Hello everyone. My doctor prescribed me 30 mg of cymbalta, 1 daily for a month and then return to see him in one month to see how it helps with pain. This is my first treatment for fibromyalgia as I was just diagnosed with it yesterday after years of trying to figure out what’s wrong.
I’m a worry wart and I Google a lot. Now I’m worried about this drug!
My doctor refuses to give me anything for pain because, and I quote “at 27?! No, 27 is too young to give t3s”. He says I’ll get addicted. He has given me Percocets before… like 2 years ago was the last time he prescribed me any.
If he is so worried that I’ll get addicted, why would he prescribe me something like cymbalta? Are the side effects really as bad as Google says?
Im always nervous for taking new medications but I’ve taken Percocets before, is cymbalta like percs in any way?
I need relief from this. I have 4 kids ages 8,6,5 and 2. Husband works all day. No vehicle. An hour Walk to the kids school in 2 feet of snow. I really don’t want to get my hopes up about cymbalta helping with pain but with my anxiety I just can’t stop thinking about the side effects!
Hi TamLea , I’m so glad you have joined us !! Take one day at a time , while its good to know the side effects , please understand not everyone experiences bad side effects , finding the right medication ( and usually for fibro it’s more than just one medication ) takes a lot of trial and error . I personally have never tried Cymbalta , mainly because Savella helped me alot. , sometimes it takes months before you can feel the medication has helped , Percocet is a strong pain med, and yes many of us need that, but you have to start with less potent pain meds like Tramadol , but many dr don’t like to give that with Cymbalta . Educating yourself is KEY !!! And stay with us !!! I learned sooo much from this site and it does take time & energy but it’s so worth it . If you click on ALL DISCUSSIONS at the top left above your picture you can type in Cymbalta , or pain meds , and you can read old discussions about that subject . That is very helpful !
I can tell you only someone with fibro will be able to understand how you feel , and if your dr , won’t help you figure out what is best for you , find another dr , having a rheumatologist , neurologist , pain specialist , are all good places to start . I had to see three different rheumy’s before I found the right one for me , I always asked a new dr , if they can help me with my fibro & I would ask what there view of fibro is .
This condition is very frustrating !!! And you have to take care of you !!! There so much to learn and things you can do to help your symptoms improve … I can’t share it all now , but the spoon theory is great !
And I know right now you want to get your pain under control , stress reduction , hot baths , message , lots of sleep ( which with kids is hard ) but all can help ! When you return to your dr , ask about the Tramadol , or about seeing a pain specialist . I made it my business to see one dr a week for 6 months , until I found the right dr & got the right combination of medications .
Cymbalta can be combined with Lyrica , if Cymbalta isn’t right for you ask to try Savella , yes there are side effects , but you have to weight the benefits from the side effects . FOR ME Savella caused nausea , but I break it in half and only take it with food , and I noticed more energy & felt emotionally stronger after 4 weeks. Try the Cymbalta it may help !
I hope this gave you some insight … Hang in there , it does get easier !! Fibro can be managed but it takes time to learn what works for you
Hugs & blessings
dee B
glad you finally got a diagnosis! it's a bittersweet moment when you finally find out it's fibro! Welcome to our family!!! First off, take one day at a time and try not to get to stressed over things b/c that can def cause a flare up. And be careful with medicines you try!!! every body is different with medicine, because some people aren't as sensitive as other people are! I am very sensitive to medicines. I have tried 12 different medicines and now my doctor said he no longer knows what to try, besidse sending me to a psychatrist (sp) b/c he is the one who can prescribe other anti-depressant medicines. Cymbalta was one of the medicines I tried and had a bad reaction to it. BUT like i said, every body is different! So please try it, and pay close attention to your body...listen to it! Good luck! You have a whole family here if you ever have questions, concerns, or just wanna vent :) <3 Prayers!
Hi, TamLea. I was on Cymbalta for about 10 months. Before I started it, I had the same concerns you did - as I google everything, too. One thing I can tell you is that every doctor definitely has their own opinion about what they think will help. Due to frequent changes in my insurance, I saw three different rheumatoligists and 3 different general practitioners in a period of 6 months. An internal specialist gave me the prescription for Cymbalta, then the rheumie added tramadol. Both doctors told me that Cymbalta will not help with pain - it just makes it easier to deal with. Personally, I didn't like Cymbalta because it made me feel like I was in a dream state all the time. Driving was more difficult, concentrating was more difficult- and I felt hazy. I would suggest finding a doctor who is more understanding of the pain of fibromyalgia. In my opinion, your age should not be a factor. A lot of people have good luck with Tramadol. It worked a little while for me, but then it didn't.
I hope that you are able to find something that works for you soon.
I can understand your concern, I have 5 kids and no car either. I’m on Cymbalta too. The doctor started me with 30 mg, and now I’m taking 60 mg. Cymbalta doesn’t take my pain away completely, and for sure it’s not the same for everyone. I’ve been on Cymbalta for almost a year, had problem with my mail in order of the pills and didn’t take the pills for almost three weeks, and those were the most horrible three weeks of my life. I didn’t know that Cymbalta was helping with my pain by so much. Cymbalta doesn’t take my pain away completely but It makes a little bit comfortable on me. I was taken Percocet but my doctor gave me the same reason that your doctor gave you. Percocet did work for me. I know how bad it is to have a big family. My husband those help and kids too, but it’s not the same when you used to be so strong for everyone and you use to do everything. It’s really hard when pain it’s so bad and you have to walk everywhere, especially in this damn weather. I’ll be praying for you. And don’t worry about the side effects, they will go away. I don’t have any side effects anymore it just at the beginning and your body will get use to them.
Soft hugs, hope you feel better.
You've come to the right place and we're glad you found us.
I can only share my experience with Cymbalta and Fibro. I've been on Cymbalta for almost 2 years and hope I never have to go off of it. I started with 30mg as your dr is doing with you and now ! take 120 mg a day. I also take Tramadol. I don't have as many flares and most days my pain is bearable. When I have break thru pain from a flare I take 2 Arthritis Strenght Tylenol with my other meds and usually that will make it bearable.
I did have some minor side effects in the beginning but they only lasted maybe 2 weeks. That seems to be considered normal for quite a few medications. If you'd like to talk more about Cymbalta feel free to contact me. I'll be glad to answer anything I can. Let us know what you decide and how things are going.
Thank you everyone for your replies! I took my first pill last night after dinner. I was sick starting yesterday morning so I don’t know if my tummy hurts because of the medication or because I have a tummy bug.
I will tell you though, I woke up this morning in 50% less pain than I usually am in the mornings. My knees still hurt a lot but not as much as they have been hurting. I don’t feel like I’m gonna fall to the ground when I go to sit on the couch or toilet. I don’t know if the Cymbalta is already helping or if the fibro flare is finally going down after nearly a month now.
I also feel more calm. My kids did the same things starting this morning at 6 am that they usually do and normally I snap and raise my voice a lot. This morning I felt I was a lot more calm.
Feels amazing so have some relief even if it’s just minor relief. I told. My Husband that I just wanna be me again. Correction… I don’t want to be me anymore. If that makes any sense!
Ok so. I took one 30 mg around dinner time and one this morning. I do have to say I woke up this morning in less pain than I usually expect in the mornings and all the pain came back around 10 pm.
Now it’s 11 pm and I’ve been clenching my jaw really tight and biting my tongue and cheeks! I feel bouncy, like shaking my leg or foot. Im not hungry which is weird because I usually have a bowl of ice cream at this time but I have no desire for it at all… I usually crave it.
I really really enjoyed not being in so much pain today but I just feel weird right now and I hate this jaw clenching. Will it go away?
Yes it will go away. And when I started Cymbalta my appetite went away too, I lost some pounds when I started the pill. Hang in there everything will get much better.
Soft and caring hugs.
I have been on Cymbalta for 2.5 years. Through the years before I was diagnosed with FM I tried many others... I actually like the Cymbalta the best. As far as pain goes, the first year I took it, it really helped, but the next year I had to add tramadol to my meds for pain. But the Cymbalta helps me great in areas of depression, mood swings, and probably helps my pain more than I realize. I started out on 30, and after 2 weeks they had me move up to 60. So don't be concerned When he does this. I takes about a month to get in your system good, and I felt extra tired the first few weeks.
