I have been on Savella for probably 9 months or so. Savella has the same properties as an antidepressant (it has Serotonin in it). It is not listed as an antidepressant though. I suspect it isnt because if they do list it as an antidepressant, then they have to do more case studies & the numbers would change, also they kinda have a corner on the market listing it as a Fibro drug, since all the other Fibro meds are "technically" made for other ailments/diseases/conditions. When they put you on Savella, typically they titrate your dosage up & if you are on an antidepressant, they titrate you down. The reason for this is due to the Serotonin. If your body gets too much, you can get Serotonin Syndrome & I can tell you from experience SS is NO joke! I cannot take ANY antidressants or any other drug with Serotonin. My Psychiatrist had tried a low dosage of antidepressants because my Rhematologist insisted & I had a nasty case of the SS, so now he has me on another med that helps but is not an antidressant. I have trouble getting people & some Doctors to understand that the pain is NOT due to depression, the depression is due to the pain! 

Savella does have some pretty intense side effects. I researched it before I started it & read ALOT of forums about it. A lot of people stop it because of the Side effects, but those that tough it out, have good results. To be honest, I had severe nausea & a blinding headache for almost 4 months. I am allergic to almost 50 meds, so I am limited on what I can take. I lived on Zofran! I decided to tough it out. I had been on Lyrica before, but it did nothing for me, but when I went back to my Rheumatologist
Put me on it again, it immediately made the nausea stop! The headache lasted a good 4 months, then gradually went away. The Savella has made a remarkable difference in my pain. Do I still hurt? Yes, but most of the pain I have now is because of another issue, not the FMS itself. Clear as mud? Haha! Sorry, my brain is no longer my friend & sometimes words fail me, describing things to people is not my forte! At least  when I write (type!) it, I can pause & think till I find a word that fits. In person, yeahhhhh....not so much! Sometimes I sound like a babbling idiot.... So embarrassing! 

I will also add that I had also tried Cymbalta before & it did nothing for me. IMHO Savella is worth a try, but do your homework & research it, familiarize yourself with the benefits VS the side effects & then make your decision on whether or not to stick with the med. 

Hope this helps.Good luck, 
Bonnie

Do they have a fibro support group ? I know some of our small towns have them in a community center or church. It would be a common denomanter for you to have someone that shares some of your same struggles.
Facebook is a good way of keeping in touch with people. I come from a large family and my cousins and I keep in touch with each other through face book. I think atleast one close "real" friend needs to go with a collection of internet friends.

I used savella for a little while to a while to work but i noticed a diffrence in my pain. I dont take it now because its exspense and at the time i didnt have good coverage and having to rely on the doctor haveing samples scared me. If I remember right it dont have the side effect of gain weight but not sure. I have took lyricia and cymbalta the lyricia made me gain alot of weight and the problem with cymbalta is after being on it for long peiords it stops working. Id give savella a chance takes a while to kick in but it did help. For me i have to try to not read all the stuff because the side effects list always scare the crap out of me . I do beleave you have to change these meds every so often because they quit working well after long periods. But this is my opinion. My doctor agrees but he just is going by my pain levels been on neortin for two years dont think it is working very well but if i stop it a few days later im in more pain so its doing something Loretta

Diane-

I am 54, and have both lupus and fibromyalgia.  It took 2 1/2 years for me to get SSDI, and my date of onset was December 11, 2005.  I finally got my first check in May of 2008.   I was waiting for a hearing, but the ALJ made an "on the record" decision, based on his looking at my medical evidence (records), so I never went to a hearing, but I did prepare for one.

I kept a daily activity log, with what I did and how I felt, so that I could recall bad days and good days with accuracy, and also have my lawyer enter it into the court record.

I found a site with something called "The Spoon Theory", and what it said fit me to a T!

Here's the link
http://www.butyoudontlooksick.com/articles/written-by-christ ine/the-spoon-theory-written-by-christine-miserandino/

my ss hearing is also at the end of april and i, too, am trying to not have anxiety attacks.  i've been off work for a couple years and without pay since last august.  the advice to think back on what a normal day used to be and what we're able to do now is a very good idea.  anybody wanna send some prayers up, too.  they'd certainly be appreciated.