Cymbalta for Fibromyalgia User Reviews (Page 5)

• Dan...
• July 23, 2015

"I have fibromyalgia as well, and I stopped taking Cymbalta because my pains improved a great deal, but I had extreme nausea and exhaustion (especially in the AM). Now my pains have come back to kick my behind. Day 2 of Cymbalta. Seems as if it makes me light sensitive, which gives me a headache and dizziness. Like my eyes are heavy and my skin was clammy. I will continue. I'll get back to you in a few weeks."

• cou...
• July 1, 2013

"This medicine delivers as promised as far as pain relief. I noticed a reduction in pain 3 days into taking it. The only pain it doesn't eliminate is my lower back pain. It even helps with my migraines! Negatives are the side effects when getting used to the med (nausea, fatigue) and the fact that your body gets used to it, so you have to keep upping the dosage. Recommend starting out on the lowest dosage possible."

• Pat...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• October 2, 2019

"When Cymbalta first came out, my rheumatologist prescribed 120 mg per day. At that point, I couldn’t sit up for more than 30 minutes. He also prescribed a “cocktail” of cyclobenzaprine 10 mg, alprazolam 4 mg, and gabapentin 1200 mg, twice a day. I read a lot of reviews, and most were awful until I read the reviews of people over 50. They said it changed their lives! I was around 60 and am now 72. It truly changed my life! Now I find myself forgetting words. A neighbor told me she got off her Cymbalta and that went away, so I’m waiting to see my doctor about this. Cutting the Cymbalta in half for a week, and my knees and wrists are very painful. Again, waiting to see my doctor!"

• Anonymous
• February 17, 2009

"I have tried increasingly higher doses of Lyrica to suppress fibromyalgia flare-ups with okay results for two years. Cymbalta became available, and it has drastically reduced the constant pain, weakness, and fatigue I suffer. Finally, something that works for my fibromyalgia."

• Sim...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• April 13, 2017

"My confirmed diagnosis is fibromyalgia, Sjögren's, and severe arthritis, which I have suffered from for many years. The fibromyalgia tested the worst out of all other disorders. My PCP gave me 60 mg/day of Cymbalta, which was reduced quickly, for I slept all the time and couldn't control my eyes. My husband said I walked around with my eyes wide open, and I'd forget to blink, he said I resembled a zombie. My RA doctor advised me to combine Cymbalta with Lyrica to increase effectiveness, which I'm hesitant to try. My pain, tiredness, and sensitivity have increased severely with Cymbalta, and I honestly feel it's not worth the risk."

• smo...
• December 17, 2008

"I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia about 3 years ago. I have tried many types of medications, from narcotics to anti-seizure medications, to control the pain. I have been on Cymbalta for the last 4 months. Cymbalta works wonderfully, and I am able to live a pain-free life."

• Dah...
• June 3, 2013

"I have been taking Cymbalta for 3 days. I have had nausea and a drop in appetite. I experienced sleeplessness on my 3rd night and hot flashes. I have found that taking it in the morning is better for me. This is my second round of taking Cymbalta."

• Ann...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• October 23, 2018

"I've been on Cymbalta for over a year for fibro. There has only been a slight (10%) difference in pain, yet now I have to worry about the horrible Cymbalta discontinuation syndrome....which is a thing, when I try to get off of it. My doctors, of course, didn't mention that when they put me on it."

• Esp...
• May 3, 2017

"I have fibromyalgia and have had this condition for many years. I tried Cymbalta for about two weeks and never felt like I was in my right mind at all during the time I took it. I would much rather deal with my pain and feel somewhat alive and painful rather than a zombie. I do not recommend this drug: it's hard on the liver, your urine will smell very bad, you're going to be extremely sleepy, and a feeling of being not quite right. If that's what it takes to take pain away, I'd much rather work on massage, de-stressing techniques, walks, and praying than to feel like half a human being. That's been my experience, I'm glad I had the experience, as it taught me there's no easy route to pain relief. My hope is the new sodium blockers!"

• She...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• July 4, 2016

"Cymbalta didn't help with my pain, it only made me feel like a zombie. I'm trying to get off of it, and it's a nightmare. I'm removing seven beads from the capsule every day and feel so sick. I feel like I'm going to die at times."

• Anonymous
• May 12, 2009

"I have fibromyalgia and ME/CFS, as well as depression and anxiety resulting from PTSD. I have been on Zoloft for over 10 years, trying to taper from it for the last 5. I couldn't get down past 50 mg of Zoloft without dreadful side effects until my doctor suggested I cross-taper with Cymbalta. It has made all the difference in the world. I am now down to 20 mg of Zoloft (without any withdrawal symptoms) and up to 30 mg of Cymbalta. I noticed within the first few days that my depression and anxiety had subsided almost completely, and my fibromyalgia pain has measurably decreased. I haven't had to use as much oxycontin or klonopin. I look forward to seeing if combining Lyrica will allow me to get off the oxycodone altogether."

• Ste...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• April 20, 2019

"Have had pain for 20 years, process of being electrocuted 3 times. I had developed arthritis all over the body, suffered from irritable bowel syndrome and orofacial granulomatosis, and developed fibromyalgia pain with fatigue, depression, and constant head pain. This was all unbearable, but after trying Cymbalta, pain was minimized by 30 to 40 percent. I take 30 mg a day."

• ang...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• September 12, 2013

"I am on Lyrica 150 mg a day, but it started to lose its effectiveness after about 5 months. I can't afford to see the doctor or get more Lyrica. I tried Cymbalta for my PMDD and hoped that it might help my pain too. My pain was almost completely gone after about 2 days of use! However, I started getting sores on my tongue, emotional numbness, and had zero libido. I stopped using it after about 7 days, and the pain came back worse than ever (I believe I had been overdoing it those few days). I seriously considered putting up with the side effects just to get some pain relief, but I'm trying bupropion XL first."

• Dgr...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• September 14, 2019

"I have been taking Cymbalta for one month. I am at 30 mg and have not had a lot of bad side effects as others have noted. I do feel more tired, and I have had some minor nose bleeding that seems to have subsided now. I would say this medication has decreased my muscle pain by about 50 to 75% depending on the day. It has also helped with arthritis pain in my hips and back. I would say the joint pain relief is about 25%. I hope I don’t have severe withdrawal symptoms if I have to change medications or stop temporarily for surgery. I have read that it is much easier to taper off if you start taking a small dose of an SSRI like Prozac during the taper."

• cat...
• April 27, 2013

"I have been taking Cymbalta for over two years, it worked great in the beginning. I currently take 90 mg a day, 60 in the morning and 30 at bedtime. The last few months, it does not seem to be working. I have tried several other medications before this one, and none of them worked. There are days (most) that I hurt so bad I can't stand to move."

• Hom...
• September 13, 2009

"Diagnosed with fibromyalgia, I went to my doctors to discuss further help in dealing with the pain and was immediately given Cymbalta 30 mg, no talk about my Estroven that I was taking for menopause, nothing. Found relief the first two days, immediately as directed, and found through the course of 3 weeks the following interactions: irritability, more pain than ever before, which forced me to take more pain pills to combat the pain, and then finally a rash, then difficulty speaking, then finally the ultimate was massive confusion. Please be careful to those who are taking homeopathic medicines and trying to help themselves with fibromyalgia. Be your own advocate and do the research first...don't be a statistic like I almost was."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• August 19, 2012

"I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia about 1 yr ago, Dr. prescribed Cymbalta. I got discouraged at first because it didn't seem to help in the first couple of weeks, but then after staying on for about a month, the pain was greatly decreased. Not a fan of being on medicine, but without it, my quality of life is not the same."

• Anonymous
• February 16, 2010

"My husband has borderline rheumatoid arthritis, is diabetic, has bouts of atrial fib, and is overweight. He is working on losing weight so he can have surgical ablation on his heart to minimize the afib. He kept having extreme muscle/tendon pain. Rheumatologist dx: fibromyalgia. Put on Cymbalta, 30 mg x 1 week, then 60 mg. Been on 60 mg x 5 days, MAJOR difference in the pain. Hasn't complained at all. Whole new world. Has even helped his depression and anxiety attacks (not clinically diagnosed, but still there). Unfortunately, it has made him severely tired, and his libido is not what it used to be. Beginning to be on the verge of erectile dysfunction. Great drug, but at what cost? Something to think about."

• ste...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• January 21, 2025

"Cymbalta for fibromyalgia. Pros: After a week at 30 mg, I noticed a small reduction in pain. After two weeks (now at 60 mg), I noticed even more improvement. After four weeks, my pain was drastically reduced. Cons: Night one was bad nausea and unable to sleep. Night two felt better but still hard to sleep. Night three, all of the symptoms disappeared. After two weeks, I started to get diarrhea after every meal and throughout the day. I could hardly eat and was dehydrated despite drinking loads of water. I had to stop taking Cymbalta after six weeks as the side effect was terrible."

• Anonymous
• September 14, 2016

"The first few days I took the 30 mg, it worked great, my pain was pretty much gone, and I felt like myself again, other than the bad side effects. But after the first few days, my pain started coming back more every day. I did start taking 60 mg about a month later, but it did not help with the pain, and I could not deal with the side effects. I am still on the 30 mg because it does help with my depression."

• ane...
• April 4, 2009

"As a disabled person on SS, I have both Medicare and True Blue. When the fibromyalgia is treated with 60 mg twice a day, the symptoms were phenomenally changed for the better. However, about 3x a year, the insurance makes me cut back to one tablet daily. Within a week, my depression worsens and my pain intensifies. It's a great drug, and those who take it really need it."

• Tif...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• March 23, 2017

"I suffered for about 2 years with fibromyalgia. Within the first 2 days at 20 mg, I felt a significant decrease in the electrifying buzzing throughout my body. I finally got comfortable enough to get a good night of sleep. The first day, I had eye pain, but it went away later in the day. Currently, I wake up in the morning with a little nausea and my fingers swell, but this too subsides throughout the day. Overall, I have been more active and alert than I could ever remember. :)"

• San...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• October 25, 2017

"I broke my hip the day before July 4th. I had surgery and was in the hospital for a week, then in a nursing rehab home for a month. I can't take opioids, so I took ibuprofen for the pain. I am 67 years old and also have afib. I was getting around fine when I came home. Then in September, I had pain all over my body. It would jump around. I had extremely bad insomnia and restless leg syndrome. My legs felt heavy, like they were filled with cement. I went to my MD, and she ran blood tests, especially looking for rheumatoid arthritis. The diagnosis is fibromyalgia. She had me take steroids, one tablet a day for four days, and Cymbalta 30 mg twice a day. I had no bad side effects. I slept better, and the pain is very bearable, just mild hip pain."

• Sam...
• April 16, 2017

"Severe constipation, horrible, horrible time it gave me. I don't care what anyone says. I was on it for 6 weeks and had to take laxatives every other night just to get relief before it finally hit me what was happening. I went off it right away, terrible drug. I'd rather live with any kind of pain than to ever go through that again!"

• aln...
• August 30, 2009

"I had been taking another antidepressant when I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia. After one year of suffering, I asked my doctor to switch me to Cymbalta so that I could see if it would help my muscle pain. After about 6 weeks, I realized that I was doing everyday things without crying out loud. Cymbalta has reduced my muscle pain from a 10 (worst) to about a 5. It worked for me."