My doctor put me on pamelor Thursday of last week and everyday since I have had a huge headache. I went and looked and it is a side effect, not earth shattering but one they say you should discuss with your doctor.

I also have experienced some numbness on my face. I discountinued it and will be seeing my primary in the morning. I was wondering if anyone else has had this side effect.

And those of you who are on cymbalta for awhile, how has it worked for you? How long have you been on it? Did you find that it fizzled out after awhile?

Thanks.

If you don't mind me asking, were you put on this for an antidepressant or for neural pain management?

Apparently, it is helpful with nerve pain. It is in the same family as elavil.

For most people the headache passes in about one week, sometimes two. It is a fairly common side effect. You also need to be watchful of weight gain as this is also a fairly common side effect. :mad:

No, I better not have weight gain -- sorry I just lost 30 lbs.

Hi folks Molodova and Diet.

A couple of weeks ago I was just really fed up and went to my doctor, he prescribed Cymbalta, said I should have been on something ages ago as I have suffered for 7 years with my back, and now with the fusion to help me get thru it. Well I took the cymbalta on a Monday at 4 O'Clock. By 8 O'Clock my head was spinning, I was getting sick, the woke up the next morning, didnt really wake as I was dizzy, sick, couldnt lift my head off the pillow, and could not eat. It was Wednesday afternoon when I began to feel normal. It was the worst I ever experienced tablet wise. I just said to my husband okay I am going to cope with the bad days and if you cant cope with me, you take them...... I was dissappointed I was unable to take them as i know they can also help with the pain. I am now in a situation that if i go back to my doctor he will say try a different type, but I am not going thru that for love nor money again.

Round 1

I hear you Round1. I have had so many side effects from these supposedly nerve medicines that I am scared to try anymore. I want pain relief but not at the expense of more sickness or problems.

Hey pepper, i have been on pamelor for a while now. i do not recall the headaches, but it does nothing for my nerve pain, maybe helps with the depression part. I mean maybe it did help with the nerve pain, because I was better for a while, its just that now I am not. I managed to lose 30lbs and I am still on this med so you should be okay in that department. However, I am mad because I had to start another medrol dose pack and you know what that means.....weight gain, I better eat nothing but fruits and veggies this week. Hope you feel better.

I feel like I have tried them all. Pamelor first, I don't recall the side effects. I think it just wasn't working for me and keeping me up all night. Cymbalta made me so rock bottom depressed they took me off of it right away. There were a few others tossed in there but I don't recall them. The latest ones were Zoloft which made me sleep about 15 hours a day/night. Then they switched me to Wellbutren and that turned me into a monster. I mean, I got on my own nerves with that one. High anxiety, rapid heartbeat and everything I touched either fell on the floor or didn't work. I only took that one for about 5 days. Now they have me on Lexapro. A very low dose to start out. With all of the other meds, he had me starting out with high doses and that isn't a good fit with my body I guess. I have not had one problem with the Lexapro and this is the 4th day I've taken it. I'm on 10 mg for now and he plans to up it eventually.

I hope you will be able to find one that works for you if the Pamelor doesn't. I haven't encountered anyone that has had as severe reaction to the Cymbalta as I have. The ones I have heard about love it.

Good luck and I hope that headache disappears right away!

So how did you all lose 30 pounds with a bad back?? What's the secret??:confused:

Thanks Lincoln and kk. I have an appt with my GP in the morning so hopefully she will start me on something else. I was not sleeping at night either. It was like a very light sleep if I sleep.

Tshol, I lost 30 lbs. on Jenny Craig. Now I am trying to go at it myself. JC was getting very expensive but it definitely works.

I'm so jealous you lost 30lbs. You go girl!!! I seem to crave sweets-mainly dark chocolate or peanut butter. I swear I would lose most of my body weight as I don't eat much at all but I have to eat those sweets. I looked online and is is supposedly a magnesium shortage. There were a few disputes as they say normally you would crave peanuts and I crave those too, I just assumed I was low on protein. Now I am taking vitamins like a good girl but need to go to GNC to get the other supplements to see if it will work for me. I do know one thing, I am soooo ready for these cravings to go away. Some say it is the meds too but it isn't EVERY day, just most of them.:( Good luck going it alone. You've already lost 30 so at least you are in the groove now.;)

I am doing it for my back. If I lose another 20, I will be at the low end of my weight. My surgeon wants me to stay right where I am. He would rather see me here then to do the ping pong weight cycle. So thank you my surgeon for telling me I can stay overweight. :D

Lincoln, the biggest thing is to eat every couple of hours and keep your sugars up and watch portion control.

Diet I am still on the cymbalta and I don't know if its working or not anymore.

But, I still take it.

The first week I had a lot of side effects, but stuck with it and that passed.

I cant' take the dang lyrica or neurontin I just can't.

I've been on Cymbalta for about 2 months - a very low dose, 20 mgs. I hear of people taking up to 120 mgs. My dr. is pretty conservative with these things. She recommended it for both depression and pain. I can't say I've noticed any change with pain. I noticed VERY mild changes with depression. I was horribly tired at first and I was taking it in the morning. I switched to taking it at night and it's since resolved. I'm seeing this dr. soon and I'll ask her what she thinks. I'm not in love with it, but I'm really up for giving anything a fair shot. I've noticed the Topamax has helped the most with nerve pain, but it does make me really stupid. It bothers me, but I'll live with it for a while because I do not miss that burning, I'm-going-to-be-up-all-night-feeling at all!

I think Cymbalta makes me crave sweets. I never was like that and now ever day I MUST have sugar. It's a horrible compulsion.

Good luck in the med search. It is NOT easy!

Many of the meds that are given for depression and mood disorders cause cravings, almost always sugar cravings. It is not uncommon for someone to gain 30 pounds in a month to six weeks**, before they really are aware of what's going on. It apparently has something to do with the liver being overworked processing the drugs and thus, isn't as efficient as usual in dealing with its other functions -- so you store it as fat. That is a really simplistic, non-scientific explanation, but I hope you get what I'm trying to explain.:dizzy:


** this is when on a higher dose that would be given for unipolar depression or bipolar disorder

Well my primary doctor just took me off the Pamelor. She agrees I should not take it because I was having numbness in my face and for right now she does not want to try anything else except some Lidoderm patches.

A neuromuscular surgeon gave me Cymbalta to see if it would help with the pain in my legs. After 3 days I was nearly losing my mind. I was so anxious I could feel my skin crawling, I was dizzy, barely able to stand, my heart was racing, I coulnt think, I was shaking. I got right in to see my pcp who didnt know about the cymbalta and when he walked into the room I looked at him and actually had some sort of a breakdown and began cying hysterically. He said OMG what is going on with you, you look like a deer in the headlights!! He had me stop it immediately, i guess since I had only taken 4 of them by that day and he had me take Xanax XR and regualr Xanax for a week until I could get myself back under control. He said that Cymbalta has that affect on a small number of people, but from what I am reading here, I think the number is greater than drs want to admit. I tell everyone it darn near killed me!!

I was put on Zoloft 2 years ago when they didnt know what was wrong with me and decided it was depression. I kept telling them it wasnt helping as I didnt feel any better. After many many tests and bloodwork, it turned out I have Hashimotos thyroiditis and not depression!!! I was able to wean off the Zoloft without any side effects thank goodness.

When I saw the Rheumy Monday and they mentioned SSRI's I flat out said NO, I am not going that route again. I dont think she liked it but it is my body and my life and I refuse to go through all that again.

Llincoln, I lost the weight with medifast, even though I have not followed the exact plan. but I try to keep it healthy and before this last flare up I was able to go to the gym. But this 30lbs is of the 50lbs I gained during my injury.

Pepper, congrats on the weight loss! I've never tried any of these meds so I cant give any insight into them. BUt it does seem like you have bad luck with so many of these meds, with the side effects and all - i'm sorry you're not yet able to find one that agrees with you :(

Diet...
Good for you on the 30 lbs....wonderful.... As far as Cymbalta...well...it is not for me. The one tablet I took...well...it made me sick...the worst case of nausea...ALL DAY...and it also made me "mean" nasty...and ugly. I stayed away from everyone that day...I had this type of reaction one other time to something similar, that is why I knew I had to stay away from those I loved...they would have hated me if I hadn't. My body does not tolerate antidepressents...and the "nerve" medications also cause various problems for me.
Since May I have gained 30 pounds....this is not a good thing...and I am eating very little...even gave up my daily peanut butter sandwich...now I've been eating a bowl of cereal for breakfast and one for lunch...regular dinner....and only diet, sugar free pudding for dessert... Nice... I have NEVER had a problem with my weight...EVER...always the opposite. I don't know what to do...I seem to be still gaining...and my family Dr. doesn't seem to understand...my endro. Dr. was concerned...he said I seem to be retaining a lot of fluid...he wanted me to see a vascular Dr...but the family Dr. just blew it off....said I was overeating...which has never been my problem. I tried to explain all to him, but he was just closed down...so I am now still gaining...and all my clothes, I bought the 3rd round of summer things in Sept...and they are getting tight....this is not good... Thank goodness for JCP and the sales they have been having. Sorry, didn't mean to run on and on..

Diet...hope you can find something to help you...I have a lot of problems with meds....the only other med. I took...to help me sleep was the ambien...it worked for me....but I can't take it with the pain med. I am on... Please feel better...

Leslie

Leslie, I am sorry that you have the med problems but in the same instance I am happy that someone else seems to have the same problem. Not that I wish it on anyone -- it is just a little reassuring that I am not crazy or losing it.

Naw...Diet, You are not nuts!!! Sometimes our bodies just can't accept what we put into them....and reject it....bigtime!! I have had problems with many meds...several other members of my family have similar problems...so I don't feel so bad. It's pretty bad when you feel like apologizing to your Dr. cause his medicine made your sick, I feel that way once in a while....like guilt!! But, hey...I can't help it, and neither can you... Although it is nice..kind of like validation...that someone else has a problem!!! sorry,,,,don't mean to make light of a major problem...but...well, gosh...can't help it...and I do know you are hurting badly....but, darn....you made me feel better....thought I was the only one with a problem with cymbalta... (Dr. said, NO ONE...has a problem with it...)
Diet...I am sending you a hug...and saying a prayer for you...hope that your afternoond goes a bit better....take care...

Leslie

My neurologist put me on Pamelor to treat my chronic tension headaches. It did make the headaches go away, however it caused more problems. I was in a constant fog and after I went off of the medication, everything was clear again. Apparently my mood swings were horrible and I was very hard to live with. The worst side effect was that I gained 30lbs!!! My diet did not change at all and I had to stop taking it.