For me, the Effexor XR and the Cymbalta worked exactly the same. The only difference that I found was that the Cymbalta started relieving the pain in one week as opposed to four weeks.

Come to think of it, when I stopped the clinical trial after about six months, I did not ramp down off of the Cymbalta and I did not get the MAJOR WITHDRAWAL that I get when I miss 7 days of Effexor XR doses.

In my body, in my experience, if one of these drugs worked/did not work, you'll have the same experience with the other drug. Although, when I was trying to find an NSAID that I could tolerate on my pathetic stomach, most of the other ones kicked me to the curb, while the Ibuprofen only 'bothered' me.

Because of the fillers and actual commitment to standards by the drug companies, you might see a difference. In my experience, the only time that differences between examples of one class of drugs have been really noticeable has been between generic and non-generic.

I didn't really have any side effects at all, other than dry mouth, from Cymbalta. Since it seems to kick in so quickly, it might be worth your while to give a try.

Good luck. I know how much this type of pain destroys your life. I hope you find a solution.

Barb