started cymbalta

Hi there,

I need help please. I just started taking 30mg of Cymbalta, for chronic neck injury/nerve pain, it's been 5 days, tonnes of anxiety, dry mouth, severe headaches, a bit of nausea and insomnia...please tell me this goes away with time, as my pain has TOTALLY decreased.

I was on Cymbalta for a little over 3 years and within that first week I had to switch to taking it at night because when I took it in the morning, I couldn't fall asleep either.

It usually takes a few weeks to a month to work through the main side effects of any medication and what you describe is pretty normal for this med. So this is why most Drs. will tell their patient to stick with it for this long (barring any immediate allergic reactions)......

Make sure to drink PLENTY of water each day to stay hydrated ( I drink 12-14 glasses a day)..this can help with any headaches....And you should find that by taking it at night (or experiment and see anywhere from late afternoon to right before bed) should help with the anxiety...

You will find all sorts of comments about this med online as some people love it, some hate it....Just like any medication or treatment out there. The key is seeing whether it works for you.

It worked quite well for my nerve pain and I was able to go off the medication after my 3rd fusion surgery.

Good luck!

Frosty,

We're all so different. I'm sensitive to a lot of meds prescribed for fibro and all Cymbalta did for me over the months I took it, was make me feel numb emotionally and it gave me side effects. It didn't help my pain in the least.

Some of us experience sensitivity to certain meds and others do not. Drugs.com is a good website to check for side effects:

http://www.drugs.com/sfx/cymbalta-side-effects.html

You might want to call your doctor's office about this. 

 

30mg-40mg is the usual starting dosage once a day for Cymbalta....

I started cymbalta some time in the summer. I remember having issues sleeping, but I can't say that it was the medication 100%. The benefit was immediate. I do still have pain but I feel like the pain is more manageable.
It does take a few weeks for the side effects to wear off and for the medication to build up in your system. These types of medicines have to have time to get in your system before they are effective.

Bettie...

Keep in mind that what you read online is going to always be slanted towards the negative. Those that take a medication and are doing great without a single issue are not likely to be on message boards writing about their Fibro or pain symptoms.

So I don't think it's a fair statement to say that Cymbalta only works for a small group of people....

(Following is just thoughts in general, not directed towards BB)

We are all so different that what works for one person may not for another. Everyone should go in with a 100% positive attitude, just be aware of anything potentially dangerous (allergic reaction) but not be fearful, and give a medication at least a few weeks to a month to work out any of the nuisance side effects.

I just believe that the mind is quite powerful and some people can talk themselves out of something working before they even try it based on what they read!

The only medication that I have used for my Fibro pain is just a muscle relaxer, Flexeril, to take once in awhile when the spasms get too bad. Everything else I do is eating all organic, daily exercise, acupuncture, massage, ice, heat, and getting a good night's sleep and reducing stress.

So the key is not looking for a magic medication to fix everything but something that may be helpful to some of our symptoms...