Heads Up About Generic Cymbalta

[Sangye]

I've been on 20 mg Cymbalta for several months, due to depression caused by the steroids. It's made such a difference and has also helped a lot with Wegs pain and swelling (I have a lot of both, even in remission). Even my circulation is better with it. My toes are usually purple, even when warm. On Cymbalta they've been a healthy pink. Also, Cymbalta helped tremendously with swelling in general. Dr Seo was stunned at the changes.

In the beginning of March I got automatically switched to the generic form. I wasn't concerned since it's not a drug that needs micro-control, like coumadin/warfarin or the meds used for seizures and bipolar disorder. But after being on it for over a month and doing some online research I've figured out that the generic Cymbalta has caused me LOTS of trouble. Thankfully my PCP is getting me switched back to the brand name asap. Here are the signs/symptoms I've noticed on the generic:

- Increased depression (it had been quite stable)
- Increased agitation (really bad)
- Severe, worsening weakness and fatigue.
- Increased swelling in legs, feet and everywhere else (my diuretics don't even touch it)
- Toes are blue
- Odd, exhausting dreams
- Several days of moderate vertigo a few days after I started the generic. I'd attributed it to a head cold exacerbating residual vertigo, but many people online reported the same symptom.
- Increased tinnitus. Same as the vertigo comment.
- Weight gain. Probably due to increased fluid retention.
- Much more inflammatory pain
- INR levels out of range (too low). I'm on Coumadin, a blood-thinner.I test my INR (clotting time) weekly using a home tester. My INR has been uncharacteristically low since I switched to the generic Cymbalta. Normally I stay in range easily. Anyone on Coumadin/Warfarin and generic Cymbalta, beware.

Some of these symptoms overlap with Wegs symptoms and I've been thinking I'm having a Wegs flare. I still might be, since there are other signs of active Wegs. But even if the Wegs were active it wouldn't account for many of the other symptoms.

I hope this helps others. Generic meds are not the same as brand name. Sometimes it makes a difference and sometimes it doesn't.

[renidrag]

You always help others Sangye. Thank you.

[Sangye]

Thanks Dale, that's so kind of you. :smile1:

I just saw that I wrote "exasperating" instead of "exacerbating." LOLOLOL I fixed it to save my pride.

[renidrag]

I don't feel depression but I like a lot of the symptom reversals you attained. I would love to feel my feet and perhaps wear sandals this summer. Most people don't like looking at purple feet. Good to see you. Your pride is renewed
Dale

[Debbie C]

Thanks for sharing that Sangye,it's always good to hear from you even when u misspell ( Should that have 1 s or 2 ??? ) Anymore the insurance will give you the generic before anything else. I think the dr. has to write it specifically. Hope you are feeling better soon.

[Alysia]

Hi Sangye, thanks for sharing :thumbsup:
I believe that it is the meds' companies' responsibility to let us know the differences in the meds.... prob they are only calculating how much money they can earn :thumbdn:

[pberggren1]

Wow, thanks for sharing this Sangye. We sometimes never know what meds we will need to be on and this info could save a persons life some day.

[mishb]

It is a common discussion, original vs. generic brands

In Australia the pharmacist used to ask if you wanted to have the cheaper generic brand (I always say No), however it appears that they no longer have to ask your permission.

I had a script filled last week and the pharmacist said "I have taken the liberty to give you the generic brand"
Excuse me, you have taken the liberty :predrage:
No thankyou I said, I will wait until you change it to the original.

It was only a day later that there was a write up in the State newspapers saying that pharmacies are getting an $8 kick back from the Government for every generic brand they sell. In actual fact the Government found out that they had overpaid the pharmacies by millions of dollars.

We have mentioned on here before that generics can be put together with different packings etc. even though the compound is the same as the original, it is processed and packed differently.

Thankyou Sangye for letting us know about Cymbalta

................and, glad to see you are/were doing so well :hug1:

[annekat]

Always good to see you on here, Sangye, and thanks for sharing the information. I don't think I have those issues currently since I'm only taking generic pred, Bactrim, and MTX. But its truly a shame that this situation exists and I don't know why the generic makers can't do better. It would affect so many people, you'd think it would get more attention and it would be fixed or stopped. Maybe a naive viewpoint. But I'm glad you were able to realize how this was affecting you and analyze it to this extent. The information you share is always helpful.
I'm glad you are considered in remission; I didn't really know that or had forgotten.

[drz]

The sad thing is that many, maybe most people including the doctors who prescribed it, would fail to discern the problems related to the switch to a generic med. Most of our insurance plans require the use of generic meds and either fail to provide coverage for brand name meds, or else charge a very steep extra charge for using the brand name meds.

[annekat]

The sad thing is that many, maybe most people including the doctors who prescribed it, would fail to discern the problems related to the switch to a generic med. Most of our insurance plans require the use of generic meds and either fail to provide coverage for brand name meds, or else charge a very steep extra charge for using the brand name meds. True, and in my case, and many, I'm sure, the brand name meds are simply not affordable... if they are the only option, there is no generic, then paying for them would be a hardship for many people even with whatever partial coverage our plans provide. So we would need to make up for that by using the generics for other drugs and paying little or nothing.