Fibromyalgia Support Group
You're not alone in your pain. Fibromyalgia is a condition that can be difficult to diagnose and manage. If you're trying to cope with pain throughout your body, sleep problems, general fatigue, or other common fibromyalgia symptoms, you're in the right place. The community is here for you to talk about therapies and share your challenges.
i've been on a low dose of cymbalta for just over half a month. it has actually helped with the pain significantly, giving me more motivation to be active, which in turn has led me to getting plenty of exercise and eating better. it was prescribed as an anti-depressant with the bonus possibilities of helping me cope with fibro symptoms. i still have not pursued a fibro diagnosis, primarily because my depression became so dangerous i needed to address that first.
after about 10 days of being on cymbalta most of my pain was gone, only whispers here and there. but then i wasn't able to connect with the emotions i would normally feel with certain stimuli, which on the one hand was like an interesting experiment, a chemically imposed mindfulness, but on the other hand was an anxiety-provoking hell in that when i reached for happiness, sadness, or anything in between, i could only feel the physical reaction in my body, and couldn't connect any familiar emotional response to the sensations. it was like being claustrophobic inside myself.
then this past weekend i plummeted into a state of irritability and downright bitchiness. i realized during a hike on sunday that i was in the "fog," and that, although maybe i was somewhat desensitized to the physical pain, my body was still reacting to it. i had thought maybe my pain had been purely psychosomatic, what with the results i was getting with my medication, but it turns out this is probably not true. and with this realization came yet another realization that no magic pill is going to fix me. that everything i am learning in my outpatient program about coping is not just a way of getting through what i'm experiencing lately, but a new way of life and thinking that i need to embrace.
on the one hand, the acceptance is a breakthrough, a tool to get me on a track to taking better care of myself, not just for me, but for those who love me. on the other hand, the weight of this acceptance is heavy enough to break through the medically-imposed serenity and cause a revisiting of the depression. i want to see and feel the optimism of the newfound awareness of my situation, but it's hard. and then i wonder if (or hope that) i'm just adjusting to new levels of serotonin and norepinephrin and increased release of bound-up emotional "stuff" from the increased exercise.
i'm not sure where i'm really going with this post. i really needed to rant, though. any commiseration or words of hope or additional insight are, of course, welcome.
thanks :)
after about 10 days of being on cymbalta most of my pain was gone, only whispers here and there. but then i wasn't able to connect with the emotions i would normally feel with certain stimuli, which on the one hand was like an interesting experiment, a chemically imposed mindfulness, but on the other hand was an anxiety-provoking hell in that when i reached for happiness, sadness, or anything in between, i could only feel the physical reaction in my body, and couldn't connect any familiar emotional response to the sensations. it was like being claustrophobic inside myself.
then this past weekend i plummeted into a state of irritability and downright bitchiness. i realized during a hike on sunday that i was in the "fog," and that, although maybe i was somewhat desensitized to the physical pain, my body was still reacting to it. i had thought maybe my pain had been purely psychosomatic, what with the results i was getting with my medication, but it turns out this is probably not true. and with this realization came yet another realization that no magic pill is going to fix me. that everything i am learning in my outpatient program about coping is not just a way of getting through what i'm experiencing lately, but a new way of life and thinking that i need to embrace.
on the one hand, the acceptance is a breakthrough, a tool to get me on a track to taking better care of myself, not just for me, but for those who love me. on the other hand, the weight of this acceptance is heavy enough to break through the medically-imposed serenity and cause a revisiting of the depression. i want to see and feel the optimism of the newfound awareness of my situation, but it's hard. and then i wonder if (or hope that) i'm just adjusting to new levels of serotonin and norepinephrin and increased release of bound-up emotional "stuff" from the increased exercise.
i'm not sure where i'm really going with this post. i really needed to rant, though. any commiseration or words of hope or additional insight are, of course, welcome.
thanks :)
Hugs!
Just a warning from my own personal experience: if you decide that the benefits of cymbalta aren't worth the side effects, contact your doctor about stopping the medication. Cymbalta has nasty withdrawal effects and you'll want to step down gradually rather than just stop the medication. When I tried Cymbalta, I got total insomnia. I couldn't sleep at ALL, and it didn't matter when I took it. So I had to stop.
I know what a challenge depression is. It's great that you're getting the help you need.
Best wishes.
I remember when my health plummeted, and I knew/felt that this was very different from depression. Snri's like Cymbalta plug my emotions more so than an ssri, however I found pain relief of cymbalta incredible. It made me conscious I did not realize I had. Unfortunately, I had an adverse GI reaction, however, right now I would trade my clearer head for the help of cymbalta....I think. I'm do remember feeling muffled in a clouds when on it. Does this sound anything like your experience?
that's good advice about journaling about the medication journey. hopefully i can prioritize that idea, but you know how life gets...
spacepony, i actually feel like my mind is a bit clearer on the days when it is clear. i'm still not even all that sure about the fibro fog symptoms, because if that's what i've been experiencing, then i've had it for even more years than i've had the pain, so i can't really say if the fogginess is just old unbeatable issues or cymbalta side-effects. some of the pain has actually crept back in since i wrote this post. the psychologist is suggesting boosting my dose.
thanks for your warning, zombiekitten. i'd heard that before, which was why i was hesitant to try cymbalta in the first place, but the dr said there are methods, including a low dose of prozac during the weening, that are effective. i don't think i plan to get off of it soon, because it has had its days where i have been pain and depression free(never simultaneously yet but it's still early on in the game), and some days are certainly much better than no days at all!