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Duloxetine any good?

Posted , 5 users are following.

jeanne81532
jeanne81532

My GP is keen for me to try Duloxetine for pain, but says I would have to take it instead of Fluoxetine which I take now (40mg daily.) I noticed someone else posted that they were taking both. Is anyone else taking both, and does Duloxetine help? x

0 likes, 10 replies

10 Replies

  • tiswas24537
    tiswas24537 jeanne81532

    Posted

    i am not 100% sure but isent Fluoxetine vanilum .i am sure someone told me this .
    • jeanne81532
      jeanne81532 tiswas24537

      Posted

      No it's Prozac, and since I posted, I found out that they shouldn't be taken together, as it can cause something called serotonin syndrome which can be dangerous. Duloxetine is branded as Cymbalta. x
    • PharmaSara
      PharmaSara jeanne81532

      Posted

      Hi, you are correct, the two together would increase the risk of serotonin syndrome, which can range from mild to life threatening, which is why your doctor is saying stop fluoxetine if you want to start duloxetine. I wonder what the safest way of switching would be...I would ask your doctor to take into account the relatively long half-life of fluoxetine which means it hangs around in your system for five weeks, so there may need to be a delay in starting the other, but I'm not sure.  Consider asking your pharmacist to phone the manufacturer of Cymbalta and/or the local hospital MI dept for precise info on switching and washout period (which I think is normally 4-7 days). Ideally the fluoxetine dose should be 20mg daily before it is stopped too. Best of luck! Would love to hear how you get on, if you feel like sharing updates.
  • caroline271
    caroline271 jeanne81532

    Posted

    I found duloxetine to work within 3 days and to work very well but only for about 4 weeks then the pain crept back in. I then had a severe adverse reaction to it which I believe to be serotonin syndrome, followed by terrible withdrawal signs and symptoms. People do manage well on it and I found it helped with sleep and pain. I had nausea for only 4 days and a headache for a few days which eased by each day. My advice would be to really do your research including the yellow card system and duloxetine discontinuation syndrome. (I daren't say which sites as my last post was deleted!) and then decide.
  • christine26761
    christine26761 jeanne81532

    Posted

    Yes Jeannie..I totally agree with the other posts..my daughter ended up in a wheelchair with Parkinsonism....effects the same part of the brain as Parkinson's...huge build up of those meds in her system caused a massive seizure..in an induced coma for 3 days..then in Intensive Care ward for a week then 3 months in a rehab hospital...shakes just about all the time now...can't walk unassisted. her brain ok..-great...was being fed puréed food for 6 months..can eat ok now, but must eat slowly and chew chew chew...still can't really feed herself properly as her shaking is too bad...so be very careful..we read the side effects labels, but I never realised..there are some-they say a few people can get certain side effects..mmmm.. well she did..she's 43 was getting married for the first time that week she took sick..,she still married when she was in her final week in hospital, has a wonderful husband..please be careful...be blessed..research, research  research..:-) xx Australia the one positive: this can't get any worse..like Parkinsons..
    • jeanne81532
      jeanne81532 christine26761

      Posted

      Thank you for your reply Christine, I am so sorry to hear about your daughter; that's so unlucky for her, but glad there has been some improvement and she was able to get married. x
    • christine26761
      christine26761 jeanne81532

      Posted

      Thanks Jeanne, she's very happy..realises that it could have been a lot worse...good attitude..:-) xx
  • caroline271
    caroline271 jeanne81532

    Posted

    Yes, i agree, please do your research and consider freedom of information as there are side effects which Eli Lilly don't list as they are very rare but which I think we should be made aware of.
    • jeanne81532
      jeanne81532 caroline271

      Posted

      To everyone who has replied, thanx guys; it seems to me from my research and your replies, that any benefit would be short-lived, and outweighed by the possible side effects. x
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