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Posted 9/6/2008 2:36 PM (GMT 0)
Last week my rheumy prescribed Cymbalta for me and gave me one week supply.  When I went to have my prescription filled they said my insurance wouldn't cover it so they called my rheumy and she changed it to Flexeril.  I started taking it two days ago and there's no comparison.  I took the Cymbalta of the morning and it give me so much more energy and cut my appetite.  I have taken the Flexeril for the past 2 nights and I haven't had enough energy to get up and go to work.  I was so drug out yesterday that I couldn't hardly keep my eyes open.  Same thing this morning.

 

Does anyone else take Flexeril and if so does it make you feel this way?  I researched Flexeril and it is for muscle spasms.  I didn't even mention muscle spasms to her.  All I wanted was something for energy.

 

God Bless!

Shannon

Posted 9/6/2008 3:00 PM (GMT 0)
I've taken Flexeril in the past after one of my back surgeries, and had some of the same problems.  It messed up my vision so much that I had to stop taking it after a couple of weeks.

 

As you said, Flexeril is a muscle relaxant.  Cymbalta is an antidepressant that has been shown to help with pain. There are some older antidpressants that have been shown to help with pain too, and some of these have generic forms.  But, since one of the side effects of these meds is drowsiness, I don't know if they would be what you are looking for.  I think the drowsiness is supposed to subside after awhile.

 

I found this site at Mayo Clinic:  http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/pain-medications/PN00044

 

Hopefully, Cymbalta will have a generic form soon.  Just a thought, but have you contacted your insurance company?  Since there isn't another cheaper drug that functions like Cymbalta, I'm just wondering if you can demonstrate "need" for the drug, if they would cover it.  

 

Good luck. :)

Posted 9/6/2008 3:20 PM (GMT 0)
Shannon I haven't taken cymbalta but I have flexeril and it did nothing for me. That is so sad your ins won't pay for it. I think I would fight them on it since cymbalta is being rxd for fibro. I would also call the doc office and see if they can give you more samples while you fight your ins.

 

I'm glad the cymbalta was helping. My doc wants me on it but since I'm on two anti-depressants already I have refused to take it. Maybe I'm wrong but a little red flag went up in my head about adding yet another anti-depressant. smhair

 

Good luck

luv and hugs

Marlee

Posted 9/6/2008 3:30 PM (GMT 0)

Hi Shannon!

I reacted the same way to both drugs. I take Flexeril occasionally for muscle spasms and it is helpful. I was perscribed 10mg and it knocks me out. I started cutting it in half and can tolerate it better. Since you are not having muscle spasms, you may want to call the doctor's office and ask them to explain their choice of the Flexeril. The only thing I can think of is for sleep but I am not a MD.

The Cymabalta was helpful for awhile but stopped working. I had trouble sleeping the first week I took it but that went away. It was good while it lasted. Hope that your insurance co. will reconsider.

Good luck...

Cyndi

Posted 9/7/2008 4:20 PM (GMT 0)
I'm not so sure I like the fact that Cymbalta cuts your appetite. Can you explain that more?
Carolyn
Posted 9/7/2008 9:39 PM (GMT 0)
I'm on my seventh day of Lycra and I don't know what I'm going to do, they were saposta put in a special something so my insurance would take it, and it hasn't happened yet.  The Lyrica is helping with the pain a bit but not as much as I had hoped.  My vision is screwed up, it's like I can't focus and my fingers aren't doing what I want, it's taking me twice as long to type than usuall.  I tried Flexerial but it didn't do anything for me unless I took about four or five then I was throwing up.  Not a good thing.

I've been on gabapentian for years now and had no idea how much it helped me until I had to quit taking it.  The Pain Doc said to taper off on them, then I could start the Lycra.  I'm on 150 mg a day and he wants me to get up to 300.  I also heard that you gain weight with this.  I'm also taking predisone which helps do that, don't need another drug to help me gain weight.  I hardly eat, only one meal a day, then it's small, but I look like Petuna Pig, but that's OK, I'm still me inside all of this "insulation".  LOL

 

Posted 9/7/2008 10:47 PM (GMT 0)
My insurance pays for Lyrica, but it won't pay for Cymbalta.  My rheumy thought if it would pay for the Cymbalta because Lyrica is a brand name too.

 

Carolyn, I don't know why, but the Cymbalta sort of made me sick to my stomach.  Then I could go all day without wanting anything to eat.  I didn't even have the munchies at night when taking it.  Of course I didn't take it except for 7 days.  It was like a miracle drug for me.  I had a lot more energy.

 

I've been told that if I contact my insurance co. and tell them the Flexeril isn't helping me they might go ahead and pay for the Cymbalta, but I also read that you aren't supposed to take it over 3 weeks at a time.

 

God Bless!

Shannon

 

 

Posted 9/8/2008 12:48 AM (GMT 0)
Nothing ventured, nothing gained...

I had tried almost every kind of anti-depressant out there, then a friend, who is also a fellow fibromyalgia sufferer, told me about Cymbalta.

My Dr. prescribed it for the depression, but said it wouldn't do anything for the pain. Boy, was he wrong! Not only did it help the pain, like the previous poster said, it suppressed my appetite, did away with munchies, not to mention the urge to bite my nails.

Well, I recently became unemployed and lost my insurance benefits. I have been off of Cymbalta for almost three months. I feel awful. cry I've been saving up to buy another month's worth. My insurance used to cover the prescription, but I had a co-pay since there was no generic form available. I've been cutting corners everywhere, just so I can get back on it.

Cymbalta made such a difference in my life! I just want to feel good again.

Do I sound like a commercial? 

Posted 9/8/2008 1:04 AM (GMT 0)
Green,
Cymbalta does work for many people. You don't sound like a commercial. If you can't afford the cymbalta you might get some relief from an SSRI like generic prozac. That's what I use and it's only about $10 for a 90 day supply at Sam's Club and some of the larger market chains. Cymbalta is a serotonin norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor and prozac is a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor. Might work for you?
Posted 9/8/2008 1:04 AM (GMT 0)
Hi Greensleeves and welcome to our forum.  You've come to a good place for sharing and caring.

 

I'm glad to hear from someone else that said it cut their appetite.  I've taken diet pills off and on all my life since I was in my early 20's.  I even took phen-phen for about 3 months before they took it off the market.  Cymbalta does the same for me as the phen-phen.  I also had dry mouth and couldn't sleep when I took it for the first time before bed. The only difference is the Cymbalta helped the pain and I started getting my energy back. 

 

It's a shame that a lot of insurances won't pay for it.  I'll let everyone know if I can change their mind.

 

God Bless!

Shannon

Posted 9/8/2008 4:49 PM (GMT 0)
Okay, I'm not sure if I like the lack of appetite thing. I weigh 145 and I like eating. I would have to weigh the pros and cons.
Another question. Did you say that you can't be on Cymbalta for more than 3 weeks at a time? I wonder why that is true? What is the reason for that?
Thanks
Carolyn
Posted 9/8/2008 5:02 PM (GMT 0)
I don't think I ever heard you were only supposed to take it 3 weeks at a time. That seems odd to me, because it's not good to stop cold turkey.

I had taken it every day for 2 years with no problems...except the cost. rolleyes

Posted 9/9/2008 3:29 AM (GMT 0)
From all appearances it was the Flexeril that she was referring to with the 3 week limit. Cymbalta is beautiful as an anti-depressant for me. And I did have the lack of hunger as well. It wasn't till I had been on it for about a year that I finally started getting back into old eating habits. Unfortunately it never did help me with pain. But still, I loved it as an AD.

With the change of jobs back in nov-dec it also meant a chnage of insurance carriers. My old insurance was a $10 co pay, now with the new one it's a $75. With the other medications that I'm on it's just too expensive. So I have opted to try the older SSRI's. Right now I'm in the trial phase with Celexa (generic) and it's turning out reasonably well as an AD for me.

But yes, I'm in agreement that Cymbalta is a great thing. lol
Posted 9/9/2008 12:20 PM (GMT 0)
I think I'm headed down the Cymbalta trail from Ultracet. My appt with the Rheumy is next week and I didn't have enough of the Ultracet to last until then. I noticed when he faxed in the Rx for the Ultracet it had no refills. As a Crohn's patient I'm not excited about possible nausea and the reduced appetite side effects. Sigh, my body has the capability of losing 30lbs at a time due to Crohns and I only eat small nutritious meals (snacks) every 3-4hrs. as it is. Crohn's already messes with my saity in that sometimes my body does not signal me I'm hungry at all. For those times I usually choke down a Boost supplement just to get some calorie intake. My only hope is for MORE energy and reduced pain if I have to endure even more side effects. ^&*%, sure hope the insurance pays for it too!
Posted 10/8/2008 8:59 PM (GMT 0)
I'm new to this post and stumbled upon it accidentally. I've been taking Cymbalta for almost 2 years after being on Zoloft for more than 7, and it has been a lifesaver. I too am uninsured and could not afford it. My DR would give me samples, but he retired and had to go off of it. After having seen a Montel Williams commercial for people who cannot afford pharmaceuticals, I called the number and was referred to Lilly Cares, the pharmaceutical company that makes Cymbalta. I applied for assistance and have been getting my meds FREE for a year. One has to reapply every year and refax a signed refill request by the DR, but if your income level does not go up beyond their guidelines (not sure what they are), they will mail you your 4 months supply to your prescribing DR's office. Your DR will have to fill in the dosage and license info and sign it, but just fax it in. It really is simple and no strings attached. No tax forms to fill out, nothing else to do. I'm not taking any other medications, but if I ever am on recurring medications, I will definitely apply to the drug company for assistance. I hope this helps everyone who cannot afford their meds or if their ins. co. won't cover them. Lilly Cares information is: Lilly Cares Foundation, PO Box 230999, Centreville, VA 20120- 1-800-545-6962. The Montel Williams commerical info: Partnership for Prescription Assistance-not sure what their info is, but just "Google" it and you will get all the info you need to get started.
Posted 10/8/2008 9:51 PM (GMT 0)
My doctor has prescribed me with soma, percocet, and lyrica... for two days i have been SUFFERING badly with not being able to move well at all.. this was before i was diagnosed.. i have taken my meds and feel soooo much better..
Posted 10/9/2008 1:24 PM (GMT 0)
I am on Cymbalta and it has been a life saver. I am also on Ultram with it; I was on flexeril as well but my new doc asked me to stop the flexeril because he didn't think it was a good drug for every day use. I was off the flexeril for 3 months and just yesterday asked to go back on it. A new doc agreed that I knew what works best for me, and now [thank God] back on the cocktail of Cymbalta, Ultram and Flexeril. It works for me.
Posted 10/9/2008 4:19 PM (GMT 0)
Cymbalta has also been a lifesaver for me and my chronic pain. My Fibro symptoms were so bad that there wasn't enough paing medication to control it. I also took Flexeril and it helped for a little while, but did make me tired also. I would def ask my doctorto help me in the fight with the insurance company. I work in the medical field and you would be amazed at what the doctor can accomplish with a good letter saying you must have this medication for your condition. Good luck and hang in there! Sheri
Posted 10/9/2008 9:29 PM (GMT 0)
Chitababy..............was the 150mg a starting dose for you on the Lyrica?  Lyrica comes in as low as a 25mg dose and then you can build on that if you are too wiped out by the higher dose.  I take 600mg a day of the Lyrica but I started out on 75mg at bedtime and even that made me loopy and then as I adapted to the med and changed up each week I would again feel loopy.  My mom is on it now and she was origionaly set up with 75 mg the 1st week and then right on to 150mg and she is 76 yrs old!!!!!  I told her no way thats too much for her so I had her request the 25mg and now after 2 months she is just now taking the 75mg 3x a day.  I dont know why the hell some docs have ppl start on such high levels of this drug,it can be dangerous with as loopy as it can make ppl you could wreck your car or worse.  Luckily I dont work but even I had trouble walking straight and if not for my hubby would have walked right out in front of a car cause I was so out of it.  I am glad that I learned the hard way instead of my mother.  Lyrica works great for me and without it there was no getting rid of that horrible burning pain and my feet would go ice cold and hurt too.  So its a good medicine if you go slow and work up,plus as for the weight gain I havent gained any weight in 7 months.  This med can give you the munchies specially at night but just keep low fat low cal snacks on hand and after a few months thoat went away.
Posted 10/10/2008 12:06 AM (GMT 0)
Chit, My vision was strange when I first took Lyrica. However, that side effect and all the other ones were gone within 3 weeks. Give the Lyrica a month, it takes a while to be effective.

donnaeil
Posted 10/10/2008 3:16 PM (GMT 0)
I would like to welcome Jhawkfan, Azblone and Cori08 to the family.

 

After my visit with new rheumy yesterday I'm going to try cymbalta. He is the third doc that has recommended it to me so I figure it's worth a try. I've had it for quite awhile was too chicken to try it. I am so thankful for our ins our highest co pay is $22.00. I have to find a time when there isn't much going on to try it and of course this is a busy time for me.

 

I am so glad that there are places that are helping people with getting the meds they need.

 

luv and hugs

Marlee

Posted 9/10/2012 6:55 PM (GMT 0)

Southernlady said...
ion filled they said my insurance wouldn't cover it so they called my rheumy and she changed it to Flexeril. I started taking it two days ago and there's no comparison. I took the Cymbalta of the morning and it give me so much more energy and cut my appetite. I have taken the Flexeril for the past 2 nights and I haven't had enough energy to get up and go to work. I was so drug out yesterday that I couldn't hardly keep my eyes open. Same thing this morning.
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<FONT color=#008000>Shannon

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