hey all, i'm feeling a way i have never felt before and wondering if it could be a flare up... i asked to come off cymbalta at my last pain clinic appointment and was weening off of it. i went from 90mg to 60mg & then to 30mg. i was taking 30mg for about a week and my body started aching all over. i could not move without causing pain. the neuro & pain clinic thought it was the cymbalta so i went back up to 60mg & have taken that for the last 4 days... pain & discomfort is not getting better. have been tempted to go to er but, as i'm sure many of you have experienced, i get a little anxious that they think i'm drug seeking & don't actually concentrate on what the problem is. i have calls into my pain clinic & nero, just waiting to hear back. my body has never ached like this... when i woke up today i thought it was getting better until i started moving around. my rsd has been diagnosed in my right foot, leg, both arms, wrists & hands. i've also been having lower back issues with swelling and pain. the lower back pain added to all of this is getting unbearable.

does this sound like an rsd flare up? i'm not convinced that it is because of the cymbalta change.... any input would be greatly appreciated!!

thanks!

kimberly

I don't think docs tend to worry about meds like Cymbalta for abuse. It's the opiates that they are generally concerned with.

The Cymbalta could have been reducing your symptoms, or you maybe didn't reduce slowly enough and are experiencing withdrawals. It can be a powerful and effective med. It caused me severe stomach pain after being on it for a while, but it's also the med I regret most not being able to handle since it worked so well!

It's also much harder to reduce pain once it's elevated, so you're reaction isn't surprising. You didn't say how long you were on Cymbalta for? What did you feel like prior to being on it?

thanks for replying litlove,

i've been on cymbalta for about a year or so... when i first started it, my rsd was only in my right foot & leg. also, i guess i should have mentioned that i am on oral pain meds on top of the cymbalta. rsd is not the only ailment i talke pain medicine for.

i talked to the nurse at my pain clinic and she is going to talk to my dr. and call me back. i am open to the idea that it is the cymbalta & i need to build it back up but i need to do something else while it does because i am miserable...

I find that when I get flare ups similar to what you described...where it hurts all over...hot baths with Epsom salts tend to help. Not a lot...but it's something. I will even take baths twice a day when things are bad. Heating pads and a space heater also help me when it's bad...but the bath is the best because it is all over warmth.

I found that 92 degree aquatic therapy helps, but is costly on a monthly basis.

I hope that helps, god bless!


-Paul

These might hekp until you get things sorted.
http://www.openfocustraining.co.uk/exercise.html
http://www.paintoolkit.org/assets/do...t-Nov-2012.pdf