Hello , I'm 49 years old in the uk , I have some poverty bad osteoarthritis in my right elbow and some ulner nerve damage to which I've had numerous surgeries. I have a bad problem of which I'm trying to figure but I'm getting nowhere, I was taking 400mg of morphine sulfate and 3600 of gabapentin and 60 mg of duloxatine, I started to cut these meds quite drastically after my last op because the pain had now subsided and because of some tiredness issues , any now after dropping down the meds 120 morphine and 1200 and 39 mg of duloxatine I'm much much worse, I crash for a day no problem after minimal activity, I'm tired as hell while doing anything , what is my problem here? Is it depression, is it the meds knocking me out still, I'm at crying point with this now, I used to be very active , I've looked at cfs but in my mind I'm not thinking that's it. My sleep pattern isn't great up up at night trying to figure this online, I've heard that long term use of duloxatine can end up giving bad fatigue and possibly neurontin. I'm not working and Im worried as I have time on my my hands my brain has gone into lazy mode without telling me . Thanks for any input, I'm desperate right now.

Are you cutting your meds back under medical supervision? What you describe sounds a lot like the withdrawal symptoms I went through when I decided to cut back on my meds. I didn't do it under supervision, but did eventually tell my doctor I was doing it. I did not however report to her or anyone in my family how traumatic it was getting of my prescription meds for fear of embarrassment and how I had become dependent on them. So stupid of me looking back, but, I'm doing it again right now, all on my own without anyone knowing, titrating down from Xanax again. Anyway, that's why I ask are you titrating down under supervision, maybe you need to go back up a little on them just to catch a break and feel better about yourself. Then start a much slower titration of them back down again. These drugs prescribed to us have such impacts on our lives. I titrated down from Pristiq last year and stopped completely end of October. I'm still very tearful, but nowhere near to what I was in November and December.

Hi Baddog

I agree with what PamelaJune has suggested.

I have no experience of morphine sulfate or gabapentin but, in my experience discontinuing an anti-depressant like duloxatine is best done slowly, under supervision from your prescribing doctor.

If duloxatine has stopped working for you (it happens) then discussing trying something else with your doctor is worth considering.

All the best .

Hi thanks kiwi and pamella, I started cutting back last year and in fairness I've had not too bad withdrawals, I have a had a week or so of hell trough the neurontin and a few days totaly flat when I knock of my morphine but I've got away with some of the more drastic symptons , it's just the tiredness that is hurting me badly, I'm quite can't think of the work but maybe a few days in bed would help. Should I put this in another group, maybe chronic pain more some other answer? How do I do it . Thanks again.

Baddog, I think that starting your own thread in the Chronic Pain forum is a great idea.

You don't need any special permissions to do it - just click on the "New Thread" button (top LHS) there and say whatever you want to.

There are lots of good folk in that forum - they will be able to support you and make suggestions about your pain meds.

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Hi BD I'm glad you escaped most withdrawals. Excessive tiredness can signals sign of depression. Please, please do go and see your GP, if you stopped the duloxetine without medical advice it is quite possible your reason for originally being prescribed duloxetine is on the rise again. I'm not a medical expert, I can only offer what I have personally experienced or seen my DB go through. Excessive tiredness demonstrated by him in December and January has been diagnosed as severe depression, he has last week since been prescribed a new and different anti depressant and this week already is beginning to feel better within himself.