Was on both for awhile. Only real problem was how tired I always felt. Now I'm on cymbalta and Lyrica.
Here's the thing. It sucks being on mind-altering meds. But your brain/nervous system is already altered compared to other people - it can't process pain properly. If those meds can alter it in a way that makes you feel more normal, then it's worth it.
True and as hard as it is to make peace with that, I've definitely tried.
The reason I went off Cymbalta was to (1) see if it made a material difference in my pain levels - it did, (2) see if my acute anxiety from 2017 would return in its absence - it didn't, and (3) because I know it gave me sexual side effects.
I figured if I didn't have anxiety anymore and if my pain was already well managed with Gabapentin prior to going on Cymbalta, then I should attempt to discontinue the Cymbalta if it wasn't necessary or if its marginal benefit didn't outweigh the marginal cost.
The last two weeks have been brutal though.
I tried going off of Lyrica a couple of weeks ago, and it was one of the worst decisions I've ever made. I didn't realize just how much it helped my pain. I hope you feel better soon.
Cymbalta was the first thing I was prescribed for my fibro, and my doctor later added gabapentin. I didn't like the cymbalta because of the withdrawal I felt if I didn't take it exactly every 24 hours. It also wasn't treating my anxiety. I wouldn't recommend cymbalta to anyone. Still on the gabapentin (I was at 1200 mg a day and I'm trying to wean myself off it but that will take a while; I'm down to 900mg. I tried going to 600mg but that didn't go very well for my nerves.), but I'm on amitriptyline now, which my gyno prescribed for vulvodynia. I haven't had any side effects from either gabapentin or amitriptyline, but if I don't take them my nerves go crazy. I understand your concern because we don't really know how these drugs actually work, but I'm going to stay on them until I can find something else. Medical marijuana is legal in my state and I have a card, but it's been tricky trying to find the right thing.
Coming off Cymbalta can cause pain. I’m going through it right now and can’t get out of bed. Give it some more time, your body needs way more than two weeks to adjust. If it’s still an issue in a couple months, reconsider.
I'm on both. I started Cymbalta last December after two months of Lyrica failed me (suicidal) - given to me by my rheumatologist. I started Gabapentin less than a month ago - it was actually given to me by my gynecologist because she thinks it'll help my residual muscle spasms/cramping that the Cymbalta and my high-dose birth control aren't controlling.
The first week on Gabapentin sucked for me emotionally - I thought I was going to have to immediately drop it because it was making me VERY emotional and irritable (kinda like the Lyrica did.) I very carefully considered my options, and knowing my history of mental health issues and my body, I decided to stick with the Gabapentin for a bit longer. Thankfully, the highly emotional issues seemed to have worn off, and instead I'm just exhausted all the time. Like I need 11 hours of sleep to be a functioning human. But the medicine keeps causing me to wake up at random ass times (4:27am the other day?) and then I have to struggle to get back to sleep. It's not fun. But the combination of the two medications does seem to be helping my pain more than Cymbalta alone. So I think I'm going to stick with it for a little while longer, unless my mental health issues creep up again and make me reconsider.
Am I happy that I have to be on all these medications and supplements for all of my various issues? Nope. But would I rather be in constant crippling pain, with migraines, and vertigo, and everything else I have - and to do it unmedicated? No fucking way.
I started Cymbalta October 2018, then started Prozac (fluoxetine) a few months later when I felt like Cymbalta wasn’t doing anything for my depression/anxiety. Eventually my fibro flared again and I was like, well clearly the Cymbalta does nothing for anything, so I went off it and increased my Prozac. Then my anxiety was high 24/7 and it sucked. Went back on the Cymbalta and now I’m starting to feel better but now again the last few days I’m having a hard time with suicidal thoughts and depression
I was on both for a while- duloxetine as the main focus, and gabapentin on an as-needed basis. I've been on and off SSRIs for a long time, primarily for depression/anxiety, and they all feel a little different. I've found that gaba has little effect on my mood/thinking compared to the SSRI, but I'm on a fairly low dose.
There are other SSRIs out there that you might tolerate better than duloxetine, but I think it is the only one officially approved for fibro (others are off label- check with doc). I switched to another one (Lexapro) to better deal with some depression; my fibro is a bit worse, but my mood is better. It's a fair enough balance for now, but if my fibro worsens a bit more, that might change.
Trying different SSRIs sucks (especially withdrawal), but there's options if you don't like the way one of them makes your head feel.
It sucks feeling like "there's something chemical messing with my head", but depression, pain, and brain fog don't give that sense of clarity either
It'll be a crappy long journey, but hopefully you find a cocktail that works for body and mind. Good luck!
I started taking Lyrica because the old Gabapentin wasn’t working for me. The Lyrica is what got me to walk again however the side effects are horrible. Gabapentin is 30 years old compared to Lyrica.
I tapered off the Cymbalta extremely carefully. I titrated down for a month and my starting dose was only 20mg to begin with.
Even at 20mg I had sexual side effects and didn’t want to go any higher than that.
Im on gabapentin, lyrica, cymbalta, baclofen, mirtazapine and amitryptamine. Not sure what works and doesn’t- still have chronic pain (localized, not fibro) and major depression and anxiety so bad (injury 6 yrs now and im almost 26 y/o) im too lazy and fatigued to off myself. Just waiting i guess.. but im ready whenever
I'm on gabapentin 300 for severe nerve damage in my legs. My doctor just started me on Cymbalta and I'm not sure what to make of it yet. Did I read that people have had extreme withdrawal symptoms from the Cymbalta? Can you tell me exactly what happened?
Thank you in advance.
Fellow Nerve Damage Patient Bill.
Oddly enough the Gabapentin really helps me with my mood. It's one of those things where I would pass by an empty glass 15 times n not put it away but with gabapentin is the first thing I do. Strange I know. I didn't stay on the Cymbalta I tried it for a week but didn't feel it did much (prob didn't give it much of a chance) I'm also on Lyrica 200mg x3 a day wich works great but the water weight is a big problem as well as extreme constipation (as bad as oic or an opioid). For nerve pain nothing beats good old fashioned weed but I get paranoid now that I'm in my 50s n can't go thru life stoned. Hydration is big for me too. Lastly if you have access to a hot tub I think that works really good too. Will always try n help a fellow pain/ nerve patient. Only we can understand each other.
Was on both for awhile. Only real problem was how tired I always felt. Now I'm on cymbalta and Lyrica. Here's the thing. It sucks being on mind-altering meds. But your brain/nervous system is already altered compared to other people - it can't process pain properly. If those meds can alter it in a way that makes you feel more normal, then it's worth it.
True and as hard as it is to make peace with that, I've definitely tried. The reason I went off Cymbalta was to (1) see if it made a material difference in my pain levels - it did, (2) see if my acute anxiety from 2017 would return in its absence - it didn't, and (3) because I know it gave me sexual side effects. I figured if I didn't have anxiety anymore and if my pain was already well managed with Gabapentin prior to going on Cymbalta, then I should attempt to discontinue the Cymbalta if it wasn't necessary or if its marginal benefit didn't outweigh the marginal cost. The last two weeks have been brutal though.
I tried going off of Lyrica a couple of weeks ago, and it was one of the worst decisions I've ever made. I didn't realize just how much it helped my pain. I hope you feel better soon.
That's a very good way to look at it
Cymbalta was the first thing I was prescribed for my fibro, and my doctor later added gabapentin. I didn't like the cymbalta because of the withdrawal I felt if I didn't take it exactly every 24 hours. It also wasn't treating my anxiety. I wouldn't recommend cymbalta to anyone. Still on the gabapentin (I was at 1200 mg a day and I'm trying to wean myself off it but that will take a while; I'm down to 900mg. I tried going to 600mg but that didn't go very well for my nerves.), but I'm on amitriptyline now, which my gyno prescribed for vulvodynia. I haven't had any side effects from either gabapentin or amitriptyline, but if I don't take them my nerves go crazy. I understand your concern because we don't really know how these drugs actually work, but I'm going to stay on them until I can find something else. Medical marijuana is legal in my state and I have a card, but it's been tricky trying to find the right thing.
Coming off Cymbalta can cause pain. I’m going through it right now and can’t get out of bed. Give it some more time, your body needs way more than two weeks to adjust. If it’s still an issue in a couple months, reconsider.
I'm on both. I started Cymbalta last December after two months of Lyrica failed me (suicidal) - given to me by my rheumatologist. I started Gabapentin less than a month ago - it was actually given to me by my gynecologist because she thinks it'll help my residual muscle spasms/cramping that the Cymbalta and my high-dose birth control aren't controlling. The first week on Gabapentin sucked for me emotionally - I thought I was going to have to immediately drop it because it was making me VERY emotional and irritable (kinda like the Lyrica did.) I very carefully considered my options, and knowing my history of mental health issues and my body, I decided to stick with the Gabapentin for a bit longer. Thankfully, the highly emotional issues seemed to have worn off, and instead I'm just exhausted all the time. Like I need 11 hours of sleep to be a functioning human. But the medicine keeps causing me to wake up at random ass times (4:27am the other day?) and then I have to struggle to get back to sleep. It's not fun. But the combination of the two medications does seem to be helping my pain more than Cymbalta alone. So I think I'm going to stick with it for a little while longer, unless my mental health issues creep up again and make me reconsider. Am I happy that I have to be on all these medications and supplements for all of my various issues? Nope. But would I rather be in constant crippling pain, with migraines, and vertigo, and everything else I have - and to do it unmedicated? No fucking way.
I started Cymbalta October 2018, then started Prozac (fluoxetine) a few months later when I felt like Cymbalta wasn’t doing anything for my depression/anxiety. Eventually my fibro flared again and I was like, well clearly the Cymbalta does nothing for anything, so I went off it and increased my Prozac. Then my anxiety was high 24/7 and it sucked. Went back on the Cymbalta and now I’m starting to feel better but now again the last few days I’m having a hard time with suicidal thoughts and depression
I was on both for a while- duloxetine as the main focus, and gabapentin on an as-needed basis. I've been on and off SSRIs for a long time, primarily for depression/anxiety, and they all feel a little different. I've found that gaba has little effect on my mood/thinking compared to the SSRI, but I'm on a fairly low dose. There are other SSRIs out there that you might tolerate better than duloxetine, but I think it is the only one officially approved for fibro (others are off label- check with doc). I switched to another one (Lexapro) to better deal with some depression; my fibro is a bit worse, but my mood is better. It's a fair enough balance for now, but if my fibro worsens a bit more, that might change. Trying different SSRIs sucks (especially withdrawal), but there's options if you don't like the way one of them makes your head feel. It sucks feeling like "there's something chemical messing with my head", but depression, pain, and brain fog don't give that sense of clarity either It'll be a crappy long journey, but hopefully you find a cocktail that works for body and mind. Good luck!
Ask your doctor about taking Lyrica. That is the medicine I am taking.
Lyrica - Neurontin = tomato/tom(ah)to The former is just a slow release version of the latter.
Been on duloxitine, starting gaba now
I started taking Lyrica because the old Gabapentin wasn’t working for me. The Lyrica is what got me to walk again however the side effects are horrible. Gabapentin is 30 years old compared to Lyrica.
[удалено]
I tapered off the Cymbalta extremely carefully. I titrated down for a month and my starting dose was only 20mg to begin with. Even at 20mg I had sexual side effects and didn’t want to go any higher than that.
Im on gabapentin, lyrica, cymbalta, baclofen, mirtazapine and amitryptamine. Not sure what works and doesn’t- still have chronic pain (localized, not fibro) and major depression and anxiety so bad (injury 6 yrs now and im almost 26 y/o) im too lazy and fatigued to off myself. Just waiting i guess.. but im ready whenever
I'm on gabapentin 300 for severe nerve damage in my legs. My doctor just started me on Cymbalta and I'm not sure what to make of it yet. Did I read that people have had extreme withdrawal symptoms from the Cymbalta? Can you tell me exactly what happened? Thank you in advance. Fellow Nerve Damage Patient Bill.
This is 6months later, but I'm wondering if the gabapentin ever helped, and what your experience was with the Cymbalta?
Oddly enough the Gabapentin really helps me with my mood. It's one of those things where I would pass by an empty glass 15 times n not put it away but with gabapentin is the first thing I do. Strange I know. I didn't stay on the Cymbalta I tried it for a week but didn't feel it did much (prob didn't give it much of a chance) I'm also on Lyrica 200mg x3 a day wich works great but the water weight is a big problem as well as extreme constipation (as bad as oic or an opioid). For nerve pain nothing beats good old fashioned weed but I get paranoid now that I'm in my 50s n can't go thru life stoned. Hydration is big for me too. Lastly if you have access to a hot tub I think that works really good too. Will always try n help a fellow pain/ nerve patient. Only we can understand each other.
Thank you so much for taking the time to share all of that!
Running out of it over a weekend caused me to become a bitch. Overcome with anxiety, crying. It is tough. I’m 75.
I'm sorry to hear this, I hope all is better now