I’m in my late 50’s and I have arthritis in my back, hips and knees. I also have several degenerating disks in my lower back, with one of them completely gone. I take the prescription drug Cymbalta, and it helps quite a bit for not being a narcotic. I also take about 1200 mg of aspirin a day for the inflammation, and it helps a bit too. I don’t like taking them regularly, but I occasionally still ask for narcotics, and get Vicodin, with the lowest amount of Tylenol that they offer.
I take a ton of medication, different pills for different symptoms...they all have possible side effects. But I don't think about the side effects, because without the meds, I wouldn't be unable to function and would be in pain (I have MS.) I even have a device implanted in my abdomen that deliver anti-spasticity medicine right to my spine, so my legs will move and not be so stiff.
The way I look at it, at this point, I'm more concerned about quality of life than quantity of life, and if meds allow me to live a semi-normal life, then it is what it is (I do have regular bloodwork to check liver/kidney function...and it's never been affected to this point.)
If a person says they don't take meds, I just figure they haven't run up against a health issue yet that cannot be managed any other way.
Some folks with my disease do fine with alternative therapies, but every person is different, and whether a person has to rely on medicine or not, should not be a reason to "judge" a person's fortitude, stamina, or will power.
Just my 2 cents.
I will never take cymbalta again. I was put on it for chronic pain also and the side effects were horrible! You have to wean off cymbalta really slowly! If you’ve taken it for more than a year (some people still have problems like this after only taking it for 3 months), the withdrawal symptoms can last as long as 6 months or more before you stop feeling like you have the flu all the time.
Many people who wean off of cymbalta properly still have the discontinuation syndrome and have to take prozac to counter it. Prozac is prescribed because of its long half-life. Many people have had success with this remedy for cymbalta withdrawal symptoms.
My pain doc said go ahead and stop taking it (without weaning off). Boy, what a mistake - felt sick for the better part of 4 months - even while taking Benadryl to help with the cymbalta discontinuation syndrome from not weaning off of it properly. I was not able to get prozac prescribed to help...
YMMV
Arthritis...Try borax, as in ‘Twenty Mule Team Borax’. Get it in the laundry section at the super market. Lick the tip of your finger and dip it in a bit of the Borax, then lick it off. Do that three times a day. It works for most people.
http://www.whale.to/w/boron.html
http://www.health-science-spirit.com/borax.htm
http://www.positivehealth.com/article/nutrition/boron-major-cause-and-cure-for-arthritis