Cymbalta for Chronic Pain User Reviews (Page 5)

• MsBunky
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• October 10, 2012

"I have been using Cymbalta for several years now as part of my treatment plan for Chronic Pain. My pain is related to having Fibromyalgia, osteoarthritis in my hips, spine, knees and neck, impingement in the hips as well, and trigger points throughout my body. After trying several other medications, and gaining some amount of weight, my doctor wrote the prescription and I started at 30mg for the day. I now take 60mg in the morning and 60mg at night and it makes a huge difference in maintaining my pain levels. I use it now as part of my daily "medicine cocktail" and hope to continue for a long time still to come!"

• Texas
• Taken for less than 1 month
• September 28, 2018

"I was prescribed this for depression and chronic pain. The first time I took it was at night as instructed by physician. I was given 30mg I honestly thought it was going to die. I laid down after taking it and within 30 minutes I was feeling sick to my stomach. I went to get up to get to restroom to vomit but felt as I was going to pass out. I finally made to bathroom thinking what is wrong with me I've never had any drug do me like this. I checked my sugar level it was 59 which is low and I'm not a diabetic. I only did this for taking care of both parents which were and knowing their symptoms. I had to drink juice and eat a peanut butter sandwich to bring my sugar level up. I vomited, had a high heart rate, almost passed out felt so dizzy and weak due to it dropping my sugar count. I figured it had to be that medication so I threw it away and have not taken it again. I have not felt like that since. So it didn't work for me sadly."

• Sandra
• Taken for less than 1 month
• March 28, 2021

"I took my first dose around 8:30pm last night (30mg). Went to sleep around 10:30pm. Woke at 2am with hallucination type dreams, felt like I would vomit. I went to the couch so I wouldn’t wake my husband. I shivered, sweated, had diarrhea, and was in a dream like state but couldn’t sleep. The nausea was the worst. Hard to keep even water down. Through the rest of the day I had nausea hitting me hard, could only make it to the bathroom. Finally called the dr and asked for nausea medication and that seems to help some. I’m never taking this again, and wouldn’t recommend it for someone new to Anti-depressants. I’m almost 24 hours from my first dose and I’m still feeling sick, but can eat a little now."

• JuicyK
• July 11, 2017

"I have not actually taken this yet. My prescription will be ready by tomorrow. I'm scared, depressed, hopeful and in pain.... I hope I have good stories to share like the positive comments on here. I worry I'm going to be like the others."

• Choll...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• January 2, 2013

"I have chronic nerve pain and RSD as a result of a failed multi-level cervical fusion. I was on narcotics for 2 - 3 years. I had an implanted pulse generator placed in my low back with the leads running up my spine to the area in my neck affected by the surgery. This enabled me to get off the narcotics, but I still have trouble with the Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy (RSD). About 5 years ago, my doctor put me on Cymbalta. I now take 60mg each morning.There has been a marked difference in my pain level as a result. I have learned to regulate my activity as well to help keep the pain down. I still have moderate bouts of depression. So far, nothing has a lasting effect on that."

• NoMore
• Taken for less than 1 month
• September 26, 2022

"I was prescribed Cymbalta because of nerve pain and fibromyalgia. I took it three nights. The first morning after a little dry mouth. The second morning dry mouth was worse and I was feeling a little off. This morning I woke up severe dry mouth, shaking, off balance, cognitive function is very slow and I am fatigued. I felt like this once before when I was on gabapentin which I will never take again. I was on it for 2 years and ended up with seizures. The seizures went away after I stopped gabapentin. I was not going to give Cymbalta anymore time to do more damage. I don't think I will get withdrawals since I was only on it 3 days, at least I hope not."

• Meshawn
• Taken for less than 1 month
• June 22, 2018

"I have trigeminal nerve damage and have been on gabapentin for awhile, but it is causing me to gain a lot of weight. So, my doctor recommended Cymbalta. I only took one pill and knew I did not want to take anymore. It made me extremely sick...nausea, sweating, blurred vision, restless thoughts, unable to focus. This was terrible for me. After being off of it for three days, I still am finding it hard to focus and my eyes are not quiet back to normal. I am only in my 40's too. I would highly suggest you do your research before taking this medication."

• Adria
• August 18, 2018

"I was prescribed cymbalta yesterday and after taking only one pill I became incoherent. Thank goodness I was safe at home. I begin accusing my husband of things and spoke of things that made no sense. It was awful. I suffered some type of psychosis. I didn't recognize my husband and so forth. I even tried to call cops because I was scared of my family. It wore off after several hours . Very bad experience"

• Karen...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• December 10, 2015

"I just started on Cymbalta for excruciating nerve pain behind my right ear. This nerve pain is due to nerve damage from Shingles, PHN. I have to say that I am quite happy with the results so far. It seemed to zap the pain in about an hour from taking my first one. It seems to wear off by the next morning so I am going to try to up it to twice a day, hopefully I will not have trouble sleeping."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• May 19, 2014

"I have been taking Cymbalta for about 2 years. I can tell a major difference with an over all improvement and/or tolerance level of pain; I can ,as well, tell that it seems to improve the efficacy of two other medications I am given (morphine and tramadol) Or prescribed, as compared to when I (have done one or two trial periods purposefully x1 and accidentally) missed 4-7 days of not taking the Cymbalta."

• Philly...
• August 31, 2015

"Was taking this along with 450mg of Lyrica a day and 150mg of Tramadol a day. Nothing helped with pain but I went into such a depression that I could no longer even go out into public. I slowly weened myself off of all of it. I have pain but at least I can go out into the public."

• AJC
• Taken for less than 1 month
• January 19, 2017

"I was given Cymbalta in October to help with chronic back pain from a spinal fusion surgery due to no one catching a 33 degree scoliosis curve which was also affecting my breathing. My mother passed in September, so my PAIN SPECIALIST decided I needed something for anxiety/depression AND pain..ya think? So he told me to take it for a few weeks and tell him if I like it, and if I think it helps. Well, no mood lifting, no pain relief. Luckily I had no side effects to speak of, so I am sorry for those of us that doctors just hand meds to without explaining anything. Yes, he just prescribed them, and said "They should help." NO warnings, then we get the effects and they look at us like we are crazy. He tried to give me Cymbalta a second time!"

• Crps...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• January 15, 2021

"Only on it for six weeks, I was a depressed zombie for three of them, lost all ability to function and could barely get out of bed. Talk about a numbing drug. All these meds are toxic, get back to nature and heal properly."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• October 18, 2015

"Have had pain all my life, some is from fibromyalgia. Cymbalta worked well for pain such as the electrical zapping sensations. However, it is much too expensive and was not very effective for anxiety or depression."

• Anonymous
• Taken for less than 1 month
• September 19, 2012

"I have fibromyalgia - panic disorder, bi-polar & ADHD -- I did not find Cymbalta to be any relief at all (included in my daily medication) if anything I was throwing up and feeling worse!! For those of you that it worked I am glad you no longer suffer as much. For me I still have to find the right pain medicine."

• Chip
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• March 17, 2021

"Started taking this for pain, over a four month period, with gradual increases up to 120 mg. It gave me severe, severe depression, and made me feel like I wasn’t myself at all. I also had brain frog, and almost 10 lbs weight gain even though it gor rid of my appetite. A lot of water retention especially around my lower abdomen. It also gave me poor sleep and terrifying nightmares. Weaning off now with a schedule from my doctor. I would not only not recommend this drug, but if it must be tried, to talk to your doctor weekly about your moods and feelings in case you start to feel depressed; or worse."

• mishi...
• April 29, 2018

"I was on Cymbalta for nearly 4 years. I was on the 60mg and just after I turned 40 I began the drug not realizing I was heading for the most horrific experience of my life. After stopping it I had it all... the vomiting, nausea, headaches (migraines ), insomnia, brain zaps, nightmares , fever, loss of appetite... flu . It all came gushing at once. It was 9 days of hell so far but each day it’s getting better. I have never craved to go back on it and threw it all down the sink. No doctor helped me go off it. I made the choice. It was the best decision. I had attributed my night sweats and hot flushes and weight gain to me turning 40 even though the doctors had done the tests and it said I was not premenopausal. To think I decided to stop it because I couldn’t deal with the weight gain even though I had tried , Yoga, meditation, exercise, eating healthy. I gained about 18 pounds. Please think twice before going on this drug. The coming off doesn’t outweigh the lesser pain."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• December 30, 2020

"Had very severe, burning nerve pain in lower back. Had 3 hip replacements. 2 back surgeries. Knee surgery, Bypass surgery. Broken leg & ankle with screws broken shoulder & broken pelvis with screws. Prostate removal. Use of Duloxetine now 2 years. Never used pain meds at any time. On morphine drip after a surgery. Still try to be very active. Just had severe fall 20’ plus. Fall has damaged a lot of body parts again! Have extreme night sweats from Duloxetine. But feel up with plenty of energy. Nerve pain had diminished 90 %. After fall some a lot that pain has returned. Still have all the desires of life. But not unbearable Burning Nerve pain as it was before Duloxetine. Am 75, am physically strong. Need to know can I stay on Duloxetine for MANY more years?"

• frito
• Taken for less than 1 month
• May 23, 2022

"Cymbalta was a nightmare. I told my new Dr that I had bad reactions to SSRI's & SNRI's and preferred to avoid them. He agreed & said he wouldn't prescribe any, but instead would prescribe Duloxetine. I previously studied to be a pharmacist so I immediately knew he was lying. I tried it anyway, thinking I knew what the likely side effects would be and once I was at my follow up I could stop them and redirect focus on finding the source of the problem. Mistake. Summary: Brain fog, insomnia, brain-zaps typical when weaning off these types of meds, restless leg syndrome reactivated which had been dormant for years, dizziness, lethargy, and couldn't get out of bed --- I needed help to get from bed to toilet. No, thank you."

• Lucy
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• February 26, 2021

"Cymbalta helped a LOT with chronic pain as well as anxiety. I feel so much better with this medication! I feel mental clarity and the constant irritability from chronic pain was completely relieved. I wish I had tried this years ago! I realize not everyone has the same experience with medications but my quality of life has increased significantly! I have nerve pain that has almost totally gone away!"

• Ronnie
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• September 11, 2023

"I started Cymbalta in January 2023 when my neurologist prescribed it for nerve pain from peripheral neuropathy (non-diabetic). I was initially on 30 mg/day, but she moved me up to 60 mg/day after about a month. It was doing okay for a while but started to lose its effectiveness. My psychiatrist just started increasing my dosage to 120 mg/day last week. I'm currently at 90 mg/day for a month, and then I'll step up to the full 120 mg. In less than a week, the change has been significant. I was having moderate to severe pain in my feet, knees, and back. Since I was already on Cymbalta, the psychiatrist decided it would be beneficial to increase the dosage. My pain has significantly reduced to almost nothing, and the electric shocks and muscle twitching have stopped. I can't believe how much of a difference the increase has made! Not being in constant pain and agony has done wonders for my depression as well. I feel so much better!"

• Marjo...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• December 20, 2022

"I took Cymbalta for a month at 30mg and then increased the dose to 60mg. It is a week later, and this morning I woke up to an almost pain free experience. Cymbalta is strong: it temporarily made me overly wakeful at night, and my appetite has decreased. But this is a small price to pay for freedom from brutal arthritis pain and a more positive outlook. I am incredibly grateful for this medication, especially as I have now been able to stop taking NSAIDs for pain relief."

• Jamie
• Taken for less than 1 month
• July 25, 2021

"If I could give this drug a minus 100 I would. Probably one of the worst drugs I have ever taken. I was prescribed it for the small fiber neuropathy in my legs. After a few days of taking it, I went into one of the worst depressions of my life. I don't suffer, and have never suffered, from depression, but after taking this drug I now know what it feels like to have major depressive disorder. OMG. My husband had to pull me out of bed. I was suicidal. I was totally apathetic and in a very deep rabbit hole. I never ever want to see this drug again. I am now on on opioid patch and guess what people, it works on my pain with NO side effects. STOP withholding opioids from people with chronic pain. We don't get high on this stuff, we just take it to get some relieve."

• Caljet
• Taken for less than 1 month
• November 26, 2022

"Started this medication Cymbalta on Monday night. No problem until Wednesday night, and I couldn’t fall asleep. I had to get out of bed because I couldn’t sleep. I felt so jittery in the morning, but my mood was feeling pretty good. I decided to take my blood pressure, and my standing heart rate was 138. It’s usually around 70. Went to the ER (Thanksgiving day), and they did all the proper blood work, X-ray and tried to bring the heart rate down. They couldn’t get it down past 100, kept me overnight, and had an echocardiogram the next day. Everyone checked out and the cardiologist told me it was the cymbalta."

• Kenfr...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• June 20, 2022

"Guess it worked somewhat. Like all theses drugs difficult to evaluate vs the ridiculous 1-10 pain level thing. Have C2-T2 lamenectomy and fusion with typical rods and screws. Obvious chronic pain issues. Would never take this med again due to difficulty stopping. Even weaning off had dizziness and brain zaps for months. Definitely debilitating. Really this shouldn't be on the market. Easier coming off Opioid. NOT WORTH IT was my experience."