Guest guest Posted March 6, 2012 Report Share Posted March 6, 2012 I take Savella, I don't have any odd side effects from it and have been on it for about 8 months. I didn't have any from the start with it either. I do see some difference in the pain that I was having and my pain level now. I have POTS to go along with my chiari and fibromyalgia, I do hope that once you are off the narcotics you will see it working for you, I am not on any narcotics nor have I been, have you checked to see that they are ok to take together? Donna Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 6, 2012 Report Share Posted March 6, 2012 Hello Debra, I take Savella. It gave me the racing heart rate which flipped me out! I did not have the strange thoughts BUT it does say I think somewhere in the literature that you should contact your provider if you do. I flipped out with the racing heart rate. I'm not a big fan of that and it eventually went away. I do take Vicodin and muscle relaxants when needed. If I'm having weird side effects and just started a new medication, I always call my provider or pharmacist to check to see if I should stay on it. Sorry you are having so much distress with this drug and wish you the best. Blessings and Hugs, > > Hello everyone! > So my battle with pain management continues. I am currently on Savella, Percocet (dr wants me off narcotics & have been reducing so I'm down to 2 a day even though I'm still in pain) and tizanidine. Looking for others feedback on the savella. I did do a search and found a few discussions on it but not a lot and not very recent. I have been on savella for 2 months now with the first 2 weeks on the titration pack gradually increasing and am at 50mg twice a day for a month and a half now. The side effects have been a battle. Currently it is adding to my temp instability and even though it's the middle of winter in Wisconsin I have to dress like its spring or I am drenched in sweat. It also is effecting my already rapid heart rates. Seems like this is worse on the days when I can't stay cool. I try to drink lots of water but that just means I am running to the bathroom more and am back to getting up during the night several times. In addition, the scariest of side effects, is the mood/mental changes. Luckily these are as severe but I get easily agitated and if I don't get away from the situation it escalates easily. But that's not the worse part of it. It's the thoughts that come. I just want to completely destroy something and can see myself doing it or even possibly hurting someone. The one night I actually had to leave my house and go sit in a parking lot for a couple hours because I was afraid of what was going on in my head. At this point I am still able to recognize that it's not me and not a normal reaction to the situation so I can remove myself from the situation. But then the guilt for acting that way hits and I start to spiral down to the depressed side and have a good cry and feel horrible about myself and my actions. There have only been about 3 episodes this bad but I few more smaller ones that I just get irritated by something that normally wouldn't. At this point I can't say that the benefits from taking the savella are worth it. I thought it was maybe helping with some of the fatigue but am started to think its more the Percocet because of the time frames. And as I've been decreasing the Percocet the periods of energy/less fatigue have also been decreasing. I know I'm still on kinda a low dose but am very hesitant on increasing it due to the side effects. Trying to be patient as I've read that it can take several months before you really know how well it's going to work. But I just feel like I'm moving backwards instead of forward at this point. I have been trying to also stay committed to the pain drs theory that I need more exercise and deal with the added pain and new types of pain I experience because of it. I had really hoped to get off the narcotics I was on and at least have a happy medium. But I hate to say it, part of me just wants to go back to the regimen I was at a few months ago. At least there was a happy medium then. My biggest motivators have been my daughter and grand daughter. I had finally gotten back up to being able to take my grand daughter at least once a month but for the entire weekend. Now I'm back down to really struggling to keep her for just 24hrs and being so exhausted and in so much pain for days afterwards. > Something has got to give soon. Do I give the savella more time? Do I try to increase the dosage? Or do I just say this is not going to work and move on to something else? I go back to the pain doctor on Thursday so I'm hoping she has some advice on all this but so far she hasn't been very helpful and has mad me feel like a junkie who just sits around and does nothing all day. But I promised my neuro doc I would give her another chance so I'm trying. My neuro is the one who started me on the savella not the pain doc. > Debbie > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 7, 2012 Report Share Posted March 7, 2012 Debbie, please look for my reply in your private email. (check your spam folder if necessary) To anyone experiencing difficult reactions to medications, please be careful and proactive. Enlist the help of a knowledgeable, protective medical provider to work with you. Sandy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 8, 2012 Report Share Posted March 8, 2012 I had severe mental and emotional side effects starting about three weeks in--severe anxiety and depression, weird thoughts--before I even hit the full recommended dosage, so my doctor took me off of it. I didn't even last long enough to see if Savella had any benefits for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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