Fibromyalgia

[Leanne1352]

Hi all I have been suffering with severe anxiety and depression for a good many years. Also terrible pains all over my body and sleep problems. My symptoms always seems to worsen when I am extremely stressed. My doctor believes it is fibromyalgia and has been eliminating other conditions. I was wondering whether anyone else is in similiar position or if you have been through this could you tell me what to expect. I started on amitriptyline 3 days ago but obviously not seeing any difference yet.

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These would be average/ normal symptoms of Fibromyalgia.

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I its fibromyalgia it’s best to get diagnosed at the hospitiall

[WF2k]

Yeah my GP diagnosed me with FM after ruling out other things. The medication will take time to work. It's different from person to person.

[Marz]

So many conditions overlap and it can be difficult to find the cause of your pains - also the anxiety and depression. Do you obtain copies of blood test results so you can monitor what has been tested and check what has been missed ? Sometimes a GP will say results are fine/normal/OK - but these are only opinions and do not tell you the full story. For example B12 - when low in range - can cause anxiety and depression - and the result needs to be around 500. However a GP will say fine/normal/OK when it is bumping along the bottom of the range - around 180 ( depending on the lab )

They are trained to look at the screen and if the result is in range then you are fine - sadly often we are not. So ask for tests of VitD - Folate - B12 - Ferritin - all need to be optimal for you to feel well and for the body to work well. You are legally entitled to have copies of all test results with ranges ( labs do vary up and down the country ) Many surgeries now have on-line access - so worth checking.

I would ask for a Full Thyroid check - and not just the TSH - which is only part of the story. Low T3 is the most important thyroid hormone and rarely tested in the NHS. There are receptors for T3 in every cell of the body - so when levels are low there is not enough to go around the whole body - and so things begin to go wrong ... Also make sure the Thyroid Anti-bodies are tested to rule out Hashimotos - Auto-Immune Thyroid - and the most common condition globally.

I have Hashimotos - Crohns - a B12 issue due to surgery - and aches and pains everywhere