I reached out to the group recently about switching to duloxetine from amitriptyline and got lots of helpful advice. I’m now on 30mg of duloxetine and will be increasing further soon but I’m struggling with the side effect of not sleeping. I know it’s common but hoped this would have passed after the first weeks but it doesn’t seem to be getting better.
Has anyone experienced insomnia on it, that subsequently went away or got somewhat better?
Other than that it’s working reasonably well I think.
Thanks in advance….
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Winter_night
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Thinking of you wishing you well......it I'd hard not sleeping......good luck with your trial of duloxetine.......I expect you'll get lots of replies .....just saw this will follow your post to see how you get on.....I tried nortiplyine but made my heart fast ......they all have some side effects just some easier to tolerate than others........I hope settes down for you...sorry know very little about these meds.....but wanted to say I was thinking of you and wishing you well.....insomnia one of hardest things to cope with.....I cope reading watching films having hot drinks watching moon or sunrise......enjoy hearing the birds sing......but have found it quite distressing at times....need to have good chat to my dr soon.........all the best xxxxxx
Thank you for your lovely message Cookingcookie - I got a few hours last night and the night before as have been taking the meds in the morning rather than evening. Hopefully things will continue to improve. Wishing you all the best too, and that it all goes well when you speak to your GP xxx
Brilliant! I'm glad that you have been able to sleep a little better Winter_night. Not getting any sleep is horrendous and makes it harder to cope with the fibro. I hope things continue to improve. I was taking amytripylene 10mg some time ago and I couldn't continue with it as I was just zombiefied. I now take 30mg Duloxetine and find it helpful, especially with my mood and ability to cope with the illness.
Hi Elaine200756 - that’s good to know, I have felt like I’m getting a bit better emotionally the last few days with a bit less gnawing anxiety. I’m on 30mg too at the mo so I think it’s probably having that effect for me too now even if I’m still waiting for the pain effect to fully kick in. Fingers crossed, we can only hope! Thanks for the advice and the lovely wishes xxxx
Good to know - thanks Acho80 - there is a shortage of one of the brands of them at the moment apparently; not really an issue in bigger towns and cities but I'm in the countryside and had to travel to get my latest prescription. Will make sure I dont get close to running low! I've switched to taking them in the morning now and have managed to drop off around 3am and sleep late two days in a row so that is progress! x
Hi Mille21 - only 4 weeks so I guess I need to give it a bit longer. I've now switched to taking them in the morning now and have managed to drop off around very late (3am) and then sleep late until 11.00 for two days in a row which is some progress... x
I am taking duloxetine but with amitriptyline as well, which my GP advised is a good combination for dealing with fibromyalgia pain. Had some side effects at first, ie headaches, dry mouth but these eased off after a few weeks. Generally I sleep very well. I still have a dry mouth, but that is better than the constant pain I was in,
It is so much a case of trial and error, until you can find something that will ease your aches and pains without numerous side effects.
Thank you Bertiemum - I have come off 90mg a day of amitriptyline which I found great for sleep but less effective for pain over time and I gained a tonne of weight which was starting to affect my joints. Like I was saying above to others, I have started taking the duloxetine in the morning now and have slept for7 hours the last 2 nights albeit from 03.00-11.00. So I am feeling less frazzled and sleep deprived which is helpful! I also have some way to go with duloxetine as only on 30mg at present and my GP thinks I'll need a higher dose for full effect - fingers crossed! Hope you're having a good week yourself x
Are you taking it in the morning or evening? I take 30mg in the morning and sleep like a baby… but also had initial side effects for 3 weeks five days of awful sleep.
I also take magnesium supplements at night - maybe that’s helping
Hi Ellenindigo - I'm only beginning week 4 at the moment so I guess I should expect the side effects to continue for a bit longer. I switched to the morning like you and others suggested and for the last 2 nights I have eventually dropped off around 3am and slept for 8 hours which is progress so I'm hopeful things will continue to get better! Thanks for your well wishes - hope you're having a good week yourself x
my doctor said it can take about six months for it all to settle so I think i was “lucky” - doesn’t feel lucky at the time though, does it 🙈 I know have a medication alert on my iphone that means I take the tablets at exactly the same time each day which has made my sleep more predictable
Very helpful yes Dogwalkingsunshine - I switched to morning dosing over the weekend and I have slept the last 2 nights for 7 hours, albeit from 3am! Which is why I'm now finally coherent enough to reply to these messages which were a godsend (GP told me nothing about side effects to expect). Hope you're having a pleasant week x
May I ask whst strength of duloxetine u take? Iv been given 20mg once in a morning but have read I should be on 60mg for fibro? Should I be asking for it increasing as its not doing much? X
Im taking 30mg at the moment, will be increasing this week to 40mg I think. I don’t think 20mg is prescribed other than as a starting dose. I seem to remember a pharmacist telling me that x
I am resisting upping from 30mg as I read it can become less effective over time so want an increase “in my back pocket” if that occurs.
Maybe discuss upping in v small increments - it’s certainly what I will do, having read the doses of others on here as the GP was going to jump me to 60mg when i had a flare. I would prefer a 10mg at a time rise.
Personally found 30mg to be really effective in the day to day and deal with flares wirh naproxen v occasionally (plus omeprazole as a one off with it).
Hi Purplebluebell , I think I read or heard that somewhere too but I'm pretty sure it was what was keeping me wide awake for 24 hours as now I've switched to taking it in the morning I'm finally sleeping again albeit dropping off very late. Hope you're having a good week x
I was on Duloxetine and then they added amitriptyline too. I went down to 5hrs sleep a week so please just keep an eye on it. I also got lots of other side effects too. I kept getting them checked but didn’t realise they were side effects of the meds. They also turned me into a zombie with no pain relief.
A lot of people it calms down and they work great though so perhaps try for a while and keep a record of how you feel if you can.
Hi Polly1999 - thank you for sharing this. I managed to sleep the last 2 nights having switched to taking it in the morning. Not until 3am but still progress! I havent had any other side effects I dont think, other than feeling absolutely wiped the first 2 weeks - more so than usual - but that now seems to be lifting thankfully, Im hoping it will calm me in time, as well as helping with pain and bladder issues. Hope you're well and having a pleasant week yourself x
Hi Polly1999 , I’m now on a low dose of gabapentin alongside 30mg duloxetine but I’m still not sleeping very well 😩 I’m hoping as I increase the gabapentin it’ll cancel out the insomnia - apparently it’s good for that. Fingers crossed! Thanks for checking in - how are you doing? X
Good luck but keep an eye out for weight gain with the gabapentin as that’s one of the most common side effects.
There are other things that might help with the insomnia so please message if I can help.
I just don’t want you to be like me and keep on the meds that might not be right for you for years with such little sleep etc and then taking ages to recover ❤️
Hi Winter_night, Re: duloxetine - I know it works well for most people and I have a friend with fibro who it also works well for. My experience has not been positive though. I moved from Amitriptyline as that didn't help with my pain and I started on 30mg Duloxetine for a few months and too couldn't sleep. This was my only side affect and no relief from pain. I was upped to 60mg, still no relief from pain, still not sleeping, but with added side affects of a very sore throat on one side only, a dry mouth and terrible constipation. After 4 months I couldn't take the side affects anymore and am currently at the end of being weaned of the duloxetine. This itself has been quite bad, as others have said never just stop taking this. Even with the GP lowering the dose slowly I have had tingling and fizzing nerves all over, brain zaps, dizziness and nausea. All this and I was down to 7.5mg because I had to keep halving my tablets (as agreed with my GP - never do this either unless GP says its OK) I am nearly two weeks now without Duloxetine and still feeling the fizzing, tingling and zaps although a lot less - it can take 3 weeks to come completely out of your system. I have a week to go.
I wish you luck with the duloxetine and hope it works as well for you as it did my friend and others on this forum xxx
Hi LouG28 , thanks for your reply and sorry to hear you've had such a rough time with it. Hoping you'll feel better again once you've fully cleared it out of your system. I have had a bit of progress in that I've managed to sleep the last 2 nights albeit not until 3am, but it's something I guess! I'm on it for bladder issues as well as pain so I have real hopes it will be suitable for me long term. Good luck with remainder of the weaning x
Hiya, I was the same amitriptyline to Duloxetine, neither helped with pain for me but I know it's a popular choice for treatment of fibro. I actually slept ok on the duloxetine but had dreadful insomnia when I weaned off them. I agree with LouG28 above, the coming off Duloxetine was horrendous and it did take 3 weeks before I started to feel half human again. Best of luck, it seems there are side affects with everything, even when I started HRT (I'm now 18 months in with that and I feel no better! Maybe its not the magic cure after all🤔) xx
Hi Loobielu , no sadly nothing seems to be a pancea for fibro/pain - and it takes a help of a lot of motivation and energy to keep trialling different combinations! Things have improved on the sleep front somewhat now I'm taking it is the morning rather than evening so fingers crossed there's still more improvement to come. Hope you're having a good yourself x
Hi 2pods , yes I have also noticed the tingling, zapping and buzzing pains have gone which is a relief but I'm still struggling with bone and fascial pain although I have Ehlers Danlos and mast cell disease also so it's hard to tell where the overlaps are! I've made some progress on the sleep front now at least - not great but I have had some sleep later on the night over the last couple of days since I switched to taking it in the morning. I hope the anti anxiety effect kicks in when I start to increase up from 30mg as I could really do with that too. Thanks for your reply and hope you're having a good week yourself x
I'm the same as you. I hardly sleep through the night due to pain and insomnia. I changed from amitriptyline to duloxetine 120 mg in the mornings . Luckily I can nap during the day but try not to.
Hi Zeek2021 - the temptation to nap is real! Why is so hard for us to sleep during the night but all I want to do all day is nap!? I have now actually made some progress with sleeping on it as have switched to the morning and although I'm still not dropping off until 3am, it's better than no sleep at all so I'll settle for it for now. Hope you're having a good week yourself x
As in one of the other replies I take my 30mgs in the morning and sleep well, if I forget and take it late it keeps me awake till the early hours. I am retired so it's not a problem for me to lay on the sofa and listen to Classic fm. I have just reduced from 40mgs and although the pain is slightly increased I can manage with paracetamol and rest.
Hi Broadfield - thanks for your reply. I switched to taking it in the mornings a few days ago and thankfully I have made some progress - the last 2 nights I have slept eventually, around 3am, which isnt great but it's much better than no sleep at all! Classic FM on the sofa sounds like my kind of afternoon too x
I take the sister drug Venlafaxine. It took me a good year to settle on them but knew after a couple of months that they helped my mood. I take gabapentin for my pain and they have a really calming affect. So maybe gabapentin for the nighttime to calm you? Speak to GP.
Gabapentin is better for you than amitryptaline, amytriptyline (can’t spell) is an older drug which has longer term side affect’s apparently such as dementia 🤦♀️. I read this study about five years ago so I asked to come off it and up my gabapentin instead which was better for me.
It’s all trial and error and all the drugs we take have side effects anyhow 🤣🤣. I feel like a walking pill factory!
Hi M0wnt , you're not wrong about feeling like a pill factory - I swear I rattle when I walk these days
I have felt some improvement the last 48 hours and have managed to drop off late - around 3am - and then sleep for the usual 8 hours so I am feeling better and more positive about continuing with it. It's only week 4 but I'm hopeful. I stopped amitriptyline because of loss of effect over time (3 years) and weight gain but my Dad has Alzheimer's and there are other types of dementia in the family too so I was super conscious of that also once I found about anti cholinergic effects. I did try gabapentin but I had such severe emotional side effects that I had to stop and I'm hesitant to try anti seizure drugs again as a result. Thanks for your reply and I hope you're having a good week, all that aside x
Hello , just read your post, I take my duloxtene an hour before bed. mostly I do sleep (also wear full face mask for sleep apnea 😞) I have too try and go off quickly if not it’s hours before I go off,(last nite 3oclock , I do think I was thinking about everything and couldn’t switch off) i try watch another drama on my iPad (I know they say don’t before bedtime) but I focus on that then try again, if that doesn’t work off too the kitchen for a hot chocolate . I ve tried the whale dolphin, waterfall music as well. I guessing if you’re increasing your dose you have seen your doctor? I take 60mg xx
Hi Yassytina , yes I have to see my GP before going above 30mg and I expect it’ll be 40mg or 50mg before we go to 60mg as she likes to do things by the book I also use a tablet for watching dramas in bed, tbh I think it’s far better than lying awake thinking/focusing on not sleeping. I’ve been trying every hour then doing the same - either another episode or chapter, or downstairs for water or yet another loo trip, fluff up pillows etc. My husband would sleep through a hurricane which is fortunate… 🙄😆 I really sympathise with you.. sleep apnea that severe sounds tough to live with. We don’t half have some luck! Xxx
I had the same issue, it was like my brain w pop uldnt switch off and was going ten to the dozen. I realised it was because I was taking it before bed so I switched to the morning. It was a lot better then.
Hi, I have been on Duloxetine for 15 years for fibromyalgia plus a previous history of depression. I haven't found it interferes with sleep at all but it may be that the amitryptyline is still interacting with it. I am lucky in that I have a tendency to sleep more rather than less than many people.
Hi secondhandrose2 , I’m now on a low dose of gabapentin as well and I’m getting some sleep but still not enough. My GP isn’t keen on amitriptyline and duloxetine together, but sounds like you’ve found that combination good?
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I have now actually made some progress with sleeping on it as have switched to the morning and although I'm still not dropping off until 3am, it's better than no sleep at all so I'll settle for it for now. Hope you're having a good week yourself x
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