Has anyone ever been on Duloxetine (Cymbalta) for nerve pain?

My doctor is trying to get me to go on it for Fibromyalgia & Arthritis pain and I will not do it.

1) I am ultra sensitive to medication 2) I have had 1 person close to me tell me how horrible it was in getting off the medication and the other friend had to go to the ER for chest pain from it.

Praying you find the right med for you. Blessings....

I’d try it but stop if after 3-4 days you didn’t go.

I have fibromyalgia and Cymbalta is approved to treat this condition, but I'm avoiding taking it. There have been class-action lawsuits against Eli Lilly regarding Cymbalta, claiming the company overstated the benefits of the drug and downplayed or failed to warn patients about "the frequency, severity, and/or duration of Cymbalta withdrawal”. The company "Benefitted from patients who started taking Cymbalta again (becoming physically dependent on the drug) to avoid terrible side effects."
There is a Facebook support group page called "Cymbalta Hurts Worse" that offers advice to people trying to get off the drug. It can take years to safely do so.

sounds terrible. What is lyrica? I've heard about it but am unsure? I'm struggling with back nerve issues

It's another drug approved for fibromyalgia and nerve pain. Lots of info on-line if you look for it. It also must be tapered slowly to discontinue taking it.

Lyrica is in the class of drugs known as anti-convulsants because it’s believed to block abnormal electrical activity that causes seizures. An older drug that’s available in generic form but said to be more sedating is gabapentin.

These should be drugs the doctor who’s treating you for your nerve pain would be familiar with; even a PCP can prescribe them. They’re pretty commonly prescribed for nerve pain or other chronic pain.

They’ve also been found to be useful for nerve pain and fibromyalgia or other chronic pain, because they’re thought to prevent the release of certain chemicals in the brain and nervous system that contribute to pain signaling. Basically these are all a way to attempt to turn down the volume of the pain signaling in your central nervous system. There are non-medicinal ways to achieve the same goal, but not as simple as popping a pill, and sometimes not as effective or as quick.

But as @ripley pointed out, they also need to be tapered slowly if you try to get off of them. Honestly, any pain medication you look at for chronic pain other than some anti-inflammatories will have similar side effects because they work by altering the chemistry in your brain and nervous system. Some people find them to be very effective, but if you’re looking to avoid the risks, the only other way is to exhaust every other intervention first.

2 rheumatologists have prescribed duloxitine for my chronic pain I have refused it. I’m taking tramadol and gabapentin with fair results depending on the weather the past winter was horrible these drugs are all poisonous to the body I’m not adding duloxitine.

I will add that I have taken 900mg Gabapentin at bedtime for quite some time. With that said I have weaned off many times with no side effects. I take 3 300mg so I can drop it by one for a week, same the next and then every other day with a 300 till off. Never an issue for me with the Gabapentin but like very medication it may not work for everyone. I'd try this before any others and I have minimal constipation with this.

I was on Cymbalta for 6 weeks and decided to taper off because of side effects and little pain relief. Since Cymbalta is a capsule, tapering consisted of carefully prying the capsule apart and removing some of the beads and then putting the capsule together and. throwing away the beads It was a difficult and complex experience. I often wonder if the medical staff who prescribe these medications that have horrific withdrawal symptoms know what they are doing. I went for over 3 weeks removing the beads. It was worth it in the end because I didn't suffer. After that experience, I always investigate the ease of withdrawal of any Rx I'm prescribed. Never again. If you want interesting reading, google "Cymbalta withdrawal reviews".

I have some pain and burning in my arm as a result of my cancer treatments (radiation, letrozole). I was prescribed Cymbalta about 3 months ago my symptoms have improved (though they are not gone). I have not had negative side effects.

Good luck to you!