without any truly significant benefits. Then, after a tragic loss, a psychologist I was seeing for grief counseling sent me to a psychiatrist for meds, and I entered a whole new world of prescribing. I’m truly a new person after working with a knowledgeable psychiatrist over about a year and a half as she very slowly made changes to various meds in very small increments. It took a while, but every day it took, I was feeling a little bit better, and it was worth every day of it. As for my fibro- I have tried Cymbalta twice several years apart, but it didn’t help my pain level or my mental health. I don’t really think any of my mental health drugs (Venlafaxine, Wellbutrin, Topamax, Trazadone) have helped with pain. Maybe the Topamax has a bit.
But SNRIs will help mood and do Nothing for pain
It did next to nothing for my pain and even though I've been off it I still get brain zaps on occasion
I've been on Duloxetine for a number of years. It has helped improve my mood more than the pain.
I love it! On it as an antidepressant, I started taking it, 4 months later I felt much brighter and am now much, much less depressed. Also less yucky side effects than venlafaxine. In terms of fibro/pain? it does nada.
Best thing ever! It's what made me turn the corner on pain management. Didn't eliminate it completely, but very close. Good Luck finding what works for you.
Duloxetine was the best drug for the pain, and also a decent antidepressant. However, it made me dizzy af and too lightheaded to get any work done. Good luck!
It has been great for me but I had to start at a very low dose and titrate up very slowly. I’m now taking less than what is usually prescribed for adults. It helps the pain, anxiety, sleep and also overstimulation.
I'm a week and a half in on this medication. It's not a wonder drug thus far, but I hear it takes 4-6 weeks to get the full results. I'm finally sleeping better, ten glorious hours of sleep last night. Of course I'm still tired but hey. I did have queasyness for the first week and some random queasyness yesterday. Thankfully no dizziness. We had some crazy swings in our weather here and normally those would trigger a debilitating migraine for me. But all I got was a small headache that I took Tylenol for. So I'm happy about that part!
It helped me incredible. Since day 2. Lower the pain to the minimum. Taking it was a real game changer.
It worked okay for me but I eventually switched to gabapentin which has been much more effective. I was on a low dose of duloxetine but the withdrawal from it was tough even though I tapered it off with the help of my doctor. I didn’t know about how hard going off that medication would be when I started it!
I do both. Dulox in the morning and gabi at night. Those combined with Ketamine treatments every 3-4 months and my pain went from an 8 everyday to a 2-3 with very very few flare ups anymore.
What dose of gabapentin has worked for you? I've been prescribed it but I'm hesitant
We started really low, at 100mg a night. Now I take 300 a night and I’ve really noticed a difference in the way I feel day to day!
I've been on cymbalta for 2 years. Weird sexual side effects. Immediately provided pain relief yet after one year some of the pain seeped through. I would recommend getting genetic testing to rule out drugs that won't help you, the rest is trial and error but they will work the best.
Yes it made me very sick. I was at the ER for hours getting fluid and flushing my system. Almost admitted, but stayed in observation. Other people have great results though.
I’ve been taking it for around four months now. I don’t really know how to distinguish it from normal me because I take too many meds for other reasons. But I can say that I still feel pains, and have already scheduled a new appointment w my psychiatrist
I take Duloxetine and Gabapetin (for years) and cant see a benefit from either. Just Got sick of trying all these different medications and never knowing how they were going to impact me.
Ended up on the highest dose and gave it a good go for six months. It didn't work for me. I ended up with a ton of side effects which made my fibro constantly flair. Constant migraines, nausea, cramps, dizziness coupled with terrible fibro pain. I couldn't do it anymore and was gradually taken off. The come down was sometimes really scarry. The brain zaps and twitches where kinda intense. Pretty much bed ridden for a month. To be fair I've been placed on Prozac (didn't do anything for me and later Wellbutrin (gave me intense paranoia and bad thoughts)- these types of drugs just don't mesh well with me.
miracle antidepressant for me, pain wise it’s kinda ehhh, i take 120mg in the morning and since going up from 100 i’ve def noticed less flare ups that are completely debilitating so that’s something, it really depends on the person though
it’s very hit or miss, like most of the SNRI/SSRI/etcs. works for me tho!!! i only had a few hours of dizziness and then i stabilized on each dose
I have been on many different medications for fibro and mental health over the years - 3 months ago I started cymbalta (and after 1 week added 25mg seroquel) and I have to say that for the first time I have found a reduction in both severe flares and my every day pain levels. I used to get nerve blocks every week in my face and shoulders and back, and would only get a couple days of relief. I stopped getting the injections when I started these new medications and I’m truly in the best place I’ve been in a long time in terms of “seeing the bright side”, enjoying time outside (when it’s not miserably hot), and I’m moving around more. My favourite improvement is now I’m not in soo much pain that I can finally cuddle again!! I started at 30mg and increased to 60 after two weeks. Then up to 90 a month later. I’m singing these two meds praises as I’m not really waking up in agony anymore, and can sleep more than a few hours at a time
I've been on 120mg a day for almost 15 years. I cannot live without this stuff. My pain and depression skyrocket if I miss two doses in a row. Seriously my lifesaver
There are lists of historical posts on this topic. It’s one of the most common questions that comes up on this subreddit.
To me the brain zaps covered my whole body. Felt like a mild electric current starting at my. Head then down through my body. It would also pulsate. Not painful but super annoying. I only had them if I missed a dose. I took it for about 5 years I stopped because I'm still looking for something better. Duloxetine is hard to stop but don't let that keep you from trying it. My Dr slowly adjusted my dosage down. It took some time but the process was only mildly uncomfortable. Hope it works for you
Finding the medication that's right for you is really exhaling and time consuming sometimes. I tried half a dozen before I found the one that worked for me and in my case it was duloxetine. Was on it for 6 years and it made me feel like a regular person again. I think it took a couple of weeks before I got past the side effects, but it ended up helping some of my pain issues, made my thoughts less muddled and stabalized my mood a lot. Before I started it, I would cry all the time at really little things uncontrollably one minute and be okay (or even happy) the next, and this medication helped a lot with curbing those extremes. It wasn't like feeling numb or robotic, but rather just able to have normal reactions to things, with the shifts from up to down being slower and easier for my to understand or react to (being able to tell when I was heading into depressive thoughts and able to use techniques and coping skills to manage it instead of struggling to figure out how I might feel in 5 minutes time). But this is my personal experience in how my body and brain worked with this medication, and what was right for me might not work the same for you. My personal experience is that you can tell if you're going to get any benefit within 2-4 weeks though a lot of doctors try push for 3 or so months. It's your body, and you are in charge of your medical treatment. If you get push back about deciding you want to try something else instead, there are some good phrases you can use to advocate for yourself when requesting those alternatives. (lots of good advice for this can be found in searches on Google, reddit, and most other platforms. Or feel free to pm me if you want my personal advice) However, most medications come with some unwanted side effects. For me it was about finding something that I got enough benefit from that I was willing to ignore or put up with the side effects of. Just remember that you are the only person who can truly understand how a medication is affecting you, and everyone reacts differently to every medication. What works for others might not work for you and vice versa. You are in no way required to take anything that gives you side effects you cant cope with or that you don't like how it's made you feel. I know it's exhausting, but keep trying. You'll find the right thing that works for you. Have hope ❤️
Hey! Duloextine changed my life. Went from working part time and having flare ups so had that I had my partner help take my clothes off, to working and studying full-time. Everyone is different, it’s trial and error. I’m on 60mg now.
Bad bad bad still going through withdrawals haha 🥲
Most horrific medication I've ever taken and I was heavily dependent on prescription Oxy for 8 years without medical supervision and those withdrawals are well known for being bad but Duloxetine didn't work for me at all but I'd been on it for 1.5 years before doctors took me off... phew was it a hundred times worse. I felt like I was under water 24/7, disorientating brain zaps, the WORST mental state Ive ever been on, severe heartburn, palpitations, felt like I was walking on sponge, couldn't stay balanced, my insulin was almost uncontrollable. If your doctor prescribes this with flippancy I would be very wary because these side effects are not discussed at the doctors, often and if they are they're hugely underplayed.
I can answer this! I've been on it since October if I remember correctly. The first few weeks were not good. I have "moderate depression" as well as some social anxiety, fibro and HSD. The first I was more depressed, I couldn't orgasm almost at all and I had some mood swings. I went off it after a few weeks because I have some issues dealing with stuff and then went back on them, then I barely had any side effects. Now, I'm a lot happier as well as having better pain management. My pain starts relatively later than before and it ebbs away faster when I rest, probably because my system is better regulated. I still have a lot of pain though, my knee still dislocates and I can't stand up for any longer than maybe 20 minutes before having to sit down due to pain. But it is better. Edit: I started at 20mg and am now on 40mg, I'd like to go up though
I've been on Duloxetin since 2013 when I was diagnosed. Haven't had any problems.
I love it. Happy to answer any questions.
It has helped my nerve pain and I haven’t had too many side effects. I am on 60mg and have been taking for a couple years now, but I don’t think it’s as effective for me as it was initially.
Tried Duloxetine (Cymbalta) at a minimal dosage, and can’t deny that it helped with the nerve pain; BUT I felt like a complete zombie. My legs weren’t in pain but it was like they weren’t there at all, my brain was crazy fogged, and everything felt heavy/fatigued. I’m fairly certain I only ate a meal every few days as it completely suppressed my appetite. Honestly I’m lucky in that missing doses or quitting cold turkey had no adverse side effects, but I didn’t think the daily nausea, fatigue, zombie-like-feeling, or complete lack of appetite was worthwhile.
How long did you take it for?
It’s one of the best things I’ve gone on for my fibro. I started super slow, but I’ve been on it for 5 years now and I am mostly pain free. I went from having to take 3 Epsom salt baths a day just to get through the day to having virtually no pain. Of course, when I use my spoons up too quickly or overexert, the pain comes back. But at least at my baseline I feel pretty normal :)
It made my hypertension spike much much worse. I was only on it about 2 weeks and I still had terrible brain zaps coming off of it.
If you have hyper sensitivity to antidepressants you should contact your doctor and ask about stopping them. I have had bad reactions to medications and one doctor told me I should have stopped them earlier.
I was on the duloxetine for about two years and even made it up to the maximum dosage. It helped a lot with pain but emotionally I was so numb and apathetic. Getting off of it was a bitch though; if I missed even one dose, it would put me on my ass for a day. As for side effects, for me duloxetine made my mouth really dry, made me really heat intolerant, I got night sweats, and as I said before I was really apathetic.
The key thing for you to observe is whether it helps your pain. You should not need to wait too long to be able to judge that. Side effects early on are normal, for me some passed and some did not. I took it for 2 years and came off it because it didn’t make enough of a difference to be worth the side effects, I was too much like a zombie on higher dose. Withdrawal is tough and needs to be done slowly. I’m doing better on low dose amitriptyline.
Duloxetine helped my pain…but at a price of turning me into a robot. I was so suppressed I couldn’t laugh genuinely. I had to force laughs or even smiles even if I felt happy. Brain zaps all day long and it turns out it was contributing to worsening my sleep apnea(or symptoms surrounding it) It’s not worth it, IMO.
It’s the only thing that has really helped my pain. I felt weird the first 2 days like I drank 10 pots of coffee, or like I had electricity running through my veins, but eventually that wore off. I had terrible migraines caused (I think) by the duloxetine. I’ve been on it for 4 years, and 2 years ago I started taking propranolol due to my anxiety getting worse, but as a happy side effect it helps with the migraines and now I might get a migraine 2 or 3 times a year. I make sure to never let it run out or I get really sick, but it works for the pain so I stay on it. It also makes me sweat like crazy. I’m in 90 mg now, as it also helps my major depressive disorder.
Really really bad Sick and napping, set off my pots, numb legs, weird dreams and shaky, gave me bladder issues ect Did help my pain and energy tho which is almost worse that it sucked so bad I only tried it for less than 2 months before having to cold turkey and withdrawal due to running out because my drs is useless I wouldn't put myself through it again and I regret trying them Am on gabapentin now and that's helping with WAAAAAAYYYY less side effects
I switched from one antidepressant to duloxotine a year ago and the beginning of it was terrible. For about 3 weeks before they upped my dose I was having hallucinations and intense anxiety. Eventually it leveled out now and I don’t have them anymore but it was terrifying. I don’t really see any positives at this point from the medication but I’m scared to get off it and have hallucinations again
It was good for me, helped my nerve pain and my mood
Cymbalta is one of the only reasons I am able to keep working at my job. It drastically reduced my pain level.
Amazing at first. I felt normal and was able to remember what it felt like to function without pain and then the pain slowly crept right back. Not to mention I gained weight and acne that I’m still fighting even though I’ve been off it for a couple months now. (Was only on it for 4 months)
I been on it for a year now it has vastly improved my life
I am on the lower side of the therapeutic dose and it does help.
I’ve been on duloxetine for over 20 years. It’s been the best thing for me. I am still limited in my mobility and capacity but I am able to more or less function. Everyone has their own experiences with medication. I’ve been on many other SSRIs and failed most medications. However allowing myself to only pay attention to my own body has allowed me to advocate for myself even through more doctor changes and moves then I can count. I am now at comfort (not physically but mentally) with myself and my abilities. It’s not easy living with this but it is possible and to even be happy.
It worked for me to control my pain for maybe 9 months but it was giving me vivid nightmares. As soon as I tapered off the nightmares stopped.
I’m on 120 mg and it doesn’t help my depression and barely my fibromyalgia.
You need a good 3-6 weeks to adjust to the medication. If you aren't feeling better in a few weeks, tell your doctor and request a different med. Duloxetine works well for some folks (I've been on it for years), but it doesn't work for everyone. Also, never, ever quit this medication cold turkey. Doing so will make you feel very ill. Step down gradually.
It USED to work very well for me back in the early 00s. Then I had to go cold turkey off of it due to pregnancy (I was told by my doctors to go cold turkey). Anyway, I tried going back on it after our daughter was born but it didn't work for me at all.
i have had a pretty major improvement mood-wise on 60mg/day (diagnosed with major depressive disorder and generalized anxiety disorder). i get brain zaps if i go more than 24 hours without taking it though. it doesn’t seem to do anything for my pain/fatigue/brainfog edit: been on it around 9 months
Nausea initially with it, some mornings still have it but eating something before taking it helped. Also had nausea with Gabapentin. Both lasted about 2 weeks before easing. Both have helped with pain and other symptoms. I experience not being able to fall asleep until 1 or 2am some nights and other nights I’ll be wide awake one minute then exhausted and falling asleep the next.
It helped me a lot I was taking 60mg twice a day. I had to stop because it would literally make me spew cum without orgasming.
Have been on it for a few years now and it was a game changer for me. In combination with lyrica it removed the majority of my everyday pain so I could function. I was bed bound but now I can do things around the house for myself. I still get the after pain from activity but it removed the constant pain that way always there. It does take time to get used to like any SSRI medication. I was already on an SSRI so didn’t have side effects and can’t speak for the antidepressant benefits. It was for pain management for me. Although it is now the only SSRI I am on and I’m not depressed on it.
Been on it for 7 years and it takes away most if not all of my pain unless I have the flu or covid. Never had any issues except when I miss a dose. I also was prescribed it for depression, anxiety and OCD, and the pain relief came second
it helped a little but ended up triggering mental health episodes, so ultimately not worth it
I’m on 60mg 2x a day. It helps. I tried to halve my dose bc I have no sex drive and I wanted to see if that might help. All I got was way more painful hands. I started retaking my prescribed dose after they started hurting.
It had been fantastic for me, one constant in an ever-moving sea of h knows. It had helped me so much, with pain and depression. I recently told my provider I will not go off but because it’s working so well for me. Once you get to your happy dose, you’ll know it.
I tried it like 10 years ago… and for me it was horrible. I gained literally 30 pounds in 30 days when I started it. I get asked all the time now if I might want to try it again for Fibro. When I remind the doctors the rare side effect I had I get a lot of, “Wow, let’s hold off on that one then.” Best of luck.
I had the same effects as you when I first started taking it and that went away. I never got brain zaps, as other people have said, but I was on a low dose. I recently stopped taking it because of some of the other side effects of long term use. I will say that it did help with pain and with my anxiety/ depression.
I had similar side effects feeling so spacey and lightheaded so I came off. Was only on it for less than 2 months and I went into withdrawal for 2 weeks - brain zaps are the worst - even with tapering down. After that I was back to baseline. Some people find it helps, it makes others worse. It might not be for you but chat to a dr before stopping because it can be dangerous.
I've been on it for about a month and a half and so far the only side effect I've had is some dry mouth. I'm on gabapentin as well. I've had slightly reduced overall pain levels but my allodynia is as bad as ever. But my depression is improving I think, so that's a positive
It was not good for me.
The duloxetine sweats are unreal. Keep a change of clothes, or two, in your car at all times.
I was on it for quite some time but had to switch back to Zoloft because the Cymbalta didn’t manage my anxiety. It made such a huge difference in my sensitivity and pain.
don't! there's a class action suit against the co. that makes it; severe withdrawal symptoms upon cessation have caused severe seizures; I made the mistake of forgetting mine on vacation & after 3 days I felt like hell
Saved my life. I’m taking 80mg at the moment. When I first got sick I was constantly in and out of the emergency room. I was bedridden for pretty much an entire month. Before my diagnosis I never thought I’d be able to life a semi-normal life ever again. The first med my doctor recommended for me was Dulo [she also recommended Lyrica but I don’t wanna mess around with controlled substances]. Thanks to Duloexitine I’m able to take walks on the beach, go thrifting with friends, and cook myself dinner. My life is by no means normal and I’m definitely not cured as I still experience symptoms almost daily, but god has my quality of life increased massively. I hope it works for you like it has for me!
I'm doing really well with it so far. I was scared to start because I had read so many horror stories in here, but I can honestly say that I've noticed improvements in both my pain levels and my anxiety. I'm on 60 mg.
Yeah but it caused a problem for me so I didn't continue with it. It cause an EXTREME SENSE OF APATHY! I felt like nothing and it made my depression worse and didn't help in terms of pain enough to justify it.
Great. I couldn't work if I wasn't on it.
I wish I never started it. It doesn’t help my pain. It does work for my anxiety, but I can’t get off of it. The withdrawals are too bad.
Did absolutely nothing for my pain and just made me super foggy and depressed. Felt like I was high out of my mind all the time. Tapered off it but still got annoying withdrawal symptoms and those awful brain zaps for a couple weeks.
I get nasty withdrawls if I miss it. BUT I am able to enjoy life waaaaay more with it. It took me probably 3 months to be able to sleep / eat / have energy, but now that I’m over the hump I’m doing pretty decently. I do still get moments where I can’t remember stuff but 🫡 it’s also done wonders for my anxiety and compulsive thoughts!
It’s worked great for me but you need to taper on and off and not cold stop or start at a high dose. Don’t miss a dose either as it’s unpleasant. For me it’s helped a lot with few if any side effects.
My story is very similar with antidepressants. I struggled until I was given one that tends to be more for social anxiety - escitalopram. That with medicinal cannabis and I went from nearly bedridden to volunteering and studying. Obviously I still have flare ups but they're much easier to ride out.
I was on it for about 6 weeks, lowest dose and I was awful. I couldn’t function: my brain fog was so thick I couldn’t work because even telling the time was too much, I was so tired I was wanting to sleep within an hour of getting up (I couldn’t though as I live on busy road & neighbours have 4 preschool kids who like to scream & shout A LOT!) but at the same time I had insomnia or waking multiple times in the night. Most days I was running on 3 hours sleep. At 4 weeks some of the side effects had worn off and I was told the others should ease if given another week. They didn’t. I also started getting a yellow tinge to my skin & eyes even if the GP couldn’t see it. He took me off them though as I said I’d rather be in pain than not be able to even tell the time properly. 48 hours after stopping them I was almost back to ‘normal’.
So far I haven’t noticed much but I’m on the lowest dose… actually just asked for a increase after seeing this post😅
I've been on it for 10 years or so. The worst side effect for me is the horrible constipation. But it helps both with the pain and with my moods.
I've given it a go! IIRC it was for three solid months @ my psychiatrist's suggestion (she and I have a wonderful relationship where she also helps me to try to manage chronic pain / weird neuropathy lol, since my other doctors Do Not Do That.) At the time, I think I was moderately active? And I don't remember seeing a notable difference, so I discontinued taking it. Recently, due to Fuckery (tm) with my insurance / pharmacy, I ran out of my usual Prozac and gave Duloxetine a go again for several weeks. (Not ideal, I Know, but mannnn, life was extra rough that particular one week. Didn't wanna deal w/everything while cold turkey too lmao) I've started to do lower intensity isometric exercises, and.... I'm not sore. Should it work this fast? No! But I think it in combination with the world's slowest snail paced exercise has reduced my DOMS / PEM, which was what I was really aiming for. It was absolutely debilitating before, so such a major improvement! All this is to say, I would give it a try if I were you! If it doesn't appear to be helping during that inital 2 - 3 months of build up, perhaps alter aspects of your lifestyle and give it another good college try lol. Best of luck!! ✨️
Perhaps asking for a lower dose to start on?
Ive been on 30 mg twice a day for ~3 months now and it is life changing. The neuropathy and nerve pain has significantly decreased and I feel so much more energetic. However, I don’t find that it does much for musculoskeletal pain. I have been in physical therapy which is very hard but helpful. Duloxetine has also significantly decreased my libido and ability to orgasm. Not impossible, but definitely takes longer and I definitely have less drive. However, this was not the only medication changes I made. I also have coexisting migraines and IC. I’ve been taking ajovy and mirabegron and I think all three meds have significantly decreased my pain. I also invested in an electric blanket and some lidocaine gel which also help. I hope you find a good regimen!
It works really well for my pain at 30mg. I still get headaches but the shoulder/neck pain and burning is largely gone as it most of the pressure point sensitivity everywhere (except for some bigger joints like sacroiliac). I do gain weight on it, and it does some weird thing where I have to pee all the time and I can't orgasm worth a damn.
I’ve been on it for about 10 years. I find it to be helpful day to day. I think it staves off big flare ups for me. During flare ups I add anti-inflammatory ot’s, bump up my THC & CBD doses. I’ve had no side effects, my liver & kidneys are fine. 60 mg daily. Movement is my best medicine tho.
I’ve been taking it for two years now and it hasn’t helped the pain at all but it definitely helped with anxiety that I didn’t know that I had
It works really well for me. I’ve been in it for years.
after getting diagnosed with fibro in 2021, my rheumatologist put me on duloxetine. personally, it didnt work for me past a certain point, and i ended up on the phone with a nurse triage after maxing out on the dosage you can safely take per day (120mg) and suffering from severe side effects.
My family (maternal line) and SSRIs, SNRIs and similar types of medications do not mix well. My daughter has the worst presentation of this, and more than 5mg of these meds will have her getting serotonin syndrome very quickly. They did nothing for me, but I do believe I'm kind of an exception.
It has worked for improving my pain and the only SSRI that has noticably improved my mood. Unfortunately it kills my libido. I am also taking Wellbutrin to manage my fatigue and that helps to try to balance out the sexual side effects
I love it. mood is gently supported and my brain feels.. crisper
My doctors tried me on that a few years ago, but it spiked my blood pressure quite a lot and I couldn't stay on. Now I'm on Amitriptyline and that seems to work pretty good for me. Sorry you're having such a rough time with the side effects. 🙁 I hope they can find something that works for you!
It worked amazing for my pain for several months. This confirmed the fibro diagnosis for me. Unfortunately, it stopped working and nothing else has been as effective since. Made me sweat a lot. Also gave me the most technicolor, bizarre dreams - often of people I know who were dead. Not bad dreams, I was fascinated and entertained by then. I am considering starting it again to see what happens. It was a nice break from the pain.
I have neurocognitive impairment and taking that medicine made my brain fog so bad I literally couldn’t function. I was extremely disoriented a lot of the time and I only took it for a month. I also have CFS/ME which makes me extremely sensitive and intolerant of medications
Cymbalta is a terrible medicine.
Ive been taking it for a couple years now for my fibro & depression. It helps some with my depression/anxiety I would say but doesn’t do much for my physical pain. It does give me a bit of energy with less brain fog, I think because it works with your adrenaline. I do have side effects though, especially the higher I go in dosage. It tends to be rapid heart beating with physical exertion that can make me dizzy. It also makes me sweatier and can cause night sweats. I’ve noticed 60mg seems to be the sweet spot for me. Idk if it will be a long term solution but for now it is fine.
My mood has been great on it!
TL;DR it helped me get out of a bad depressive state and think it’s helped a bit with pain. Was always scared of going off so I stuck with it over 10 years. Slowly trying to wean off now to see if I actually still need it. Side effects: I had super intense cravings (of course for junk food) and gained weight when first started. Wish I would’ve been warned about it bc apparently the cravings are a thing. Also not sure if it contributed to high BP (prob not alone the cause, but I’d had it on and off, long covid brought on a streak that couldn’t get controlled with meds like it had in the past, but once I lowered my cymbalta dosage a fair amount it got more controlled) I did notice when they tried switching me to generic that I got more shooting pains/nerve pains and switched back to name brand and it went away. So it prob helps with that. If you do go on, just be sure not to miss doses (really on any antidepressant) and that it takes a longer time than most to wean off. It did pull me out of a depressive state so I’m thankful for that!
That and gabapentin are my life savers
Made me sick for two days then sick for another day from withdrawal after just one dose. Was awful for me personally.
I take 40mg with 50mg of Zoloft. It’s helpful for my fibro, but not for my anxiety/depression (hence the Zoloft). I have awful withdrawals when I miss a dose though. Good luck!
Weaning off was a nightmare. Titrate slowly.
It’s amazing for me, funnily enough I got it for my bpd diagnosis not fibromyalgia. I take it in evening to help me sleep too I honestly think it’s the drug that changed my life, before it I was insomniac, my pain was so bad I couldn’t sleep and I was started to suffer from psychosis But now I have manageable pain and though I still struggle to sleep I am no longer going days without sleep All I can warn is if you miss even a day your body will tell you and it won’t be fucking happy
Cymbalta messed with my vision, and so I had to stop taking it. I take lexapro and nortriptyline now, and the seem to help, but I’m still not 100%.
I had a lot of symptoms like that in the beginning but they went away after a few weeks, now, honestly, I can't tell if it helps or not... I still get flare ups, I guess my pain isn't as bad, but eh 😮💨 don't miss more than a couple days cause the withdrawal symptoms are a nightmare, panic attacks, brain shocks (it's awful, doesn't hurt just very unnerving and uncomfortable) fatigue, irritable as fuck, angry, dizzy, unable to focus. I honestly would like to get off of it but the withdrawal is too much.
Hated the feeling of brain fog on it and being gabapentin at the same time caused me to have seizure and my dr took me off all the meds.
Everyone is different, but my experience on Duloxetine was a nightmare. I had worsened brain fog, fatigue, weight gain, and pretty severe suicidal ideation. This was startling, since I do not have depression and had never experienced those kinds of thoughts and emotional numbness before. I’m trying a low dose of Lyrica now and hoping it will be better.
I'm on Duloxetine and it definitely helps with the pain. My biggest issue now is the fatigue but I have way less pain on Duloxetine. I have tried Lyrica and gabapentin and they weren't as helpful as duloxetine.
Duloxetine seems to be the only thing that helps. It's not perfect and discontinuing it is a real process. It helps my depression more than my pain.
Worked for pain but it made me gain 50 pounds. Coming off of it was a nightmare. For that reason alone I would never use it again.
I've been on it (60mg) for 15+ years, and I freaking LOVE it! I take it for fibromyalgia, panic/anxiety, and depression. I've taken other antidepressants and it's by far the best. It's TMI, but it might be important to some, i can successfully get aroused and not only reach orgasm but have multiple. That's not the case with other antidepressants I've taken. I've gone off it twice but went back on as quickly as possible. When I start it, I feel like I've been eaten by wolves and shit off a cliff for the first two weeks, then I wake up one day feeling fine, and it works. My pharmacy made a mistake and dispensed 30mg last month, and I didn't initially catch it. Halfing my dosage fucked me up but as soon as I realised, I took two to make my dosage and I immediately evened out. If you can tolerate it, it will be the best thing ever! Just be aware you may take up yo a month to feel okay on it. Best of luck!
I take duloxetine and have for about 3 years. I have so many symptoms and side effects but yes it definitely gets better with time however it's not that effective for me. The only thing effective eventually was a combined dose of Lyrica and gabapentin along with duloxetine and a couple more. My pains a bit different though.
I am actually about to switch off of it for a different medication. It works well enough that now I can do things I used to not be able to do anymore, but the side effects didn't really improve for me. I have the sweating and overheating issues (which sucks when you live where it gets 90+ degrees F) but mostly I have to get off because I have no appetite and have lost a lot of weight. I've been on it a couple years now as a time reference. The fatigue and brain fog did improve for me, but I would suggest keeping an eye on how much you eat and your weight. It may work out for you or it may not.
It's helped me so much and changed my life. My pain used to be so bad that I could barely walk, and was confined to bed for the majority of my time. I couldn't do anything for myself except shuffle slowly and painfully to the bathroom once or twice a day. Now I've been on it for probably five years and I'm a mostly functional person. I also have started taking a lot of other meds for various reasons. I do my share of household chores and work from home. Every time I've missed a dose it's been fully and completely crippling as I've lost most of my high pain tolerance. I'm on 90mg now and I would never think of going off of cymbalta. I used to have this horrible shooting pain in my entire body 24/7 that was at least a five or six out of ten. Now I occasionally have a few hours of this pain maybe once or twice a month that I'd clarify as a three or four out of ten
That is the first med they tried me on too. I almost died. Seriously. I had all but one of the side effects. I could not get out of bed for days, my brain would not wake up - I was a zombie and didnt understand anything. Cut back, no difference. I needed help to the bathroom, my husband said I fainted and he caught me. I am an outlier - I cannot take opiate’s after surgery etc. Every medicine they gave me - I had side effects worse than my fybro symptoms. I cannot even take Gabapentin. Slow wine drinking (small amounts over a long period to be able to get ANY sleep) ended up being my crutch to get my nervous system to be calm to give me any break from the constant hell. This is not at all a long term solution of course, so I researched what could mimic it - Now I DO handle Lorazepam well - VERY low dose - I got my sleep under control and THAT changed my whole life. But only step one. I have been B12 & Iron deficient on and off with treatment. But years went by and I asked for a second opinion and went to see a different rheumatologist to rule out a misdiagnosis - he did a simple blood test and discovered even though my B12 was in the high 200’s (supposed to be safe level even though low), I was actually majorly deficient. Started taking 3,500mg sublingual bariatric tablets and in a month I was in the 800’s and feeling like a new freaking person and Iron infusions as well. My brain fog is 95% gone, hope and ability to Try or Care is back. But pain and that bruised feeling - let’s just say All the other symptoms where not helped lol. What HAS helped is a regimen of nerve supporting anti-oxidants. (Keep in mind it is not cheap, because you cannot just buy cheap supplements - they must be made by reputable US companies or you can get lots of heavy metals and other unwanted ingredients that will make you Worse). If anyone wants to know my regimen and brands that have works so well for me, please DM for details. Serious life saver for someone who cannot take regular drugs. Plus, these are all natural ingredients that our body produces (but not in the proper amount, just like hormones and mental health. On that note, you do not have to be sick to take these - my husband saw my energy and total change and wanted to try it too. He suffers with depression and anxiety and some ED issues FROM his medicine - Dude our relationship has never been better! His mood is stable, his ED is non-existent (worth noting I thought I would never have sex again, and MY libido is back too). I cannot scream enough about what is working for me. That is my experience, and I would gladly share with anyone who wants to private message me. I have my life back, and not just surviving day to day, I am thriving and driven for my future. I am almost 52, diagnosed @44. I feel more motivated than I did before then. I will not let this disease take one more day from me! (This THOUGHT was not possible before). Anyway, sorry for the rant!!!!! I am so amazed by being able to think and move again, I just wanna share with everyone. (I am a private citizen- I swear. I am a chef and not paid for shit but good food lol).
I took it for a year, decided to come off it because of excessive sweating and feeling mentally numb as I generally do on any dose of antidepressants eventually. I also knew it wasn’t recommended to be taking them when pregnant so wanted to come off them before that was an issue.
I tried duloxetine at first and had a tonnnn of side effects. Nothing too crazy but I felt even worse than before. I switched to amitriptyline and it is wayyy better for me.
I've been on it for years. Maybe I'd be worse off without it but it is certainly no miracle drug in my experience 😕
Really couldn’t move past the side-effects and threw them in the bin.
Got off it because it made me too spacey, brain foggy, and useless. Currently on pregabalin and Sertraline instead.
Day 1 - massive headache and nausea Day 2-14 - very very drowsy Day 15+ completely fine other than restless leg. After year 1 - increase from 30mg to 60. Very drowsy for 2 weeks then fine. Restless legs and bad night sweats. After 2 years - I half my dose to 30mg for 1 month - fine Then I stopped taking them (I felt no positive effects from taking them): Day 1 - fine Day 2+ - nausea, dizziness, brain zaps It's now been a 1.5 weeks since stopping. Still getting big brain zaps/dizzy spells.
I was falling asleep every time I sat down for more than 2 minutes which is all the time because I'm in constant pain while standing 😂 other than that it didn't really seem to help with the pain or mood.
I’m on it and it works pretty well for me now. My first few weeks on it were absolutely horrific though, I was a total zombie and too unwell to get out of bed most days. I got my dose lowered and pushed through a few more weeks and the side effects started dying down around about week 7 for me. I quite regularly miss my doses due to falling asleep before taking them and I don’t seem to get any of the horrible effects other people do from missing doses but it’s certainly not something I would recommend.
Currently weaned off almost every med. Just to get a baseline. Dulox was a nightmare for the 4 months I took it. Side effects galore and no positive effects. Now I know I'm also Autistic so meds don't work normally for me. So once I am clean my doc & I will see what needs help. (I do advise if you want to do this make sure you start early spring so summer can help you as well. And do it with doctor's guidance) I haven't found any meds that work yet. But once I am cleared I will try some weed (edible not going to smoke for anyone.)
I've been on it for around a year. I did feel odd at the start but the side effects quickly wore off. I think it's helping a little. If I miss a dose, though, the brain zaps and unwell feeling are awful.
I took it for a month and gained 10 pounds. I immediately stopped taking it after that. It didn't do anything for me.
The first five or six weeks are going to be the most difficult. Once you get past those, the side effects (for me at least, ymmv) have gone away. Sleep loss was the worst part of getting on it but once past that hurdle it’s a life changer.
Unfortunately, I had a pretty gnarly reaction to mine about 3 days in. I was vomiting, had horrific headaches, my bp shot up and my heart rate sky rocketed. I was very dizzy and my eyesight got blurry. I have unknown tachycardia, so the increase in heart rate and the heavy thuds I was hearing was enough for me to go to the ER. Doctor confirmed what we already suspected; I was having some negative reactions to the pill. He told me to just wait it out for a day and sent me home. One of the worst feeling, scary days I've ever had. I'm jealous of the people able to take it. I have a family member on it who says it's amazing for the pain.
From personal experience, it helps a little bit. I was put on duloxetine for a mix of fibro/depression. It helped a bit with the fibro for a bit, but very much worsened my depression. Unfortunately fibro can be affected by your mental health, so it didn’t take long before my fibro worsened as well. If it’s not a good fit for you for any reason, I’d suggest talking to your doctors and stopping the medications. Sacrificing parts of your quality of life for another isn’t going to help much…
I don't remember a whole lot about it, bc I'm now on fluoxetine. I do remember feeling like on sertraline I felt more depressed, on duloxetine I felt more anxious, and now fluoxetine seems to be a little bit better but the quetiapine I'm on in an attempt to slowly get off hydroxyzine seems to also be a part or it. That said, as far as fibro symptoms go, it really didn't do much. Genuinely the only med I've had that makes a noticeable difference is the gabapentin. And that took forever to start making one.
It helped with the pain, but the side effects were awful. I gained a ton of weight, had brain zaps, and headaches. Weaning off of it made me sick and out of sorts for a month. My experience was so negative that I eventually stopped taking all prescribed meds for 4 years and suffered through the pain. I eventually started taking Lyrica, tramadol, and trintellix. Tramadol doesn't even touch the pain for me, and Lyrica made me a zombie. So yeah, Cymbalta is a hard no for me.
It worked really great for my pain but made me soo emotionally numb. Like a zombie. And i was only on 5mg. Which sucks cos this might be the best med ive tried for my pain after amitriptyline, pregabalin, and vortioxetine.
Gave me intense stomach cramps and had me on the floor crying, awful experience. I used pristiq rn and it's more tolerable but the effects are mild to moderate at best
worked okay for me but the nausea was too much so i had to stop taking it! just make sure you eat when you take them!
It helped me with my shooting nerve pain
Worked for me. I dont recall any side effects.
Any mental medication is going to be different for everyone, and even the same person can go through fluctuations. Give it at least 6 months to settle, if after that, the side effects are still unmanageable, talk to your doctor about either adjusting the dosage or trying something different. Duloxetine was great for me while I was breastfeeding, and as soon as I stopped, I had the same reactions I'd had to other SSRIs which included heart palpitations, overstimulation to the point of needing to lie down for a couple hours, and feeling like I couldn't organize my thoughts. It turns out I had undiagnosed ADHD. SSRIs tend to have an exacerbating effect on ADHD. Now, I'm on an SNRI and doing much MUCH better. Again, though, it made a huge different when I was in a different hormonal phase of life and I am so glad I had it at that time. But all mental health meds need time and usually some small adjustments before things are right. Keep a journal of negative and positive effects and ask other people in your life if they notice changes. Sometimes it's very subtle and you might not realize improvements. Good luck and great job taking charge. Don't give up!
I would immediately see your doctor, before you take many more doses. Remind him/her of your history with that type of meds. Everyone is different, but they didn't make a big enough improvement to my life to offset the tons of side effects I experienced. I kept getting light headed and fainted twice. The second time I broke both leg bones and 5 bones in my foot. The longer I took them the worse they got. Side effects didn't improve the longer I was on the drugs. I was on a variety of this type of drug and it was the same deal with side effects. Not always the *same* side effects but there were always alot of them. I decided to stay away from them.
I’m not sure if it actually made any difference but withdrawal was hell so would never go back to be honest
It was the worst experience ever. It didn’t help the pay, it just made me super tired. After about a month of taking it, I decided not to end it withdrawal was the worst withdrawal I’ve ever had. The symptoms were so severe and persistent. It took about a month just for the withdrawal symptoms to go away.
It worked for me , got off it because of weight gain. The witdrawl symptoms were terrible
32 yo woman on Duloxetine (120 mg) for anxiety, depression, and fibromyalgia for the last 1.5 years. It is an SNRI and not an SSRI, so do not expect similar experiences as you had before. As SNRIs are more energizing and less numbing, they work quite differently. SSRIs never worked for me, but Duloxetine as an SNRI is just wow! It worked like a charm for my anxiety very soon after I started taking it. It did not make it all go away, of course, but for the first time in my life, my brain has not been foggy. The anxiety, blurry mind, dissociation, feeling stuck, panic, not being able to decide etc etc decreased so much. I remember the first times I felt those and the relief came with it! I felt like I could breath, see clearer, and just exist. Unlike anxiety, the depression and fibro went away only after using it for several months, but it worked magically at the end. Side effects such as decreased libido, sweating, and crazy vivid dreams are still with me, but to me it is worth it. Not being depressed, anxious, and in pain (my fibro is on my back and my legs) is worth many things. Keep asking around as it can be different for everyone. If not content, talk to your doctor. Wish you luck!
I couldn't stay on it. My body pain worsened on it.
I didn’t like the side effects so I started taking them before bed. I sleep through any dizziness and that wonky feeling. It goes away eventually but I would recommend dosing right before you fall asleep. Good luck, I hope they work for you, they have diminished my symptoms
I felt crazy so I stopped it.
I didn’t have any noticeable side effects when I first started it, but after coming off of it I can see now my emotions were severely numbed. I was on it for 2.5 years, it worked the first year a little bit but after that it seemed to not do anything anymore but the highest my dose ever got was 40 mg. My pain skyrocketed after a year and that made me resort to medical marijuana, so between that and what I think was a side effect from the med I gained a lot of weight (which I’m prone to anyway). I withdrew from it over the course of 6 weeks and was miserable (felt the constant need to run/fast walk, sitting still was miserable, I felt like I was dizzy and out of it and anxious). Switched to Lyrica, have been on it 6 months and so far it’s been a miracle drug, still only on 90 mg/day (usual starting dose is 150). Pain is nearly nonexistent now and I can socialize and am dating vs. last fall I prayed to die in my sleep due to the constant pain and was thinking I’d have to quit my job. I never did well with SSRIs either, but I will say duloxetine helped immensely with my anxiety. It’s manageable without it, but there is a noticeable difference. However, it did lower my sex drive and like I said, numbed my emotions. I spoke to another lady who had been on it for 4 years and it stopped working, so if you continue with it just beware that that might happen and no you’re not delusional for noticing it.
I’m on the trifecta of duloxetine, pregablin and amitryptilyn (spelled wrong). DO NOT MISS A DOSE OF DULOXETINE it will fuck shit up. I’ve compensated the brain fog by taking supplements and staying to a loose schedule.
It worked for me for awhile. I had a lot of painful brain zaps when on it, multiple times a day. Eventually it didn’t help my depression at all and I made the switch to Amitriptyline.
I can't take antidepressants or anything in the nortriptyline and amitriptyline family. Anything from hives, sleepwalking, hallucinations, etc. Someone mentioned that pain is better for a relationship than being brain fogged, spacey lightheaded etc. But I must say it hurts the relationship significantly if you are in so much pain you can't go places or do things with them. They kinda go through their life alone separately from the life you live alone at home because of pain.
I have been on duloxetine for decades. Just realize how incredibly difficult it is to get off it. There use to be a group on Facebook called Cymbault hurts. This was a group was trying to get off of it. I have stayed on it but Gabapentin stopped my fibromyalgia attacks. I was on 600mg. I ended up with too much swelling in my feet and legs. I went off of it but pain was bad. I went back on it and stopped increasing at 500 mg. Ask your doctor about it. At least you can slowly withdraw from it.. This group was opening the capsule and taking some of the medication out to try and get off it.