Natural remedies for fibro?

[Pinklover89]

I'm wanting to try and help my fibro symptoms with natural remedies and not prescription drugs! I'm already taking cbd supplements, does anyone know of anything else that helps ease and help fibro symptoms?

[desquinn Partner Volunteer FMAUK Trustee]

If you search you will find many things that people try but there is little to no good evidence for natural things that provide a therapeutic and reliable benefit to people with fibro. That is not to say there is not something that can help you but have a look at fmauk.org/publications for a starting point on fibro itself.

Pacing and increasing activity etc but do not rule out your GP as I said in the other post.

Edit for missing word above.

[Pinklover89 in reply to desquinn]

I'm not newly diagnosed and I do yoga and I have tried many different things to try and help and I have asked my GP for help many times and got nowhere!

[Sparklingsunshine]

I take something called D Ribose powder, I'd seen a lot about it on Chronic Fatigue forums. I dont have CFS but Fibro shares many symptoms. Its very good for cell mitochondria, the body's power houses for energy. I use it before exercise.

Another one I've started using is a supplement called NAD, another one for cellular energy. Mitochondria gets depleted by ageing and chronic disease. Things like Omega 3 are good for reducing inflammation.

Co enzyme Q10 is another good one for heart health and energy levels. Keeping B vitamins optimal, especially B12 is important for the nervous system.

[Pinklover89 in reply to Sparklingsunshine]

Thank you, i will keep my eye out for them when im next out shopping.

[Deeb1764 in reply to Pinklover89]

also if you take supplements check if they could cause contradictions with your medication. I always have to letMy RA team know if I add anything but I am taking a lot of meds for other stuff apart from fibro.

[Gigiruth in reply to Deeb1764]

Good point and also be careful where they are from,many unregulated suppliers on Marketplace.

[Carlt in reply to Sparklingsunshine]

"Its very good for cell mitochondria"...

"NAD, another one for cellular energy"...

"Things like Omega 3 are good for reducing inflammation."...

"Co enzyme Q10 is another good one for heart health and energy levels"

Those are very interesting statements of fact.

Do you have links to the clinical trials?

[Cat00 in reply to Carlt]

I'd just enter those statements into Pubmed and see if any clinical papers had been written about them.

[Carlt in reply to Cat00]

I would expect someone who made such sweeping claims to be able to cite their evidence.

[Sparklingsunshine in reply to Carlt]

Sorry but if you're that interested try Dr Google.

[Carlt in reply to Sparklingsunshine]

Have you never heard the expression "Extaordinary claims require extraordinary evidence."

I'm interested in how someone can make a statement of fact without providing any evidence of clinical trials.

[Sparklingsunshine in reply to Carlt]

However despite your rather passive aggressive tone I'm not in the habit of plucking supplements out of thin air and I do research them. Using accredited medical sites, not wellness woo.

D ribose healthline.com/nutrition/d-...

I would have thought Omega 3 was a no brainer, every single medical programme on diet I've ever seen has urged the need for people to maintain good levels of this for eye, brain, joint health. Either by eating oily fish, nuts, seeds or if needed by supplementation.

The original poster asked for some suggestions of possibly helpful supplements and these are ones I have found helpful. I'm not making any sweeping claims and I dont own a supplement company either fyi. So have no vested interest either way.

Btw Pregablin, according to Cochrane who peer review all the clinical trials conducted on a particular treatment found it helps reduce moderate or severe pain in 1 in 10 patients, who take between 300mg to 600mg a day, so a success rate of 10%. Not exactly a glowing endorsement.

Yet that is allowed to be prescribed worldwide despite a very low success rate, with the risk of unpleasant addiction and side effects.

[Carlt in reply to Sparklingsunshine]

There was no aggression, either passive or active.I merely asked a reasonable question that I also ask my GP whenever they suggest a new treatment.

I apologise if my question caused you to misinterpret my intentions.

You may have noticed that I didn't bother asking the person who suggested reiki as a therapy for evidence as I know none exists.

[desquinn Partner Volunteer FMAUK Trustee in reply to Sparklingsunshine]

"Btw Pregablin, according to Cochrane who peer review all the clinical trials conducted on a particular treatment found it helps reduce moderate or severe pain in 1 in 10 patients, who take between 300mg to 600mg a day, so a success rate of 10%. Not exactly a glowing endorsement.

Yet that is allowed to be prescribed worldwide despite a very low success rate, with the risk of unpleasant addiction and side effects."

39-43% of participants experienced moderate benefit i.e. around a third pain reduction as opposed to the more than 50% reduction that 22-24% experienced.

But this is the standard that we look for to understand how it works and who it benefits and who it does not. If you are in the 20 - 43% group that saw moderate or significant pain reduction then your view of the medication will be massively different than someone that is not.

Whatever works for people is great and should be applauded but lambasting pharma where this scrutiny exists both in primary research and metanalysis is not helpful. Supplements / food additives are not held to the same standard and the evidence quality is generally poor. But, there are plenty of sales people selling supplements on the promise of so much but based on pilot studies and the like.

cochrane.org/CD011790/SYMPT...

Above I missed a word unfortunately that was fairly crucial. I will edit it but it should have been: "If you search you will find many "natural" things that people try but there is little to no good evidence for things that provide a therapeutic and reliable benefit to people with fibro."

[devils_reject101 in reply to Sparklingsunshine]

I use most of the things you suggested and they really help with fatigue. Dr Sarah Myhill an expert in M.E recommends them.

[Dancerooni]

everyone’s journey with fibromyalgia is different and for me I have tried duloxetine and for me personally I did not like the side effects of it, so with advice from gp I came off it and I attended a chronic pain course. I tried numerous different ways to try and manage my symptoms using techniques from the course. I now use ibuprofen (although gp is changing this to trying naproxen ) as and when I need it. I do light stretching yoga, yoga nidra relaxing videos on YouTube, essential oils - lavender and peppermint to massage into pain areas, regular small walks throughout the day, practice mindfulness, pacing, relaxing hobbies - I now sew, knit and crochet and I have just completed a course of CBT, which helped me come to terms with this awful condition, it’s been a long journey but it’s taken 2 1/2 years for me to get to this point. My advice is try as many things as possible and find techniques that works for you and be kind to yourself 💞

[Geordie-chick]

I have a Reiki session every month and it is amazing. It’s totally energises me. Magnesium is also really good.

[Alsithee4]

I'm very slowly trying to come off medication, but can't seem to do without 30mg duloxetine and 10mg nortryptaline. I'm trying alternatives such as reiki, cold water therapy, acupuncture and natural balms (nettle balm) from blessed beez on Web. I'm slowly getting there. Pacing is the key for me, rest and a good sleep.

[Goldenhaze in reply to Alsithee4]

May I how you get on with cold therapy, as my pain is triggered by cold…did you have to push through it initially?

[Alsithee4 in reply to Goldenhaze]

I practice breathwork before, which helps to calm the nervous system, focus on the breath. Once you're in the water, continue to slowly breathe through until you find stillness in yourself. Don't push through as that will trigger the nervous system.Try and find a local group that practice breathwork and/or cold water dips. I started by going to a community dip held by @urban_ice_tribe on Instagram, then eventually bought my own tub for the garden. I try to do if once per week, others do it daily. I just don't have the energy for daily dips. Good luck xx

[Goldenhaze in reply to Alsithee4]

Thank you ☺️ that all sounds very logical and very helpful

[Alexia01]

I have Lupus and was later diagnosed with Fibro as well. At first I thought my Fibro symptoms were just a lupus flare that was presenting differently and annoyingly not responding to my normal lupus drugs. Overtime I managed to differentiate the lupus symptoms from Fibro and as my Fibro got worse looked for alternative medicine so I don’t need to take Fibro drugs on top of my already toxic cocktail of lupus drugs. I have found that acupuncture with local Chinese doctor has eradicated most of my Fibro symptoms. Of course I do still get them sometimes but they are no where near as bad. I started acupuncture and acupressure massage once a week to begin with (It’s costly but I was desperate). I now find that once a month is ok for maintenance.

Everyone is different, but I have found it works wonders for me.

Hope that helps

[Skylane2]

predisone. Helpful But it has side effects too. You need a prescription