Duloxetine for Chronic Pain User Reviews (Page 5)

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

Duloxetine "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 60 mg 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."

• Gra...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• September 30, 2019

Duloxetine "I was prescribed Cymbalta at 20 mg for pain following hip replacement. It didn’t help with pain, but I was sleeping so well that I kept taking it. Then the nightmares started and kept getting worse. I finally stopped taking the drug on my own after 4 months. The nightmares have stopped. But, surprisingly, my blood sugar, which has been steadily climbing toward 200, is now back near 100. No change to anything else. I can only attribute this to the discontinuation of Cymbalta. And I feel much better."

• MtR...
• July 16, 2015

Duloxetine "First placed on medication for severe arthritis of one hip. Helped with pain at the lower dose, however, eventually, I needed an increased dose. The increased dose increased my nausea, weird dreams, itchy skin, and twitching. My blood pressure also increased. I began to stumble and fall while walking slowly. My nerves seemed to cause me to tremble internally. Currently, I am tired all the time, however, I cannot stay asleep at night. Last year, I tried to get off the medication, however, I had severe withdrawal. I had trouble standing up, I was so dizzy, and my stomach was upset. I will soon be getting a hip replacement since the side effects decrease your quality of life. I am withdrawing from this medication prior to surgery."

• abn...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• August 11, 2015

Duloxetine "Was given 30 mg Cymbalta for pain in hip as well as depression due to chronic pain. It's been 2 months, after about 3 weeks of many side effects: diarrhea, nausea, headache. The pharmacy told me to stick with it, they will pass. They have, except I've gained about 5 lbs. The depression is better, the pain isn't any better, in fact, it seems to be getting worse. I don't think the Cymbalta is making the pain worse, I think my hip is just getting worse. But not happy about the weight gain since I was fighting my weight before I took it. And being heavier can't be good for a bad hip."

• lst...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• February 17, 2025

Duloxetine "I experienced tremendous radiating pain in my arms due to a neck injury. I was not a surgical candidate, and my situation felt hopeless. This drug significantly reduces my nerve pain and allows me to concentrate and function throughout the day. It has regulated my mood as well, which is an added bonus. Give it time, though, it caused me some fatigue and moodiness for a few weeks before adapting."

• Sim...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• July 7, 2019

"I was mortified at the prospect of being put on antidepressants, as I have been against them all my life. When the doctor told me they may help with chronic pain, I could not resist, as for years I have dealt with intermittent flare-ups of widespread pain, which I have to admit, in hindsight, had impacted my mental health. Two weeks of being on them, and I felt free, no longer strangled and restricted by my muscles. A month later, I realized just how long it had been since I'd felt this good!! I am anti-medication, but this has honestly been a game changer for me personally."

• Isi...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• October 31, 2022

Duloxetine "This medicine is okay for pain, the problem is you have to take it every day, and your body gets addicted to it. When you want to stop taking this medication, you will become very depressed. I became suicidal, I could not leave my house. I knew if I got in my car, I would have driven headfirst into a truck. I had to fight every urge I had to destroy my house. I wanted to break everything. These kinds of meds should NOT be prescribed for pain!!!!"

• Com...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• May 23, 2021

"After two years in almost constant pain with multiple herniated discs and a spinal cyst at L4/L5, I was put on a waiting list for decompression surgery. I cannot take NSAIDs and literally no pain relief from opiates or anything else they could give me. I was pretty desperate and had constant sciatica. My doctor suggested duloxetine, starting on 20 mg once a day. Over 2 months to get to 60 mg once a day, but once they started working, I have gone from a pain level of 8-9 down to 2 and under. Sometimes no pain at all! If you go up slowly in dosage, the side effects are minimal. I am considering not having the surgery and keeping on duloxetine, as they also have helped with keeping my menopausal moods more stable. I hope they work for anyone in a similar position. My mum is now finding relief on them for neuropathic pain as well."

• San...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• March 28, 2021

Duloxetine "I took my first dose around 8:30 pm last night (30 mg). Went to sleep around 10:30 pm. Woke at 2 am 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 doctor 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 antidepressants. I’m almost 24 hours from my first dose, and I’m still feeling sick, but can eat a little now."

• nit...
• August 13, 2015

Duloxetine "Besides extreme sweating (soaking through T-shirts) 24/7, I don't see what it does for pain besides nothing. The feeling of I don't give a rat's ass about my life is another fun-filled side effect. I've been on it almost a year, take 30 mg in the morning before going to bed, and 60 late in the day. I'm thinking of weaning myself off it, I'd rather take Xanax twice a day."

• Mes...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• June 22, 2018

Duloxetine "I have trigeminal nerve damage and have been on gabapentin for a while, 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 any more. 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 quite back to normal. I am only in my 40s too. I would highly suggest you do your research before taking this medication."

• Jam...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• July 25, 2021

Duloxetine "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 an 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 relief."

• NoM...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• September 26, 2022

Duloxetine "I was prescribed Cymbalta because of nerve pain and fibromyalgia. I took it three nights. The first morning, I had a little dry mouth. The second morning, dry mouth was worse, and I was feeling a little off. This morning, I woke up with severe dry mouth, shaking, off balance, cognitive function 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 any more 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."

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

Duloxetine "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 less than 1 month
• September 19, 2012

Duloxetine "I have fibromyalgia, panic disorder, bipolar, and 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 for, I am glad you no longer suffer as much. For me, I still have to find the right pain medicine."

• Dis...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• February 7, 2017

Duloxetine "After 6 years, I finally tried to talk to my doctor about side effects. Her reply was that there was nothing wrong with the medications, I complained too much. I started taking myself off of some of them. Fortunately, maybe, she had a family problem that she took leave to deal with. By this time, I had taken myself off of 70% of opiate painkillers. I told the doctor that I wanted to stop the Cymbalta. His response was no problem. I was taking two 30 mg, his instruction was to stop taking one for a week, then stop the other. Five days later, I was calling, saying that was going to work. I was then prescribed two 20 mg and started doing what I found on the internet. A month later, things were better, but I swing back and forth with issues that come and go. The doctor still says they haven't had issues with other patients. Maybe the doctors don't talk to their patients? They definitely don't read anything about the drugs that they prescribe."

• Chi...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• March 17, 2021

Duloxetine "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 fog and almost 10 lbs weight gain even though it got 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, talk to your doctor weekly about your moods and feelings in case you start to feel depressed, or worse."

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

Duloxetine "Had very severe, burning nerve pain in lower back. Had 3 hip replacements. 2 back surgeries. Knee surgery, bypass surgery. Broken leg and ankle with screws, broken shoulder and 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?"

• sti...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• March 28, 2024

"Duloxetine is the best medication I have ever been on. I was diagnosed with chronic pain after a concussion. I also have a lifetime history of anxiety and bipolar disorder. All of these issues got dramatically better after I started taking duloxetine. My doctor had me slowly ramp up to 60 mg per day. I have tried so many different antidepressants, and all of them except for duloxetine made me terribly sleepy and fatigued. I don't have that problem with duloxetine. I feel more mentally stable than I have in my entire life. And my chronic pain disappeared when I started taking duloxetine and used a chronic pain app called Curable. Unlike other antidepressants I have taken, duloxetine does not give me insomnia. I was able to lose weight that I had gained on other antidepressants and bipolar meds when I switched to duloxetine. I lost 20 lbs when I switched to duloxetine, resolved my chronic pain issues, was able to exercise more, and stopped binge eating since I felt more mentally stable."

• Phi...
• August 31, 2015

Duloxetine "Was taking this along with 450 mg of Lyrica a day and 150 mg 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 weaned myself off of all of it. I have pain, but at least I can go out into the public."

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

Duloxetine "I have been taking Cymbalta for about 2 years. I can tell a major difference with an overall 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."

• Jui...
• July 11, 2017

Duloxetine "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."

• Cal...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• November 26, 2022

Duloxetine "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."

• swa...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• June 14, 2023

"I was prescribed duloxetine HCl 30 mg once a day at nighttime for nerve damage, chronic back pain, and depression. I used it as prescribed for approximately one and a half weeks before my hair started falling out in clumps. None of the adverse effects listed hair loss. I had never before or since experienced hair loss until taking this medication. I stopped taking duloxetine, and luckily my hair is growing back."

• mis...
• April 29, 2018

Duloxetine "I was on Cymbalta for nearly 4 years. I was on the 60 mg, 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, and eating healthy. I gained about 18 pounds. Please think twice before going on this drug. The coming off doesn’t outweigh the lesser pain."