Can you use fluorescent bulbs with a dimmer switch?

You can buy dimmable compact fluorescent bulbs at virtually any hardware store these days. Just make sure that the package says that they're dimmable. They're quite a bit more expensive than either standard incandescents or regular compact fluorescents, but they'll save you money over the standard incandescent bulbs in a pretty short time period as well as lasting 10-12 times longer. You certainly do not need to buy any expensive specialized dimmer switches to do this.

incorrect, there IS a special dimmer for dimmable CFLs and LEDs. yes, you do need to make sure you get dimmable leds or cfls. but you DO need the right dimmer.