Savella and Hot Flashes: What Users Say (Page 2)

• cyr...
• August 8, 2010

For Fibromyalgia "These comments have been most helpful to me in my own quest to see how well Savella works for me. I'm a 50-year-old female, long suffering (16 years) with fibromyalgia and a host of other similar ills, and have been on Savella a little more than a week. It DOES work, however, I have had to go back and start again at the 25mg dose and go very slowly, as the side effects put me in bed for over a day at the 50mg dose. 25mg so far is working for me, although I have dry mouth, some nausea, and the heat flashes, they are getting better. I do eventually want to get back up to the 50mg twice a day, but right now, it's too strong for me. However, pain is much improved, although I am also on Lyrica and several muscle relaxers. Just go slow."

• del...
• November 8, 2009

For Fibromyalgia "My fibromyalgia had gotten extremely bad due to a great number of stresses in my life this year, so the doctor recommended I try Savella. I was on a drug called Pristiq, and when my psych doctor found out about the Savella with it, he said I was beginning to experience serotonin syndrome - not good. I got off the Pristiq and cut way back on how much Savella I'm taking. I'm going to increase it very slowly and hope the side effects will subside. Reading that for some it took 2 months gave me some hope. I've been having hot flashes, nausea, dizziness, headaches, no energy, but - hardly no pain! I will keep trying."

• Anonymous
• January 14, 2012

For Fibromyalgia "This medicine only worked for the first month for me. I would take it as directed, but then suddenly the pain came back with a searing vengeance. It may just be me because everything I have tried for the fibromyalgia has done the same thing. There were more side effects on the Savella than on anything else I have taken. It made me lose a lot of weight because I couldn't eat through the nausea, and the hot flashes were horrible. Overall, this medicine has seemed to help a lot of people, but it wasn't right for me."

• Lon...
• November 8, 2009

For Fibromyalgia "I have been on Savella for 5 weeks now. I could feel a difference almost immediately, especially with sleep and getting up in the morning. Not pain-free, but a difference with minimal side effects. Mostly body temperature changes like hot flashes. I worked my way up to 100 mg (50 mg morning and evening). Then I started having worse side effects: nausea, leg cramps, vision changes. I also had mouth and tongue soreness and breast soreness, which I didn't see anyone else mention. I went back to 50 mg once a day and the symptoms lessened. After seeing my doctor again, he suggested 25 mg morning and evening. My breast soreness is better, and my mouth sores fewer. I plan to stick it out a little longer to see, as I have not felt or slept this well in years."

• Anonymous
• May 12, 2010

For Fibromyalgia "Had undiagnosed pain for years until my doctor sent my blood work to Berkley Heart Labs. Turns out I have collagen vascular disorder and fibrinogen. Tried Lyrica, no help, and hated the side effects. Then he gave me a trial pack of Savella. It took a little over a month, but I began to feel normal again (which I forgot what that even felt like). I have experienced some side effects, mostly hot flashes, which I thought were due to being premenopausal. But I'm moving, walking, feeling upbeat! (I continue with 20 mg of Paxil). I am able to do things I never thought would be possible again!"

• Anonymous
• January 10, 2011

For Fibromyalgia "I am newly diagnosed with fibromyalgia (I have been treating “arthritis pain” for years) but progressed to very painful 'hit by a bus' type of pain about 4 months ago. Lyrica 75mg stopped the pain but left me feeling high and started retaining water weight. I tried Lyrica 25 or 30 mg, but it did nothing for my pain. Then the doctor tried me on a Savella trial pack, 12.5 mg - no problems, but Savella’s next white pill, I think it’s 25 mg, I started getting heart palpitations and chest pain, hot flashes, and increased my blood pressure. My doctor suggested I use only the 12.5 mg (the lowest dosage) 1 per day. It took a few days for me to start feeling better, but I’ve been on 1 per day (12.5 mg) for over 3 weeks now with no side effects, and it is really controlling my pain and depression. Savella is a great medication at a low dosage. The prescription is very expensive, even with insurance, so my doctor wrote my prescription for 2 pills per day, but I only need it once per day. So a prescription (60 pills) lasts me for 2 months, which is a great help. Savella works great for me at a lower dosage. Don’t give up, I know I almost did, keep trying medicines at low dosages to control pain and avoid side effects. I’m feeling much better now, so I will try to start walking/exercising again. God bless everyone."

• Cla...
• February 25, 2012

For Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy Syndrome "I was diagnosed with RSD almost 4 years ago. I have had 4 surgeries between my wrist and shoulder and have not had a moment without pain. I have been on multiple pain meds and pain patches and suffered severe allergic reactions. Recently, things were so bad due to the extreme amount of pain I was feeling, I was using Ultram ER, and my doctor added Savella. The combination of these 2 medicines has finally made my pain tolerable. I am not suffering from any severe side effects except some hot flashes, sweating. But I will tolerate those over the pain any day. This medicine is worth trying, give it a chance. It gives you your life back."

• Anonymous
• February 8, 2010

For Fibromyalgia "I had been on Zoloft 300 mg for years and dropped down to Zoloft 200 mg for almost a year, and my doctor decided to try me on Savella for my fibromyalgia. I made it to the 10th day of the titration pack and could not deal with the bad side effects any longer. I was up for over 72 hours straight, chills, hot flashes, confusion, electrical shocks throughout my body, severe muscle pain, very irritable, out of mind and body thoughts, felt out of my body, etc. On about the 6th day, my doctor put me on Soma 350 mg (for the muscle pain and electrical shocks) and Klonopin 1 mg to help with the anxiety and panic attacks. My doctor first tried to wean me back off of the Savella, but two days later, I had to call him back, and he had me stop it cold turkey and go back on Zoloft 200 mg."

• Anonymous
• January 12, 2011

For Fibromyalgia "I have been on Savella for 3 months now, and at first, it helped with the pain. As I increased the dosage, I got severe hot flashes and terrible sweats, which I could handle, but then after about a month, the nausea started and increased insomnia, then the vomiting. At first, I thought I had the flu or a stomach virus, but noticed every time I took my dose, I got nauseated and then threw up shortly after. I started having severe headaches and increased vomiting and feel so horrible. I know it works for some people, but I will be contacting my physician and asking him to take me off. I know it may work for some, but not for me."

• in ...
• June 26, 2009

For Fibromyalgia "I was taking Cymbalta and decided to go off due to sexual side effects. I am on day 6 of this medication. I am still in pain, but the doctor says I need to get to the next dosage level. The first week was tough due to nausea and hot flashes. Will give it a little more time to see if I get any relief."

• Anonymous
• May 31, 2011

For Fibromyalgia "I have been on Savella for almost two weeks now. For the last six years, I stumped doctors not knowing what the problem was. A new doctor quickly diagnosed it as fibromyalgia. The medicine gives me intense hot flashes, but overall, the pain has lessened, and that's a big relief for me. My doctor has not yet moved me up to 100 mg a day yet. She has me on 50 mg still after the 9th day. I say give it a try. Anything that helps is an A plus in my book."

• GAm...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• December 22, 2024

For Fibromyalgia "I like Savella, but I don’t love it. It does take the edge off of pain, for that, I’m grateful. But it makes me SO HOT. So hot that I can’t wear sweaters in winter. So hot when I’m sleeping that I have to wake up and take my jammies off. If I do housework, I am dripping wet. Also, it makes me very foggy, even after weeks of use. And most importantly, I am sure it is affecting my liver. I get pains in my back about 20 mins after I take it, so this is worrisome. I am only at 50 mg and would like to get to 100 mg for more pain relief, but don’t see how I can tolerate it. Cymbalta gave me much better pain relief and better mood, but also horrible insomnia, so for now, I'm stuck with Savella until something better comes out. But please keep in mind I am very sensitive to meds and often suffer side effects that others don’t, so your experience may vary. 6/10"

• Eig...
• October 6, 2010

For Fibromyalgia "Aside from the hot flashes in the first month or two, the medication has improved my fibromyalgia pain greatly. I have been a huge supporter of it and recommended it to everyone I know who has fibro. In the past 2 weeks, I have been feeling extremely bloated, too full to eat even on an empty stomach, and having bouts of IBS worse than before the medication. Today, I am cutting my pill in half and hoping to see this recent side effect go away. I don't want to go back to the constant pain and weakness I had before, but can't go on with feeling miserable either. I've been on it eight months."

• Anonymous
• December 5, 2009

For Fibromyalgia "I have never been on any type of anti-depressant medication before, and my rheumatologist recommended this drug because she thinks I have fibromyalgia. I have been taking this medication for approximately 40 days. I was okay in the beginning using the starter pack, but by the 3rd week, I had terrible heat flashes, quasi-headaches all day long, nausea, and I constantly felt (still feel) that I have a urinary tract infection. My doctor cut my dosage from 50 mg 2 times a day to 25 mg 2 times a day. I still have horrible heat flashes, nausea, and feelings of the UTI. It did help mentally in the beginning, but the side effects far outweigh the benefits. I'm weaning off and will try Pristiq."

• nee...
• January 5, 2010

For Fibromyalgia "Just finished the 2-week titration pack. Also being weaned off Cymbalta. Thus far, the only 'relief' I've found is with fatigue. As far as pain, I still have it. My rheumatologist asked to give it at least 4 weeks, so I will. Side effects are hot flashes to beat the band. For relief, I will deal! I also suffer from psoriatic arthritis and take a weekly injection of Humira."

• bon...
• January 29, 2010

For Fibromyalgia "I have been on the trial pack for a couple of weeks. Taking Cymbalta, Lexapro, Lamictal. I was on Lyrica and was concerned about weight gain. I had become so much more active and actually wanted to clean my house and walk the dogs on Lyrica but had not lost any weight with all the extra activity. So I decided to try Savella. I see my doctor in four days. I am pretty sure I want off this. I don't often have problems with side effects, but on Savella it is really bad. The hot flashes and night sweats are unbearable! Last night I had hot flashes and severe chills at the same time. All I want to do is sleep."

• Anonymous
• June 13, 2009

For Fibromyalgia "I took Savella for 1 week. The side effects I had were worse than the benefits. I had chills and then hot flashes. I would wake up feeling as if I hadn't been asleep. I also experienced dizziness and fatigue."

• Anonymous
• March 5, 2010

For Fibromyalgia "The pain is down, but I am having trouble sleeping and hot flashes. At first, I thought this was an effect of steroid injections, but I think it is this medicine. I haven't slept all night in weeks. I will be in contact with my doctor about this."

• Ler...
• March 6, 2011

For Fibromyalgia "I tried Savella with the starter pack. I experienced terrible nausea, insomnia, hot flashes, racing heart, and fever. My doctor reduced the dosage back to 12.5 mg, but with very little improvement of side effects. She finally told me to stop taking it. I have had great results with my other medications, and I wasn't having any issues, but my doctor wanted me to try this new 'great' medication. I haven't felt this bad in years. If I were having problems, I could understand her trying the Savella with me, but for me, this medication made me feel worse than I have in a very long time. I am relieved to be off of it. In the future, if my other medications become less effective, I might give it another shot... but for now, 'No thanks.'"

• Anonymous
• October 24, 2010

For Fibromyalgia "On day 12 of Savella and felt major relief of my pain almost immediately, but once I was up to the 25 mg dose, the sweating started. I continued the titration pack to the 50 mg 2x daily but decided, after my doctor suggested, to go back down to the 12.5 mg 2x daily. I had minor nausea, and that went away, but the hot flashes and sweating continued at least once an hour - every hour of the day. I have to be sure to drink lots of fluids to avoid constipation, and my appetite has been decreased to the extreme and have lost a pound a day so far. I am making sure I eat healthy when I do eat and should probably start taking a multivitamin too. Today, I reduced my dose yet again to 6.25 mg twice daily to see if I can get some relief from the sweating."

• hon...
• August 9, 2015

For Fibromyalgia "It helped me, I almost felt normal, but the hot flashes, the sweating, and I was mean."

• Anonymous
• October 6, 2009

For Fibromyalgia "I am on day 7 of the titration pack. Experienced hot flashes, sweating, chills within hours of 1st dose. Today, the side effects seemed to have eased. My pain level is less. I am encouraged."

• jud...
• July 8, 2009

For Fibromyalgia "On my second week, and I'm probably going to stop. I'm experiencing terrible hot flashes and chills and am not sleeping. I'm so sorry it is not working."