Diary Continued

Yesterday was not a good day for me. I got up and immediately took my tramadol (for pain) and felt great. I was ready for the day and had started planning and designing a new mosaic.

About an hour after I took the tramadol I made sure to eat a bowl of cereal so that I could take the Savella and not get the nausea. I took it around 9:15 a.m. and by 11:30 I was unable to keep focused in on anything. I felt tired and directionless and in a fog. Normally when I get up and take the tramadol I get several good hours in before I start to drain, but not this time, so it was either the Savella or my allergies getting to me as to why I was suddenly so tired.

I have the weirdest allergies of anyone I know. I never have the normal symptoms of runny nose and eyes, or sore throat from too much drainage. No, I get a stuffed up head that comes on so gradual that I don't even know that I am affected until I have too many days where I feel like I can't get it together. I feel foggy headed and just want to lie down. I can't always sleep because the tramadol does keep me awake, but I can't seem to get up and do anything.

I can't even dust my house without it affecting how I feel. I wear a mask to dust and am so careful not to let it get airborne but invariably I will end up in bed within a few hours after dusting because I am so tired I can barely function. It feels like someone drugged me it comes on so quickly. Scary.

I plan to see an allergist as soon as I can get this depression under control, but I don't want to do too much at once.

If the Savella continues to make me feel tired I will stop taking it as I do not need any more days where I am out of commission. I suppose my doctor would tell me to keep taking it for several weeks to see how it goes, but I don't know that I am willing to do that. I can usually tell very quickly if something is going to work or not.

Until next time:)

Day 2 on "Savella"

Yesterday was my first day on the new drug for fibromyalgia, called "Savella", and I didn't have any problems at all.
Surprisingly, I actually took a long nap in the early afternoon even though I was told not to take this drug too late in the day as it could keep you awake. I will be taking it twice a day soon and will be sure to take my 2nd pill no later than 2 or 3 in the afternoon just to be on the safe side.
I have battled insomnia for more years than I could count so I definitely do not want anything to make that worse.

I am ever hopeful that the time will come that I can be pain free and still have energy and a clear mind. I can't tell you how many times over the last year I have had to ask my husband what the TV show we are watching is about because my mind wanders. I also have noticed a serious drop in memory so maybe Savella can change that.


Originally Savella was used for depression in Europe and went by the name "Dalcipran". Actually it is considered the most prescribed med for depression over there. And like any drug you research on the net, you will find someone who has had a bad experience with it so I am trying to keep a positive attitude.

I have been taking tramadol to relieve pain for nearly 3 years and have noticed a significant change in my memory. I also have to be very careful not to take this med too late in the day as it definitely will keep you awake. I love the boost it gives me when I take it, but it doesn't do a thing for the fibro fog, memory or depression.

I just took my 2nd dose of Savella at 9am this morning and will see what the day brings.

Until next time :)

Daily Diary of the New Fibromyalgia Drug, "Savella"

O.K., I am going to be totally honest here and tell you what has been going on with me so that you can use this information to maybe help yourself or someone you know.


I have been battling a serious depression for several weeks now and have to push myself to even get on the computer. This particular bout of depression is not the first I have experienced but I haven't had it this bad in years. It is the debilitating kind that leaves you very fatigued, uninterested in anything and can wreak havoc on your mind. In addition to this I found out that I have fractured my right foot and the hobbling has thrown off my sciatic nerve on the left side to the point I couldn't sit for more than 10 or 15 minutes at a time.
I had an appointment already scheduled for a physical so I talked to my doctor about putting me on an anti-depressant.

I was given a prescription for a fairly new drug called "Savella". Savella is prescribed primarily for fibromyalgia patients because it is supposed help relieve the pain, clear the fibro fog and memory as well as work on the depression.

I have been on several anti-depressants over the years (not in the last 10 or so) and had terrible side effects so I am rather hesitant to try Savella. In fact, it has been sitting in my kitchen cupboard for nearly 2 weeks now. I made the mistake of researching it on the web and didn't like what I saw. It supposedly causes nausea, headaches, possible dizziness and may lead to suicidal thoughts. Great, that's all I need. The upside of this is that 10 out of 12 people in a post I read about Savelle feel it has helped their pain and energy levels as well as the foggy head and are thrilled to have found it.

After much prayer and talking this out with my husband (bless his heart for putting up with me for all these year) I have decided I am going to give it a try and I am going to chronicle the effects it has on me in a diary form on this blog.

Today was my first doze of Savella. I took 12mg around 8am as I learned from the web that you should not mix tramadol (a pain pill I have been taking) and Savella so I had my tramadol at 6:30 when I woke up.

I was told to eat a full breakfast before I took this medication as it can cause nausea. It is now a little after 11am and I haven't felt any side effects.

I plan to stay on 12mg for the first 3 days then increase it to 25mg. for several more days.
I am hopeful that I can ween myself off the tramadol as you are not supposed to mix the two since they are both lift the serotonin levels in your brain. I did ask my doctor about this when she first prescribed it to me but she said I was fine and even gave me a new RX for more tramadol. Go figure. I always do my own research because no one knows my body better than me and we can't all be generalized.

I hope this drug works for me because I don't want to play the guinea pig trying to find one that will work.

I will keep you posted.

Until next time :)