Cymbalta and the DS?

Hi there fellow DS'ers. Long time, no see.

Recently, I was prescribed Cymbalta to help manage chronic pain and fatigue by a member of my treatment team.

Unfortunately, it appears this is a sustained release medication (according to what is on the bottle and on the PI sheet). So far, I have been unable to determine if an immediate release form is available.

While I will give this a whirl while I wait to speak with my prescribing physician, I do have a couple of questions for the vets and post-ops on the board:

-- Does anyone currently take Cymbalta (diagnosis doesn't matter) and if so, what has been your experience taking the drug with the DS?

-- Did your dosage increase or decrease after the DS? Or did you have to switch drugs?

Thank you in advance for your responses and help.

 I don't know if this helps but I take Prozac with no issues.  Give it a whirl and see what happens!

Good luck.

Hi,

I have not had DS yet but I do take Cymbalta and my surgeon is Dr. Rabkin. I reviewed my medication list with them and the Nurse said the Cymbalta was fine to take after surgery. I will double check on this.

Thanks, Terri

Aimee-

My doc prescribed Cymbalta to treat my fibromyalgia off-label about 7 or 8 years ago (maybe longer), and it was eventually FDA approved for fibro treatment.

I was taking it for years both pre and post op, dosage never changed post op, and my surgeon said there was no issue with Cymbalta and the DS.

However...there is a new drug called Savella that is specifically for fibromyalgia, but works  on neurotransmitters and receptors the same way as Cymbalta.  My doctor started me on it last month, ad it is a tablet, 50mg twice daily.  It is not an anti-depressant like Cymbalta, but from what I get in reading about it, it is in the same class of drugs as Cymbalta, which started out as an anti-depressant, but was later approved for fibromyalgia and diabetic neuropathy.

I like the Savella so far.  It's started with a titration pack that eventually gets you up to the 50mg twice daily standard dosage.

 Aimee,

I take Cymbalta (60mg) and have for years.  I'm almost a year and a half out and my dosage has not changed.  The only thing I do notice is that if I forget to take it, I have withdrawal symptoms more quickly.  That's the extent of it though!

Good luck!