When Did Cymbalta Kick In For Your Pain Relief?

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I started cymbalta 30 mg for a week, and now I've been on 60 mg nearing a complete month now. I have a couple chronic sports related injuries and a new issue in my neck causing some referred nerve pain into my head. My doc was hoping Cymbalta would help with both my pain and mood which has been down. Nerve pain is very depressing. I thought I was starting to finally experience mild pain relief the last few days but today I had a bit of a flare up in nerve pain again which was disappointing given the mild recent pain relief I was experiencing.

I'm hoping this is a situation where my body is still adjusting to the medication, so ups and downs are to be expected?

For those who take cymbalta for pain relief, how long did it take? Was it sudden? My doc wanted me to experiment for atleast 6 weeks, so I'd have two more to go before deciding the next course of action.

I'm even considering giving it another month.

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It took 6-7 weeks for me to begin to feel any relief from taking Cymbalta. I had fluctuations in days like you are describing as well. Over the course of 3-4 months I ended up going up to 120mgs a day. This is the max dose of this medication and I have been on it for close to two years. I have noticed a tremendous difference in my mood, being more stable. Just be careful because this is a really strong medication and can have serious withdrawals if you stop suddenly. Give it some time and consider that you may have to increase the dose to get the results that you want. I wish you the best and hope it ends up helping!

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Hi Jason, thank you for replying.

Are you taking it for depression, or for pain relief as well? My doc mentioned that there was no benefit for pain relief beyond 60 mg, so I'm not sure if I will be going any higher. From one male to another, did you experience any hair loss?

Your post def gave me some hope though!

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I use it mainly for pain relief but suffered from some depression as well which may be why they put me on a higher dose. I have not experienced any hair loss at all! Started it while I was in the Army so had really short hair but since I have been out I've grown my hair out a lot and haven't had any problems doing so. Happy to help!

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Generally, it takes 4 to 5 weeks at one steady dosage, for this medication to reach its full level of efficacy in the body to see how well it will work for you, either for depression, or pain.

The FDA lists its typical side effects as possibly including nausea, dizziness, headache, dry mouth, mood swings, and weight changes.

Is there anything else I can help with?

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Thank you.

The only side effect that is really bothering me is I am noticing a bit of hair loss as I wash my hair. Becoming very thin. I had the same issue on effexor about 10 years ago that I took for depression. I don't want to stop cymbalta only because of this side effect, but it is definitely something that is concerning.

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6

It took 4-5 weeks before I noticed much difference, but Now in the sixth week, and I definitely feel it has helped with the severity of the pain in my back. I am able to walk or do activity longer without severe pain. However, side effects include tremor in hands, headache, and the inability to fall asleep. I am going to continue as of now, since I am enjoying the freedom of being able to walk and shop without pain after about fifteen minutes. Now, I have some pain....but very tolerable, after about an hour or so, Much better to cope with

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