Partnering With Your Doctor
When managing your chronic osteoarthritis 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 osteoarthritis 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 Osteoarthritis 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 osteoarthritis 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 have osteoarthritis? Why or why not?
- Are there any activities I should avoid due to the pain I feel?
- What medication do you recommend for my condition?
- What are the benefits of this medication? What are the possible side effects and what should I do if I experience them?
- When will the medication start working? How will I know if it is working?
- How often do I need to take my medication?
- What should I do if I forget to take a dose of my medication?
- 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?
- Besides taking my medication, do you recommend any additional treatments for my condition?
- How can I contact you if I have additional questions about my condition and treatment?
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 think of any additional questions.
Cymbalta is approved for the management of chronic musculoskeletal pain due to chronic osteoarthritis pain. Cymbalta is a non-narcotic pain reliever and is available only by prescription.
To learn more about Cymbalta, please review managing chronic osteoarthritis pain with Cymbalta. Talk to your doctor to find out if Cymbalta is a treatment option for you.