I took mother to the psych NP today. She has horrible insomnia and has tried many meds. Plus her usual need for anti anxiety and depression meds. We discussed the pain situation with her back, and our reluctance to sign up for more procedures, pain pump etc. I brought up palliative care and she thought it reasonable. We will ask pcp about it. She is also changing her antidepressant to Cymbalta because her mood has gone down hill and also in hopes it will help with the pain. I’m slightly hopeful, but not counting on the pain solution being as simple as a new antidepressant.
About a year ago I went to doc with worsening nerve pain in a neck with decades long issues from whiplash. At the same time my BP was higher daily than it had been and I felt a bit more anxious. The doc wanted to try low dose (think 20 mg) cymbalta.
I took one pill and had explosive watery diarrhea so severe I couldn't really move off the toilet for about a day. Was as though I had zero control of my sphincter. I googled and found out not horrible unusual. I stopped the pill, called doc and told her I can handle pain and anxiety, but I won't try to handle that stuff.
I then joined the above FB group, and wow, was I ever not along in vicious side effects. Worse still was that many couldn't get off the stuff without "counting beads", and slowly titrating down day by day over the period of a year.
Be certain you want to try this stuff. I am not saying it's a bad drug. I am saying what happened to me and what I read from others. This may be a magical pill for your loved one and desperate times call for desperate measures. Just filling you in on my own experience.
Good luck to you.