Cymbalta anyone take it?

My pain management doctor gave it to me...to help me with the chronic back pain I've been dealing with for the last few months after a car accident...anyone take it before?  Side effects?  Will I be waking up in the middle of the night, naked, eating cheerios and stuff? I've never taken anything like this before.....even though it's been given to me for pain relief....I know that it's also labeled for a mood altering drug....so I'm a bit apprehensive.  I've never been depressed in my life (i'm defining depression here as a long term depression...not depression because you found out that santa doesn't exist...lol) .  I read that this drug causes dependency ...is this true? Any reviews...advice...etc would be helpful. Scott

My podiatrist prescribed it for the pain in my feet, without telling me that it was an anti-depressant. Thank God I looked it up on the net and read a bit before I started taking it, or I would have had no idea why I felt like my world had turned upside down. I think everybody reacts to it differently, but I couldn't make it past a few days of it.  It's like all my emotions just shut down. I felt like I was trapped in some kind of fog. So I dunno...maybe it has an opposite effect on people who don't suffer from depression? Like I said, YMMV. But I do know this...if you take it for a while, DO NOT stop taking it suddenly. That can cause serious side effects, up to and including suicide.

The good news is, I was actually free from pain for those few days. It wasn't worth the side effects for me, but hopefully you won't react to it the way I did. I think that kind of dramatic reaction is pretty rare. I hope it gives you some relief!!

I was on Cymbalta for a short time for anxiety issues. I did experience some amnesia, I would be up all night with my eyes wide open. I didn't stay with it long enough to say it helped me, I find I gain weight with all these kinds of meds (I've been on others) so I was reluctant to continue. I don't know if it will affect weight gain after the DS, I don't think it should. Hope it works for you!

It has an FDA indication for chronic pain as well as depression. It helps chronic pain in 3 different ways: It actually helps soothe irritated nerve endings to damp down the pain; (2) it helps you to sleep better (although you may have much more vivid dreams). Most people with chronic pain have trouble sleeping--sleep deprivation makes pain worse, and it gets into a vicious cycle; and (3) it also works as an anti-depressant. Chronic pain tends to cause or exacerbate depression, depression makes pain worse, i.e., another vicous cycle broken. It is certainly worth a try. Be aware that it may take a month of regular doses to reach full effectivenss, and that any troublesome side effects are usually temporary. That is one big reason a lot of people decide that the side effects aren't worth it--they don't give it enough time for the med to reach full effectivenss on the pain OR for the initial side effects to subside.

My wife's doctor prescribed it to her for anxiety and depression. One of the common side affects is weight gain. My wife went from 130lbs to 195lbs in a matter of a year.  She's now on the way back down and she's off the medicine. (she's at 175 now) She wanted to get off of the Cymbalta because of the weight gain (with no end in sight) and because if she missed a day she would have bad withdrawals. The cymbalta has a short half-life so missing a day is not an option. While she was weening herself off the Cymbalta she was taking Prozac to supposedly help with the withdrawal affects. They were HORRIBLE.  It takes about 2 weeks for the Cymbalta to get out of your system. During that time she went through vomiting, headaches, nausea, sweats, shaking, depression, anxiety, and brain zaps. She described the brain zaps as "It lasts a split second and it feels like electricity running through your brain....you can't think, see, or hear in that moment. It doesn't hurt, but it's not a good feeling either."  Now that she's off of the Cymbalta and on Zoloft she is doing fabulous. The weight is coming off and aside from some fatigue she is doing well. I've never heard of cymbalta being prescribed for pain though I suppose it's quite possible. It alters the receptors in the brain so it could alter pain receptors. If it works for you and you don't have any negative side affects I say go for it. Just know that you must stay on top of it. I doubt you'll have a problem doing that. Check out some warnings here: http://www.rxlist.com/cgi/generic/cymbalta_wcp.htm

I know that it is often prescribed for chronic pain even though it's also a "depression" med. I don't know about its side-effects. And as for your question about whether it causes dependency, I'm sure it does in a way...by which I mean, all of those types of drugs aren't the sort you can just stop taking. If you suddenly stop, you can have some pretty unpleasant side-effects. You have to ween off of them (assuming you ever want to stop). But if it works, it will be worth it, won't it? I can't imagine what it would be like in constant back-pain. Plus, even if there is some dependency, I personally would rather be dependent on Cymbalta than strong pain meds...which can cause total addiction. That sucks about your back pain, though. P.S. I've heard the same thing that Carolyn said. You have to be on those types of meds for at least a month before you even know whether it's working, so don't think it's useless just because you don't feel better after a couple of weeks.

Tried it for fibromyalgia and anxiety, didn't work to well.  My dr had me on Lyrica now and I'm much better.  I had a patient last week that took Lyrirca for back bain and he said it helped. I hope it works for you. Trudy

Here's everything you need to know... Pharmacodynamics Although the exact mechanisms of the antidepressant, central pain inhibitory and anxiolytic actions of duloxetine in humans are unknown, these actions are believed to be related to its potentiation of serotonergic and noradrenergic activity in the CNS. Preclinical studies have shown that duloxetine is a potent inhibitor of neuronal serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake and a less potent inhibitor of dopamine reuptake. Duloxetine has no significant affinity for dopaminergic, adrenergic, cholinergic, histaminergic, opioid, glutamate, and GABA receptors in vitro. Duloxetine does not inhibit monoamine oxidase (MAO). Duloxetine undergoes extensive metabolism, but the major circulating metabolites have not been shown to contribute significantly to the pharmacologic activity of duloxetine. Pharmacokinetics Duloxetine has an elimination half-life of about 12 hours (range 8 to 17 hours) and its pharmacokinetics are dose proportional over the therapeutic range. Steady-state plasma concentrations are typically achieved after 3 days of dosing. Elimination of duloxetine is mainly through hepatic metabolism involving two P450 isozymes, CYP2D6 and CYP1A2. Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathic Pain The efficacy of Cymbalta for the management of neuropathic pain associated with diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN) was established in 2 randomized, 12-week, double-blind, placebo-controlled, fixed-dose studies in adult patients having diabetic peripheral neuropathy for at least 6 months. Study 1 and 2 enrolled a total of 791 patients of whom 592 (75%) completed the studies. Patients enrolled had Type I or II diabetes mellitus with a diagnosis of painful distal symmetrical sensorimotor polyneuropathy for at least 6 months. The patients had a baseline pain score of ≥ 4 on an 11-point scale ranging from 0 (no pain) to 10 (worst possible pain). Patients were permitted up to 4 g of acetaminophen per day as needed for pain, in addition to Cymbalta. Patients recorded their pain daily in a diary. Discontinuation effects (withdrawals) Dizziness; nausea; headache; paresthesia; vomiting; irritability; nightmares; insomnia; diarrhea; anxiety; hyperhidrosis; and vertigo.  Dysphoric mood, irritability, agitation, dizziness, sensory disturbances (e.g., paresthesias such as electric shock sensations), anxiety, confusion, headache, lethargy, emotional lability, insomnia, hypomania, tinnitus, and seizures. Although these events are generally self-limiting, some have been reported to be severe. http://www.rxlist.com/cgi/generic/cymbalta_cp.htm This site will tell you everything you need to know.  I took this medication previously for anxiety and depression and everything this site tells you about it is very true.  The discontinuation effects are the worst.  I hear it's one of the hardest drugs to come off of.  It's being used more and more for pain treatment.  Don't get me wrong, it's a wonderful drug...just DON'T miss a day and DON'T come off it without your doctors care!  Good luck!

I was prescribed Cymbalta 3 years ago, for depression.  I also had a lot of knee and back pain, and the doc said the 2 go hand in hand sometimes.  Because of my weight, we kept increasing the dosage until we found something that worked.  That ended up being 120 mg/day -- twice the highest recommended dosage.  (The idea here being the same as putting a single spoonful of sugar in a cup of coffee -- if said cup is 8 oz it is x-sweet, but if that is a 16oz cup, then it isn't nearly as sweet) After my surgeries / wt loss, etc. I have remained on that dosage.  It still works for me.  We are thinking the mal absorbtion has something to do with it.  Not sure, but why mess with what aint broke? Now, I have had a TIME and a half getting that dosage from a new pharmacist when I was hospitalized -- even though the doc ORDERED that amount, they would only bring me 60.  I had to insist on 120, and even get them to talk to my PCP in order to get it.

Scott, I am quoting you right here: I've never taken anything like this before.....even though it's been given to me for pain relief....I know that it's also labeled for a mood altering drug....so I'm a bit apprehensive.  I've never been depressed in my life (i'm defining depression here as a long term depression...not depression because you found out that santa doesn't exist...lol) .  I read that this drug causes dependency ...is this true? Any reviews...advice...etc would be helpful. Scott Cymbalta is extremely difficult to get off of once you get on it. It gives you these weird mind jump feelings, major dangerous depression if you miss a dosage etc. The doctor gave it to me for pain and depression...I had been taking Zoloft. So, I was already in the anti depressant game. If i were not in the anti depressant game, I don't think I would recommend it. Topamax is used for nerve pain too...and not a drug that messes with seratonin etc. I think it is not good business for them to hand out antidepressants as pain relief medication. People physically become dependant upon them. Because of the freaky side effects of not having the drug. I accidentally ran out and decided to quit for a week, my husband started to get really concerned and picked up the prescription for me and handed me the bottle. Plus, they are expensive, even with insurance and copays...etc. Don't do it if you don't want to use it forever or if you don't want to take up to 6 months to ween yourself off the medications. Yes, during my research while off Cymbalta, came across forum where people were reporting that their doctors had them on dosing schedules to safely ween them from the drug over 6 months.  They don't tell you that when the hand you the samples of the happy pills and tell you it will take the edge off the nerve pain because they don't want you to take a couple of tylenol 3's per day. OMG....can you tell I am bugged by the subject. End rant... Natasha