DancingLight Posted November 8, 2005 Report Share Posted November 8, 2005 Hello!We're back safe and sound...and I'm miserable and crashed. But I did the trip and saw the Lyme doc and will update you all when I can...I'm popping on super-quick to ask if anyone has taken Cymbalta and what your experiences were with it?I did a search and didn't find much on it, since it is a new drug...How much did/do you take? How long did you wait out side effects? What time of day do you take it? Did the side effects lessen with time? What are you taking it for?I am hoping it will help with pain. I've been on it 5 weeks now and it's hard to tell if it's making me more miserable or if it's just my usual (as you know my baseline is already 'yucky' --so it gets hard to tell what's 'more yucky').I think that it is the Cymbalat that is making me feel totally wiped/drugged, more exhausted (if this is possible!), and increasing my POTS symptoms and GI distress, but I don't know...I'm on 30 mg right now and started at 20 mg...Any thoughts would be much appreciated...I know I'm quiet on my end these days...I just am lucky to survive the day right now.Thanks, Emily Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dizzygirl Posted November 8, 2005 Report Share Posted November 8, 2005 Hi emily.. glad that you made it to the lyme doc.. but sorry that you are feeling so icky..Cymbalta.. hmm.. I just started taking it at the end of september.. I have found that it does help me some with leg pain.. and I do sleep sorta with it.. and my autonomic/adrenaline surges are as bad at night...However.. my first couple of days on it werent all that great.. alot of nausea, bad fatigue, funny feeling in my chest..I no longer get the funny feeling in my chest.. but the fatigue is still there.. so is the nausea.. some days after taking cymbalta it is more severe then others.. and some days its not so bad.. But everyday about an hour or so after taking cymbalta.. I am out like light!It makes me very sleepy.. and I generally sleep from 3-8 in the afternoon/evening..I take the Cymbalta at about 2pm.. after I eat something..I started out on the 30 mg daily.. now it as been bumped up to 60 mg daily.. but I am sitting on the perscription.. as i hate to increase meds doses.. it scares me!!! LOLI hope that it does help you..it has helped me.. and I know that this may sound weird.. but its hard to explain how it is helping.. just that i know that it is.. no matter how small that it may be.. does that make sense?hang in there Emily!!Linda Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DancingLight Posted November 9, 2005 Author Report Share Posted November 9, 2005 linda,thanks...i also have felt like someone is sitting on my chest when i start the cymbalta. i also have more nausea and stomach pain/cramping and definitely more fatigue...but, some reduction in pain (neck) and better sleep (which we both need!)...i was nervous too about going from 30 mg to 60 mg...and talked to my POTS doctor about going slower...could you ask you doc if you could take two 20 mg tablets for a 40 mg dose instead of jumping up to 60 mg? that is what i am going to do if i increase it...b/c i felt horrible just going from 20-30 mg...just a thought...later alligator!emily Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dizzygirl Posted November 9, 2005 Report Share Posted November 9, 2005 hey emily.. thats a good idea!!!!!! I never thought of a lower dose between 30-60mg...I know that I am suppose to be starting this med Provigil.. but I am nervos about starting new meds.. as my body reacts like a looney toon!I hope that you start feeling better!!and that you too get some much needed good quality sleep..HUgsLinda Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lalalisa Posted November 9, 2005 Report Share Posted November 9, 2005 Hello,I'm glad youre home safe and sound from your trip. I hope you got some good input / answers while away seeing the dr. My brother who has CFS and deals with Lots of pain takes Cymbalta...it seems to help quite a bit. (I'm not sure how much he takes though)Hope you find some relief from the med. Have a good day,Lisa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs. Glass Posted November 9, 2005 Report Share Posted November 9, 2005 Hi,I was on Cymbalta for several months for severe depression after I got sick. It wiped me out too. I had to take it at night or I could not make it through the day. I took 60 mg a day. It didnt seem to help the depression or anxiety much. The side affects never did lessen in me, but then I am very sensitive to meds.It was making all of my symptoms worse. My Doc told me that it affects the autonomic system and when he discovered that I was having problems with it he took me off of it. I was also taking Welbutrin in the morning, and he took me off of that also. My Neuro has taken me off of everything except the Coumadin, Ambien, and Senocot temporarily. He wants to see what my body does without the drugs. Oh yeah! I am loving that very much. I got up this morning and my bp was 80/38. I can see what kind of day I am going to have,and all of my other symptoms seem to be worse.Hope that the Cymbalta works better for you. Smile Today, it will make the blues vanish (if only temporarily)Vanessa aka (Mrs. Glass)Hello!We're back safe and sound...and I'm miserable and crashed. But I did the trip and saw the Lyme doc and will update you all when I can...I'm popping on super-quick to ask if anyone has taken Cymbalta and what your experiences were with it?I did a search and didn't find much on it, since it is a new drug...How much did/do you take? How long did you wait out side effects? What time of day do you take it? Did the side effects lessen with time? What are you taking it for?I am hoping it will help with pain. I've been on it 5 weeks now and it's hard to tell if it's making me more miserable or if it's just my usual (as you know my baseline is already 'yucky' --so it gets hard to tell what's 'more yucky').I think that it is the Cymbalat that is making me feel totally wiped/drugged, more exhausted (if this is possible!), and increasing my POTS symptoms and GI distress, but I don't know...I'm on 30 mg right now and started at 20 mg...Any thoughts would be much appreciated...I know I'm quiet on my end these days...I just am lucky to survive the day right now.Thanks, Emily<{POST_SNAPBACK}> Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michiganjan Posted November 9, 2005 Report Share Posted November 9, 2005 I now have a prescription for cymbalta. I saw Dr. Grubb yesterday. Haven't seen him in 3 years. I saw Beverly Karabin, too. I am so glad I went. Beverly is very knowledgable, and a good listener. my opinion is that she knows a lot more about POTS than the electrophysiologist I see locally. Before I even saw Dr. Grubb she prescribed new prescriptions and an order for a stress test. Dr. Grubb was wonderful as ever and he looked very well. My husband, Jeff was with me, and I told Dr. Grubb about Jeff's cancer and Dr. Grubb was very supportive of both of us.So I may, soon join you in trying cymbalta. First I am going to start taking cerefolin, the version of folic acid that can get to the brain. The will try cymbalta after a week or so. I also have a prescription for Mestinon. I can try that after the cymbalta. So the trials will take me a while.If anyone else has experience with Cymbalta helping them with POTS symptoms, please add to this thread. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joanie Posted November 11, 2005 Report Share Posted November 11, 2005 What is cymbalta targeting? Pain? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michiganjan Posted November 11, 2005 Report Share Posted November 11, 2005 Dr. Grubb prescribed it for me and said that it can help with POTS symptoms. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs. Glass Posted November 11, 2005 Report Share Posted November 11, 2005 Hi Joanie,I was taking Cymbalta for severe depression. Although my Cardiologist took me off of it. He told me that it upset the Autonomic System.It did not seem to help very much for the depression. I hope that my Neurologist can give me some more knowledgable answers. I have seen on this forum that a lot of people are taking meds that my Cardiologist told me that I could never take again. So I guess only time will tell. Have a great day! Vanessa (theycallmemrsglass_What is cymbalta targeting? Pain?<{POST_SNAPBACK}> Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
calypso Posted November 12, 2005 Report Share Posted November 12, 2005 Emily,I have taken Effexor for about seven months now. Effexor is basically the old Cymbalta -- more side effects. Cymbalta was created about a year ago to not cause the side effect of raising BP. So if you're taking it to raise your BP, you'd be better off w/ Effexor.But anyway, I am taking it for anxiety. And for me, it has completely stopped my "attacks" -- these are somewhat like panic attacks but I think are more POTS attacks than anything, where my heart races, I feel like I am choking, and I get very hot, but I don't feel nervous.I am generally up and down in terms of fatigue. I can't seem to figure out how this drug affects my energy level. But I do know it took me at least two whole months to find the right dosage and to feel better with this med. Give it time and keep the dose low; that would be my non-medical, experience-based opinion.Amy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DancingLight Posted November 12, 2005 Author Report Share Posted November 12, 2005 Amy,Ooh, this is the first time I have posted on the updated forum. This is fancy! I think you may have just solved my problemo! I switched from Effexor XR to Cymbalta. I have continued to get worse and worse and it has been 7 weeks now, which I think is long enough to wait it out. My BP has been much lower since starting the Cymbalta and I am lucky to be at 90/60 right now (reclining with hose and girdle on). I really feel awful--like sick every moment of the day and trouble sleeping/getting to sleep b/c I think my BP is too low at night also. My BP is significantly lower, my exhaustion is even more profound, my mood is LOWER, I'm more agitated, I'm sooo pale, and I can't concentrate or see straight on this med (hence my not posting mode lately). When you said Cymbalta was a 'new Effexor' w/out the side effect of raised BP I realized my 'gut' feeling that this med has been making me way worse was probably right. THANK YOU!!!!!! It does help some with pain, but not enough for this trade-off of side effects! So, for me it has more sided effects than the Effexor ever did.Good thing I am seeing my PCP on Tuesday.Joanie,Cymbalta is an anti-depressant. It was also studied for neuropathic pain in diabetes and FDA approved for that. I asked my pharmacist about this b/c many of the anti-depressants are used for pain...this is just the first one that they did studies so that they could market it for pain also.Cymbalta is similar to Effexor in that it works on TWO neurotransmitters--serotonin and norepinephrine. It is a selective serotonin and norepinephrine re-uptake inhibitor. Other 'new' anti-depressants on the market usually serotonin based--Prozac, Paxil, Zoloft, Celexa, etc. Wellbutrin works strictly on norepinephrine. With Cymbalta and Effexor you get more norepinephrine at the higher doses.I guess they are using Cymbalta a lot for fibromyalgia patients and it is working well for them...but I haven't had much luck!Hope this helps...Dinner time!Emily Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joanie Posted November 13, 2005 Report Share Posted November 13, 2005 Thanks, Emily. You explained it VERY well. thanks to all for your responses...Joanie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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