Hi All,

I've been reading through this discussion with interest. I have Fibro and been dealing with it over 20 yrs now. I'm not new to DS, just from posting on any groups too often. Well, I want to change that! & Start posting and making some connections here on DS more regulary.

Ok, so My Dr. told me at my appt. last month if i'd heard of the new Fibro med savella? I said no. He said well maybe we'll try you on it next month with some samples. I said ok, but hesitantly.....

Anyway, I'm a little concerned as I've been on several pain regimins and the one i'm doing currently helps maybe 50% more than others I've been on. I tend to be very new med sensitive, so reading through some of the side effects kind of scare me, but then I know all medications have numerous ones and warnings. & I know we are all different how we handle various medications.

I have tried the Lyrica and Cymbalta & neither of which seemed a good match for me and for various unpleasant reasons I had to go off them, plus they didn't touch my pain really. One question I want to ask is if anyone knows about taking it if one is Diabetic type 2 & Bipolar Disorder type 2?

Because I swear I read something about mania on one website re: savella. But now I can't find the website i read it on! I also have migraine headaches fairly often already and read that here from a few. Which makes me a bit leary as well.

Anyone here know more? I guess I need to do more research and if i do try it and it helps, hope i can afford it after the samples run out, as my insurance is so very limited what is covered since I lost my domestic partners health plan 16 mo ago, when she died suddenly.
I imagine its rather costly as its a newer medication? Or am I wrong?

Thanks in advance for any and all info!!
Namaste, Jess

I have been on Savella for about six weeks now. I am completely off the Cymbalta for about 2 weeks. I have a little more pain which I think I can deal with as I have so much more energy, but my mood is not so great. I feel like snapping at people esp after about 3 p.m. In the morning I feel good but as the day wears on I feel very irritated. Sometimes I find myself crying...I am going to try to hang in a bit longer but it's trying right now.

this sounds promising but i have bipolar disorder and i think i crashed finally pretty hard on the ritalin and stopped my mood stablizer. i think it helped more than i realized and the side affects may be worth though i am not happy about my tooth decay from it.

it sounds like savella at least give you some energy and maybe even acts as an antidepressant for some?

I have found that if I do not take the second dose before 2 pm I don't sleep either. I know some people take the full dose in the morning.

I'm coming up on 6 weeks on Savella. Loved the additional energy, and the fibro fog went away completely. Pain relief for about 2 weeks, then I vaulted into a major flare-up. I can't tell if I did too much because I felt better (we're in the middle of moving...no easy way to do that), but I am now experiencing daily headaches. When they get really bad, I can take my migraine med, and they ease up a lot. But obviously can't take that every day! My blood pressure also seems to be up, even though I'm on meds for it. Feels like I'm wearing a tight cap all day. Anyone else experiencing the headaches? I'm going to cut back to 25 mg twice a day but would love to know if anyone else is having problems.

I'm going to be starting Savella in the next couple days. I have a couple questions for those who have been taking it..I always have trouble sleeping (anxiety disorder), I usually go to bed around 10 pm, what time is the lastest I should take the "evening" dose so that I will be able to sleep at night? Also I am reading about taking it with food, I usually don't have much of an appetite in the morning, how much food is enough to avoid the nausea? A piece of bread, a yogurt? Thanks for any advice, very nervous about starting this med.

Hi all, I have actually stopped Savella because my new anti-depressant interacts with it, and Savella was not that much of a life saver to feel bad about stopping it. I actually notice NO difference being off of it. It's shocking that it's a form of an anti-depressant too, maybe that's why I don't feel any different, my Celexa might be helping with the fibro too. I am also on Klonopin 1mg 2 times daily. I feel great now, my back still hurts but that's not fibro related, that's from my car accident which only pain medication will help with that. Let me know how all you guys are doing on the Savella, please don't be scared about trying it, I had NO side effects other than nausea if I didn't eat. Yes a yogurt or a few crackers will suffice, and it most certainly didn't keep me awake at night, LOL. I could take it any time of day & be fine.

Like any treatment, it seems we won't know unless we try it ~ cause everyone reacts differently. But it is so good to talk about it here - and compare - I've learned much from this place :)

Savella has worked well for me now since I started last June. The mild headache and emotional reaction (a sense of panic) didn't last more than the first couple of days. But the energy and pain relief, in my case, were tremendous.

For some reason I am a lucky one that is not affected by sleep issues with it. I take it before I go to bed and actually feel like it helps me relax and sleep. Plus I just try to keep it routine and when I vary the routine, that's when my sleep gets disrupted.

One other thing, the Savella has really helped with some of my other related issues (IC and IBS) -- I have had great improvement for the IBS and my doc says "of course, it's all the same syndrome!" So the Savella is helping the nerve endings all over the body - including the painful ones in the bladder and colon. I suspect I will just be a life long customer :)

I have been on the Savella for over 2 months now.. I went back on the Cymbalta because the Savella helped with energy but it didn't help with mood and was minimal on painl. So now I am on a low dose of Cymbalta, 100 x 2 Savella and 75 x 3 of Lyrica. Feeling pretty good right now.

I've been on Savella for about 3 months. the headaches and increased blood pressure subsided after I dropped back down to 25mg x 2 a day. Doesn't affect my sleep no matter when I take it, but if I miss a dose, the pain increases dramatically. It has seemed to help my IBS pain also...hadn't realized it until the last person commented. The best part is the increase in energy, and lack of brain fog...other than what comes with being in my 70's! :o)