Anyone Else Trying Savella For Fibromyalgia? (Page 4)

This is a new medication that just came out for fibromyalgia. I have several other conditions involving spinal degeneration , herniated discs, arthritus, etc.
I've been taking this medication for a little over 2 weeks now and have worked up to the full dose. My biggest symptom seems to be upset stomach but I don't know if it's from the Savella or from de-toxing from 7 other medications that I've been on for over 10+ yrs.
Is there anyone else out there that has started this medication that can give me any information that they may have on it?

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I've been on Savella now for about 3.5 weeks, now taking 50mg 2x/day. It is marvelous stuff for me. I still have pain, but it is manageable now. I can do about twice what I was able to before, and am beginning to be able to reduce my dosage of hydrocodone that was my only working painkiller before.

I can feel the antidepressant half working too, but it's a very subtle and gentle support, not the cutting-you-off-from-yourself feeling that so many antidepressants give.

My only side effect is some nausea if I don't eat enough food with the pill, and you know, I'll take that!

I've seen some concern in this thread about suppressed immune systems. I will say that the swine flu has been going through our house, first my 3yo son and now my husband, but thanks to vitamins (the good-quality, whole-food ones - it really does make a difference) I'm still healthy. Fingers crossed that it stays that way.

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So disappointed... I has to stop taking Savella today on only day 3 of the titration pack. The medicine made me feel totally out of it, almost disoriented, beginning about one hour after taking it and lasting an hour. It also gave me a runny nose, incessant yawning (weird, I know), dizziness, goosebumps, some shortness of breath, and it made me feel like I had ice water running through the veins in my feet and nose! I hope to maybe try again someday, but these side effects- especially the feeling out-of it while driving- don't go along with work very well. Has anyone else had these side effects? Did they go away?

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I have been on a low dose trial of Savella for two weeks now for my fibromyalgia. I find that about 1-2 hours after taking it in the morning I feel as tho someone has punched me in the gut; also feeling that my throat is raw and raspy but not at all feeling sick. Anyone else experiencing these symptoms? How long does it take to adjust to the medication and for these to go away? I do find that I seem to be sleeping more deeply and am less fatigued by day.

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I had side effects the first time I tried savella. I went off, then after discussing with Dr., we dropped off one of my anti depressants and started over. I didn't have anything other than being really really CRANKY (code for b**tch) but the second time into savella, no problems. If you have other prescriptions, contact your pharmacist if your Dr.'s appointment isn't too soon. They are really good about knowing different interactions and possibilities of them. I stick with one pharmacy (walgreens is who I use) so that they are completely knowledgeable of what I am taking.. and keep me well informed of any concerns of interaction potentials. good luck

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Lori, Yes, UTI symptoms plaged me for years, but were never true infections. The diagnosis? Interstitial cystitis. At the time many people thought this was a catch all diagnosis when doctors couldn't give a real diagnosis. I was treated for several months and it finally cleared up (just as all my FM, etc. symptoms went into remission.) During the last couple of years I've had some symptoms again. Finally saw a urologist and had a cystoscopy. She allowed me to watch the monitor when she inserted the fiberoptic scope (what a wonderul change from the old cystos). She showed me what interstitial cystitis actually looks like. It is real and it is more common with folks like us. She said mine is not active enough to treat now but if it gets worse I'll go back for more treatment. I too had multiple sinus infections for years. I no longer have these because of two things I do. I take one sudafed 30 mg. every morning. No more as it would keep me awake at night if I did. I also sleep with a cool vaporizer every night. These keep the germs that cause colds and sinus infections from having that perfect place to grow; dried out nose and sinuses from dry heat in the winter and air conditionong in the summer. I don't know if this would work for everyone, but my husband no longer gets colds. It's much healthier air to breathe also, because we finally invested in a really nice vaporizor that has a great filter. We have to change the filter fairly often, but that's better than being sick.The answer to your question is, yes. According to my doctors we have more physical diagnosis than other people,. No one knows for sure why this is but it must have somethhing to do with our immune systems. Though FM has been proven not to be an auto immune disease. Hope this helps some, Lori and that you are feeling better.

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I'm on day 7 of Savella. At the same time I was put on Savella by neurologist who was treating me for sudden hearing loss and mini-strokes (I'm 64) internist took me completely off Celebrex 400 mg. Was using Celebrex for arthritis relief. It wasn't working well after having been on it for a long time. Well, on day 7 I woke up and my level of pain is significantly decreased. I have body mobility again. Don't know if it's the Savilla, the stopping Celebrex, or combo of both.

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My doctor put me on it about 2 1/2 weeks ago and it is working very well. It has taken away about 50% of my pain which has allowed me to cut back on other meds.I feel better everyday and my mood is much better. Depression seems to be gone. I think my depression was mostly caused by the constant pain. What a great feeling, I hope it keeps working. Still have some pain, but not constant. I have lost my apetite which is not good, but I have had this problem with meds before. I would rather live with that then the constant pain. A little trouble falling asleep and a little constipation, but tolerable. No one hardly believed I had Fibro before this, so what a releif to know that something might work. We shall see. Need to remember to eat.

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I've been on Savella 10 days. Same time I went on Savella, went off Celebrex 400mg. and went on Darvacette. I take a tums when I take the Savella. I am extremely exhausted which may be due to the Darvacette. Previously when I went of Celebrex I was almost bed ridden. Assume the Savella is helping. I have loss of appetite which is a good thing, pain level is much improved, but don't know what to attribute anything to because all occured same time.

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Hi! I have been on Savella for a few weeks now, and the difference is incredible. My mood is much better and my pain is the lowest it has been in 15 years. I did have a nauseous stomach (bad) but have also discovered that if I take it with food I do much better. The down side? I have gained 7 pounds and feel hungry all the time. I'm going to stay on it anyhow because the pain relief is such a miracle, and with this new energy I am starting to walk again. Hopefully I can stave off the weight gain with exercise! Good luck to everyone. I feel like I have some control over my life again for the first time in years. I hope it works this well for you all as well!

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Seems as though Savella is NOT for me. It has raised my heart rate to an unacceptable level which my cardiologist is not happy about. So, it looks like I'm back to square one. Wondering though where this will lead since I just saw my GP yesterday and she says the info she got from the Rheumatologist suggests this is more in my head and caused by depression, than anything else. My GP does NOT feel this to be true. She says I am far from depressed and knows this is not in my mind. The lab results prove it. So????? Is this what the professionals resort to when they have no answers? My GP wants me to continue to see the Rheumatologist (for now) to see where this leads. In the meantime, the GP has made a few suggestions and will make the decision on my next visit (in a month) whether to start a course of steroids, depending on the course of action by the Rheumatologist.

This is all just getting to be too much. I need some answers!

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Hi Rebecca; have you considered a pain management specialist? I had been to a neurologist when I didn't know what was wrong; and she's the one that said she believed it was Fibro; also, my pain specialist would never give me steroid injections; she does do lydacaine, the method is called trigger point injections. Works wonders for me. I also got the lydacaine patches, for the in between injections when the pain is out of control. I call it the point of no return. Anyway, savella I have been on now for at least 3 months, and it is helped me. I have no depression symptoms anymore either. Oh, vitamin D. Get yours checked... but do find a specialist. Do not be afraid to change doctors.Good luck.

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ive just been prescribed savella,havent started yet,but would like to know if anyone has had any problems with hearing loss taking this drug,i lost a lot from taking neurontin cant afford to lose more,thank you for any feedback

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I've just begun taking Savella and am titrating up on my dose. Not to be critical, but as I'm reading through the posts, I see that in November Teresa said something about not dwelling on your pain. ARE YOU KIDDING?!!!? As a person with FM and now possibly RA, I'd like to know the secret of not dwelling on the pain! So far, so good with the Savella. It is causing some nausea and I'd like some hints as to how others have dealt with that side effect.

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I've been taking Savella for about 5 months now (50 mg per day). Here's the good stuff: Lost over 40 pounds because I'm not as hungry. Quit drinking soda's and eating junk food. I think that the medicine has helped me with the cravings for unhealthy food. I used to use the sugary food to keep me going when my energy felt like it was bottoming out. Now, I just try to eat less junk and truly nurture myself more. The medicine helped me stay on a diet and I started lifting weights 3x's per week.

So, here comes the bad stuff: Savella doesn't really help with my fibromyalgia pain so much. It does make me more aggressive and angrier. I've had to work out and start counseling to help control the anger. Strangely, the anger has pushed me into becoming healthier but I don't like who I am at times. I'm not sad or in pain all of the time, but I do have to keep a very close watch on the aggressiveness. As for the fibro pain, I do yoga in the sauna 2-3 times per week, take hot baths and take 2 tylenol PM's so I can get good, uninterrupted sleep. I drink lots of water too. I also find that I am very thirsty during the day. This has made me cut down on the coffee and increase my water intake as well.

My point to all of this is, that there is no magic pill that is going to cure the fibromyalgia. However, it has helped me to get into better shape than I've been in for the past 9 years.

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THIS IS FOR JUST ME:
Not to be critical----Grow up and quit feeling sorry for yourself. Here's a secret to not dwelling on our pain. Think of the young soldier serving his country and has half his face blown away, he can't see or hear. His legs are amputated and he'll have to learn to walk again if he can. Think about the 1000's of soldiers who are suffering... Say a prayer to God and thank him that you are not feeling the pain of that soldier. Think of 9-11 victims that have had 90% of their bodies burned. It's not a pretty picture.

You've got 2 choices: Live to be happy or live to be miserable. Only you can make that choice. Do the best with what God has given to you. A positive attitude and humor will go along way. You can sit on your pity pot with all your aches and pains...and DWELL on the hand that Life has thrown you. It will only make it worse and you'll have more to bitch and moan and complain about.

I'm not trying to downplay anyones pain as I've been suffering for the most part of my life with multiple diseases and conditions. That's all I got to say about that. Why dwell?

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I have been recently diagnosed with fibro & been suffering with it for about 2 or 3 years now. Went to specialists, had all kinds of tests. Finally at my physical last week, the report from the Rhumetologist was read & I was diagnosed with fibro, Anyway I started Savella on 12/20/09. So far I haven't noticed any difference. I really hope this works for me & everyone else who is suffering with this disorder. I have noticed that it had gotten worse after I quit smoking & gained alot of weight. We shall see what happens.

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Has anyone else out there been incorrectly given Cymbalta and Cipro simultaneously? I was and have been very ill for 5 wks. Would appreciate correspondence.

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Hello everyone I'm new ti this . I have had fibro for about 7years and it is real bad . I also have spinal stenoisis, real fun . I have tried LYRICA AND NO SUCCESS. It hurt me real bad, So now my doctor wants me to try savilla not sure I want to . My husband wants me too but he doesnt have the reaction to meds I do.I have been reading you alls postings and havent seen anything new lately. I seen where one person had a real bad reaction to it so that scares me. can anyone talk to me please . Also what are trigger point injections?

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Cindy: Lyrica caused lots of weight gain for me although high doses did work to stop reflex sympathetic dystrophy in my feet and legs caused from a blow to my foot and I was incredibly grateful for that. Lyrica also works for me at a low dose to keep FM flares from happening as frequently.

If you are not taking antidepressants, then you can try Savella. I'm told it takes about six weeks to work as well as it should. I'm currently in my 3rd week and it does seem to be helping some. I have more energy than before. I had a bit of nausea at first with the Savella but that has subsided. The other side effect I'm having from Savella is sweating although not as badly as I had with Cymbalta. I don't know how much your MD has explained about Savella. You typically begin at a lower dose and titrate up to a higher maintenance dose and that is what I'm in the process of doing, currently taking 50mg twice a day.

If my understanding is correct, trigger point injections are usually given to numb, at least temporarily, most painful areas such as in your neck, low back, etc. I'm also currently having trigger point injections in my neck. I'm told it generally takes a series of two or three times to help. I had one set of injections (4 or 5 shots altogether in a small area of my neck) and that has helped on that side. My pain doc has now performed another set of injections on the other side of my neck. That has been less successful but I will try again in the hope of obtaining relief from headaches and neck pain. Please look elsewhere (other than this site that is) for additional information about other folks' experiences with Savella. It is just the thing for some, not so much for others, but that's pretty much the way it goes with all medications for anyone with FM, I think. We are often just more sensitive to meds than people who are lucky enough not to have FM. I do hope this response isn't too long. My thoughts will be with you.

Teresa: My thoughts and prayers are with you. Don't be bitter about your many and varied complaints. (I've read through some of your posts, Dear.) Someone might accuse you of dwelling on yourself a bit overmuch and suggest you get off your own pity throne. Your message to me was quite eloquent and much appreciated. Now when I think of my various military friends with their many and varied illnesses -- and they certainly do have them -- I'll remind myself to climb off my pity pot as you so elegantly and eloquently suggested. I'll also remind myself that I could be so unlucky as my good friend who was suddenly diagnosed not with the gallstone she thought and had been told was likely but with Stage IV pancreatic cancer. We could all be worse, now couldn't we? My prayers are most definitely with you! :)

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I just started with Savella 2 days
ago 12.5 mg Wed and 12.5 at 8 am this morn and I feel terrible. I feel very out of it. Almost a slurred speech, sweating, dry mouth almost on the verge of a panic attack and the watering of mouth like nausea. Called pharmacists to see how long will get out of my system...90 hrs. I am going back to Tramadol which works fine for me. Doesn't take the pain away but allows me to deal with the pain. I think I have a mild case compared to what I read, but my back and shoulders are always really sore like the day after shoveling snow and I have to move very gingerly. Good luck everyone!

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