Has anyone tried Cymbalta?
 

I'm considering trying it for my fibromyalgia. However some of the side effects aren't too appealing. . .Any insight would be really helpful
Thanks,
Kierie

Not me personally.But my bff loves it!

Cymbalta
 

Is Cymbalta an antidepressant? Could you tell me the usual side effects of this drug. Most all antidepressants help with pain control.. Thanks

Kierie, I tried Cymbalta. I don't remember how long I was on it, but while taking it I was always dizzy. I had to go off of it because of that. The sister of a co-worker was on it, and she did very well with it. I've lost contact with that person because of a job change, so I don't know if it is still working for her.

i was on it for a while and it worked really well but just not enough for what i needed. Good luck. :)

i have some experience with this one. i took it for several months for depression, and my mom gave it a go for her fibromyalgia. bottom line, it didnt work for either of us. however, maybe give it a try, every person is different and you have to try a lot before you learn what works for you! the side effects are rough at the beginning, but started subsiding after 4-6 weeks.

I took it for nerve pain{ neuopathy} it did not work for me weight gain and swelling of my hands and feet not to mention anti depressents work the oppisite in me! But each person is different and it may be the WONDER drug you have been waiting for you won't know until you try thats why they call it PRACTICING MEDICINE!

I had a good friend who took it for depression, made a world of difference! Don't remember any issues with side effects.

Thanks for all the input ladies!
i heard about the dizziness and was curious about that I was totally unaware of the weight gain and swelling. . .I had that with Lyrica so I'm thinking all this stuff is just a pass!
I know 1 of the side effects is loss of romantic interest
so dizzy swollen and asexual I'll take the pain!
Thanks so much!!
Kierie

I was on Cymbalta for 2 years for depression and I found it to be the antidepressant with the least side effects I've ever tried. I also had no problems coming off it when I wished to swap medications either, which was nice for a change! In regards to weight I only put on about 5lbs in the period I was taking cymbalta and I really belive that was due to lack of exercise and emotional eating.

My husband was on it for his diabetic neuropathy. He was also on Lyrica at the same time, and for the same length of time. When he went onto Medicare and his Part D plan didn't pay for much of either, he stopped taking them both.

Together they helped a great deal for the pain, but he hated the side effects (but since he didn't take them seperately, I don't think he could separate one's side effects for the other's). The dizziness did eventually go away, but he said that (at least together) on them he had no desire to DO anything. They sort of zombied him out (and I noticed the extreme drop in sexual interest - even when he was in a lot of pain, he'd still flirt and and I'd feel appreciated, even if foolin' around wasn't going to be practical. On those drugs, it was like I might as well have been his sister). He didn't really realize that the side effects were so dramatic until he went off the meds, and felt physically worse (much more pain) but mentally much better - more interested in life and activity.

I think my husband probably should have tried the drugs individually, but he's not willing to try either of them again, at this point.

I've considered trying Lyrica, Cymbalta, and the newest drug Savelle, but because I've got my fibro under decent control with older (and cheaper) drugs, I'm hesitant to try messing with success.

I take Cymbalta for anxiety disorder and it works well for me. I take a low dose, and the side effects are not bad at all, even sexually... which is enough to make me love the stuff!

Having the anxiety under control gave me the confidence to return to college... which in turn lead to my weight gain (I'm a little too old for the "freshman fifteen"!!:o). So the Cymbalta was only *indirectly* the cause of the weight gain LOL! Really, though, I'm so happy to have finally found a med that works for me. It took years....

I took Cymbalta for a couple of days and experienced some very noticeable side effects (Nausea, diarrhea, muscle stiffness, insomnia.) I was pretty shocked, as I have previously taken Paxil and Wellbutrin and experienced no side effects at all.

So I looked into it, and found that Cymbalta's side effects are well documented and quite common. Cymbalta Discontinuation Syndrome seems especially scary, and also very common. There actually is no doctor-approved way to wean off Cymbalta which will not cause extreme side effects. So I called my doctor, switched back to Wellbutrin, and said goodbye to Cymbalta.

I think it might be worth it to ease fibromyalgia, but as there are many other depression meds out there, Cymbalta's side effects were just not worth the positive effects it gave.

I take it occasionally for back pain. When I take it regularly I have stomach issues but that happens with lots of pills, even OTC. I'm sensitive :)

cymbalta
 

I started taking cymbalta about a month ago. It helped with my pain and stiffness right away, but i couldn't stay asleep. many people say it makes them sleepy- go figure..I changed the dose to the morning, but now I get very sweating doing normal chores and had the runs 1 day really bad. My vision is also a bit blurry.My therapist said the side effects should go away, so we'll see. I have found that I am not as hungary or craving carbs,which is great. I have lost 14lbs and have another 85 to go. Everyone is so different,so try it. I really like the help I get with stiffness and hunger. Hope it works for you!

I have been on Cymbalta for about 2 months now. At first I was just taking 30 mg in the morning and then 1 month later my psych started me on 60 mg in the evening. I had one instance where I woke up from a sleep and was vomitting but that only happened once. I suffer from depression, anxiety and bipolar. I have been continuing to take Cymbalta and have had no side effects other than it has made my appetite pretty much non existant. I was taking Abilify and was hungry all the time along with muscle spasms and muscle soreness. I hope that helps.

Started taking it yesterday for depression, anxiety and chronic fatigue syndrome. We'll see how it goes...first dosage came with a lot of side effects, but I'm hoping for the best.

I'm a refugee from Cymbalta. I've tried various drugs/formulations over the last 14 years for neuropathy from a spinal cord injury. Between Neurontin, Cymbalta and Lyrica, Cymbalta was the least effective at controlling the pain. I stuck with it for about 1 year but switched to Lyrica, then a higher dose of Lyrica. The side effects of Lyrica were intolerable: weight gain, swelling, depressed libido, dizziness, drowsiness... you name it. I'd say the side effects of Cymbalta were similar, but less pronounced. I went back to gabepentin (Neurontin). The formulation I use now is time-release. It seems to be as effective as the higher dose of Lyrica with none of the wide swings and side effects are tolerable. Best of all, since I've switched I've actually been able to lose weight.

No I did not try....

unfortunately made my depression worse. got off of it

Cymbalta works for me...
 

I have severe fibro, and tried Cymbalta last year. It took about 6 weeks to feel the effects. It cuts the pain by about 1/3 to 1/2. It doesnt get rid of the pain, however it seems to help it be not so intense. After 2 weeks, the side effects seem to have lessened. One awesome thing is that it is an appetite suppressor. I didnt take it for that, but I appreciate it.

Hope that helps!

I have been on prozac for two years, then cymbalta for another two, with on and off in between. Prozac made me anorexic, I just could not eat on it. I also felt like I was on extasis, the drug, too "happy" and talkative. Cymbalta is a lot more natural to me, stabilizes my mood and I feel a lot sadder, but more "real". Anyway, try yourself, not everyone is the same, also tell your doctor how it's working for you. He's the one you should be asking, not us ;)

I have been on cymbalta for about 2 years for both fibromyalgia and depression and it has been a live saver as far as the pain management!!! you couldn't breathe on me without it hurting, now I feel about 95% pain free!

The only challenge I have found is with the depression. at first it was great at controlling that, but now it is creeping back in, along with a little bit of the pain.

I've tried Cymbalta, Lyrica, Savella and Neurontin for fibromyalgia, there were issues with each of them for me so now I'm not taking anything during the day. I take Zanaflex at night which helps me sleep. I see my rheumatologist soon, I am a bit suspicious of meds for Fibromyalgia, I think I'll try to deal with it the best I can. Sometimes meds can make things worse, sometimes better, it depends on the med and person.

Good luck.

Hi all. My sister has fibromyalgia, and she takes low dose naltrexone. Google "Stanford and low dose naltrexone." It really takes away her pain. Stanford did studies and you can look up the positive results.

A few years fast forward. I found relief through my prescription for welbutrin (for PPD) it really helped my fibro! No swelling no lack of interest and no crazy eating

I took cymbalta for 2 years. The sweating never subsided. I tried to make the excuse that it was bc I lived in az. But it was the meds. Also the sex thing is true but that is true of most antidepressants. I also found it made my depression worse, no motivation to get out of bed or get dressed. I have both anxiety and depression and also FM it never helped my pain that much. Also my mother in law tried Sevilla for her FM and it made her sweat and she had days that she didn't want to get out of bed. She suggested to me that it may be the meds. That's when I switched. She stopped Sevilla. She never tried cymbalta. Lyrica had a side effect for her but not sure what. It made me too groggy the next day.
I finally went it a pain management doc as a last resort and that is the only thing that worked for me. It was a last resort and it works. It's not for everyone

Hi. Yes, I was put on Cymbalta about a year ago for depression and fibromyalgia. I'll have to tell you I had a huge allergic reaction and ended up with blisters all over my arms. To this day I have scars on my arms from this. I was hoping this would work for me. I had my thyroid removed 5 years ago and after that developed Fibro pretty bad so my Dr's gave this to me and I thought I'd try it. Didn't work. The blisters started developing about a week after taking it. This is just what happened to me though.