Health Organization for Pudendal Education

Does cymbalta seem to be the medication that is mentioned the most to help with pain and depression and anxiety. I have taken every antidepressant out there but I just can not turn the corner. Eighteen years of this condition has done me in and I am thinking of trying cymbalta for awhile. How soon should I feel that it is working for me. I have used provigil to help with the fatigue and I am starting to feel that it too is no longer working.

I think I was told about two weeks to a month to start feeling any benefit. Maybe others could confirm.
take care,
Helen

I'm on both Lyrica & Cymbalta. I'm tapering off the Lyrica, but was on 75mg 2Xday when I started the Cymbalta.. The Lyrica put me in such a depression (I had a lot of stuff happen to me last year too & I know that all helped contribute to my depression) that when I started the Cymbalta, it took only 3 days for me to start to see an improvement. Hubby noticed it too.

When I went to see the doc a couple of weeks after I started it, he saw an improvement too, then a month after starting it (which was just on Friday) he commented how much better I seemed..

Many new meds take a couple of weeks to kick in, & don't take full effect for about 6 weeks.. I must've been in a really bad place to see a difference in three days, but I'm still adjusting to it a bit, so be patient with it.. Hope it does the trick for you..

Hi,

For me, it has taken a few weeks for each dose increase to kick in and several months to reach its full effect. It is my understanding that a key to success with Cymbalta is gradual dose increases (e.g., 30 mg Month 1, 60 mg Month 2, 90 mg Month 3). About 90mg has been optimal for me.

Cymbalta for me has been very helpful in reducing pain. I have been able to tolerate it well, though some say they experience side effects. It seems to me that the gradual dose increases help you adjust to the drug and avoid the side effects.

Dave

Hmm, maybe that's why I had so many. I was on 30mg once/day for a week. Then I went to 30mg 2Xday for another week, then moved both doses to once/day. I take it at midnight because I'm always up anyways. I've had an awful lot of side effects from it though. Most have disappeared, but I'm left with a few strange ones..

From what I understand from Dr Greenslade , Cymbalta can help with nerve pain at a lower dose and usually any higher dose will not give a further beneficial effect. This only is in the case of nerve pain however.
The antidepressant effect of the drug, and its 'usual use' will probably be more noticeable on a higher dose.
I must admit that I have just stuck to the lower amount and not ever increased so can't confirm this in my case.
Take care all,
Helen

helenlegs 11 wrote:From what I understand from Dr Greenslade , Cymbalta can help with nerve pain at a lower dose and usually any higher dose will not give a further beneficial effect.
Helen

I have to respectfully disagree with that. According to my doctor (and my first hand experience taking Cymbalta) higher doses do provide pain relief. For me, 90 mg is optimal, at 120 mg, I start to have side effects.

Might up my dose and see what happens Dave. Thanks for your feedback.
take care,
Helen