Do any medications help dial down the pain?

[Elle247]

Do any medications help dial down the pain?? I've got fluoxetine, escitaloprm, propranolol, gabapentin and pregabalin, naproxen and another antidepressant in my kitchen drawer that were all prescribed to help fibromyalgia pain. I'm not taking any of them as I always get side effects that are not great. I have tried every herbal supplement and vitamin suggested but all it does is puts a dent in my bank account. I wonder should I try one of the drawer medications again and see how I go as I can't stand the horrendous jaw/teeth and neck pain. Has any medication worked for you guys?? I'm at my wits end with the pain just now. Its sole destroying constantly putting on a happy face and trying to stay positive when in so much pain. May be I'm just feeling really sorry for myself today but sometimes its terribly hard to push through as it never gets better its just varying degrees of pain. Sorry for the pity party guys😔. Are there any medication success stories???

[Yassytina FMA UK Volunteer]

Hello, it’s okay too let it out and no pity party needed as we really get it, it’s so cold today and there is Snow so an indoor keeping warm for me as the cold really aggreviates 🙁I take Duloxtene which I am guessing is in the same group as Fluoxetine, it does help but I was put on it for anxiety which came with my diagnoses of Fibromaylia /CFS , my hot water bottles @)heat pad are so helpful , I do find heat helps x

[meowmix1 in reply to Yassytina]

Hi Elle247

I take 30mg Duloxetine (can’t tolerate more) 2 X Cocodamol every 4 hours and recently started on Oramorph which has actually helped. Was prescribed everything else under the sun before the Oramorph which I asked to try. The side effects of the previous meds were unbearable. I notice a difference when I eat clean too. Heat mats are great. Hope you find some relief 💕

[Elle247 in reply to meowmix1]

I tried doluxitine and only lasted 5 days as i felt like my head was going to explode and I was bouncing off the wall at work. Now you would think only taking it 5 days it would be easy to come off but it was awful to come off. Now the doctor has prescribed venlafaxine which is in the same family as doluxitine so I'm reluctant to try it. The antidepressant I wanted to try Vortioxetine he wouldn't entertain. I stuck in limbo in what to do???

[Brighteyedbabe78 in reply to Elle247]

Duloxotine is bad. Discontinuation syndrome and bad withdrawals. Venlafaxine is even worse. Avoid if possible.

[Lynne19553011 in reply to Yassytina]

I take morphine codine and paracetamol as well as the gabapentin and others still have pain you build a tolerance to the drugs so don’t work as well as when first started taking them

[Psulli]

hi Elle247

It’s absolutely fine to have a pity party, acknowledge it and then do what it sounds like you’ve always done carry on. Remember tho, to listen to your body rest when you need to and pace yourself when you’re feeling better. This might sound a bit woo woo but I find guided meditation for chronic pain helps me. I only take 10mgs of Amitriptilyne and Pramipexole for Restless Leg Syndrome, gave up Gabapentin, and higher doses of Amitriptilyne as don’t feel they were helping. Be kind and patient with yourself too. Hope you’re soon feeling a bit better 💕

[Djemima]

I take Diclafenac pregablin nortryptaline solpadol they ease the pain a bit but not great od say the effervescent solpodol help the most

[Apinkney]

Hi, only two of these are painkillers, the pregabalin and naproxen. What others have you tried? For me, I find codeine helps dull the pain but if I take the prescribed dose I get constipation. Pregabalin did nothing and naproxen only helped a little with my arthritis pain. I definitely find heat helps, a hot bath and heatpads. I have a jacket that heats all the way up my back and I also have the same for my neck. Both better than painkillers for me.

Talk to your doctor because you have options when it comes to pain medication. Try heat, even an electric blanket. Good luck, I hope you find things that help very soon

[Elle247 in reply to Apinkney]

The doctor prescribed cocodamol yesterday and venlafaxine which im reluctant to try as I had a bad experience with doluxitine. I have a heated throw which is helpful. I feel my stress and anxiety is building up again and that needs to be addressed.

[Apinkney in reply to Elle247]

It's very important that you get an antidepressant that suits you and that you take it as prescribed by your doctor. All drugs have side effects but you have to give it a go. I've seen a massive improvement in many people I know who have taken them regularly. They work, it's that simple Pregabalin is also very good for your anxiety, so take that too. It takes a few weeks but you will feel better, you will.I hope the cocodamol help you, it does take the edge off for me.

Good luck

[Brighteyedbabe78 in reply to Elle247]

Pregabalin is good for nerve pain also. It also works immediately. You don't have to take it for weeks before feeling any improvement unlike duloxotine I find it better than gabapentin. Everyone is different though so it's trial and error I'm afraid.

[25rosclare]

Hi Elle 247. That sounds like a lot of medication. I take Zydol (slow release Tramadol ) & Gabapentin for the pain, Fluoxetine to help me relax my body & Amitriptyline as a sleeping aid. Have you tried asking the doctor to review your medication? At one time the doctor did an annual review of medication, but they are so busy now, they have to rely on the patient asking for a review. As other people have said warmth works for me either a wheat bag electronic warming pad or even a thick plush blanket, plus I mentally count down the days to Summer. Everyone has good days & bad days so don't feel sorry for that. We have been given something that is painful but it can be handled and is a lot better than some illnesses are

[Hoglover]

Hi Elle247,

I think I’m very fortunate as I don’t suffer with too much pain. I take 1 Amitriptyline tablet around dinner time, usually between 6pm and 7pm. These tablets definitely help with moderate pain/aching and to sleep. I try not to take any other pain medication apart from Ibuprofen as some tablets make me drowsy. I’m a 56 year old carer. I have to get up early on my working days so I have to be careful with my medication as I drive. I wish you luck with finding a solution to your pain, it’s so difficult to manage.

Take care x

[Netty71]

I take pregablin 300mg 3 times a day and although it never completely gets rid of the pain it makes life bearable. I am also anti depressants though as this condition plays with your mental health its very isolating and constant pain is bound to make us low, on top of mine I have advanced copd on oxygen 24hrs and have to sleep with a niv ventilator so I'm always suffering from a flare up of one thing or another . Hope this helps and your feeling better soon xx

[Brighteyedbabe78 in reply to Netty71]

Hi there I thought 300mg twice a day was the maximum dose xx

[lynn_lunn]

I take Gabapentin but mine is mainly for nerve pain, at one point I was on 900mg 3 times daily but couldn't function and ended up losing my job, I managed to adjust my meds and now take 600mg twice a day and 900mg in the evening, I have fibromyalgia and osteo arthritis, I have tried all the same tablets as you with horrendous side effects, I had to slowly increase my Gabapentin and was very drowsy to start with, I can't take ibuprofen as they upset my stomach and I get acid reflux, I have had oramorph when my pain was unbearable, have tried all the usual pain relief which make me really drowsy, I have been on Gabapentin for a few years now and try to cope with just paracetamol.There are specialists in fibromyalgia now, if your doctor can manage to get you a referral to one of these, could be worthwhile to you, have you ever been referred to the pain clinic? Good luck, hope you get some relief.

Also find a fibromyalgia group in your area, I'm a member of fibro friends Leeds, we have a weekly zoom to just chat and also craft zoom on Saturday.

[Frickle]

Hi Eli,

I would ask your Gp to refer you to your local pain clinic. They have so many options for pain management and support groups.

I take duloxetine 60 mg and also experienced some really awful side effects for three weeks then they stopped. I’m also taking naproxen and pregabalin. Medication alone doesn’t always help. The pain team can help you find what works for you. Good luck x

[Elle247 in reply to Frickle]

Hi. Thats a great shout, I'm going to see if that's possible. I might try the venlafaxine as its a tablet so I can try a smaller dose and see how my body deals with it. I just want to dial down the pain. I tried both gabapentin and pregabalin but for some reason I don't sleep well on them. I'm worse if I can't sleep, it really effects my mood. I'm determined to find something that helps. Its my 2024 mission. Thank you 😊 xx

[Elle247]

Thank you to everyone of you who have replied, all your comments are extremely helpful. I'm so grateful for this group and you guys. Have a great day. Xx

[kenroo]

I stopped all meds more than 1 year ago because i was like a zombie ( stoned all the time )I only take tramadol when i need it most mornings , It was something my grand daughter said to me/ she done an impression of me sitting head to one side tounge hanging out the side of my mouth sleeping shocked me so i made my mind up there and then to stop all my meds and will never take them again

[Sqweek]

Hi Elle247 my advice would be to scale down what you take, as in take the pregabalin regularly as it has a build up effect and once you adjust to it it really is a very good drug that helps fibromyalgia but you do need to take it at the same time every day to feel the full benefit. Also amitriptyline works really well for trigger point pain. Taken a good few hours before bed really helps with pain and sleep. Before I was on these drugs I couldn't work and was in a bad way, but now manage my job and the pain is controlled. Hope this helps.

[butlertammy]

I took just about all those when I was first diagnosed 2 years ago. None of them took the pain away or my depression. But they all had side effects, and ended up taking other pills to counteract others… etc… it felt like a never ending cycle!…

They made my head fuzzy and felt like I could not hold concentration long enough to do my job… or gave me awful stomach irritation… or headaches… or constipation… sex drive disappeared… I did not feel like myself.

I’m very restricted on pain meds as I’m on a high dose of blood thinners for another disorder. So I’ve had to find other ways to ‘cope’. But I’ll be honest and say none of them get rid of the pain or sadness. They just bring the levels down to being more manageable.

My severe pain points are my lower back, legs & feet.

1. Heat blanket, small heat pad for a chair & heated vest. When I’m resting on my couch, sitting in my work chair or walking around I have the ability to give myself a dose of heat. Not too high or you’ll make yourself feel worse. I use a medium heat. I LOVE my heated vest, it has a battery pack you recharge, and perfect for wearing around the house, while driving or if I have to be at work all day.

2. Seriously pace yourself, and be strict about. All my life I’ve never sat still for long… so this has been a HUGE learning curve for me. But I have learned to give myself only a few small tasks a day to do (including work duties). I rest inbetween tasks. I take an afternoon nap when I’m having a bad pain day.

3. CBT therapy. I’ll be honest I didn’t think this would work. I’m a smart woman and I’ve been in therapy before, so thought this would be pointless. It wasn’t. I got a CBT therapist that specialised in chronic pain & fatigue disorders. Over the course of 6 months, she helped me uncover stress areas of my life that I’d just gotten used to, and helped me find ways to improve those areas (especially at work!). She helped me uncover things on my “to do list” that were not important (eg remove them!) or that I could get help doing. All equating to more time to rest. And most importantly she’s keep asking me “where was the ‘me’ time in my day or week or month?” … I’m still crap at it but better than I was at using my limited energy & good days to reward myself doing something I enjoyed vs on household chores or things for my family/friends.

I currently take no pain/depression meds, unless I get a migraine, then I take sumatriptan. If I’m having really bad body pain day, I rest under my heat blanket and take a cheap all natural herbal sleeping tablet.

Don’t get me wrong. My legs still tingle, my feet/ankles still ache. My lower back is horrible especially at night when I try to sleep. I can’t hike with my dog long distances like I used to enjoy.

But… I’ve been able to keep my job. I’ve learned to cut a lot of the stress out of my life. I’ve learned it’s not selfish to ask my partner or kids for help. And I’ve learned to not feel guilty when I say no to someone. Which means my pain has become mentally easier to cope with, without having to drug myself into a walking zombie.