Trying new medication

[WorldOHurt]

I have a new nurse practitioner and for once someone is letting me try something new. I have been on tramadol, 50MG, every 6 hrs and 1 Norco per day for breakthrough pain for 9 yrs.. Due to the Opoid Epidemic here in the US even Pain Specialists aren't prescribing opoids for fibro even though there is as much evidence for and there is against them working. For me Tramadol and Norco have helped "take the edge off the pain" a bit and that is not nearly enough, although it has been better than nothing. I think maybe I've grown a tolerance to those two drugs over time. So she's letting me try percocet for one week to see if it makes a difference. I took one tablet this afternoon after my appointment, and I was hurting pretty badly, and within a half an hour I really felt a difference. I'll let you all know what happens in the next week. I read an article by a pain doctor about rotating opoids every so often so as to not become addicted and am going to bring that up to her. Just need something to work better and to find that something first. And yes, I've tried all of the standard meds for fibro without any relief. And also I've tried tumeric, black cherry, D-Ribose, CBD, and CBD/ThC mixtures and tinctures etc.

[Dizzytwo]

Hi there, it's nice to meet you. I will keep my fingers crossed that the new meds can help you. We are now having the same issues here in the UK with doctors no longer happy to prescribe pain meds for fibro. Good luck and please keep us updated xx

Momo

[Ozzygirl64]

The sad fact is that there is no proven pain meds for fibromyalgia. Why? Because fibromyalgia is a chemical imbalance in the brain, no one knows how to test for this with a dead certainty that they will find the right chemical or if they do what exactly the right balance should be. I hope so far I am making sense. Thus there can be no certainty that any type of pain meds will help as even fibromyalgia is not 'one size fits all'. Very few doctors, if any, can say that this drug or that drug will stop, or at least, tone down the pain we feel as sufferers. There will never be a cure for fibromyalgia. The imbalance in the brain exacerbates any pain we may feel, 10 fold, 100 fold, a 1000fold, who knows, no one. So you could be on say top strength pain meds for osteoarthritis of the spine, they only take of the edge for a very short time because the imbalance amplifies the pain. Fibromyalgia falls to doctors in two categories 1) those that are sympathetic with a keen interest in learning about the condition and trying to help the patient or 2) those that will always be of the mindset that it's all in the mind and won't be swayed. Fortunately my doctor sits firmly at number one. It helps me to remember that I am on the highest dose of meds for me plus I take a combination of Pregabalin, tramadol and paracetamol at bedtime along with amitriptyline. This takes the edge off just long enough for me to get 90-180 minutes of unbroken sleep. If I get the 180 I count myself very lucky, and still lucky if I get the 90 as I live by something is better than nothing. During a major flare up I get 60-90 minutes sleep a night If I am lucky. I most often get close on 0 during a flare. Wishing you all luck with whatever you try

Lin xxx

[WorldOHurt in reply to Ozzygirl64]

Hi Lin......I agree with much of what you say but not quite sure whether fibro is a chemical imbalance or a nerve problem or a blood vessel problem as the newest studies indicate......but I agree that no on knows for sure and there are few studies done to date. But since there are few studies done and no one knows much about this disorder and doctors seem to ignore anecdotal evidence, they should be willing to work with each individual. Since I've tried all of the government recommended drugs and nothing worked a doctor should be willing to let me try various opiods to see if any of them work. I'm taking Tramadol and it seems to take the edge off and I'm thankful for that minute bit of pain relief and the Norco seemed to do the same until recently

but doesn't seem to work as well now.

The Percocet tablet I am trying now seems to work better than the Norco I have been taking and I think my body has grown tolerant to the Norco, therefore I am going to change to that for a while since my health care provider is letting me. Yesterday when I took my first tablet I was hurting at a rate of 8 on a scale of 1-10 and I felt instant relief after about 30 minutes and it lasted for a few hours.

As far as sleep is concerned I don't have the problem sleeping that you do and if I do have a problem sleeping, and say I have an appointment the next morning, I will take Flexeril (a muscle relaxant) and it does the trick. Have you tried Flexeril ever, or any type of muscle relaxant? I sure hope you find some relief with your sleep problem. xxxx Marsha