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

Living at a seven seems unmanageable to me. I try to stay at a three or four. With occasional flares. I know several doctors have worried about me being addicted and one titrated me off tramadol to Savella. And that was 12 years ago. So now I’m 12 years older and all the medication I take does not keep me at three or four. So I have a doctors appointment in a week to talk about going on tramadol. I know she is worried that I’m going to become addicted but at 70, I think I have a few good 10 years left. And I don’t want to live it with my pain so constant. So I’m trying to figure out how I can tell her that’s OK if I get addicted lol I need to live life. And not in two hour increments outside of the house two or three times a week. Wish me luck.

@thornbunny have you found anything to help with the burning? I was recently thrown this CRPS term and have never heard of it. I have intermittent nerve pain and burning in one leg and some muscles spasms (had surgery). I haven't started the med options yet because it's been so up and down and I guess keep hoping it keeps going up but never does.

@skapes
I’m sorry to hear about your suffering. I’ve struggled with chronic daily head and facial pain for 25 years. I took every pill imaginable. Nothing worked at all. I wish that Cymbalta would help you, but I took it and it did absolutely nothing. I will never trust psychiatric medications again. The media has even investigated and exposed that there was absolutely no evidence that serotonin is involved with depression, and pharmaceutical companies make the additional claim that it helps pain. Be extremely cautious about psychiatric medications. I trusted my doctors and took them. These doctors have never taken them personally to know what a nightmare they are. Coming off of them was the most traumatic thing I have ever been through. I would not even trust the Mayo Clinic if they were to suggest that you take them. I think most of them should be banned and if a few are left that they want to use should have a black box warning put on them. I do not trust the pharmaceutical industry. They spend more money on advertising than on research. Curing things is not in their interest. Cures would destroy their mega billions profit machine.

@smithshawnr

I’ve had daily head and facial pain for over 2 years with no answers. I can’t imagine having this for as long as you have. I’ve also found medications to be more harmful than helpful. Have you found anything that does help?

Exact same reaction as you. Refused to take additional capsules. Now on pregabalin for nerve pain - 200mg x3 daily, Soma for muscle relaxant, advil, low dose opiate, heat, ice, and use of cannabis vape pen (only when not intending to drive).

@beachlife67 I'm interested to know where is your head pain? Is it on the back of your head?

@dougs72
It manifests itself differently constantly. Sometimes burning at the very top, like a red hot beanie and a pain like something is trying to poke it’s way out of the top of my head.Sometimes I can feel it throbbing up the back of the neck and into the indented space in the back of the head. Behind the ears, forehead. Sometimes it feels like tentacles that start in the back of the head and wrap around both sides to the forehead like I’m wearing a tight, throbbing headband. I know that the occipital and trigeminal nerves are involved, but cannot find the cause despite many different imaging studies. Also have constant dizziness/disequilibrium/lightheadedness with some vertigo episodes.

Yes. I have been on this for years. I was diagnosed with idiopathic peripheral polyneuropathy years ago. Nothing helped. This is the only med that actually helped along with my Oxycodone.

I tried Cymbalta for years as treatment for neuropathy and depression due to chronic pain. My pain is due to severe arthritis and a failed major back surgery 5 yrs ago. Unfortunately, did nothing for my pain. Per my doctor, 'pain, will trump any medication of this type'. With that, which I believe is true, I've stopped these meds along with mirtazipine & trazadone. There is absolutely no difference in my pain level, which remains at a constant 7-8
Wish you well!!

@cindymattern
900 mg of Gabapentin sounds like a humongous amount, to me. I took a much smaller amount after rotator cuff surgery for pain. Was on it about a week and started noticing that I was having severe memory loss problems. It was scary! Thought about it and realized the Gabapentin was the only thing that could be causing it, and I stopped immediately. Almost immediately my memory improved and went back to normal.
I have been taking half of a 50mg Desyrel (Trazodone) pill for a while now because I have a horrible time going to sleep and staying asleep. I took Desyrel (and Flexeril) back in the early 1990's for pain and depression from an injury. I would take the Flexeril now except they don't recommend it for people over 65.
Hope you get to feeling better. I have to tell people what happened to me and Gabapentin. Another doctor later tried to give it to me and I refused. Had a couple girlfriends that had bad experiences with it too! Good luck!