Is anyone taking Cymbalta and Lyrica at the same time like I am? It seemed like it was working at first but now it has been months that I have been on both and I seem to be getting flared up just as much? I am sick of taking all this medication and if it does not work I don’t want to continue with both. My dilemma is I do not know what my next step would be at this point. I put off even getting on Lyrica for many years due to the side effects. (which by the way I have many including weight gain!) I don’t feel like I am that much better but maybe I need to give it more time… Any feedback from anyone? Thank you. 
Hello Elaine,
I am afraid I can’t answer your question, I hope other members may be able to help you. I would say, tho, if you feel they are not helping anymore you should seriously consider coming off them, under supervision of Doctor of course. For myself, I don’t take any painkillers, just ibuprofen occasionally. One reason is side effects which included weight gain. I am not saying this is for you, as we are all different. Whaever you decide I strongly suggest you go and have chat with Doc, anyway.
Take care, Anne
Hi Elaine I am taking them both. However I don’t think I am taking enough Lyrica at the present time, only BC I can’t afford it. I am like u I am getting a lot of flair ups like every day. Today I feel so overwhelmed.
Hello Missy - Thanks for your reply. I am taking Lyrica 75 mg 3x a day. I am not sure if I can increase that amount but am going to speak with my doctor. It is so hard to be taking so much medication and still have flare ups. The cold weather is what really bothers me and living in VT there is plenty of cold weather. I am also very swollen with a lot of fluid build up. This past weekend I was really having a lot of tightness in my hands from the fluid. They are still quite stiff and painful. Well thank you for letting me know your about your situation. I hope you have a pain free day!
I am. I am new at this, but I feel better with the lyrica than the gabapentin, although the pain is still bad, but not unbearable. The brain fog is really bad for me, though.
Hi Friend,
I am new to this web-site, but not new to Fibromyalgia. This is my first posting and I hope it is a helpful one. I have tried many medicationsmy pain levels, including gabapentin before I was allowed to have Lyrica. Along with Lyrica, I also take Cymbalta, Celebrex, and Tramadol daily. These maintain my pain levels until I over-exhert myself, or the weather changes or I have increased stress or demands on my time. I wish you the very best as you try to find the right combination of medications to help you maintain your pain at a level that is livable. Some days a hot bath or shower also is needed, and I really love my heated throw blanket. Sometimes I wrap it around my shoulders - such relief! I wish I knew the secret of good night’s sleep. I play sounds of rainfall, and I have a diffuser of essential oils, and a beautiful nightlight that looks like a little fire place, extra pillows, and a fan circulating air. I appreciate any advice for restful, pain-reduced sleep that I have not tried!
I am also new to this website but not to fibro. I was put on lyrica, tramadol, gabapentin plus various meds for anxiety/depression. When I was on lyrica I gain about 10 pounds which was a huge struggle because I used to be a fit person due to the lovely army that I’m currently getting medically retired from. I got weened off of that, then they put me on cymbalta which I had even worse side effects from so I had to stop that after 2 weeks of taking it. So all I’m on right now is stuff for my anxiety and depression. Honestly mentally I feel better being off of all those meds. Sure I’m in a bunch of pain but I’d rather be in pain than deal with the rest of the side effects. They almost made me feel even more fatigued and depressed than I did before. I actually have a doctors appointment tomorrow to go over some more natural ways to alleviate my pain. But so far all that has helped me is heat. I’ll let you know if I get any healpful info tomorrow after my appointment!
Also if you have sleeping issues like I do, they put me on Sonata to help and now I can actually wake up in the mornings which helps with my fatigue!
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Thank you, Grim24. I will ask about Sonata for sleep. I am having a sleep study next week - one of the many tests they run to rule out other problems, like sleep apnea, which I do not think I have. I don’t remember the last time I had a good nights’ sleep!
Hi Elaine,
I am taking lyrica and cymbalta at the same time. You probably know cymbalta is also supposed to be good for pain, as well as being an antidepressant.
They both seem to work to some degree for me, but I was in pain management at Stanford, and they recommended titrating the lyrica up to 150mg. or 200mg. 3 times a day. I’m now on lyrica 200 mg 3x/day, and all I can say is, my body feels worse if I miss one of those doses, so I believe it helps. You may just need a higher dose.
They also recommended supplementing those 2 meds with tylenol (for me, maybe because I can’t take antiinflammatories like aleve due to a heart condition) also 3 x/day.
Wishing you wellness!
Hi Elaine,
I was on the lyrica and cymbalta combo. From what my rheumatologist said the typical starter regimen is that combo. I had the weight gain. But that wasn’t the worst side effect. As the weeks progressed i started getting more and more confused and forgetting more and more. It was so bad that i had to buy a planner to write everyday stuff down. It was horrible. I also was going to the restroom feeling like I had to urinate and it was just a trickle and I would get up & feel that sensation again so i would sit again. I read on here someone mentioned the side effects & i looked them up and I called my rheumatologist and she changed me to neurontin. And so far so good. I am like you I hate taking meds. When I was younger I never took medications, not even tylenol for headaches and now I’m on all kinds of medications and I guess I will be on them forever…Good luck