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Cymbalta for pain?

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beachcomber

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I saw my primary care physician this week. In addition to the bilateral knee osteoarthritis I also have OA in my spine and something going on in my foot now too. I have an autoimmune disease that causes joint pain (not RA). I have felt well during the summer break from school and work--- but can barely walk this weekend. Discouraging....

Anyway--- she gave me a prescription for Cymbalta and said it may help reduce the pain and my need for narcotic pain relief. It is usually prescribed for depression and general anxiety disorders but also may offer relief from neuropathic pain. I haven't started taking it yet and have some concerns about potential side effects.

Has anyone out there had any experience with this use of Cymbalta? Admittedly, chronic pain *is* depressing---- but I hate to start up ANOTHER medication since I already take so many. I read up on side effects.... the bright side is that it can cause anorexia. I could use that! LOL! (gotta laugh or I will cry....)

thanks
Beach
 
Hi Beach,

Sorry to hear about all this..... You know I share your pain. I'll tell you about my experience with Cymbalta but do realize it may not affect you in the same way. Do take it now, over the weekend and don't try it on a school day. I took it for only two days and knew it was not going to work for me. I felt like I wanted to crawl out of my skin and could not hold still. It was sort of the same effect that I get when I take Percocet. This was a side effect I could not deal with. It was prescribed for me for the same reason; chronic pain. One of the aides at PT had started taking it just prior to me stopping my sessions and she didn't have the same problem so do take it and let us know how it works for you.

You know I have problems with my feet and one ankle. I know how painful it is to walk and please know that you have my full sympathy! We have Hanna coming through right now and my knees are fine but my feet and one hip are killing me. I'm scheduled to see my OS on Friday and want to get the name of a good podiatrist that does more then fusions. I hope this drug helps you Beach and I will laugh with you for the same reason. It's better then crying.... Hang in there...... Karen
 
Haven't taken that one but have been prescribed antidepressants for pain before and am actually supposed to be on one low-dose now but I just can't stand the way they make me feel. I know several people who use them for pain and swear by them but not me. One they gave me in real low dose put me soundly to sleep for two days and two nights. When I woke up I was still groggy, yuck! Hate to think what my reaction would have been to a higher dose. Anyway, like I said others I know swear by them and I have known some who have gotten off pain meds due to using them. Like you I am cautious about side effects. There have been a couple of things through the years I have taken that really had some fierce side effects so being cautious is good I suppose. Good luck. Rowdy
 
Thanks Karen-- I will probably try it today. She gave me some samples but I forget how much I am supposed to take....so will show the Rx to the pharmacist and get him to interpret the script.

I have an appointment with a podiatrist on the 18th. My PCP says I need a cortisone injection in my heel but she was afraid she would "miss" and make it worse so we both decided I will just live with it until the 18th. My knees, feet and back are all hurting again. I am hoping getting the heel pain under control will help with the knees and back if I can walk "straight" again.

Take it easy with Hanna---- and enjoy some good movies!
 
Thanks Rowdy--- I suppose it is worth a try---- but....... well, you know.

All my doctors want me to taper off the prednisone I have been taking for the past 2 years, but every time I try I have some kind of major flare up of symptoms and go back up to the 10 mg dose. I am down to 7 mg now and feeling awful. I know it is bad for my bones and my OA, but it helps with the auto-immune disease so I am really stuck in the middle. I am going to try to tough it out and at least hold at 7 mg until after my cortisone shot and see how it goes.

That's why my PCP wants me to try the Cymbalta... wish me luck!
 
I will just say be careful my Wife had a very bad experience with this drug and I thought she was going to have to have her stomach pumped. I would not touch it with a ten foot pole!
Good luck......
 
Beach, I'm so sorry to hear you have problems starting up again. I read an article in our Kansas City paper today about a list of drugs that are being investigated and I'm thinking this might be on the list. I'm going searching for the article and will post again shortly once I find it. You must be so frustrated!!! I'm sending you a Gin-neuuu-wine (((((((((Kansas Jawhawk hug)))))).....and the hope getting hugged by a beak and feathers will make you feel better. ....Jamie
 
Okay....I found the article. It listed about 20 drugs that were being looked at by the FDA for possible problems. The research is in early stages, according to the article, and they are NOT recommending that anyone stop taking the drugs because of it. For Cymbalta, the potential problem is listed as "uniary retention" which I would guess is water retention and some weight gain. The only thing I saw that would indicate some caution on your part was a potential for liver problems (lots of drugs have that and periodic blood tests can make sure you're okay) and the warning not to stop taking it "cold turkey" once you are on the medication. Well, you know I'm no medical profesional and am just repeating what is in one article in the newspaper. It would seem worth a try and hopefully others on the forum who have had experience with this drug can offer some firsthand experience. Hang in there and I'll be praying that you feel better soon.
 
Thanks so much. I think I might take one tomorrow morning. It is time-release and the prescribed dosage is 1/day. I *really* don't want to do this but driving home yesterday from my first week of school with students I was in tears again from the pain and this morning I took a step and it was like a knife stabbing through my heel. Pain becomes such a vicious cycle and I need to try and stop it.

I really appreciate the support and suggestions. And thanks for the Jayhawk hug Jamie! How are they doing? The Oregon Ducks won by 42 points today....and the OSU Beavers got clobbered. And our high school team is 2-0 this year after going 0-9 last year. Ouch! I hope I feel up to going to a high school game soon.
 
The Hawks won their first game and are ahead tonight. Gosh, maybe we could actually have another GREAT year!!! Who knows! Take care of yourself, okay? My heart goes out to you with your pain....I know it must be difficult. You are such a positive and upbeat person, so when I hear you are hurtin' I know it has to be VERY bad! Let us know how it goes with the Cymbalta. If it would work, that would be wonderful!!!
 
Although I am a hippie, your thread caught my eye. I have to respond. I've been taking Cymbalta for a year now with no ill effects. It was prescribed to help with nerve problems. My doctor carefully explained he was not prescribing it for depression although it is an antidepressant. He said Cymbalta has proven to be effective for a small percentage of the population for nerve-related disorders. It seems to be fairly effective for me.

Good luck!
 
CL thank you so much for responding! I was hoping to hear from someone who had a positive experience with it. I am going to give it a try today and see how it goes. It is reassuring to hear from you. Thanks!
 
Hey, Beach, hope this finds you feeling some relief. I can remember the painful days when each step, while not bringing tears ( I growl and cuss, lol) it brought about the equivalent for me. I pray the new drug is going to bring you relief. One thing I seem to remember about anti-depressants is that they (the ones I took and keep in mind this was several years ago at that) there was a cumlative effect, or over several days you would see relief, you wouldn't get the instant relief you get from say oxycodone or oxycontin. You might just want to check with the pharmacist so that you don't take one and get discouraged if you don't get relief from it. Of course, like I said the ones I took were in the late 90's so they may have a whole new generation of these particular meds.

Also, Jamie, thanks for the post about the list of meds in the KC newspaper. That is my online newspaper as that is my hometown, moved to AZ from Roeland Park. Are you near Roeland Park? Goodness I miss it this time of year particularly. I raised my younger boys there and just loved it in Johnson County although I liked it in NE Kansas City MO too. Can I ask what hospital you had your surgery at? Good luck. Now I will really watch for your posts. LOL Rowdy
 
Hi Rowdy,
Thanks for the words of support. I did take the Cymbalta this morning, but the stuff I read about it says it takes 1-4 weeks to show real results so I am not expecting instant results. I am getting ready to head out to the hot tub and soak for a while. That always helps with the morning pain and stiffness. Then off to school to catch up on some stuff from the first week of school before it gets too hot. We are expecting temps in the high 80s today and my classroom at the high school is like a greenhouse and really hot in the afternoon.

I spent my early childhood years in the Parkhill area of north Kansas City, then moved to Independence. Is that near where you are from?

Beach
 
Hey Beach,
I was just going to respond on the time it takes to become effective. I see you got that info.

I have taken neurontin in the past for nerve pain, but the dose I had to take just wipes me out.

A few months ago my spine surgeon prescribed lyrica for nerve pain. It worked on some wierd nerve pain I have had for years (burning in my tongue), but not sure how much it did for my back. Anyway I started gaining weight and got off that. I told my doc and he did not think it caused weight gain.
I may eventually try it again although it did make me feel very loopy. He did tell me that would happen.

I am in pt once again for my spine. also having injections on Wed.
So i do feel your pain. I still take percocet in the am to be able to get moving.
Good luck with the cymbalta
Judy
 
Rowdy, we live in Johnson County...south of Roeland Park in Olathe. If you haven't been to Kansas City in a while, you would be SHOCKED at the growth...particularly on the Kansas side. Olathe was "out in the country" when we moved here in 1984. Now it is the city and "country" living is further south and west. We love it, though! Everything is really handy now - close by. We rarely go into the REAL city...there is just no need. The only down side is our traffic has gotten MUCH worse. The beauty of retirement is that we can stay home on weekends when everyone is out and do our running around during the week. The one thing that constantly amazes us is how many people - especially in this supposedly weakened economy - EAT OUT!! Restaurants here are everywhere and they are always packed in the evenings. Same with fast food drive-up windows. No one cooks anymore!!! But every new house MUST have those granite countertops and stainless appliances....go figure.
 
I started the Cymbalta this morning.

So far, so good..... the only side effect I seem to be experiencing is that when I sat down to eat my lunch I could barely choke down one small piece of pizza and not even 1/2 of a small slice of freshly baked apple pie. I don't feel nauseous--- just not hungry and don't want to eat it. This is NOT normal for me. When I am in pain I don't want to move and I tend to "graze"....

This could be a good thing!
 
Beach, could you send me a couple of those pills? Talk about grazing, I think for the last 48 hours I have eaten every two hours around the clock, even warmed up macaroni and cheese in the middle of the night. I could use a slow down pill at the very least. Good luck, Rowdy
 
LOL Rowdy---- uh-uh... I'm keeping these pills! I have always wanted to be a "little bit anorexic". (and I am not making light of a serious disease--- honest.) I would just like to not feel like eating--- on schedule or not!

Actually, I think they are making me a little "loopy"--- but so do pain pills so that is a trade-off. Maybe that will wear off when I get used to them. And besides--- "loopy" is kind of subjective don'tcha think?

My pain is less today--- NOT from the Cymbalta I am sure(too soon)--- but because I rested yesterday. That was my routine all of last year--- Feel good on Monday morning then steadily go downhill till Friday was terribly painful. Then take more pain meds on Saturday and rest and by Sunday start to feel better again and start it all over again. Not much of a life. No fun ever-- just work and pain.

I'm hoping for the best!
 
Beach, we spent some of the best weeks of our lives earlier this year in a "loopy" state and it's not all bad. Just sayin'.....

Seriously, I sincerely hope this gives you some relief. Heaven knows you need to catch a break here!!! Keep us posted, okay? In the meantime, just hum that oldie..."Here we go loopty-loo! Here we go loopty-lie! Here we go loopty-loo....all on a Saturday night!" I can only remember the chorus....
 
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