I remember taking it a very long time ago but I can't remember what side affects I had from it. There is a web site called Web M.D. that may help you find what type of side affects people have had on it. Just make sure that if you discontinue it, don't go cold turkey.. wean off of it slowly. I really hope it works for you. Many times a medication will cause side affects the first week or two and then subside. I hope that is your case. Hugs GB

Welcome to the group Lisa!

I've used a low dose of Cymbalta for about 7 years. Initially, I had some dizziness until I adjusted to this medication. It does help with my pain levels. I'm sorry that you are having such a difficult time with sweating profusely. That can be a side effect which may or may not subside. Some people just can't tolerate this medication. Don't stop taking this medication cold turkey. You have to be weaned of Cymbalta. Talk to your doctor.

There are other options available. Savella, Lyrica and Gabapentin are other choices. Only certain classes of prescribed medications are effective for the type of pain caused by Fibromyalgia (FMS.) OTC medication such as Tylenol or Alleve usually doesn't work. A key point to remember is that the longer a chronic pain cycle continues, the harder it becomes to manage or stop. This is why your doctor is telling you to give your medication a month before you might notice a change in your symptoms.

That being said, FMS is a disorder of the central nervous system. It does not cause inflammation like RA. It is not uncommon to have FMS and other underlying conditions. I'm just at a loss here and trying to understand how you were diagnosed with RA first and then told it was FMS.

Our go to book is Fibromyalgia for Dummies. You can find it on Amazon. It will give you a good overview of this complex illness. Knowledge is power.

You are not alone. Take care!

I was on Cymbalta about 3 months ago and it was awful. My first day of taking it I had a severe headache and jaw pain also had no desire to eat. I started Cymbalta on a Friday and my doctor took me off of it on Monday. My eyes were blood shot by Monday morning. No sweating though, side effects were a little more severe for me. I started Savella right after that and you want to talk about some severe sweating OMG!! I would start sweating just from trying to put my shoes on or getting out of bed walking around the house. Also Savella decreased my desire to do anything and it caused major heat in my muscles. I took that for 2 months, I'm now on Wellbutrin 100 mg. I love this medicine! I'm not 100% pain free but I'm back to doing yoga 5 days a week. That's the type of life I was wanting to get back to, not just laying in bed all week long. It does cause a little sweating but not all the time. With that being said I hope you find something that works for you.

I have been taking Cymbalta, well now I take the generic named Duloxetine HCL 60 mg., for about two years. I started out with 30 mg. and then increased. I find that it helps to lessen my pain and also keep my mood stable; not a problem, but an added benefit. The only side effect that I have from it is it upsets my stomach if not taken with food. It also gave me dry mouth, but I use dry mouth wash and this helps. I have not had any weight gain as I have seen others have had trouble with. It actually keeps me awake. I need to take it before 10:00am, after breakfast, or it will keep me awake at night.

It sounds like you may be having a reaction to it. My Mom, who has both Fibro and Osteoarthritis, cannot take Cymbalta. She has terrible side effects. I would call your doctor's office.

It does, however, take a while for your body to get use to it; my doctor said to give it at least three weeks to a month when I started it.

If you do want to try another drug, check out amitryptaline. It is an SSRI (a kind of anti-depressant). In small doses it helps the serotonin in your brain so you can sleep without pain. Getting good sleep is more than half the battle for me. I take 25mg every night and sleep all night with NO muscle spasms. It took about a month to build up enough to work so I bet your med needs time as well. I'd say wait a month and if the side effects decreas and the benefits increase, keep going. Otherwise, wean off. No use being miserable on TOP of fibro!

I took Cymbalta many years ago for depression. I was on it for 2 years. I'm one of the crazy ones that tried to stop cold turkey. I was sick for 6 weeks!
I quit because It was making me angry, and I had no personality, nor did it help with pain. I was so happy when it finally cleared my system.

Good luck to you!

Thanks for your replies. The hot flashes are getting noticeably less frequent, so I do seem to be adjusting. I am starting to notice dry mouth more and more though unfortunately. I guess it makes me drink lots of water though. AS for how I got the diagnosis of RA, it was based on the process of elimination. I was tested, questioned, poked, and prodded by several different PCM's and one rheumy. They couldn't definitely say it was RA, but ruled out Lupus, Lyme, and Fibro and a few other things. But my pain was becoming unbearable so I got sent to a new rheumy. He looked through everything I had and poked at me some more and decided they were all wrong.

I am actually on 90mg, and I have been for about 6 months. I was prescribed it for my fibro and depression.
I do remember all the hot flashes, and also some dizziness in the first weeks I started the medication, but my side effects went away. I am still on Cymbalta for the time being, but I honestly do not feel that it has provided any type of relief for my pain, or for my depression. It also seems to have caused permanent dry mouth, and I was told by Pain Management today that this is normal.
I asked my PCP to take me off this medication, however it was initially prescribed by a Psychiatrist, which I can no longer see for insurance reasons, so she has said she does not want to take me off Cymbalta until a Psychiatrist gives the okay. Hoping to find a new Psychiatrist this week so I can try something that actually works.

The first time I took Cymbalta I couldn't eat and lost a lot of weight. I quit taking it and started up again. This time I had no effects and am happy with it. I've had fibromyalgia for a long time. It is depressing to think of all the other drugs I'm on just to sleep so I take the generic Cymbalta and it takes the edge off. It doesn't do anything for my pain but I can deal with my situation a little better.

I talked to my doctor about giving Cymbalta a shot. He wants me to wait a little longer, since we changed my pain medicine and muscle relaxant just last month. Thanks for posting this question and all those who responded as I was also curious.

I'm thinking about adding a little for pain, although I haven't spoken to any doctor yet. Best wishes x

I started Cymbalta in July. 30mg 2x/day. I had been suffering pain on my feet and nearly forgotten just how bad it was. 12 days later I woke up, and it was gone. GONE. My feet hadn't felt that good in years. I was nearly giddy. In August my dose was increased to 60mg 2x/day. My hip pain which was "good" at a 5 or 6 now was "good" at a 3-4 after about two weeks treatment. Not quite the same as the foot issue, but a noticeable improvement. I had a nasty flare up in early September. The foot pain did not raise its ugly head, but my hip pain was not crippling. It has not helped my shoulders, neck, traps, nor my lower back, but it was certainly worth the mild side effects I had. YMMV.

My cardio workouts had been deteriorating badly since January 2015. Barely managing 25 minutes at the lows in July. On Saturday 9.26.15 I managed a quite intense eliptical training session for almost 45 minutes. It was great. I paid for it Saturday evening, but the only thing I can attribute the reversal to is the Cymbalta.

But as I said, YMMV. SNRI's are a bit of medical art as well as science.

Cheers,