Hello
I was wondering if anyone taking Duloxetine for
Fibro pain found that it gave them headaches or
Made their headaches worse.? I am really getting
Bad migraine headaches and was going to increase my dose of Duloxetine plus I take other
Medication for my headaches but I’m now wondering if it’s this drug that’s giving me the
Headaches because it’s not helping that much
With the neck and shoulder pain we’ll all over
really 😩 I would be grateful for any replies
Thank you 🙏
It gave me a stonking headache that lasted weeks so unfortunately had to come off it. Must admit it did nothing for my other pains just gave me one I didn't have before. Of course everyone is different ìn hiw they react to medication and you might find that in a few weeks those side effects go.
Many thanks for your reply yes judging by the two very different replies I don’t know what to think 🤔 I’ve been on Duloxetine for quite some time now it’s been very good for my anxiety. I’m on Topiramate for the headaches but that clearly isn’t enough. It’s really hard getting the meds right.
It could be that your headaches are just getting worse. It is such a balancing act. I have tried three different antidepressants for fibro pain and to help with sleep and unfortunately in my case all three caused major side effects. Other people find they really help. Unfortunately, the onky way you would know for sure is if you came off the Duloxetine for a while and see if your headaches improve.
I take duloxetine for a couple of reasons. For depression, and for fibromyalgia. It helps me, I have no problem with it. I also take Verapamil (a preventative medicine) for migraine and hemiplegic migraine. I don't know what anyone else thinks, and someone else might have a different result - but it all works for me. I hope you get something that works for you.
yep, it made my headaches worse both while on it and coming off it! 😏 To be fair, I do generally find it a constant nightmare trying to work out what symptom is being caused by what! x
Hi I'm 60, female and on 60mg of duloxetine at night. It doesn't give me headaches. However, I think people react differently to different meds. I could not tolerate tramadol as it caused severe ankle / leg swelling and itching. Dulexotine does work a bit for me. Still have pain but I do sleep better with this drug. I had terrible sleep problems b4 I was put on Dulexotine.
Hope it all works out for you. Best wishes Golly x
Thank you all for your replies. Yes it’s really difficult to know what to take. I also take Amitriptilyne which helps me sleep. Drs don’t know how to treat Fibro I’ll have to wait to see a Rheumatologist. Best wishes to you all!
Hi, I’m on duloxetine 60mg a/m and was on30mg too in the evening and they work well for me, no headaches associated with them at all although I do get headaches but had th before I was put in the duloxetine. I requested that I go back on citralopam after being on it for my anxiety for a few years as the dr said with me being 62 it wasn’t good for me to still take but in the months since I really didn’t feel like myself at all and lost my zest( the little I do have😊) so I’ve been taken off the 30mg in the evening and started off with 25mg of citralopam although I am seeing the dr on Thursday and am asking for the dose to be increased(I was always on 4g before) and I felt so much better then. I’ve explained that I am willing to take the risk because my day to day life without it is really not good whatsoever and I’d rather feel more alive and engaged in my daily routine. I was tried with Amitriptilyne but that did not suit me at all and I had very nasty nightmares and flashbacks of my past so am on noritriptline and it works just fine so it’s as they say horse s for courses and every person reacts differently with medication, trial and error sadly until you find what works for you. I wish you and all well x
Hi what are the risks of longterm citalopram use your doctor was worried about?
Hi Mags6, I’m so sorry it’s been a while to reply but a few weeks ago I pressed/did something 🤷♀️that locked me out of the site. I’ve had all sorts of issues trying to get back in until a friend managed to sort the problem for me. The dr was concerned about me being on citralopam due to my age, I seem to be getting told this a lot lately. I have an appointment booked for my yearly meds review mid March so will wait to see what happens with that xx
Thanks
sorry, need opticians appointment that was meant to be 4g citralopam not 4! and that was with wearing my glasses 🤓 lol
omg!! I did it again 40 mg!!!! 🥴x
Hi my husband takes duloxetine for sever chronic headaches in fybro and is on the maximum dose, this has seemed to help he has been on them since january, thats not to say maybe they are not suited to yourself, maybe contact the docs x
I am on 30mg of Duloxetine and suffer from hormonal migraine. When I started taking these I did get headaches that wouldnt go away, I persisted with the tabs because they help with the fibro pain. It took me two weeks and the headaches stopped. It was my body getting used to this new drug.
After trying amitriptyline, then nortriptyline, I have been taking Duloxetine for 8 weeks, firstly 30mg, for last 4 weeks, 60mg. As advised, it took at least 6 weeks before I saw some lessening of pain I will try to maintain on 60mg. No headaches, but fatigue is an issue. Some days I feel almost normal, some days not, but on the whole ok.b sometimes other symptoms occur , but never sure if they are related to fybro, or just other causes. I also find on bad spells that listening to music on headphones, lying down helps - advised by doctor to lessen over-stimulation of brain. I listen to BBC Sounds Classical - Mindul Mix, Classical sounds…all soothing, all effective in making me slow down, calm etc
Hi, I am on duloxtine 60 mg I have found it helps me . I also take naproxen.
Hi fern 27 I was on Duloxetine ,and did a similar thing with me ,bad headaches and seem to increase my pain instead of helping ,it seem to create more problems .
Hi Fern, I have been on 60mg of Duloxitine for 6 months and I am waiting on a Drs appointment to get advice of coming off it, I also get headaches with fibromyalgia, but since taking Duloxetine they are really bad migraines where I am in bed for days and being sick, I also sweat really bad in the warm weather and come out in hives when exposed to the sun - only since taking these x
Yes I'm on duloxetine , yes it's definitely gives you headache and is completely useless as a pain blocker for me , I've been put on the maximum dose but it's not doing nothing for me but i have to go though the motions before they change my medication
Hey fern, i found that initially my headaches didnt improve but after about 6months of use all of my pain, including headaches subsided. It was obviously still there but dulled and my headaches became less frequent. I would definitely persevere and dont be afraid to up the dose as long as you prepare for potential side effects. 
Hi May I ask what you are taking for your headaches?
Yes it’s called Topiramate and I’ve been taking Duloxetine for over a year now and have upped the dose to 60mg but the headaches and fatigue Have got worse and the pain has so I was going to up it to another 30mg in the evening but not sure now if I should. I also take Amitriptilyne in the nighttime
I have learnt that headache meds particularly triptans if taken more than once a week can cause headaches, however I’m not sure about this drug. Have you tried feverfew tablets for your headaches? They are 100% natural they were a game changer for me . I also found Duloxetine bought no relief. I’m now off all meds after my pain management course and feel better. The only way to beat this horrible disease is mindset ( it’s not easy but the only way as all meds create more problems. Good luck 🤞💪
I take duloxtine fibromyalgia and osteoarthritis
Hi may I ask what dose of duloxetine u take for ur fibro and osteoarthritis, as iv been put on duloxetine for the same thing and iv only been given 20mg, and I believe i should b on 60mg? I came off gabapentin because I couldn't function at wrk, and I need to b able to wrk, but in so much pain all the time! What dose wrks for u pls? Many thanks!
Hi, i have tried duloxatine, it gave me a hard raised white rash which looked and felt like psoriasis, as soon as i stopped taking it the 'rash' went away, although for about a year after that, when i had a shower where the rash had been there was a red mark (didnt hurt or itch or anything else) on my skin in the same places and shape and size as the rash, this would last all day and eventually went away, then next shower and it was back. after about a year it finally stopped
Hi I tried duloxetine and it was awful totally zonked on the lowest dose with dizziness and nausea...tried gabapentin it was wonderful but after a few weeks I could not remember anything... I flooded my instant hot water kettle three times all over the kitchen counter.. often forgot to bring my tortoise in at night from his outdoor run (it was hot summer evenings but never intended in case of vermin biting him) I also forgot appointments etc and brain fog was just trebled so I changed to pregabalin now which although I gave gained weight and a little absent minded the pain is bearable my sleep is OK and I am coping better also my mood is better too
I take this and propralol for migraines , they started at diffrent times so i dont rhi k they are linked. I do get incredible nausea though, but after a few years i stopped taking this ( duloxetine) over summer……. Never again i have been so ill with fibro i had actually forgot how painful it can be and that duloxetine has been a game changer for me so my med that work for me
Baclofen
Duloxitine 60-120mg depnding on time of year
Antiemetic prn
Codeine prn
Tramadol prn
Propranolol
As well as Hrt for full hysterectomy
Omiprazol to stomach it.
I stopped all of these over summer as i wanted to go drug free 
was not worth it . Couldnt walk or stand more than 5 min with crutches. In constant pain not just daily fluctuations. All because someone said to me do you really need to take all them meds. Turns out i do . Just be careful friend sometimes you gotta offset as thats the better option.
I take it but only 20 mg. Also take controlled drugs for other issues. Not had any migraines at all. Possibly both of them are working against each other and causing you more problems than you had to start with. I'd stop taking it and let them know. All the best
Hi, I'm on Duloxetine, have been for a few year's now. I do have a constant headache but not as fierce as before I started the medication. The rest of the pain in my body was reduced so was my anxiety and depression. I'm also 67, I started with ME age 40years,then 10years ago I it morphed into Fibro.I'm now taking Multi phytonutrient complex and Oxford Lactobacillius Acidophilus, which I buy from Amazon. They have transformed my life completely. My headaches are less and my pain is minimal, my energy levels are of my age although I find exercise tiring. I can garden all day, look after grandkids and basically lead a fairly normal life. I hope you find some relief.
The supplements I mention were part of a trial for long Covid.😊
Thank you those supplements sound interesting I think I will try some.
I too take this and am finding I have bad headaches , so have reduced the dose and still getting them so will be going bk to the doctors to see if I can go on anything else.
Yes it seems that this drug gives headaches to some not everyone. While I’m waiting for a Doctors phone call next week I’m going to cut
my dose down to 30mg and see if the headaches get milder of course I’ll have to put up with the
Body pain 😩
I can say been on it for a while over 7yrs however, when I started taking my doctor advice to take half for a week. Then increased to a whole one the following week.
Hi Fern27, I've been taking deluxtine for almost 4yrs and the side effects were bad to begin with but I continued & even increased the dosage to the highest 120mg but I take these a hour before bedtime, because of the side effects, tbh I don't get side effects anymore but have migraines & headaches with Fibromyalgia anyway, Fibromyalgia is a strange thing, it affects so much of your body....however I am still in agony even with deluxtine & the other meds I have but it would be so much worse if I didn't take the meds...deluxtine has helped calm my mind tbh, my anxiety & panic attacks got so bad with the pain I was in, I had destructive thoughts....I still have really bad flares frequently and I have tried everything...one thing I recommend is reflexology, tried this 3wks ago, it really helped me, got another session on Saturday, thank goodness 😊 Remember we are all affected differently with Fibromyalgia.....I wish you well & hope your meds work out well for you...xx
Hello and thank you for your reply. I have been taking 60mg Duloxetine in the morning and 50mg Topiramate in the morning for my headaches but I’m so tired all day because of the bad headaches I go to sleep with them and wake up with them and the stiff neck and shoulder pain mostly but other places too. Do you take the whole 120mg at night? I’m used to the drug by now over a year but I can’t stand the fatigue it’s stopping me from wanting to do anything and I’ve had this Fibro since 2020 after a very bad chest infection which left me with mild Bronchiectasis. Could have been COVID for all I know 🤷♀️ but the Duloxetine has cured my Anxiety. I’ve cut down to 30mg a day to see what happens. But it really is trial and error. So if I take it at night this should stop me being so tired in the day?
Hi Fern27, yes I was the same, felt so drugged up & drowsy during the day, its trial & error....night time I take the 120mg duloxetine, then half of zoplicone....was taking 50mg amitriptyline but they caused drowsiness & banging headaches, half of zoplicone suits me better, changed to nefopan from tramadol, the nefopan do help, they are my new painkillers also D3, foliate & liquid B12 are helping with my memory...I do use lidocaine patches 12hrs on then 12hrs off...unfortunately as we fibro sufferers know, the meds don't work 4 everyone but I was so desperate....I really hope you find some that will help you Fern27....best wishes xx
Oh I’ve been taking 50mg-75mg of Amitriptilyne as well at night for years perhaps that’s the culprit I didn’t know they caused headaches I was taking it for nerve pain 🤦♀️ I think I do need a medication review!
Think we should all have a review of our meds every so often, tried so many things, I had acupuncture in my neck, shoulders and hands, it gave some temporary relief but you are only allowed 6 sessions on the NHS after that I went private but very expensive, however recently tried the reflexology which was really good about 3wks...another on Saturday, heat soothes my joints & muscles especially in winter, my hibernation time, I don't venture anywhere unless I have heat & lidocaine patches on...its a long journey of trying different meds and I really hope you find what you need...xx
Hi, I've taken it for quite a while and can't say I've experienced headaches directly related to the medication. I would definitely speak to your gp about that. I hope you find some relief
Duloxetine 
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