Do any of you feel that all the medication the doctors give you for fibromyalgia works ? I know we’re all different and take different combinations. I began on 10 mg of Amitriptyline I’m now on 50 mg as well as 900 mg of gabapentine , 100 mg of sertraline (for my mood apparently) as well as tramadol on bad days and eating paracetamol like smarties.I’ve had fibro for over 10 years and I feel the more meds I have I still hurt like I did when this all started. I’m 45 and feel so restricted on general life . There must be a better way to fight this without pumping my self with medicine that is taking its toll on my liver and other organs over time. Maybe I’m hoping for the impossible, I’m on a bit of a low patch at the moment . I seem to have constant flare ups and the family are lovely but all I get is “ yeah I ache too” , “just rest you’ll feel better if you sleep “
Sorry for moaning on a Saturday x
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Kathy41
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No I haven’t . I visit a lady who does a remedial massage on me . It worked well for a while , she’s also a herbalist and says she can help rather than take tablets . I need to come off all my meds before she can help , I guess I start reducing x
Pain management is just that. It teaches you how to manage your pain. More emphasis on you rather than pill popping!!
Therapy, physio, pacing...a whole host of options which often takes a long time. Yes these can be used in conjunction with some meds but they really are a valuable source of help.
I totally agree with Banana here I don’t like taking meds at all. Occasionally paracetamol when my headaches are really bad and thumping but even then they don’t do much. I am trying alternatives to meds which seems to help and not wrecking my insides like some pills can do xx
That’s just what I wanted to hear, I’m scared of coming off the pills but like I said above maybe I start reducing my meds and see if I can manage fibro rather that it managing my life . X
I take Fluoxetine for Depression anyway, I take Paracetamol and Tramadol when my leg, back pain or RLS gets too bad.
In my short Rheumatology appointment, it was recommended I take Pregabalin or Gabapentin, but given the fact that these are a bit hit and miss Vs a massive list of side effects, I'd rather not try.
I illicitly use cannabis to manage my pain too, and it does actually work extremely well, though only for a few hours. When I'm under the effect of it I'm less stiff, so I get some stretches in. I'm getting a Daith piercing, hopefully tomorrow, to manage my headaches which have been on the increase in the last couple of months.
Hi Kathy, I recently stepped down off pregabalin, took quite a few months but I have been free of it for a couple of months now. Like you I was very reluctant to give it up. I have had an increase in pain but it's due to not being able to sleep as a result. Sleep is a big trigger for me and the pregabalin made me sleepy so I do miss it for that. I'm currently living in a country where medication is very restricted so no sleeping pills, pain meds or antidepressants are available so I've been learning to live without. It isn't easy but honestly I think long term it's the best option to learn alternative ways of living with it, so I'm trying everything I can. It will just be a matter of finding what works for you. Good luck with your journey 😊
Unfortunately, meds do not help everyone with fibro..... And if you are taking meds and still in so much pain, then it's definitely worth considering whether you need to be taking them.
I recently reduced my Pregabalin, and also stopped Ropinirole .... I'm still getting same amount of pain relief but at a much lower dose of medication. The higher dose Pregabalin was needed at one point, but I now have many other pain management techniques that I can use alongside meds.
I think I’ve been given so many different tablets and they was all antidepressants never worked one bit if anything they made me feel worse in my moods when I get really bad and could not walk with out crutches the hospital gave my morfen and that’s the only thing that done the trick but they will not give u it for Home use don’t no why as if that’s the only thing that helps and I suffer with panic attack’s so don’t like taking medication but when needed I have to it’s so horrible living in pain all day every day 😢
Moaning on a Saturday? 😣Is there a better day? 🙃Likely you need a moan when you need one.🙄
Regarding meds there is stuff you can take but no cure and no one thing that works for all. Many of us find, nothing works at all. 😫How long you take to wake up to this and stop swallowing poisons😝 is up to you. It is a massive stress for the body to keep processing meds esp liver. 😥At the pain clinic the Dr said he was pleased I was drug free😇. His job was so much trying to convince patients to come off drugs that stopped working years ago. If they ever did work! Hard because there are nasty 👿side effects to face getting off them. Pain meds generally work best for short term pain. If you can get off your meds you could find you pain is no worse without them. I've met folks who are better mentally off drugs. Best to get advice n do it slowly. 😨Meanwhile look up alternative treatments.
Probiotics, magnesium, vits, LDN, turmeric, diet, exercise🚶 etc. There are lots of good sites but remember there is no miracle cure as yet. Just good body care n maintenance. N what suits you.🤔
Hi Kathy41 and everyone,
Great post and great answers! I agree with all that’s said. Yesterday I had a very bad day with burning skin and pain everywhere. I had been prescribed Venlafaxine but didn’t have the courage to take it. Scary side effects. I’m 19 months postmenopause and I’d rather try HRT to see if it helps. What do you think? Has anyone found that oestrogen helps?
Hang in there Kathy! Detox slowly and find some time to heal your liver with good food, exercise, mindfulness and small daily joys.
Easier said than done but it’s always worth a try.
Hi, I must say my doc really thought HRT would help me and l believed so too, so got the patches after reading lots about it all and watching programmes about it etc. About a week in l started to feel really low, brushed it off but it's back 10mins later, I thought it was co-incidence, l persevered 2 weeks in I sunk deeper, went back to docs he put me on tablets instead, oh dear l felt worse. I decided to give them up as a bad job and within a week l was clearing of that deep depressed feeling. I was upset it hadn't worked l guess we're always looking for the little miracles 😐 Of course as everyone says we're all different, let me know if you try what happens 😘 xx
Oh, Lily-the-pink, that’s sad... I still don’t know what to do. I keep seeing different doctors and none of them have a clue. It’s just trial and error with drugs and more tests and scans. I will report back, whatever I decide. Thanks for answering! 💕🤗
Ahh no problem, I think they're operating in the dark most of the time as are we but we have the added bonus of living with it 😢 there's no harm trying though, I think you'll know pretty quickly if it's having an affect, albeit positive or negative, still I'm intrigued to know what you decide 👍👎 x
I’m completely lost atm, the burning is driving me mad. I’ll let you know whatever I decide.
I'm sorry you're not getting much relief, but completely understand. Those who don't have Fibro just don't understand what a battle we are fighting, not just every day but every second of every day.
I have been put on so many meds for my fibro, and also for all my other issues too, plus I have an implanted pain pump because of a back injury. My biggest issue is having not been able to take the meds for fibro that they put me on because of the side effects that I had. I would so love to be able to take Gabapentin because I've heard so many say it helps them more than anything else they're on, but I can't because it causes me to swell really badly. We have had tons of rain here this year, and it seems when it rains I end up in a full blown fibro flare that takes days to get over, so something to help calm my nerve endings down would be a blessing.
Hope all goes well for you if you decide to come off your meds. (please be sure and only titrat off your meds with your doctor's permission, and while he is monitoring the med declines so that you don't come off too quickly, etc. and end up with more problems than you already have. Keep us posted on what you end up doing, and how it works out for you. Good Luck!
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