Pros and cons of taking Duloxetine 30mg a day

[Karenbe]

I have been prescribed Duloxetine 30mg a day by consultant and wanted thoughts of others taking it and possible pros and cons before starting. At present take Solpadeine max soluble about 3 times a day and wake in pain in night and have another dose at 3 or 4 am. I have tried Pregablin for 3 months which outweighed benefits so stopped as had awful numbness in side of face. Any feedback would be beneficial as the list of side affects are daunting.

[M0AL61 Moderator Volunteer]

Hi Karenbe,

Some people seem to do well on Duloxetine, but we're all different, and what works for one person doesn't necessarily work for someone else.

Personally I couldn't tolerate Duloxetine at all. I had horrendous head and neck sweats and I was also hallucinating so my GP took me off it almost immediately. I'm now on Gabapentin and Maxitram (slow release Tramadol) and find that to be the best combination for me.

I hope you find the Duloxetine helpful for you. xx

[Karenbe in reply to M0AL61]

Thanks for your input. I do feel like you are playing Russian roulette with your body here and that there seems to be a lot of cons and little pros, very little in my favour. Definitely a lot to consider but if it works for me I do have a lot to gain, I think!

[rosewine]

Unfortunately, it didn't suit me at all but in all honesty no antidepressant I have tried does as each has had its own horrendous side effects and the more I took the worse they got. Others on the forum have found it a great help. With medication it definitely isnt a one size fits all scenario.

I decide on whether I am prepared to try a medication by his severe my particular symptoms are. Like with Lyrica I could not move without literally crying out with pain and thought someone was slowly trying to torture me into submission by sticking red hot daggers in me. Trying Lyrica seemed the lesser of the two evils and must admit the few weeks were so rough that I nearly stopped but eventually the side effects decreased and I have very few side effects now as long as I keep it under a certain dose.

Good luck if you decide to try it.x

[Hidden]

Hi Karenbe,

I wish you luck. I have been prescribed Duloxetine and Pregabalin and decided not to take any of them.

I had a feeling that my flare-ups had coincided with menopause symptoms and anxiety, so I thought I had to address those instead. Mindfulness app, caffeine detox, healthier diet and walking have helped. When pain and insomnia hit I wake up and play with my cat 🤗😻

Chinchi X

[trudym]

Unfortunately duloxetine did nothing for my pain (or depression), but I had awful side effects profusely sweating from head/neck & head to toe itching from tiny blister like spots, that caused me to bleed & bruise from scratching so much. Back on fluoxetine & upped dose of pregabalin... sorry not to have been much help😕

[Karenbe]

Your insight is truly invaluable to me and with Christmas just around the corner I cannot afford to be anymore unwell than I am. I am selling up and going to venture eventually to Spain where the warmer climate and slower pace will hopefully help. 🌞

[Hidden]

Hi, I have been taking 60mg tablet about 6pm every day for about a year now, although I wasnt sure it was helping so decided to stop taking it about 3 months in, it wasnt me that noticed a difference but my husband, he said my walking had got slower again, then a few days later the burning in my hips came back. So I would say give it a go it may work for you, oh! another plus side effect for me was it helped my weak bladder, so I can sneeze in safty again. Good Luck :o)

[skit]

Best wishes for Spain, it is not as cheap cost of living as it was. Some people have returned from Europe due to health issues. Europeans are better dealing with us living with Fibro on the whole it seems. I have relatives living out of UK so they sometimes think UK is behind in dealing with our condition.

[jayneangel]

After looking into the side effects and the results of the clinical trials (where 1 in 50 actually committed suicide!!) i decided to give it a miss. The research I did seemed to be widely negative with only a few people saying they got benefit, but I guess those with bad reactions may be more inclined to share. For me the prospect of death as a side effect was a step too far...