Duloxetine for Chronic Pain User Reviews (Page 4)

• aus...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• August 14, 2017

"I have had three back surgeries, the latest was back fusion. I now suffer from nerve pain, especially in my right thigh and knee. At times, I can hardly walk due to the pain and weakness in my leg. X-rays and MRI show the fusion is in the correct position, but the specialists have said I may always have this nerve pain. They prescribed Cymbalta, and oh, what a calamity! I only took this medication for three days, and that was three too many. I was not warned about possible side effects, these are numerous: massive increase in pain, massive increase in weakness in the leg (had to use a walker), chest pain, headaches, nausea, stomach pain, mood swings like anger, suicidal thoughts, nightmares, hot and cold flushes, sweating for no reason. The list goes on."

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

"I just started Cymbalta 5 days ago for chronic neck pain as well as depression. The first few days were hell, I will admit that. I have had every side effect-nausea, dry mouth, constipation, extreme fatigue. But now at day 5, everything is starting to wear off and my neck honestly feels so much better, and it's only been a few days. The only thing that seems to be sticking around is restlessness at night. I can fall asleep fine, but I wake up at around 3 a.m. and can't get back to sleep. But I'm sure my body will adjust. I would suggest sticking with Cymbalta and pushing through the side effects if you can. This is supposed to be a great med."

• Fib...
• April 22, 2019

"I was prescribed Cymbalta for fibromyalgia and depression. I was taking it for over 3 years, but I developed a tolerance for it because it stopped working. While I was on it, it worked really well. It took some time to take effect, like 15 days, but when it did, it worked very well. I was able to continue working 50-hour weeks. The only horrible thing was when it finally stopped working, so I had to resign from my job and subsequently lost my health insurance. I couldn't afford the Rx, so I stopped taking it cold turkey. The side effects were horrendous! I was shaking, nauseous, had really bad headaches, dizzy. I finally had to borrow money to get the med back and then weaned off slowly."

• mar...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• May 24, 2016

"Taking since 2005 for a numbness, icy, electric zapping feeling in my thigh. Started mild and escalated to unbearable over 15 years. Kaiser had ignored it for years, and I finally consulted an outside doctor who prescribed Cymbalta. No side effects at all. Within weeks, the unbearable electric zapping began lessening. Over time, a multitude of issues I thought were untreatable went away. I quit falling down (I am no longer afraid of stairs), I could tap my toe in time to music (previously, my reflexes couldn't keep up), the almost constant neuralgia that made my teeth hurt went away. At $350 per month, it was worth twice the price. Now I can no longer afford Cymbalta, and the generic makes me so nauseous I cannot take it."

• the...
• August 8, 2016

"I started out on 30 mg for one week, then moved up to 60 mg. Since starting the larger dose, I am having frequent dizzy spells, headaches, and fatigue. I am planning to give it more time, this Rx, so far, has been the only Rx that has lowered my pain due to chemotherapy. Hopefully, these side effects will stop soon."

• tin...
• March 20, 2015

"Reduced pain within days. Drowsiness and dry mouth, but subsided after a couple of weeks. Felt brand new. After just four days, the diarrhea started, this just got worse and worse. So I was feeling fantastic in my mind and body, but could not be more than a few feet away from a toilet! Stopped taking, now in pain again!"

• Doc...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• August 29, 2019

"I have chronic pain from degenerative arthritis in the LS spine. I also have had 2 surgeries for spinal stenosis and foraminal stenosis. I tried Cymbalta about a year ago, and it did diminish the pain, but side effects forced me to stop. I had severe insomnia, and after two weeks of only sleeping 2 hours a night, I was coming apart. It was also very difficult to void my bladder and caused impotence at the same time. I tapered off and had auditory hallucinations, like lightsaber sounds. If I could have tolerated the side effects, I would have continued since it did help the pain."

• nes...
• March 1, 2016

"My husband took this drug for 1 month. He started losing his hair, and that was a deal-breaker for him. Not enough of a trial to know the effectiveness of the drug-but this bad rating was given because of the withdrawals. Brain zaps, nightmares, anger, vomiting, and nausea. We started reading up online concerning the dependency called 'Cymbalta Discontinuation Syndrome'... um, WTF?? Please look it up-people are staying on the drug ONLY because the withdrawal symptoms are so bad and can last longer than the time you were taking the drug. My husband could be suffering for a year-we are newlyweds! Please do not start this drug if you haven't already!!!"

• Mar...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• May 5, 2013

"I was prescribed Cymbalta for a combination of chronic pain from osteoarthritis and major depressive disorder with melancholia. I started with 30 mg for the first two weeks, but had to stop taking my daily 1200 to 1800 mg of ibuprofen and also quit drinking. For depression, it was amazing. I felt relief from my despondency within a handful of days, and that has continued through this, my third month. I had my dose increased to 60 mg to try and get relief from the chronic pain, but it has not been effective for me in addressing that - thus my rating. For depression, I give it a 10, but for pain (my experience) I have to give it at best, a 3. After consulting with my doctor, he said I could resume taking ibuprofen at a much lower dose."

• Sut...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• May 18, 2017

"I started taking 30 mg of Cymbalta about a month ago. I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia and was prescribed Cymbalta mainly for depression, but I must say that Cymbalta has significantly helped the chronic pain. I had side effects the first two weeks or so, but they mostly went away. As far as depression goes, though, it hasn't really helped me."

• Ric...
• May 15, 2016

"As this medicine may have helped with my nerve pain, it's not worth all the side effects I've experienced! This drug has horrible side effects! I'm trying to get off the medication, 7 days later, still have severe side effects! Look at the side effects before you start your regiment."

• Bel...
• July 13, 2014

"The first pill very strong, so waited till in bed, and when the severe pain from shingles hit, I took the 2nd pill... instant relief. I was so glad I had the medicine and still have the bottle of pills as I never needed another. One pill got me through the worst pain I had with shingles. I would not have a need for any now, but saved in case shingles returned. I think it's a tad bit too strong for most pain that could be treated with a lesser degree of strength. 2 pills used out of the whole bottle. It was expensive, but actually just one pill did the job."

• Yel...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• December 11, 2014

"May have some help to relieve back pain. 60 mg gave me heart palpitations. 30 mg may be suboptimal. Tried to wean off several times but gave me some undesirable effects like malaise and anxiety. Urinary retention is a worrisome effect with Cymbalta for me."

• Deb...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• January 4, 2017

"I had a patient attack me back in 1997, resulting in left shoulder ligament tears, which required surgery. Months after the surgery, my left arm was very painful, cold, the skin hurt to touch it. I would cry with the pain daily. After seeing the orthopedic again just before surgery, I asked, what are you going to do about the cold temperature in my arm? To this point, I had only seen physician assistants. The MD took one look at my arm, canceled the surgery for the next day, and sent me immediately to see another doctor in Jacksonville, FL. This doctor took one look at my arm and knew that moment what it was: RSD, reflex sympathetic dystrophy. They tried several medications, and he sent me to a pain specialist. He started me on Cymbalta 120 mg daily."

• Leo...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• December 7, 2019

"I have been on Cymbalta 20 mg for the last 3 months for my neck pain. I am developing a skin rash on my neck. It’s itching and red. Also, little blisters too. Also, my appetite has decreased to the point that I have lost 10 pounds. My pain is still the same."

• tee...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• March 25, 2019

"Took drug for over six years. Couldn't say it was helping for pain or depression as how would you know how you would feel if you were not taking it? You have nothing to compare it to. I've been titrating off this drug for two months. I have every side effect listed. This is horrible. Please research before taking."

• MsB...
• 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 30 mg for the day. I now take 60 mg in the morning and 60 mg 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!"

• Hig...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• June 24, 2015

"I took Cymbalta for 9 months. During that time, I was also taking OxyContin and Vicodin. I still had pain, and the Cymbalta raised my cholesterol 50 points. It also raised my blood pressure. The doctor didn't seem to be concerned with symptoms, which concerned me due to the fact that I had heart disease about 10 years prior to taking Cymbalta. I had 3 stents inserted into my arteries of my heart. I had heart disease at a young age of 37. The two doctors I was seeing at the time didn't believe that Cymbalta was raising my cholesterol. I had to do my own research on the internet to find evidence that Cymbalta does raise cholesterol. The manufacturer of Cymbalta indicated that raising cholesterol was a rare side effect."

• ang...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• September 12, 2018

"I have gained 50 lbs from this med, so I stopped it. I went through the absolute worst withdrawals. I've been off for 3 months and now just started back up tonight. I will figure out how to get the weight off, but for fibro pain, it has been the best one yet."

• Mis...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• May 27, 2018

"Recently, I was put on Cymbalta for fibromyalgia. It was the worst experience of my life. I had explosive diarrhea, could not even leave the house, anxiety went through the roof. Felt manic, and my heart rate went up sky high, and I already suffer from insomnia, and this made it totally impossible to sleep. I felt angry and jittery. I would not recommend this drug, it was a horrible experience."

• Ron...
• 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!"

• Vet...
• January 6, 2017

"I have Tumor Necrosis Factor Receptor Associated Periodic Syndrome (TRAPS Syndrome) and am in near constant pain (joints, pleurisy, and abdominal). I started with 90 mg of Cymbalta after breakfast, and it certainly takes the edge off of the pain! I don't really have any side effects to speak of. I also take Plaquenil and Sulfasalazine for joint stiffness and rash with fever."

• add...
• May 24, 2015

"Instead of helping my headaches, Cymbalta made them worse. With each dose increase, the severity of the pain increased, and so did my weight. In the year that I was on Cymbalta, I gained sixty pounds. When I passed my pregnancy weight at nine months, I had finally had enough and took myself off. Never again!"

• mr ...
• June 15, 2016

"I have taken Cymbalta for 5 days now, worked a bit to take some sharp pains away, but side effects outweighed the good. I started 30 mg, dizzy, headaches, very upset stomach, very gassy, burping, and farting. I had a lot of pain along the beltline from my belly button all the way to the left side of my hip. Today I passed bright red blood with clots 3 separate times. I had one other time months ago with severe pain in the same location and passed blood then too. Both times I was on Cymbalta, so today I got googly and found that Cymbalta can cause abnormal bleeding in intestines, stomach, etc., and mixing drugs such as aspirin can increase the risk of bleeding. It reads bleeding can get as bad as having a life-threatening hemorrhage. rxlist.com is 1 source."

• HHg...
• August 6, 2015

"I have been taking Cymbalta for joint and muscle pain due to hemochromatosis for about 6 weeks now, and it has made a huge difference, and I find that I have almost no side effects. For the first week or so, the side effects were terrible, but they eased up after that."