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Suggest Treatment For Chronic Neck, Shoulder And Back Pain While Having Fibromyalgia
Question: I have chronic neck, shoulder, and back pain and have been diagnosed with fibromyalgia. The pain is constant and dibilitating. My practitioner has prescribed cymbalta and I tried it for a week. Lots of nausea, tiredness, and generally not feeling good. Read about not being able to quit this drug w/o many bad side effcts. In a quandry, can you tell me about cynbalta?
Brief Answer:
It is one of the first line medicines used for fibromyalgia
Detailed Answer:
Hello,
Thank you for using Healthcaremagic to post your question.
I read it carefully and I understand your concern.
Cymbalta is one of the best medicines which is recommended for fibromyalgia.
Yes it can have some side effects, but every medicine has. And on the other side, your body will get used with the medicine and soon you won't have side effects.
One week is not enough to see the benefits of using Cymbalta, because it needs at least 3 weeks for you to experience its full effect.
So my recommendation is that you continue using it. The worst has gone. You will start feeling more relieve of the pain in the following week and less side effects. You will see that the benefits of using it are much higher then the risks.
Hope this is helpful.
Let me know if you have other questions or concerns.
Regards,
Dr.Papaqako
It is one of the first line medicines used for fibromyalgia
Detailed Answer:
Hello,
Thank you for using Healthcaremagic to post your question.
I read it carefully and I understand your concern.
Cymbalta is one of the best medicines which is recommended for fibromyalgia.
Yes it can have some side effects, but every medicine has. And on the other side, your body will get used with the medicine and soon you won't have side effects.
One week is not enough to see the benefits of using Cymbalta, because it needs at least 3 weeks for you to experience its full effect.
So my recommendation is that you continue using it. The worst has gone. You will start feeling more relieve of the pain in the following week and less side effects. You will see that the benefits of using it are much higher then the risks.
Hope this is helpful.
Let me know if you have other questions or concerns.
Regards,
Dr.Papaqako
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Raju A.T
I would like to know the long term effects--like 1yr, 5yrs, etc. What are the long term side effects? Does it damage the liver or kidneys or the digestive system?
Why is it making me so sick with nausea and constipation and so sleepy? Is it altering my brain chemistry?
Why is it making me so sick with nausea and constipation and so sleepy? Is it altering my brain chemistry?
Brief Answer:
There are no long term side effects- you either tolerate it or not.
Detailed Answer:
Hello,
There are no long term effects. A person starts the medication, tries it for some weeks, monitor the kidney and liver function and if the person reacts well to it, continues as directed by their doctor. The person who uses it should be in close contact with the doctor. It is not going to damage you if you use it for longer time, because you will use it only if you need it. If it is going to hurt you more then help you, then the doctor who is following you will advise for you to stop it.
It is making you sick because it happens to every person when they start it. As I said above, this may last for 2-3 weeks and then those side effects should go away because your body adjusts to the medication. If not better, then your doctor should advise you on starting another medication.
It is altering some chemistry in your brain, but if you want to treat Fibromyalgia there is no treatment who will make your pain go away without altering some brain chemistry. Is this how these medication work.
Here is some more information for you:
- For people over 65 years old (your case) it is not recommended to be used due to its potential to cause or exacerbate a syndrome of SIADH or hyponatremia; so you should monitor sodium concentration closely.
- If you have severe kidney problems it is not recommended to be used because it may cause a lot of GI side effects, since it stays longer in your system.
- Blood pressure should be checked prior to initiating the treatment and then regularly monitored, especially in people with a high blood pressure; mental status for depression, suicidal ideation, anxiety, social functioning, mania, panic attacks or other unusual changes in behavior; Also glucose levels and HbA1c levels should be monitored if you have diabetes, and also creatinine, BUN, liver function tests (your doctor will make a plan with you of when to come next time and the tests you will need to do so you can monitor these changes).
I hope these information is not too much. There is much more of course. Every medication has a long list of side effects. But your doctor should tell you which are important in your case, what you should be careful about and when to see him as soon as possible you notice this particular side effects.
Let me know if you have other questions or concerns.
Regards,
Dr. Papaqako
There are no long term side effects- you either tolerate it or not.
Detailed Answer:
Hello,
There are no long term effects. A person starts the medication, tries it for some weeks, monitor the kidney and liver function and if the person reacts well to it, continues as directed by their doctor. The person who uses it should be in close contact with the doctor. It is not going to damage you if you use it for longer time, because you will use it only if you need it. If it is going to hurt you more then help you, then the doctor who is following you will advise for you to stop it.
It is making you sick because it happens to every person when they start it. As I said above, this may last for 2-3 weeks and then those side effects should go away because your body adjusts to the medication. If not better, then your doctor should advise you on starting another medication.
It is altering some chemistry in your brain, but if you want to treat Fibromyalgia there is no treatment who will make your pain go away without altering some brain chemistry. Is this how these medication work.
Here is some more information for you:
- For people over 65 years old (your case) it is not recommended to be used due to its potential to cause or exacerbate a syndrome of SIADH or hyponatremia; so you should monitor sodium concentration closely.
- If you have severe kidney problems it is not recommended to be used because it may cause a lot of GI side effects, since it stays longer in your system.
- Blood pressure should be checked prior to initiating the treatment and then regularly monitored, especially in people with a high blood pressure; mental status for depression, suicidal ideation, anxiety, social functioning, mania, panic attacks or other unusual changes in behavior; Also glucose levels and HbA1c levels should be monitored if you have diabetes, and also creatinine, BUN, liver function tests (your doctor will make a plan with you of when to come next time and the tests you will need to do so you can monitor these changes).
I hope these information is not too much. There is much more of course. Every medication has a long list of side effects. But your doctor should tell you which are important in your case, what you should be careful about and when to see him as soon as possible you notice this particular side effects.
Let me know if you have other questions or concerns.
Regards,
Dr. Papaqako
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Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Kampana
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