Nortriptylene vs Cymbalta preferences
 

I've been taking 50mg daily of Nortriptylene for my neuropathy, but it doesn't touch the "folded sock" pain I have just behind my toes. It does help with the burning & pins. I went to my new Primary Care Dr for the first time yesterday & he says that in his experience people have had better relief with Cymbalta. I know that if Cymbalta doesn't work for you, it is tough to get off of. I also take a Tramadol a few days a week for the forefoot pain, which doesn't bother me unless I'm on my feet or walking.

Anyone who's taken both Nortriptylene and Cymbalta & find one works better for you or can just tell me your experience with them?

I've only taken Amitriptyline but this worked well for me - not perfect but well. However it caused heart palpitations after three years so I had to stop. The neurologist said that most people with this issue with Amitriptyline would have the same problem with Nortriptylene too. I am slowly weaning off Cymbalta now having found that it didn't make enough difference to warrant the tummy issues (gnawing hunger constantly) and jaw clenching. I've only been taking it at 30/40mg for a few months now but am finding it hard to get off I must say so I would recommend you factor this in to your decision making. I'm down to halving capsules now but find I suffer quite a lot of dizziness, nausea and low mood each day as I move down doses.

However it has been the best tolerated of the three drugs I've tried to date for nerve pain and I have a couple of friends who swear by it and wouldn't let anyone take them off it for love nor money!:wink:

It depends on your metabolic enzymes. Everyone metabolizes differently depending on genetics, so its partly trial as to which works better for you.

This is an interesting point and makes me feel a bit more normal for the struggle I am presently having with weaning myself off Cymbalta. I have awful headaches which affect my face and jaw, upper abdominal pain with nausea and intense nerve pain in my legs - dizziness and a panic sensation each time I drop the quantity of this drug a little. It is some kind of hell and I would really advise anyone to factor it in to their decision making before trying Cymbalta. I am very sensitive to medications in general so not everyone will experience this of course but I thought I should really flag it up because my GP certainly didn't :mad:

The fact that Cymbalta & some of the newer drugs are tough to get off of, has had me wondering. According to WebMD, the patient satisfaction of Cymbalta over Nortriptylene is only slightly higher. In my eyes, Cymbalta, Effexor and Lyrica would seem to be a last ditch effort for pain relief. And yes, the doctors don't advise you about this. I gamble with the Tramadol, as some can take it for years and still get pain relief on the lower doses. Being 65 years old, I don't seriously (Ha Ha) worry so much about out-living the pain relief/dependency factor.