Hello as anybody tried Duloxetine for aches and pains

[blacky000]

[earthwitch]

Its an antidepressant that has a particular action that can help dampen down pain signals, so yes, worth trying if everything else has failed.

[blacky000 in reply to earthwitch]

Thanks for your reply earthwitch ,hope it works ,just don't like the sound of them being a antidepressant like the amtripiline .

[earthwitch in reply to blacky000]

I'm kind of with you on that wariness about using antidepressants for pain, though I do realise that a lot of folk swear by them for chronic pain control, so I'm definitely swinging right to one end of the spectrum on this.

In a lot of ways amitryptilline is much easier to try for pain control. For a start it is fairly well proven how amitryptilline works and they know the suitable doses for pain management - which are much lower than antidepressant doses. The other thing is that if you decide to come off low dose amitryptylline, then you probably aren't going to have any real side effects in the process. Any of the SSRI or SSNRI antidepressants are much more difficult to come off and you have to come off them very slowly to avoid feeling really awful. They also don't differentiate between pain control doses and antidepressant doses, which makes me wonder if its really just a sledgehammer approach to it. I could just about tolerate amitryptylline though it did nothing for my pain. When I tried an SSRI it actually made my mood lower (levelled it out to the point where I just felt really blah all the time) and I actually felt a whole lot better when I came off it after giving it a good six months. I didn't get past the first dose of an SSNRI because it had such a horrendous effect on me - physically and mentally. I always say that if I hadn;t been such a grounded person it would have sent me around the bend, and it took a good four days to get out of my system. Neither the SSRI or SSNRIs are designed for short term use as you do have to come off them very slowly, which makes me really wonder why they are used in preference to the tried and tested amitryptylline - unless of course you really do need them as an antidepressant for proper clinical depression (rather than depression caused by relentless pain).

But thats just my opinion.

[Fran53]

I have been taking Dulotexine for more than one month for neuropathic pains, in my case it does help.

[Trishmurfin]

I am also taking it and have found it eases some of the pains slightly. I'm a bit resistant to all of the tablets and go on them for a few months and then come off them (with my doctors knowledge and advice). I find it the only way to know if the tablets are making a difference! Hope you get on ok with them and that they help reduce your pain.

[teadrinker]

I hope it works better for you than it did for me - had to come off it after a few days due to severe nausea and a racing heart. Maybe if I'd persisted a bit longer - but I just couldn't cope with it.

However, looks like other people have found it helps them, so fingers crossed for you.

[blacky000]

Well thanks to everyone that's answered my question ,I've only took one last night an yes I've had a racing heart on an of all day an kept feeling sick on an of do u think it's this tablet or a bug I'm scared to take it again .

[Kingsley09 in reply to blacky000]

They can affect your heart I’m on amitriptyline for pain and I’m only able to take 10mg as my cardiologist says they can effect your heart would like to put it up as it isn’t really high enough for the nerve pain I get now days so be careful

[Reykua]

Hi blacky000,

It's almost certainly likely to be a reaction to the tablet. It's one of the most expensive and best meds on the market at the moment.

I've been on it for a while and found that for the first three weeks or so, I did experience the same symptoms you and others have described but once that settled down, I've found it really, really good. Try to stick to a routine and take it at almost the same time each day. I take mine about an hour after eating and an hour before bed.

The first few weeks are always difficult for the body to adjust and I would say that unless your reactions are so bad that you feel you're about to die, I'd persevere for at least six weeks to be able to fully gauge if it's the right one for you. I even miss the nausea that I initially experienced as it helped me with a little weight loss. I was also weak, sluggish and very sleepy - yawned for England.

Now that I've been on it for a while, I have almost forgotten what the initial side effects were like. I still feel pain but it is greatly reduced it appears to have shaved off around 60% - especially in my neck and lower back. Hips are still pretty bad though but I'm told I need injections for the bursitis.

All the best. Stay positive. Stay Strong.

Fight the Fibro.

[emc33]

I was prescribed Duloxetine over 8 years ago for lower back pain/depression...not sure if it even helps w/ either. Keeping in mind, everyone reacts differently w/ meds - I just wanted to give some words of warning. I have been trying unsuccessfully to ween myself off of this SNRI for years. I fear it has made me numb to my emotions, has made me much less empathetic towards people, and for a lack of a better explanation - basically it feels like I’ve lost any enthusiasm for life. Not to mention the low sex drive...so back to trying to get off this med- GP originally had me on a 2 week taper. 3-4 days in started having bad anxiety and just didn’t feel well emotionally or psychologically. The physical effects were worse! ( physical dependency) Just 2 days w/ out this med in my system and I start experiencing this odd “zap-like” feeling in my head. Almost like it affects my equilibrium...it’s a terrible, icky, hard to explain feeling. Every time I end up taking the drug again, just to make all that stop. Comparatively, getting off OxyContin was a walk in the park! Lastly, I really think these docs need to stop handing out antidepressants like candy and they need more information regarding medication withdrawals and side effects of tapering antidepressants.