FYI...this drug has been given FDA approval for Fibromyalgia. It was supposed to hit the market this month but it will probably be later in the year. It is a selective serotonin and norepinephrine dual reuptake inhibitor anti-depressant. Has been used in Europe and the likes for quite a few years. I have not taken this drug yet but I do plan to try it when it becomes available. Maybe one day I'll find that magic pill that makes it go away :-) Yeah right.

Bev

Sounds a lot like the properties of Cymbalta. It is also supposed to help with pain. I take it for depression caused by chronic pain and it has really helped with the depression but not the pain.
Khilee

I am new to this forum but just wanted to let you know that I have taken Milnacipran for the last 4 months(the Ixel brand last ordered from magendavidmeds.com -who by the way are a very good place to order meds, speedy(got my package in 4days from Isreal to Boston, MA USA +low price +great customer service, can call easily toll free, etc-but the do need a script faxed to them but are not too strict about it)
Anyway, just wanted to say that the milnacipran has helped a great deal for my fibromyalgia pain -and has decreased my pain considerably-I take 100mg/day I think it also helps with depressions as well.
Now that it is available in the US under brand Savella I hope it becomes more available for helping others.

I wish I knew whether it really helped me or not because my stomach didn't like it. I started taking it and had to stop within just a couple of weeks. My doctor did tell me that it has had really good results, though.

I also had nausea when I started with it and almost gave up on it but instead I ended up taking it right before I went to sleep with a small amount of food (such as a half of banana or something light) and so I didnt have to experience anymore of the nausea-then once your body gets used to it you can take it during the day again without the side effects-I have read that its not recommended to take it before bed as it can be energizing and keep you awake but for me it never had that effect and I actually slept better(not waking during the night) when I did take it right before going to sleep.

As I noted above I had been taking the brand called Ixel that is made in France for many months with excellent results, but interestingly when I switched 2 weeks ago from the Ixel(milnacipran made in France) to the Savella(milnacipran made in the usa) my fibromyalgia pain came back...I had expected the Savella to be exactly the same as Ixel since they are the same drugs just by a different manufacturer. It is frustrating that the American brand doesnt seem to work as well as the European one. I may go back to ordering from Europe as It works out to be almost the same as what I paid via my insurance at the local pharmacy...if anyone else has switched from Ixel to Savella I would love to know if you found any difference?

My girlfriend took this for 4 days (was ramped up to 50mg/day I think). She seemed to experience an increased level of pain, senstivity/pain to touch, and had an increased difficulty in sleeping. Rheumatologist took her off. Ugh.

I heard not so good things about it from my rheum. She works at a medical school.

Taking an AD for pain doesn't make sense to me, but I hope it works for patients who need it.

ADs can work for pain because there appears to be a direct link between pain and depression. What came first though? Chicken or egg? Does the pain make us depressed or does the depression cause the pain? Nobody knows for sure right now but the thinking is that the brain chemicals Serotonin and Norepinephrine our out of whack in both patients who suffer from depression and those suffering from CP and many patients who suffer from one has a good chance of suffering from the other. Wellbutrin has helped my depression, but doesn't do anything for my pain. Wish it did. Most of the ADs make me REALLY sick too.