advice

[Rug1]

hello everyone,

Looking some advice , as per earlier posts I’m new to all this.

I have been on 60 mg duloxetine for about a year. Have had to take sick from last week from my full time job because of my pain and fatigue, spoke with Gp who changed my tablets to Vensir XL 75mg.

Do these tablets actually help my fibromyalgia?

GP has explained that there really is no medication for Fibro,

I really enjoy my job of 26 years and wand to keep at it , but for the last say 6 months I am really struggling to complete a days work.

Surely I can be given something from GP to help me push through the pain and fatigue to keep me at work.

Also is there an app for group I can download to iPad and phone, told you, useless with technology.

Hope you all have as good a day as possible

[Yassytina FMA UK Volunteer]

Hello there, I am currently on duloxtene and can up my dose too 120 g (2 tablets a day if need be, I’ve settled on this and also used for anxiety which can come with conditions for sure , so for me personally it helps. I am allowed Codiene which kicks in and usually lasts 2/3hours at a time, not too use every day but when pain is high. I’ve not heard much about your current tablet , see how it goes if not differently go back too GP, you will read here for alot of us it’s trial and error, but hopefully we find something that helps . Take care

[Arymretep]

Hi, I e been on duloxetine for over a year and it’s helped a lot with my anxiety but not much with the fibro pain, I can up my dose if I need to

[Coogy52]

Hi I'm on 120g Duloxetine for the last 3 yrs n it really helped me. I'm suffering terrible with menopausal hot sweats so last week my Gp took me off my Duloxetine n out me on 20g Fluxotine to help with my sweats. My fibro pains are the worst they have ever been especially in my arms n feet.I also take 8 tramadol a day for my Chronic back pain. Hope you get sorted

[BaffledKaffy in reply to Coogy52]

Your post has caught my attention … In my personal experience (please note that I am NOT a healthcare worker) … it is not recommended that anyone ever stop Duloxetine “cold turkey” (“CT” in the U.S. means stopping immediately/not tapering slowly). I hope you do not experience side effects from stopping, especially at the high dosage you have been taking: but I am not sure about any benefits of switching to another drug as a “replacement” for Duloxetine.I have been tapering off 60/then 30 mg Duloxetine for well over two years now, removing only 5% of the teensy micro beads found in my brand, and making new capsules, every few weeks. Many doctors don’t know anything about difficulties from stopping Duloxetine. You might want to research online for various warnings and several groups that have been formed to learn about this process.

[Coogy52 in reply to BaffledKaffy]

Hi thanks for that, I mentioned that to my doctor the day she took me off them, she said it would be ok but to be honest I was in really bad form. I was in so much pain n my mood was terrible, I was very angry n in bed for most of the week. Will do some research, thanks very much for that

[Coogy52]

Also I had to give my job up after 30 years, it all just got too much so I finished age 50, my job was very heavy on, sorting parcels, loading vans etc. Look in to benefits n see if your entitled to any? I'm sure you will be entitled to contribution based ESA, good luck 👍

[Jam1861]

It's now called new style esa contributions no longer exists speak to work about doing less hours to help with meds and pain and you will be able to top up money with universal credits also have a look at applying for pip I got that and was able to reduce my hours at work which helped for 4 years but have had to throw in the towel last mo th as just cannot do it any more. Esa is a payment you get when your sick pay runs out or you are no longer able to work The new style one is not means tested pip you can get while working also uc

[Blearyeyed]

It is hard when you have to give up the things you love.There might be some ways that you can pace yourself during the day and find ways to adapt your duties , hours and your work environment to help you work as long as you can.

Help to explain what Fibro is to your employer , H. R and other workmates so that they are more able to understand what happens to you with Fibro and will be more able to help you pace your work day.

Ask your employer if you can have an outside Occupational Health assessor come to your workplace. This can be priceless for both you and your employer as any equipment or adaptions that they suggest to you ( and sometimes supply for you ) can help you to stay in work , be more productive because of less symptoms and have less sick days. Gave a look at posts on work and benefits on the Fibro charity site and read other people's experience under Topics in the right hand side bar on this page.

In terms of Pain Management everyone is different depending on the type of Pain and symptoms you have with your Fibro so you need to try various medications , sometimes in combination together , and try different doses before you get what suits you. Your aim isn't to be 100% pain free but Pain Managed at about 85% and able to maintain a well paced level of activity or quality of life within the Fibro needs you have.

Medication only works in combination with Self Care . The Trinity of Self Care is Diet and Nutrition / Pacing Yourself and Relaxation and Gentle Exercise. Pacing your activity and balancing a few minutes of rest or stretching per hour and proper breaks during your shift is key to keeping in work. Flexible hours , or reducing your hours per day , or days per week can help. Rest and relaxation after work rather than trying to pack in a lot of domestic chores or social activity is vital on work days .

If you can , adding some days of working at home or remote working can help . Discussing adaptions in what duties you do on different days with your employer can help with that.

You definitely can't burn the candle at both ends with Fibro , sometimes you can't even got the wick to light at all.

[Pandas]

How do you find duloxetine? I was given it but it made me feel even more tired and very drowsy?