Cymbalta anyone?

New dr prescribed Cymbalta. Insurance is giving me problems. Is it worth the fight? Anyone have any experience with Cymbalta? Thank you!!

Hello rrkaren,
Yes I have had Cymbalta before! It worked ok until it didn’t. I use to sweat :sweat_drops: at lot on that pill. But my Dr. changed me to Lyrica. And I’m getting better results from that. Cymbalta also made me very sleepy all the time! But if your insurance will pay give it a try. But I will say this you have too wean off this drug also can’t stop cold turkey! Let us know if you do good with it. Hope this helps you some. Have a blessed and fantastic evening.

Shirley :revolving_hearts:

Thank you. No luck getting the insurance to budge…

Well rrkaren, does the insurance or your doctor have any other suggestions for pain control other than cymbalta?

Seenie

The insurance will cover it if I take 60 mg, instead of 30. Does this seem right?

That sounds downright weird. But that said, the 30 mg is the starter dose, and most people don’t stay on that for any length of time. I switched to 60 after a week (or was it two?). I have chronic foot pain from damage caused by uncontrolled psoriatic arthritis, and I know I will always have it, but the Cymbalta took the edge off the pain and did far better for my depression than anything I’d ever taken. (My depression is closely linked to my psoriatic arthritis.) My GP was encouraging me to take 90 mg because apparently the best pain relief comes at the higher doses. I resisted. Enough’s enough, right? Just to be sure I got a consult with a psychiatrist, who recommended ninety as well. “When you are ready …” were his words. A year went by. I felt good. I was curious. I tried 90. I felt great.

The only downside of Cymbalta for me is persistent constipation, for which I take a fibre supplement. A small price to pay for the pain and depression relief.

Seenie

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Hi rrkaren,

I took Cymbalta and I didn’t like the side effects. My partner took Cymbalta and his mood got incredibly worse but it helped his neuropathy in his feet. My PCP took all of her patients off of Cymbalta because of the side effects all of her patients were getting. Like @Ladysax said “It worked until it didn’t”. It literally was making me depressed more and more to a point where she noticed the difference in my behavior plus I was telling her my mood was awful. What do you have for insurance? Everyone is different on the drug but my dr yanking all her patients off it was pretty convincing to me not to take it. I was started at 30 and increased to 60. Why your insurance would pay for more of the drug than less of it makes no sense to me. I am on Lyrica and I like it. I’m not a doctor but I wouldn’t take the drug again if you paid me :slight_smile:

Hi rrkaren,
I’ve been taking Cymbalta for close to 10 years now and I haven’t had any problems with it. It really helped my depression. As far as pain, nothing noticeable, I also take pretty strong pain meds. But from what I can remember, before taking the pain meds. I didn’t really feel like it did anything for pain. When your not so filled with anxiety from being depressed your pain isnt nearly as bad though.

Thank you Davey02766
I will call my PCP before picking up the meds.

Thank you Lori4. I plan to research this with my PCP

Thank you Modsupport. I so appreciate your help!!!

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Hi guys I’ve just been given doloxatine it worked for about a week scared to go back to docs coz I know they will increase it already on 200mg trazadon with 600mg pregablin I fall asleep a lot don’t know what the next move is

Best advice is to talk things through with your doctor, as I know others have suggested. If they are available in your area a kinesiologist may be able to give you a good idea if your body is likely to tolerate it.
I was one who experienced significant side effects, building over time (and I couldn’t take more than the starter dose, so benefits were limited), but when I reported a problem to my doctor, a change was made immediately. Ask and keep asking, if you don’t like the answer don’t be afraid to get a second opinion. If you decide to go with it, I hope it works out for you!

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Hi rrkaren,
Sounds like quite a few people have had good results with this one, but I just want to caution you to be careful with this one. I was on a 30mg dose of Cymbalta for a week or two and didn’t notice anything different, either good nor bad. So my doctor increased the dose to 60 mg. Within just a few days of the increase, I began experiencing extreme bouts of depression, like never before. I went back to the 30mg dose and those disappeared. My doctor was not totally convinced those bouts of depression were from the Cymbalta. I did try to increase the dose one more time and they returned almost instantly. I’ve started a new med, called Fetzima and hoping this one works better.
I have been on other anti-depressants, as I do have a long history of depression, but I never had a reaction like that one before. They all do carry warnings about watching for that type of reaction, but I tend to not pay attention to all the warnings.
Hoping that this is the one will help you, but please do be careful.
Wishing you sunshine always!
Karen

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I have fybro and took cymbalta for a yr and a half. At first it was a miracle for me! But i developed sll kinds of stomach issuses and pancreatitus ect. Gained alot of weight. Also the effect initially wore off. Its very expendive and gor me the generic did not work.I had severe dide effects getting off of it too.
Goid luck

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rrkaren

This is probably why the 30mg isn’t covered: if you are taking only that, your improvement is probably a figment of your imagination, and they aren’t willing to pay for your figments. :wink: They probably have data which suggests that 30 mg isn’t a therapeutic dose. I guess if that’s what you have to start on, then the insurance expects you to pick up the tab for the starter pills.

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I took it for like 3 days. It gave me the Squirts. I can’t have that so no more cymbalta for me. My rheumatologist switched me to lyrica and I’ve been better ever since. Not healed or anything but better. You may see what your insurance formulary covers. I would speak with your insurance company they can connect you to a pharmacist that has a different prospective to your remedy that’s more cost effective. You can then take that advice to your dr and discuss that with him/her. Thanks best of luck :grinning:

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Hi Amanda. PLEASE talk to your doctor about the risk for “seratonin syndrome” while taking Cymbalta and Trazodone. Here is a link with info, FYI: drug interatction report for Cymbalta and Trazodone

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Hi! My experience with Cymbalta was bleh—so when I went off it after a year I was not told how to do it correctly. The discontinuation was/is AWFUL. Cymbalta has been spanked by the FDA for not providing a way to discontinue without literrally weighing the lil beads etc. There is now something called “Cymbalta Discontinuation Syndrome” and lawsuits, etc due to this. SO, my only advice would be to be very very careful—do your own research (both my docs gave me wrong info on discontinuing)—if you have to come off it.

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I found information on serotonin syndrome by myself my doctor didn’t even mention it I booked an ECG and all is well that is the reason I don’t want to increase I’m so tired of these hit n miss drugs thankyou so much for ur reply and information