Duloxetine

[Karula]

Hi everyone, I'm new on this site, I'm usually sitting on the Lupus site as I have SLE, Sjrogrens, Osteoporosis but I also have chronic IBS and I'm hoping I may get a bit of help with a dilemma.I have IBS mixed with visceral hypersensitivity. My consultant started Amitriptyline two years ago but I've only ever been able to tolerate 5mg which is a kind of nothing dose. I've been through and done all the FODMAP diet and still really stick to that as things are so bad. My consultant has now recommended Duloxetine, which seemed a good idea and option at the time. However, on reading and researching the drug it seems a little scary and I was wondering if anyone on here has tried it and what their experience was. Any thoughts, help would be gratefully appreciated.

[b1b1b1]

I took it for about a year and had no problems whatsoever with it. I stopped for reasons unrelated to Duloxetine.

[Karula in reply to b1b1b1]

Hi b1b1b1Thank you for your reply. It's good to know you had no side effects, that's encouraging.

[TazKa]

Hi

Bless you, a lot going on for you. I have had ibs for a few years. I was prescribed Duloxetine a couple of years ago due to neuropathic type of pain i was having. I found that it made me feel v nauseous, v sleepy and also made me quite constipated. I weaned myself off it as found the side effects outweighed the benefits. This is how it was for me but may be completely different for you. Is Duloxetine being recommended to you for ibs?

Good luck with it all and wish you all the best.

[Karula in reply to TazKa]

Hi TazKaThank you for replying. Those were some of the side effects I was concerned about, especially the sleepy one, did you ever take it at night to see if that improved day time sleepiness? Yes it has been prescribed for IBS as the visceral hypersensitivity is quite bad, he also prescribed Fybogel to counteract any constipation. Thank you for your good wishes.

[TazKa in reply to Karula]

Let’s hope it works out for you and is beneficial. It didn’t work for me to take it at night as would find i would be nauseous more then and feel dizzy and so I preferred to take it in the morning. Try it out at night and see how it works out for you.

[Karula in reply to TazKa]

That's interesting to know it made you feel worse at night, my thinking was you'd sleep through the side effects but obviously not. May be I should try mornings first . That's been really helpful, thank you.

[Lin1944]

Hi, I was on Duloxetine 60 mg for depression for 8 years and no side effects but stopped taking it when it stopped working. Now on Mirtazapine. I take probiotics every day and have cut out milk and my IBS has improved greatly.

Good Luck x

[Karula in reply to Lin1944]

Hi Lin1944Thank you for replying. I've been prescribed 30mg for IBS with the potential to increase to 60mg if needed but not sure I would do that, I'm not fabulous with tablets even though I'm on a bucket load. It's good to hear you had no side effects at 60mg. With my Lupus etc etc I am already dairy free and gluten and wheat free and have been vegetarian for many, many years.

I'm pleased your settled on Mirtazapine. You take care too.

[TazKa in reply to Lin1944]

Yes, probiotics everyday really does help.

[Karula in reply to TazKa]

Thank you, I will hunt out some dairy free ones or look into prebiotic tablets. Thanks again.

[Ciccia]

Hi I think it depends from person to person. I have ulcerative colitis and fibromyalgia- they tried me on amitriptyline- made no difference -then duloxetine which I reacted very badly too- the gp said this can be the case sometimes. They did, to be fair, say things could be pretty rough for the first couple of weeks so I thought id try braving it out for that time in the hope that it would settle. The gp was horrified that I'd gone on with it for as long as I did... My advice then would be start on lowest dose possible and if you do react badly stop taking it. Most people seem ok on it. I am now trying citalopram...which seems a better fit for me. Good luck!

[Karula in reply to Ciccia]

Hi CicciaThanks for your reply. Like you on top of the Lupus, Sjrogrens, Osteoporosis, IBS I also have Fibromyalgia and Asthma and there is a thought the Duloxetine may help the Fibro. I wasn't told you could feel pretty rough to start with, just a mild warning I may get a few mild side effects but bare with it as they wear off but I had a feeling they could be bad. If you don't mind me asking, what side effects did you experience? I have only been prescribed 30mg with the option to increase to 60mg if needed. Amitriptyline doesn't really do much for me but then I can only tolerate 5mg otherwise I'm totally zonked in the morning. Unfortunately Lupus can make you react badly to medicines even at lower doses, hence my concern over Duloxetine. I agree, it's different person to person but it's so helpful to get everyone experience, I really appreciate it. I'm glad Citalopram is a good fit for you. Thanks again for replying.

[Ciccia in reply to Karula]

Hi Karula, I'm the same as you because of the auto immune diseases I do tend to react to new drugs more than someone else might which is why I said things vary from person to person. I was prescribed 30mg- to start with same as you. In terms of reaction -enormous anxiety- like despair(!), some very scary thoughts, no difference in terms of pain-unable to sleep-honestly thought I was going insane. Doctor took me off immediately- prescribed diazepam to help with anxiety though it took a couple of weeks to come back down and sleeping tablets. The citalopram which is used for the same thing that we were both looking to get help for has been started on a very low dose 10mg reviewing each week now. I'm about to start Hydrotherapy and physio. Do have a look at other options. I really hope things work out for you.

[Karula in reply to Ciccia]

Hi Ciccia, thank you so much for that, those were the big issues I was concerned about and it must have been awful for you to go through that. As you say, we're all different but having autoimmune issues certainly does affect the way we react to drugs, I just about tolerate a small dose of Methotrexate. Living solo I would be really concerned about heightened anxiety and scary thoughts but I'll only know if I try it and that's why I'm so grateful for everyone sharing their experiences. I'm glad your GP was able to help settle things and I really hope Citalopram, the hydro and physio really help you. For me it's good to know there are other options to Duloxetine if it's not for me or I decide against it.

[Bob00]

I'm currently coming to the end of the 2nd month of taking Duloxetine (30mg) after having severe side effects with a bunch of SSRIs my doctor trialled me on. I have IBS-D and found that since taking Duloxetine my IBS-D has become a lot more controllable and overall my quality of life has improved. I don't have any major side effects from taking Duloxetine other than I have had some Insomnia.

[Karula in reply to Bob00]

Hi Bob00Thank you for replying and that's really encouraging. My IBS is mixed but I do tend to lean to the D side. I already suffer with Insomnia so I may not really notice a difference. I'm so pleased the Duloxetine is working for you and not causing any other side effects, that gives me encouraging hope that I should be brave enough to give it a trial. Thanks again.

[Bob00 in reply to Karula]

From what I've seen and experienced myself, finding the right medication is an incredible challenge. I was originally on Sertraline then moved on to Citalopram (both SSRI's) they completely wrecked my guy to the point where I had severe diarrhoea most days and the worst stomach/gut pains I've ever had making me housebound. It did take about a month of being on Deluxocetine before it put my anxiety & IBS under control.

I really do wish you the best of luck in finding the right medication for you, it is scary with what seems to be a lot of trial and error

[Karula in reply to Bob00]

I'm so pleased your settled on Duloxetine, it sounds as though you went through a really tough time with the other ones. It certainly is a trial and quite scary, always a concern things will get worse instead of better. I'm still weighing everything up and I'm so grateful of everyone's replies. I hope everything stays good for you.

[Pajarorose]

I use Meclizine 25 mg. Cures the nausea. Relaxes the gut, releases the gas.

[Karula in reply to Pajarorose]

Hi PajaroroseThank you for replying. That's a new one to me but another option to look into. I'm pleased it works for you.

[d0nutt]

I’ve been taking Duloxetine just over a week. The first few days were a rollercoaster especially with nausea, insomnia and nervousness/panic attacks.. they seem to have subsided a little now, but I’m struggling with constant stomach cramping and alternating diarrhoea & constipation which are outside of my ‘normal’ ibs symptoms, and are causing me a fair bit of distress. My anxiety doesn’t seem to be getting the better of me considering though which is interesting.

[Karula in reply to d0nutt]

Hi d0nuttThank you for replying. I'm sorry the Duloxetine hasn't been so good for you. The issues you mentioned are some of the concerns for me and I'm still very undecided about starting. I'm beginning to think the devil I know is better than the devil I don't. I really hope things settle for you.

I see you've started a post regarding your experience, I'll follow that too with interest.