Has anyone taken duloxetine for fybromyalgia and had it worked at all. I’m 63 and I’ve been prescribed it after being diagnosed with it last year. It began after I lost my husband to prostate cancer in December 2018 and I can honestly say I haven’t been the same since. although I’m mobile and walk every day and keep myself fit I’m still in pain most days and suffer chronic tiredness. Having read a lot of the posts I am a lot better off than a lot of people but any help or advice would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you
Gillian
Written by
Gillianmarie
To view profiles and participate in discussions please or .
Very sorry to hear of your troubles, especially losing your husband. Sending you positivity and strength ❤️
Yes, I’ve had Duloxetine. Honestly, it didn’t work for me. It does for some people but not for everyone.
If you’ve been in it a while (3 months at least), I would go back to your GP and/or rheumatologist and say that you’d like to try a different drug as you don’t feel like it’s working.
You often have to be pushy with these things - which isn’t always easy at first. But you get used to it 🙂
Thank you so much for your kind words. I haven’t been on it long so I’m going to give it a good try then back to the drawing board. It’s very hard to describe to people how it feels and I’mGlad I’ve found this forum, I need to talk to people who know how I feel.
I am a firm believer in the main cause of Fibromyalgia is usually trauma, either physical or mental. Sometimes it is immediate and sometimes it takes a whole lot of things to push you over. I am sure mine was from a double whiplash car accident in my 20s but then I had many other traumas to deal with over the years (and being sporty I gradually had to give up every one due to back, neck and hand pain). I have had both hips replaced, refused a neck fusion and had numerous ops on my hands).
My suggestions for coping are:
1. Ensure your family and friends go with you on this journey. So many folk with FM are not believed so make it a priority to download the many symptoms one can get (fatigue and brain fog are so difficult to describe) and share with everyone those that you deal with.
2. Start immediately to pace yourself. Don't overdo it when you are feeling it's a reasonably good day. Make sure you relax and take deep breaths often.
3. Try and find out through blood tests what vitamins you are deficient in like Vit D3 and VitB, and take Probiotics to try and keep your 'gut' in order.
4. Eat nutritious food and cut out where possible preservatives etc and minimal sugars.
5 . Keep up moderate exercise.
6. Stick to a gentle routine as far as pos. Overdoing it is a killer.
I am at last on Duloxetine plus Pregablin but it took me a long time to accept I really needed it. I would suggest also that you try and do more natural things to start and only go onto these meds if all else fails. I have succumbed because I have acquired excrutiating nerve pain in one foot and Trigeminal Neuralgia in my face and head....and have found it is just about bearable when taking one of these a day. Once on them I understand it's hard to come off.....but I am 80 and I say now 'what the hell'🙄😱
Hope all this helps. Just getting on with your life means you are a warrior. My heartfelt wishes go out to you as you try to cope. 💝🖐😐
Iceberg5241Thank you for your very helpful reply. I’m sort to hear how much you have gone through and amazed that you sound so positive. You sound like you’re a strong person. I’m going to carry on with the meds and see how it goes, thank you so much for your advice. Take care, stay safe
Morning, I am very sorry to read of your loss, coping with that and not feeling well with pain and fatigue must be very wearing for you, I am on duloxtene originally was put on it for anxiety, but also told it was helpful to fibro sufferers, I am thinking it depends what strength doctors use to help with the fibro pain on some people, I am on one tablet of 60mg. I have read here some members on allot higher strength, it is very much trial and error getting something that helps us on a daily basis, I have fibro/cfs so I understand about chronic tiredness as well. xx
So sorry about the loss of your husband. It didn't suit me but I have had bad reactions 5o similar drugs but I know quite a few people on the site have been helped by it. Hope it works for you,x
Hi Gillian I have been taking Duloxetine for a number of years and I do find that they help but we are all different all I would say is its definitely worth trying Take Care
Condolences to you. It must be a terrible time for you. Virtual hugs xI am newly diagnosed after years of messing about. I am having to decrease the venlafaxine anti depressants i have been on for years, whilst increasing the Duloxetine. Its tough but Duloxetine is, so far working well. Only on 20mg at the moment as I'm still on venlafaxine too, but I'm down to the lowest amount. Not easy. I have had many traumatic things happen over the years and have been single for 10 years with 2 disabled sons. Life has been and continues to be very hard, so I firmly believe in the link between how our bodies react to trauma or anxiety and fibromyalgia. I think mental health can definitely play a large part. I feel that we are all so different and its a hard choice. But for me its a thumbs up for it. X
Thank you for your reply it’s very comforting to know that I’m not alone. It has been hard over the last 2 years. I also had a hip replacement in January last year which was great and I’m grateful to the nhs for getting me a date for my surgery. I recovered very well and it had been amazing but it was a major op and puts your body under a lot of trauma. After I’d had it done the pain in the rest of my body got ridiculously worse and that’s when I was advised to see the doctor. I really didn’t want to take another antidepressant as I’m already on sertraline for depress and amitryptiline for anxiety so I put it off and put up with the aches and pains and tiredness for as long as I could. As it had gotten so much worse Ive decided to give it a try. The side effect I’ve noticed is the sleepyness but I suppose that’s because of the other medication I’m on and hope it will settle down. I really felt the brain fog this morning and all I wanted to do was go back to bed and sleep. Anyway, I’m sorry I’ve gone on a bit but like I said there’s very few people I can’t talk to about it and sometimes because you look ok on the outside so it’s hard hit them to believe you’re suffering so much. Thank you again for taking the time to reply it really means a lot. Take care stay safe 😊
Hi I to take duloetine and have found it beneficial I am only on 20mg but find it helps. I did up the dose to 40 but found there was to many side effects so reduced back to 20mg. I supplement this with paracetamol, although it does not take all of the pain away I am able to tolerate it. Typically with duloxetine being an antidepressant there are quite a few side effect but it is different for each person. Some of the side effects disappear after a couple of week and it can take that long to feel the benefit of the drug. Hope this helps
Content on HealthUnlocked does not replace the relationship between you and doctors or other healthcare professionals nor the advice you receive from them.
Never delay seeking advice or dialling emergency services because of something that you have read on HealthUnlocked.
Recently diagnosed fibromyalgia 
Recently diagnosed
Recently diagnosed
Recently diagnosed. 
