Partnering With Your Doctor
When managing your chronic low back pain, it is important that you fully understand your condition.
At your appointment, your healthcare provider may try some different methods to determine if you have chronic low back pain. He or she may examine you and ask you questions about your health history to determine the likelihood that you could have the condition.
Using the Chronic Low Back Pain Doctor Discussion Guide, you can record some of this information for your healthcare provider ahead of time. Then, you can review it together during your appointment.
Questions for Your Healthcare Provider
When managing your chronic low back pain, it is important that you fully understand your condition. Appointments can often feel rushed or brief. To make sure that you get the answers about your health that are important to you, it can be helpful to develop a list of questions ahead of time to ask your healthcare provider.
To help you, here are some sample questions you can ask:
- Do you think I could have chronic low back pain?
- Do you recommend a diagnostic test, like a CT scan or MRI, for my chronic low back pain?
- What treatment options do you recommend for my chronic low back pain? Is there a medication I can take for my condition?
- Are there activities I should avoid while on this medication?
- What are the benefits of taking this medication? What are the possible side effects? What should I do if I experience them?
- How often do I need to take my medication?
- When will the medication start working? How will I know if it's working?
- How long will I need to take this medication? Will I be able to stop taking it eventually?
- Should I take this medication with or without food? Should I avoid certain things (eg, other medications, alcohol) or particular foods while I'm taking this drug?
During your appointment, it can also be a good idea to check with your healthcare provider about how you should monitor your progress, when you should reschedule a follow-up appointment, and how to best contact him or her if you later think of any additional questions.
Cymbalta is approved for the management of chronic musculoskeletal pain due to chronic low back pain. Cymbalta is a non-narcotic pain reliever and is available only by prescription.
To learn more about Cymbalta, please review managing chronic low back pain with Cymbalta. Talk to your doctor to find out if Cymbalta is a treatment option for you.