I am telling this story because it may help someone.
Some of you may know I hurt my back last year and to cut a long story short ended up on painkillers. I was then given anti-depressants to make the painkillers more effective.
I found I was not feeling great on the pills and told the doctor who took me off them for a week and gave me another type of anti-depressant. I was taking them for a month and went back for my next prescription and at that time I saw no improvement but I could not say things were worse either so I got another months supply and I had to go to doc next week before I went on holiday.
On my day off on tuesday I had no any energy and kept falling asleep all day. By 4pm I was starting to panic, I had to go on holiday in 2 weeks. How much fun was that going to be if I could not stay awake? I also felt sick and dizzy. I phoned the doctor and she told me she couldn't see anything wrong with the combination but to stop taking them and see what happened.
As you can imagine by now I was getting a bit paranoid and I was feeling a bit stupid at the thought I may be overreacting. So I started to look on the internet and came across this site.
I e-mailed them and asked if there was any side effects or reason why I should not take these pills together.
Below is their reply.
Heather,
Thank you for writing the Division of Drug Information, in the FDA's
Center for Drug Evaluation and Research.
Duloxetine inhibits a liver enzyme known as CYP2D6. If this enzyme is
inhibited it decreases the metabolism of tramadol which increases the
concentration of tramadol in your body. Increased concentrations of
tramadol can increase the chance and/or severity of side effects.
Seizures are one of the many side effects of tramadol and have been
reported in patients taking tramadol within the recommended dosage
range.
Best regards,
I will be taking this to my doctor next week when I go to see her.
