One of my doctors recommended Savella as a possibility for me, but since I am allergic to Lyrica and others like it, I am skeptical to say the least, plus it is very costly. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Lois
I tried Savella and had the worse side effects...SEVERE hot flashes 24/7, headaches, etc. so I was reluctant to try any meds also. So the rhum wanted to try Lyrica but I was (as you) hesitant to try any other "fibro" meds. The new pain doc I see wanted me to try Lyrica also and I didnt want him to think that I wasnt complying with treatment (because he is the only doc that has truly helped me through this fibro nightmare with any kind of pain relief- a.k.a. quality of life), so I tried the Lyrica. I am on a low dose 3x daily and (fingers crossed) I have had no side effects with this med. We are all different and our bodies react to meds differently. What may work for you may not work for me, and vice versa. My only advice to you would be to GO SLOW with the med. What ever the doc prescribes for you (probably the starter pack) cut the pill in half, do that for 1-2weeks then slowly go to 1 pill....and so on. Sometimes docs start us on meds at a higher dose and our bodies just go crazy, but starting at lower doses and gradually increasing seems to sometimes work. And you mentioned the cost...call the pharmaceutical co. and see if they have a program for helping you with this. I know with the Lyrica I got a card through my doc where I only pay $25 (instead of my $64 dollar copay) for one year. Good luck in finding the right med for you!!
Thank you, Sherylk for getting back to me so quickly. I really appreciate it. One of the reasons that I am so concerned is that I am very allergic to steroids and so many of the drugs today have them in ro make them last longer. This was one of the reasons that I had trouble with Lyrica which I hope works for you. I am so tired with all of the meds that I am on now that it concerns me that all I will want to do is sleep. Ever since I had sepsis, I have had a lot of problems with medications and allergic reactions to them. Your suggestion of contacting the pharmaceutical company for assistance is an absolutely fabulous one. I definitely need to discuss it more with my physician. Did you have any weight gain or appetite increase with it? I am carrying a lot of fluid and have gained weight from something and we do not know what is causing it. I know that any weight gain also causes issues with my spine which was injured severely in a car accident and can cause reinjury so I want to make sure that I am cautious on that front, as well.
HI SHERYLK IVE BEEN TAKING SAVELLA THE TRITATION PACK SINCE APRIL 9 ILL BE FINISHED ON MAY 14 THE DAY AFTER DR VISIT I WISH I HAD SEEN YOUR INSTRUCTIONS THE HOT FLASHES ARE BAD BUT ILL DO WHAT YOU SUGESTED YOU'VE. BEEN THERE IM GLAD TO HAVE THE FIBRO GANG FOR ADVICE ILL ASK FOR ANOTHER MONTH AND FOLLOW YOUR INSTRUCTIONS THANKS AGAIN