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Savella, apnea and feeling wired

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Posted 12/29/2011 3:17 AM (GMT 0)
My doc diagnosed me with metatarsalgia because I had pain in the front ball of my foot and an x-ray came out clear. I told him about my joint pain and when he tested ROM for my shoulders I wasn't able to put my arms behind my back without a lot of pain and crunching and my shoulders were very stiff. He decided to check my blood for inflammatory and autoimmune stuff and since I haven't had a call I presume those came out fine. He also had me use an apnea monitor for a night. That came back that I'm at a "mild risk" for apnea and wants me to see a neurologist about it. I'm debating about whether to go, partly because I'll be starting my deductible over on 1/1/12. I really don't want to meet my deductible and use up my HRA in the first month of the year with the appointment and the sleep study I'm 99% sure he'll want me to do unless it really might do me some good. Does anyone know anything about apnea treatments besides CPAP? And how much does apnea really affect fibro? It wouldn't surprise me if I have some apnea because I snore occasionally even after having my tonsils and adenoids removed but I'm not at all willing to use a CPAP right now for various reasons. If there would be other treatments I might be willing to go to the appointment and see what he has to say.

He also put me on Savella. I'm so desperate for something else to try besides more pain meds I started it despite all of the negative side effects associated with it. I'm on my third day of 25 mg doses. It does bother my stomach, almost feeling like morning sickness. I turned my head really fast this morning and got really nauseated. I'm going to try taking Tums at the same time and see if that helps. I'm not to the point of wanting to stop it because of the nausea but I am dreading the next step up a little. I've been much more clear-headed and had less pain since starting it but both of those may be coincidences. One thing I know is not a coincidence is feeling "wired" yesterday and today. It was almost annoying. I looked at the side effects and I wouldn't describe it as a "restless" feeling, more like a "too much caffeine" feeling without being jittery. Has anyone else felt this with Savella? And should I really be worried taking this at the same time as tramadol? I'm on metoprolol for SVT and I see that Savella is sort of contraindicated when you have heart rhythm issues. Has anyone had issues with that? Sorry for all the questions but I want to make sure that the negatives aren't going to outweigh the pros.
Posted 12/29/2011 8:41 AM (GMT 0)
I am on savella and it has been a life saver for me. I started feeling better within 2when weeks of starting it. The nausea does go away after awhile but one thing I found helped was eating a huge meal before I took it. My mom also told me they sell an OTC med to help when you do get nauseas on medication. I believe its called Queasy. I have never felt wired on it so that might be worth mentioning to your doctor as it could be related to your heart, but if you can stick it out a little longer you wont regret it.
Posted 12/29/2011 9:55 AM (GMT 0)
I know my husband says I snore sometimes. I have found out that when I am on certain meds it causes me to snore. I also found out certain pillows can cause me to snore more. Weight is a factor also. I fixed all of these things and it has improved. I am glad because I don't want no machine. Did my own fixin. Lol
Posted 12/29/2011 12:36 PM (GMT 0)
I know I have sleep apnea, probably from a deviated septum that I have, but am not doing anything about it.  My choice.  I couldn't sleep with a CPAP running and I do get enough rest.  I personally don't think this affects the fibro that much that I'm willing to go the next route.

 

My cousin tried Savella and the side affects were horrible so she stopped taking it.  about a year later she decided to try this again and she now only takes 10 mg a day and it is helping her without all the side affects.  So, you might ask about backing down..instead of up..to see it that would work for you.  Remember, we usually are quite sensitive to medications and I think many are given far too much stuff and our bodies are reacting to it. 

 

If I ever decided to try Savella, I would take no more than 10 mg to start with.  I personally would stay on that dose unless I needed a little more.  You can work up slowly, too, and that gives your body a chance to adjust.  You might find a much lower dose does a great job.  Keep in mind, though, I'm a doctor's nighmare!  smilewinkgrin I will only do what I feel is best for me.  I check everything out.

 

Sherrine

Posted 1/4/2012 4:32 AM (GMT 0)
Thanks for the input! Just a little update. I've decided not to go to the neuro appointment about apnea. I think that unless they think I'm at a substantial risk for apnea it's really not worth spending the money at this point if I'm able to reasonably control my symptoms otherwise. I'm okay with the idea of using the apnea monitor again in a year or so and reevaluate then. The Savella is going pretty well overall. The "wired" feeling hasn't come back. My wife suggested that what I was feeling was my "normal" pre-fibro self and I just wasn't used to it. lol I slowed down on the titrating and took my first 75 mg dose this morning. I had some stomach yuck today that may or may not have been related to the increased dose. I like Sherrine's idea of "customizing" the dose because I really don't want to take more than I need. I haven't decided on a specific plan to figure out what dose I should try for the long term. If it's all ready working as well as I suspect it might be I don't think I'll really need the 150 mg/day that my doctor apparently wants me to take. I may just stay with 75 mg/day until my follow-up this month. I'll have to pay full price for it until I meet my deductible for the year so the longer I can make this package last the better. I think it'll work for me, though, and just in time when I start my classes in about 10 days. I really need to have good control of my pain and other symptoms in order to be able to get through school while working.

Thanks for letting me ramble. I'm so desperate to find something that works that I'm actually kind of paranoid about taking the Savella. I'm afraid that it'll work but the side effects will cause other problems or it'll cause other issues in the long term even though I've been on SSRI's before and had no problem with them then or now. I know it's a fairly new drug and I'm always wary of taking any drug unless it's a generic with a long history that I can look into.
Posted 1/4/2012 5:56 AM (GMT 0)
If you are certain that you would not use the CPAP then don't do it. My insurance requires that I wear mine at least 4 hours a night, otherwise they will not pay for it. They know how much you use it because it has a SD card (memory card) that I send in monthly in prepaid mailer. Seems a little big-brotherish at first, but it's a time log that is official & that nakes it easy for me, so no big whoop.

Cognitively and energy-wise, I know I made the right decision. I do have less pain overall. I think the better sleep and oxygen to the brain and muscles are very important, but if yours is mild & you hate to wear it, then it would be a very expensive thing to do. I csn say that it does take awhile to get used to it. The first month was difficult but now I wear mine 4-7 hours a night. This is also the first Sept-Dec time period I can remember not having a respiratory illness. I think the humidifier it has built in is helping. I can adjust the humidity level. It is a pretty sweet machine.
Posted 1/4/2012 12:33 PM (GMT 0)
Hi evenkeel,
I don't really have much to add as far as the apnea issue, as I don't suffer from it but I do want to wish you luck with the Savella.
I can understand your reluctance especially with starting school.
I was on it for about 3 weeks but had to stop due to extreme nausea and dizziness. I was kind of bummed about stopping it because I managed to have a couple really good days on it. Whether it was coincidental, I don't know but I do remember having at least two signifigantly better days where I almost felt like my old self.
I've heard so many people say they couldn't tolerate it and then there are others who can and it works very well for them. I hope if it's the right med for you, that your body adjust's and you can stay on it. For those who can take it, it seems to be a really great drug.
Best of luck to you with this and starting school!
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