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misunshine 
6:55pm, January 18, 2009
Anyone who mentions side effects really should stop and think about other meditions their taking & other llness's they have! - and whether or not they're taking Savella on a full tummy and drinking plenty of water.
It seems like all the people who have posted negatively about their Savella side effects for some reason do not bother to mention anything about any of the other meds they're taking. For those who are totally unfamiliar w/ Savella and may automatically fear it because it is "new" (not a new medication at all; just new to the U.S. and Canada), all they're seeing is that Savella causes "awful" side effects (described by some folks who tend to catastrophize things) that to some people are intolerable.... and so they don't get the full picture about either other meds the people are taking or other conditions besides fibro that they may be suffering from.
I know that if I had not been reseaching it myself & wasn't familiar with it and I was going by the info on the forum, I'd sure be afraid of it with the negativity that's been posted so far. Everyone has a right to speak their mind, of course, but some folks seem to forget the impact of their words - and don't seem to think about how they could be scaring other members unnecessarily.
Here are some suggestions on how to overcome these side effects.... plus, emphasize that they're totally temporary if Savella is taken correctly. Here are some things I'd share w/ everyone:
1) Fibro sufferers tend to be at least somewhat dehydrated, and as a result, suffer from low blood volume - or hypovolemia. The result is that our hearts must work much harder to circulate our blood and deliver sufficient oxygen & nutrients to our organs. Also, dehydration significantly increases circulating concentrations of stress hormones, so if you aren't drinking enough water, Savella's side effects while titrating will be amplified - thus, very uncomfortable while your body adjusts to the increased availability of norepinephrine. It is even more important to stay properly hydrated on Savella. Those who experience heart palpitations while taking Savella are simply experiencing a dehydration-induced increase in heart rate & blood pressure. So, DRINK WATER WHILE TAKING SAVELLA! (We should be drinking 64 oz. daily anyway.)
• Caffeine and sugar are diuretics. Soft drinks, tea or any other caffeinated or sugary beverage will only worsen dehydration, and will increase our heart rate & Bp. So-called "energy drinks" should be avoided entirely.
• As you begin to feel better, your activity level will increase. This will mean that you will sweat more. So as you begin to do more, increase your fluid intake accordingly - or you are not going to feel well. Overdoing it too soon will also make you feel bad. Please take these things into account when analyzing your progress with Savella.
2) Before starting any medication, read and thoroughly research any potential interactions so you will know what to avoid. Do not count on your busy pharmacist - or even your doctor - to keep you informed. A recent University of Arizona College of Pharmacy study (published July 14, 2009) found that hundreds of doctors were unable to identify more than half of the potentially dangerous drug combinations from a list. So, it is incumbent upon each of us to take the initiative to check for possible drug interactions before taking any new medication. We cannot expect someone else to do this for us, although it is often a service marketed by pharmacy chains.
• There are many websites available that simplify the process of checking for interactions, including:
www.drugdigest.org
www.drugs.com/drug_interactions.html
www.healthline.com/druginteractions
www.drugstore.com/pharmacy/drugchecker
http://health.discovery.com/webapps/drugchecker.do?jspLetter=A
3) Taking Savella on a full stomach improves its tolerability. Don't simply take it with food - but take it after your meal. During the first few days, you may want to take Pepcid or Zantac before eating to head off nausea. Ginger ale or crackers may help if nausea breaks through. This initial nausea is a perfectly normal reaction to an increased availability of norepinephrine - but your body does adjust to this, and the side effects will abate by the end of the first week.
• If Pepcid, Zantac or other comparable meds do not help the nausea that will likely be an initial (albeit temporary) reaction, ask your doctor about an anti-nausea treatment. It is worth it to fight with every possible effort, simply because Savella has such great potential to help overcome fibromyalgia symptoms to improve our functioning and health-related quality of life (HRQoL).
4) Be patient. Do not expect miraculous results in the first few days. Savella is not a pain pill. It may take up to two months for it to take full effect. HOWEVER, not only did the majority of clinical trial participants experience a noticeable improvement in their pain, fatigue & brain fog in the first week, but many fibro sufferers now taking Savella are reporting the same. It is important to note that, unlike so many other medications, no study participants dropped out of Savella's clinical trials due to side effects. Also, side effects reported were self-described by participants as "tolerable," "mild" and "temporary." Likewise, those study findings are being echoed by most Savella users.
• The key is to not only be patient, but be realistic. You did not get to this point overnight -- and you are not going to miraculously recover overnight, although Savella is very effective.
5) Because Savella increases energy levels, it is best taken as early as possible. Take the second dose no later than eight (8) hours before bedtime to prevent insomnia. Experiment with the dosing times best for you, but again, practice patience as you work through this.
6) Track your symptom improvement and side effects, because the full dosage may not be necessary. Some Savella users do great at 50 mg/daily and may not need to step up to 100 mg/daily. Talk to your doctor if you find that your fibro symptoms respond better to a lower dosage. If you experience side effects upon increasing to 100 mg/daily, do not get frustrated and stop Savella if the lower dose helped your symptoms.
7) Read thoroughly about any conditions for which Savella is contraindicated.
8) If after trying Savella, you find that you cannot take it, please do not frighten other fibromyalgia sufferers into not trying it. Because it is a medication that is new to our country, many fibromyalgics are leery and hesitant to trust an "unknown" treatment based upon past experiences with other medications they trusted to beat their symptoms (although milnacipran has been in use in more than 50 countries for more than a dozen years). Savella was proven to not only be highly effective, but the temporary side effects were tolerable. However, some medications aren't for everyone. That being said, each fibro sufferer deserves a fair chance to give Savella a shot to see if it can help change their life.
______________________________________________________________
It seems like all the people who have posted negatively about their Savella side effects for some reason do not bother to mention anything about any of the other meds they're taking. For those who are totally unfamiliar w/ Savella and may automatically fear it because it is "new" (not a new medication at all; just new to the U.S. and Canada), all they're seeing is that Savella causes "awful" side effects (described by some folks who tend to catastrophize things) that to some people are intolerable.... and so they don't get the full picture about either other meds the people are taking or other conditions besides fibro that they may be suffering from.
I know that if I had not been reseaching it myself & wasn't familiar with it and I was going by the info on the forum, I'd sure be afraid of it with the negativity that's been posted so far. Everyone has a right to speak their mind, of course, but some folks seem to forget the impact of their words - and don't seem to think about how they could be scaring other members unnecessarily.
Here are some suggestions on how to overcome these side effects.... plus, emphasize that they're totally temporary if Savella is taken correctly. Here are some things I'd share w/ everyone:
1) Fibro sufferers tend to be at least somewhat dehydrated, and as a result, suffer from low blood volume - or hypovolemia. The result is that our hearts must work much harder to circulate our blood and deliver sufficient oxygen & nutrients to our organs. Also, dehydration significantly increases circulating concentrations of stress hormones, so if you aren't drinking enough water, Savella's side effects while titrating will be amplified - thus, very uncomfortable while your body adjusts to the increased availability of norepinephrine. It is even more important to stay properly hydrated on Savella. Those who experience heart palpitations while taking Savella are simply experiencing a dehydration-induced increase in heart rate & blood pressure. So, DRINK WATER WHILE TAKING SAVELLA! (We should be drinking 64 oz. daily anyway.)
• Caffeine and sugar are diuretics. Soft drinks, tea or any other caffeinated or sugary beverage will only worsen dehydration, and will increase our heart rate & Bp. So-called "energy drinks" should be avoided entirely.
• As you begin to feel better, your activity level will increase. This will mean that you will sweat more. So as you begin to do more, increase your fluid intake accordingly - or you are not going to feel well. Overdoing it too soon will also make you feel bad. Please take these things into account when analyzing your progress with Savella.
2) Before starting any medication, read and thoroughly research any potential interactions so you will know what to avoid. Do not count on your busy pharmacist - or even your doctor - to keep you informed. A recent University of Arizona College of Pharmacy study (published July 14, 2009) found that hundreds of doctors were unable to identify more than half of the potentially dangerous drug combinations from a list. So, it is incumbent upon each of us to take the initiative to check for possible drug interactions before taking any new medication. We cannot expect someone else to do this for us, although it is often a service marketed by pharmacy chains.
• There are many websites available that simplify the process of checking for interactions, including:
www.drugdigest.org
www.drugs.com/drug_interactions.html
www.healthline.com/druginteractions
www.drugstore.com/pharmacy/drugchecker
http://health.discovery.com/webapps/drugchecker.do?jspLetter=A
3) Taking Savella on a full stomach improves its tolerability. Don't simply take it with food - but take it after your meal. During the first few days, you may want to take Pepcid or Zantac before eating to head off nausea. Ginger ale or crackers may help if nausea breaks through. This initial nausea is a perfectly normal reaction to an increased availability of norepinephrine - but your body does adjust to this, and the side effects will abate by the end of the first week.
• If Pepcid, Zantac or other comparable meds do not help the nausea that will likely be an initial (albeit temporary) reaction, ask your doctor about an anti-nausea treatment. It is worth it to fight with every possible effort, simply because Savella has such great potential to help overcome fibromyalgia symptoms to improve our functioning and health-related quality of life (HRQoL).
4) Be patient. Do not expect miraculous results in the first few days. Savella is not a pain pill. It may take up to two months for it to take full effect. HOWEVER, not only did the majority of clinical trial participants experience a noticeable improvement in their pain, fatigue & brain fog in the first week, but many fibro sufferers now taking Savella are reporting the same. It is important to note that, unlike so many other medications, no study participants dropped out of Savella's clinical trials due to side effects. Also, side effects reported were self-described by participants as "tolerable," "mild" and "temporary." Likewise, those study findings are being echoed by most Savella users.
• The key is to not only be patient, but be realistic. You did not get to this point overnight -- and you are not going to miraculously recover overnight, although Savella is very effective.
5) Because Savella increases energy levels, it is best taken as early as possible. Take the second dose no later than eight (8) hours before bedtime to prevent insomnia. Experiment with the dosing times best for you, but again, practice patience as you work through this.
6) Track your symptom improvement and side effects, because the full dosage may not be necessary. Some Savella users do great at 50 mg/daily and may not need to step up to 100 mg/daily. Talk to your doctor if you find that your fibro symptoms respond better to a lower dosage. If you experience side effects upon increasing to 100 mg/daily, do not get frustrated and stop Savella if the lower dose helped your symptoms.
7) Read thoroughly about any conditions for which Savella is contraindicated.
8) If after trying Savella, you find that you cannot take it, please do not frighten other fibromyalgia sufferers into not trying it. Because it is a medication that is new to our country, many fibromyalgics are leery and hesitant to trust an "unknown" treatment based upon past experiences with other medications they trusted to beat their symptoms (although milnacipran has been in use in more than 50 countries for more than a dozen years). Savella was proven to not only be highly effective, but the temporary side effects were tolerable. However, some medications aren't for everyone. That being said, each fibro sufferer deserves a fair chance to give Savella a shot to see if it can help change their life.
______________________________________________________________
Comments
Dear Misunshine,
I honor your enthusiasm to get out these informations. However, by encouraging people to take a medication they don't have a good feeling about is not better than talking about the negative side effects. It makes you responsible for what is going to happen to those who read your lines and start taking Savella.
I recently did an interview with a physician who is specialized on treating FMS/CFS, Cancer, Aids, etc. naturally with great succsss. And she clearly stated that we must be aware of the fact that all chemical medications have negative side effects. That's why she treats her patients with natural remedies. It is very much a question of responsibility. The dr. who describs the meds is responsible and so is the patient. That's why I think it's a smart thing to listen to others and what side effects they've had. It's not about fear, but about making conscious choices. And I think that we all have the god given right to get ourselves informed well about all the horrible side effects that there really are in some medications. Only then we can make conscious choices.
The physician I did an interview with also said that for chronic diseases like FMS it's not really the best choice to load our bodies even more with toxins. That's why I personally never took any meds for my FMS/CFS,IBS. And I'm symptom free without any side effects.
I wish you and all your friends that you can make a wise and good choice that is best for YOU.
Healthfreedom
Thank you for this review. My mother has other health issues and has to take meds and her doc gave this for her to try. (fyi-I also have plenty health issues too including HepC/Fibro/CFS yada, yada, yada)
I had read a few negative things about the side effects as you mentioned so I was happy to see such a positive article and some excellent suggestions on how to treat this and other new meds when we start them. I sent this to her so she could follow your suggestions!
For those of us who purposely read this article because we will be taking, were thinking of taking or know someone who is taking or going to take this particular medication.
This was obviously written for those people, such as myself, and I THANK YOU!!
It's hard dealing with those who don't quite understand that what works for them doesn't necessarily work for others...especially those who claim to have FMS but are symptom free...yeah, right.
xoxoxo
bulldoggergal
I believe that there are side effects to anything that God didn't intend for our bodies.God also gave us free will and minds to think with, You really did your research and I thats great we should be informed of what to expect. doctors today and this is just my opinon are over booked understaffed and with mal pracise it's amazing anyone wants to be a doctor. I had a shrink tha would ask me how I was and when I started to speak instead of just nodding my head like a good little girl, he got upset. after all he had booked pts in 10 minute intervals. the nurse would ask on a scale of 1 to 10 how do you feel she would be writing or starting another question before I could answer. And it's what the nuse writes down, the doctor may or maynot mention in your file. because the nurse could have been writing down what she needed from the store. Multitasking (sorry I can't spell) My father was a surgeon and I teethed on his PDR in 7th grade when all the kids took nodoze and got sick I grabbed a couple nebutal and had a great day, or at least I thik it was fun. My whole point is if you really want to know abot meds go in and sit down with a pharmacist, Doctors today get kick back for pushing certain meds. It's like you said Savell isn't really new, we just didn't hear about it. The best thing I think we can do is educate ourselves as much as we can. My dad used to tell me that I knew that I knew jst enough medical jargon to be dangerous.
peggel01
i have became friends w/ my pharmicist & have met her twice! =i have no car & when hey were to busy she actually delivered my meds on her way home!
i haven't been able to take more then 50mg aday & i'm happy w/ that! no big improvement but giving it 3months to see!
misunshine