HealingWell
Search Close Search
☰

Savella is already an epic failure

Support Forums
>
Fibromyalgia
✚ New Topic ✚ Reply
❬ ❬ Previous Thread |Next Thread ❭ ❭
Posted 9/23/2010 2:43 PM (GMT 0)
I started Savella Monday night. By Tuesday night, my stomach hurt a lot and I felt really hot. Wednesday morning, at 10:30 AM, I had to leave work for the day (unpaid time), because of the following symptoms: Excessive Sweating, Nausea, Stomach Pain, Rapid Heartbeat, feeling faint, dry mouth. I called my Doctor, he was out for the day. Later on in the day, my heartbeat got even faster, I could hear my elevated blood pressure in my ears!

Not to mention, the stress caused me to have a migraine, and I couldn't take any meds for it, because abortive medications also increase blood pressure. I thought I was going to have to go to the hospital!

Exactly 24 hours later, I'm still waiting for my doctor to call. I've stopped the Savella. So far, Lyrica has had no affect, and even the slightest amount of Savella freaks my body out. I wonder what I'm going to have to take next.

I read a lot of stuff about Savella, and it seems that most fibro sufferers don't really get any relief from this drug. And, many cannot take it because the side effects are so bad. It's a shame that I couldn't even get past the third day, but then again, the medicine is so expensive, I can't really afford it anyway.
Posted 9/23/2010 2:52 PM (GMT 0)
I have been taking Savella for about a year now and I started off doing ok, just tolerable. Now I am lucky if I can get out of bed in the morning. My blood  pressure is normally low around 114/65 but my heart rate per minute is through the roof at usually like 104. The main thing that I have noticed with the Savella is that I sweat so bad, like no normal female should. It is so embarassing to sweat like that. I haven't even been able to wear foundation because it is so bad. I have an appointment with a new Rheumy next Friday and I can't wait to be taken off of this because I have horrible tremers with it as well. I hope you hear from your doc soon! Good luck!

 

Well wishes.

(((Hugs)))

Carley

Posted 9/23/2010 2:59 PM (GMT 0)
Unfortunately, from what I have read about both Lyrica and Savella is that:  The initial side effects force people off before the drug has a chance to work.  Once you are past the start up side effects, the relief is often short lived and the pain can come back worse than ever.  Then there is the weight gain and swollen fingers and feet.  Kudos to those who have had success with these drugs but I am not one who can tolerate the side effects.  I have started to believe that that 'cure' can be worse than the disease.

Donna

Posted 9/23/2010 3:06 PM (GMT 0)
There was a topic here about a month ago - and it was named something like, "Savella almost killed me." I have tried the search feature to find the topic, but I can't dig it up. The point was, the woman who had been taking it has having very severe weight loss, tachycardia, and other serious health side effects. Her Rheumy kept denying it was the Savella. Her cardiologist discovered it was really the Savella. She had to go off the drug. Many other chimed in with similar problems. There are some hard-core fans of savella who will disagree with the people who find fault with Savella - and that includes many people on this board. Take what you will from that.
Posted 9/23/2010 3:18 PM (GMT 0)
Just got of the phone....
He wants me to go up on lyrica again, and I am to start Cymbalta immediately. I know of two people who were put on cymbalta for "painful" depression, and both of them only took it for a couple of weeks. I hope this medicine doesn't make my heart want to explode!
Posted 9/23/2010 3:26 PM (GMT 0)
I'm sorry you have had this horrible experiance with Savella.

I'm still on Savella after being on it over a year...never had any bad side effects.
It did take two months before I felt any noticeable change in pain relief. I'm
taking 50mgs 2x daily and it doesn't seem to be helping like it once did.

My rheumy says he can increase the dosage. I'm not sure if I want to go that
route or start weaning off of it now...decisions....decisions.

We all tolerate meds so differantly...its a crap shoot as to what is going to help.

Hope you feel better soon!

Hugs, Robin wink
Posted 9/23/2010 4:25 PM (GMT 0)
Sorry about the Savella Isis, I have never tried it. Ive never tried lyraca either though. I have tried Cymbalta but it didnt work for me because of the exhaustion. Im tired alot the way it is but that was ridiculous. I did have a friend who took it and swore by it but it didnt work for me. I hope you have better luck.
Gentle Hugs
Shirley
Posted 9/23/2010 5:35 PM (GMT 0)
I'm sorry this has happened to you but the story is so familiar.  That's why I won't go on these things.  I just try to keep the pain as much under control so I can live my life.

 

Here is the link to the thread Chick mentioned but couldn't find.  It is called Savella Nearly Killed Me.

 

https://www.healingwell.com/community/default.aspx?f=24&m=1886335

 

Sherrine

Posted 9/24/2010 12:57 AM (GMT 0)
It was a post by me. Savella was and has been my living nightmare. For some it works, for me it didnt. I am only 25 mgs now and it is safe and cuts down the edge of pain only. It caused me to lose over 65 pounds of weight. I also was found to have a heart arythmia wich was being made much worse by the savella. They may have never found the heart arythmia w/o the savella triggering it into full gear. So it may have also saved my life at the same time. I hope they find something that can help you.
Posted 9/24/2010 12:54 PM (GMT 0)
Hi I just had to respond to your problem with savella. I was on it for only 3 months. In that short period of time I gained 10 pounds on it and it made me very irritable. I was also on Lyrica with it. The doctor told me it works well together. Not for me it didnt. I swelled up in the fingers and hands, I was depressed and very irritable. So I went off of it myself. I weaned off but it was very hard. I had horrible side effects. Since then all I am on is effexor and it seems to take the edge off. I don't think we will be pain free ever but I do think that we can become comfortable with a medicine that will agree with our system. I now feel I am on the right track and I am back to feeling normal again. It was a scary 2 weeks trying to get off of all the meds I was on. Be patient and do what you think is best for yourself. turn
✚ New Topic ✚ Reply