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What do you think of Cymbalta, Turmeric, Lidocaine fibro inflammation?
My doctors want me on Cymbalta. I am really resistant because I am already on several other meds and am very very sensitive to meds. Bad SSRI and SNRI experiences in the past for me, though I know others have felt better from them.
They say it can help with me with my inflammation based muscle aches and OCD. I have not been diagnosed with fibro yet but the doctor has given hints that I have it. Weird and hard to explain situation, I think she is trying to make sure I don't freak out (heavy anxiety, OCD). She is working with me on my health anxiety basically, so I think she doesn't want to give a formal diagnosis right now until I see her again in August.
Questions:
Has anyone tried Turmeric for inflammatory pain? How long did it take to help? Did you ever have GI distress (I have Crohns, IBS, Celiac so I suffer from chronic nausea)? I don't want GI complications from it.
Same question as above but for Lidocaine? And does it help even though you can't rub it all over your body? I was told just to use on certain smaller areas, even though nearly my whole body is feeling pain.
And finally, Cymbalta. What has everyone's experience been like with it? Has it helped with aches? Has it been hard to get off of? Side effects while on it?
They want to start me at 20mg, the lowest dose, and even that scares me.
Thank you!!!
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Personally, I know where Cymbalta has helped people. But, with that said, I had a family member that had a very hard time getting off Cymbalta. Praying for you.
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1 ReactionI also have fibromyalgia with daily pain. I don't want to discourage you from following your doctor's recommendations, just research it first. I've decided to avoid Cymbalta because I read studies show it only helps about 30% of the people who take it, but for those people it can reduce their pain up to 50%. ("In studies, pain was reduced by half in 30 out of 100 people taking duloxetine...compared with 20 out of 100 people taking placebo." ) I also read your body adjusts to it so the dose has to be raised eventually and it can have terrible side effects when you try to stop taking it. There is a Facebook page called "Cymbalta Hurts Worse" which is a support group for people trying to wean off.
My Dr recently prescribed Gabapentin, 100mg 3x a day, but I haven't started it yet. That has it's own set of side effects. I'm not sure what to do because living with daily pain is difficult.
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1 Reaction@LPRSOB jdbarr1 I can only speak for myself, but here is my story - I have arthritis, fibro and a hyper-inflammatory reaction to most triggers - that is any flare leads to widespread pain. Several years ago now, I sought pain management help because I had to get off all NSAIDS, didn't want to use opioids, and my quality of life was diminishing...
We tried a number of things, and Cymbalta (90 mg extended release) plus curcumin, topical NSAIDs, exercise, PT with manual manipulation & myofascial release, counselling, guided imagery and deep breathing broke the pain cycle for me. I still have bad days and flares, but am equipped to deal with them now.
I guess what I am trying to say is that in treating fibro and other chronic pain conditions, there is no one thing that "fixes" us. There are a whole range of things we must do, many of them are hard, like getting up and exercising when we are tired and hurting, or working to change our brain's response to pain. I have a team that helps me - my pain doc, physical therapist, chiropractor, therapist, family - but the day-to-day effort is mostly my responsibility.
Sue
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3 ReactionsI really don’t want to be on Cymbalta, I can’t stand the brain fog and lack of coordination. But it’s the only med I’ve tried that helps my nerve damage.
i've tried cymbalta to no avail.......what helps me is lyrica....it's great for nerve pain as well as some of the fibro pain..........fibrous tissue, muscle and nerve = that's the pain i have all day, every day, getting relief from lyrica along with a long acting pain med and vicadin as the pill i take when the long acting one stops working..........i hope i can help someone out there......God bless all of you!
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2 ReactionsThank you for your comment.
Thank you, Sue!
I am glad you have support in place and that you are dealing with things better now.
So if I am understanding correctly: You are using all of the things listed? And using them simultaneously?
Thank you for your input.
I'm definitely terrified of it because I have already been screwed over by pharmaceuticals. I know how rough they can be. I'm still just mulling it over, seeing peoples' opinions helps.
I hope the Gabapentin works for you and that you can find yourself with significantly less pain.
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1 ReactionThank you for your input!
The Cymbalta, curcumin and topical voltaren are on my everyday list along with exercise and lung medications. I have weekly PT and am fortunate my insurance covers 50 sessions a year and we can appeal for more. The guided imagery and deep breathing get me through the nights, usually with a decent amount of sleep. I take 2 nonconsecutive days a week off from exercise and most physical exertion to allow my body to recover. Today was one of them and in spite of having a dear friend as a houseguest I took a 2 hour nap - she understands when my body says stop!