Savella, New Drug
The latest U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved drug to treat fibromyalgia, Savella, became available May 4. Since the release of this medication, many people have asked us for information about Savella. During the past five years of clinical trials, Fibromyalgia Network has referred to Savella by its study name “milnacipran” in several back issues.
Details about the medication, its side effects, and who may or may not be good candidates for the drug can be read in the Latest News Archives section of our website.
Since Savella is a new medication in the United States, many patients and doctors have been inquiring about it. Fibromyalgia Network would like to provide you with useful feedback about this drug. If you are taking or have taken Savella, we invite your comments on this one-page survey. We hope to share these comments in an upcoming eNews Alert. As usual, all information contained in this survey is anonymous.
If you have taken Savella, please click here to give us your comments.
on July 13th, 2009 at 4:21 pm
I am just starting Savella today. Anyone with personal experience of this drug?
on July 27th, 2009 at 7:59 pm
I’m 22 years old. I took Savella for a few weeks when I started to be constipated. Constipation is a side effect, and I am used to being somewhat constipated within the last year, but since I started taking Savella, I was (and still is) constipated for 5 weeks now! I have been to a doctor just about every day for the last week and sent to the ER because I passed out in the middle of class for being in pain from being constipated for so long and nothing has seemed to work. So PLEASE PLEASE be aware of your bowel movements!! And let your doctor know if your constipated and with no relief. I have been to the GI specialist 4 times in 6 days and the hospital twice! I do hope this is a rare side effect that I just so happen to get and hope no one else has to go through this. Good luck to you!!
on August 25th, 2009 at 4:03 pm
Savella gave me painful constipation for about a month. I also have a ringing in my ears that is constant. I feel nauseous if my stomach gets empty, but just drinking a glass of water makes it go away. It blew away the brain fog after the second pill. I am wide awake 12 hours a day, but then sleep 12 hours a day. I have been on it for almost 4 months and am starting to notice pain is starting up again, esp. in the bottoms of my feet and back.
on November 6th, 2009 at 10:24 am
I started on the savella titration pack, not even up to the half dose on day 4. I had some minor constipation on day 3 but I didn’t yet attribute it to the drug. Day 4 was the worst stomach cramping and back pain I can imagine and I have discontinued use (had not yet felt pain relief but would rather go back to naproxen’s stomach pain than this).
on November 8th, 2009 at 7:56 pm
I have been on Savella for just over 6 weeks now. I have noticed a HUGE improvement with the fog which is wonderful since my work (college teaching and research) requires a great deal of mental acuity. While I still have some pain and bad fatigue days, these are less severe, and the flares seem to be diminishing, but I am not always sure if this aspect is the medication or lifestyle changes that I have made–relaxation techniques, exercise, and healthy eating. Basically, I feel like the pain and fatigue are manageable when my brain works well enough to prioritize.
The side effects that I have noticed are dry mouth with some constipation. However, I have found drinking extra water seems to help with both areas. I drink at least a half gallon a day. Also, I accidentally took two pills at once one day and felt like I was going to jump out of my skin–sweats, shakes, jitters, nausea, etc. So, be careful with dosing and titration. Finally, my doctor did warn me that if I go off, I need to titrate back down to avoid some side effects.