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Anyone have side effects to Cymbalta?

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Posted 12/22/2010 8:06 PM (GMT 0)
I just saw my pain management doctor last Thursday and he changed one of my meds. I went from Celexa to Cymbalta. He also put me on a z-pack of antibiotics for bronchitis.

I have had some strange side effects. I feel very out of it, almost like I am numb. I have ringing in both of my ears. I also have had a few episodes. In one, I was standing with both arms above my head looking for something in the cupboard and my whole body started shaking uncontrollably and my legs started jerking like they were going to fail me. I was kind of frozen in the position for a minute or so and couldn't bring my arms down. My husband helped me and I managed to get my arms down and get sat down in a chair. In the other 2 episodes that I have had, my legs have just started jerking like they were going to give out and buckle and it took all of my strength to get to a chair and sit down instead of falling down.

Yes, I did call my docs office today. According to my docs office, they do not believe that this could possibly be a side effect of the cymbalta and I am supposed to keep taking it. The dose was originally started at 30mg twice a day. Once the side effects started, I lowered the dose to just one 30mg tablet once a day.

I am on several other medications, but in talking to the pharmacist on the phone today, they do not believe that the side effects are from the cymbalta or an interaction with any of my other meds. I have read online where a few people taking this drug have had side effects somewhat like this. As of right now, I am still taking it at 30mg per day as it is possible that my body may adjust to the medicine and the side effects may lessen.

My med list is: 30mg cymbalta 1 per day, 75mcg levothyroxine, gabapentin 300mg 3x a day, 30mg oxycodone dosage is 1/2 up to two tabs every 4 hours not to exceed 7 tabs per day, florinef .1mg 1 per day, bupropion (wellbutrin) 150mg per day, 40mg simvastatin 2 per day, magnesium supplement, multivitamin, calcium supplement, fish oil with omega 3 supplement. To be taken as needed, ambien 10mg for insomnia, promethazine (phenergan) 25mg for nausea, sumatriptan (imitrex) 50mg for migraines.

I just finished a z-pack of azithromycin (I believe it was 250mg pills), an antibiotic on Monday for bronchitis.

Boy, this post has turned into a book! Sorry about that! I also found out on Thursday that I now have a hernia on my left side. Not like I don't already have enough to deal with.

Has anyone else had these types of side effects taking cymbalta? Have you had any side effects taking cymbalta? Also, I posted my med list in case anyone would know if there is a contraindication in between any of my current meds with the cymbalta.

Trudy
Posted 12/22/2010 9:07 PM (GMT 0)
I have moderate to severe peripheral neuropathy from the result of 5 lumbar spinal surgeries. So I am on Neurontin 900 mg's 3 times a day plus 60 mg's of Cymbalta. The Neurontin makes me sleepy and the Cymbalta makes me real light headed. They are in capsule form so I can't split them in half.
I have been with Pain Management for over four years and lately they keep wanting to decrease my pain meds "Percocet 5/325" which I take for the pain in my feet and lower back down to one a day. I am not sure why they want to do this. Has anyone else have the same thing being done to them? I am not addicted to the meds but I need them for the pain. Ibuprofen and Alleve does not help me. The Alleve tears up my stomach.
I tried changing my Pain Management doctor but the one I saw wanted me to stay with my previous Pain Management doctor. So this is ridiculous! Has anyone else been treated this way for pain meds?
Posted 12/22/2010 10:33 PM (GMT 0)
Wolf you have had 5 surgeries and they want you off of your meds, are they crazy? You are on a very low dose and I would not agree to this and I would be finding myself another dr ASAP. You may have to travel a little distance but let me tell you, if the dr is good it is well worth the travel time. There has to be more than 2 PM drs available to you. If you are using private insurance get online and see who else is available. Otherwise, I would search online for another PM dr and have your PCP physician make the referral, this is crazy. Keep in mind there are 2 types of pain mgt drs out there, one will do injections and procedures only, no medication, the other will do the same but will write scripts. Before committing to an appt with one, call and ask if the dr writes scripts for pain meds if he feels they are warranted. You will not sound like a drug seeker asking that questions either.

I do not believe I have met you before so I would like to welcome you to Healing Well's chronic pain forum. I am glad you found us, but very sorry that you have to be here. If you have done what your PM drs has asked of you, then you should not have too much of a problem getting another dr on board. Have you visited with your PCP about this? If not you may try to get him to handle your meds until you can find another dr.

Good luck and take care.
Posted 12/23/2010 12:13 AM (GMT 0)
My wife took Cymbalta for while and when she first started her doctor started her out on 60 mg 1x day and she said she felt really loopy on it plus is made her sick to her stomach at which point she stopped taking it. A new doctor convinced her to try it again and started her out on 30 mg 1x per day for about a month and then upped her to 60 mg 1x day. Going that route she didn't get sick to her stomach and she didn't feel so out of it.

According to the prescribing info I have read on Cymbalta patients are suppose to be started out at 30 mg 1x day and then increased every few weeks until a theraputic level is reached with a max dose of 120 mg/day.
Posted 12/23/2010 3:10 AM (GMT 0)
Hello there Straydog, I am fused from L-1 to S-1. This goofy PM Dr. is determined to drop me down to one Percocet a day. I will continue to look for another doctor or doctor's to find someone who is sensible and knows of my medical history.
It is so nice to meet you here Straydog. This is the first time here. I really like the site too.
I will let you know what happens with finding another doctor. I will start searching after the holidays.
Posted 12/23/2010 5:18 PM (GMT 0)
Wolf, if you have not done an intro post here at the forum, please do so that way all members can see it give you a proper welcome you aboard. Thanks.
Posted 12/23/2010 5:23 PM (GMT 0)
Hi Trudy, welcome to Healing Well's chronic pain forum. I am sorry that you have to be here but very glad that you found us. As you can see there are quite a few of us around that suffer with CP too. At least by coming here you know that you are not alone in your suffering.

I tried Cymbalta for a while and did very well with it. But, I also started out on a lower dose and then had an increase and did fine that way. Have you called your pharmacist and asked if any of your symptoms could be related to the Cymbalta? Also, there is a website called Drugs.com that you could go to and get a pretty comprehensive listed of possible side effects on Cymbalta.

Anyway, I wanted to pop on here and welcome you aboard. Take care.
Posted 12/24/2010 4:10 PM (GMT 0)
Straydog,

Thanks very much for the welcome! I did talk to the pharmacist that helps with my pain management program over the phone. She said that she felt that the side effects were not from the Cymbalta. But after reading posts on here and other places regarding Cymbalta, I feel that they are.

I have stayed on the lower dose of Cymbalta and the side effects do seem to be getting better, so I think my body is adjusting to it. I still have to up the dose again to the 30mg twice a day that my pain doc prescribed, but I don't want to do it until after Christmas because I don't want to have to deal with the side effects during that time.

I have an appt. with the pain doc in January (the 13th), so I will discuss all of this with him directly. I have no idea if the nurse I spoke to on the phone actually talked to him or not. She put me in touch with the pain management pharmacist.

Thanks again!
Trudy
Posted 12/24/2010 9:55 PM (GMT 0)
I could never get to the therapeutic dose of Cymbalta. It made me feel AWFUL, so I told the doctor I wasn't going to take it and I threw it away. Expensive stuff, but I just could not tolerate the way it made me feel. I know it works very well for some, just not for me.

Peace,
V
Posted 12/24/2010 10:02 PM (GMT 0)
Trudy - Nice to meet you.

I had myoclonal jerks/spasms from neurontin (gabapentin) when combined with tramadol. It didn't show up until I was on it for 6 weeks, but it IS a known side effect.

I got tinnitus, tremors and weakness from Cymbalta, also known side effects.

I gave up on both meds. They don't do anything for fibro muscle pain. I felt much better after stopping them!
I'm now just on tramadol for the fibro, 3 Advil twice a day or more for shoulder tendonitis and bursitis, which isn't great for my stomach.

I was taking Vicodin for breakthrough pain once every few days, but it's not working anymore, so have switched to a Percocet with a Zofran at night. I'll stop that as soon as I get rid of the tendonitis. I take an Ambien at night for sleep.

I was taking a diazepam 2 mg for sleep and pain in the middle of the night instead of a pain med, but my pain doc doesn't like it because he thinks I will become addicted. I wonder what he will think of the Percocet. All the muscle relaxants I tried for him didn't help at all.
Posted 12/29/2010 3:38 PM (GMT 0)
Thanks for all of your comments. I stayed at the 30mg dosage for about 2 weeks and the side effects lessened. I just yesterday went up to the 60mg dose and so far no side effects have been seen. I am hoping they stay at bay. I have a huge scar on my left abdomen where the scar is fused to the pelvic bone and it is very tender and sore if it gets touched. That is why the doc changed me from celexa to cymbalta. The cymbalta does seem to be helping with that tenderness in the scar. BTW, the scar is from a healed pyoderma gangrenosum ulcer after abdominal surgery.

As far as the pain management doctor wanting to reduce the one person's meds to one per day, that is pretty ridiculous. I have a bulging disk in my back and a tear. In my hips I have tendonitis and bursitis that just hasn't been helped by any other treatment than pain meds. I would continue to check around and find another doctor. This one seems to be unreasonable.

Trudy
Posted 12/29/2010 8:20 PM (GMT 0)
I was on Cymbalta for about a year. One pill in the am and one in the pm. I can't remember the mg.

It actually helped dull my TN pain for about a month, but then the pain came back. So my doctor upped it to twice a day. The twice a day regime worked for about another week, then the facial nerve pain came roaring back.

I finally got off of it after a year. The only weird symptoms I had was that it made me sweat and have hot flashes a lot. I actually went to my gyno thinking I was having some pre-menopausal symptoms, but being 41, my Ob/Gyn said no way and suggested that the Cymbalta does do that to some people.

Like Vannie said: it works for some, but not for others.

Your symptoms seem to severe. I bet it is a contraindiction with one of your meds.

I hope you find an answer.
Posted 12/31/2010 10:08 PM (GMT 0)
Hi I am on Cymbalta. I was on 120 but now down to 60. When I started I took 30 at dinner to help with the side effects and increased very slow. For the initial 2 weeks I was so ill but my pain doctor encouraged me to stay on it and the side effects did lessen. Now with new meds if the side effects are tolerable and not scary bad I try to stick it out to see but of course if they are bad I call my doctor.
Posted 1/1/2011 3:48 AM (GMT 0)

shakehead  Oh boy, I'm glad to hear that this drug has had very good results for so many, but I had a side effect that they actually didn't think I'd make it through the surgery.  When something says, "it may cause constipation", Listen!!! I was embarrassed to tell my doctor and was drinking Go Lightly (which is so wrong...it's anything, but going Lightly!!!), taking Milk of Magnesia, suppositories, and finally after 5 weeks (yes, I know how stupid it was!) I used an enema. By the time I did that, my colon was so full and hard that the surgeon said I'd have never passed what was in there. I had perforated my bowel and it was the craziest pain in the world. I was in CCU for 7 days and have been in and out since.  I did have to have a colostomy bag on my side for several months, but thank God, they were able to remove it. 

SO!! Just listen to your body and pay attention to what it's saying. You are your very best advicate for your health! Good luck and take care. I hope it works like it's supposed too.

Sincerely,

Stac/Catz4

P.S. As I stated in line one, I know this drug has been of great help to so many and I am thankful for them. This is just a one in a million thing that happened to me.

Posted 1/1/2011 5:20 PM (GMT 0)
I tried cymbalta for psych and pain management. the side effects I had were mainly nausea and dizziness. It didn't help in both respects so I discontinued it. I was up to 150 mg (I think). Everyone's body is different so I really hope it works for you. Meds can be a lot of trial and error. Good luck :)

Kuno
Posted 1/1/2011 8:23 PM (GMT 0)
Those sound eerily similar to some of the side effects I had on Cymbalta. It's a terrible med, IMHO. At least it was for me.

My arms would "raise" of their own accord when I was trying to sleep. I had numerous different "seizure-like" symptoms.

And I wasn't transitioning with little or no taper from another med....so what you're experiencing isn't terribly surprising to me. Personally, I wouldn't touch the meds in this class with a 50-foot pole.
Posted 1/1/2011 11:16 PM (GMT 0)
Cymbalta gave me bad night sweats and waking up at night when I was increased to 60 mg.
at 30 I was okay...hated being on it at 60mg.
Hope your feeling better soon...
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