Welcome to the group. I hope that this group can help you not feel so alone. It's really hard for family members to realize how much pain we're in and it's something that I think most of us deal with. I have tried all the usual medicines for Fibro and they all give me horrific side-effects. I've tried Cymbalta, Savella, Lyrica and Gabapentin. I'm just going off Lyrica now because if I take enough to get rid of the pain, I feel high. I just can't live that way. I recently saw a Rheumatologist for the first time and he put me on Rheumate and Limbrel. They are organic and supposedly no side-effects. I just started on them so I'm really hoping they work. Yoga is good but I can't do it enough. If I did, I'd probably feel much better. I try to move as much as I can so I walk my dog and ride the bike at the gym on my lunch hour to help with my osteoarthritis in my knees. There are different kinds of things you can do and I hope that you can find something that helps.

Susan

Hi! Ouoch, that's young, but I was dx'd at 25 so ... Yeah. "Young people don't get that sick" is BS.

Our go-to for talking to our families, helping ourselves, is a book called "Fibromyalgia for Dummies". There are *tons* of problems similar to fibro, or overlapping it, and ruling them out, and finding ways to cope, is pretty much the one strategy that helps everyone. B/c meds don't help everyone, unfortunately.

Usually these days a neurologist diagnoses or treats fibro, but rheumatologists also have, and can rule out a lot of "copycats", and so on. A primary care doc doesn't have the specialized knowledge.

For some, gabapentin is great. Most meds bounce off my fibro, but there are a lot of options to try. Don't be afraid to ask and to explore, and to *go slow* if you need to go slow. You still get there at a slow walk.

Welcome to the board:-)

I was diagnoised at 18 i am now 33. I am on gabapentin but i take 600mg 3 times a day and 1200 mg at night but it also has to go by age weight and how you tolerate it. I would talk to your parents and your drs and let them know just how bad it is.

It took many years before the doctor finally diagnosed me with fibromyalgia. Before
that I was always told that my symptoms were because of stress. Right now I'm
on 600mg of gabapentin, trazadone, and tramadol for the pain and
for sleep. Definitely would like it if there were a pill to take for energy since I don't
have any. I have a lot of pain in my legs if I'm up on them much at all. Standing to
wash dishes or go grocery shopping causes so much pain. The longer I'm up the
worse the pain. Sometimes I wonder if something other than fibromyalgia is
causing this leg pain. Probably not. It's hard to put into words that someone
can understand to describe the pain and fatigue. There just don't seem to be
any words to describe it. I'm sorry that your family can't understand what you
are going through. Take care.

Your gabapentin dose is very low; usually docs will titrate it upward. You could also try a muscle relaxant (tizanidine, baclofen) in very small doses. Those help me. Tramadol is a narcotic-like drug that helps (if the gabapentin doesn't cut it).

I'm sorry you're in so much pain. Gradually you'll get some control over it (some). Don't try to do too much, take it easy. Hot baths, hot or cold packs and gentle exercise or stretching.

Welcome to the group! I agree with Leo that the book "Fibromyalgia for Dummies" would be helpful. It will give you a good understanding of this complex illness. It is a good educational tool for family members as well. You can find it on Amazon.

You are on a shockingly low amount of Gabapentin for CPS never mind Fibromyalgia. Is there some resistance in your family to medication and wrongly perceived addiction to pills at a young age? There is a marked difference between using medication irresponsibly and needing medication for quality of life.

Go back to the doctor or get a new one as there are plenty of options available to make you more comfortable. You can call your local hospital and ask for the physician referral service. Ask them to match you with a neurologist and or a pain management specialist that has an interest in CPS and Fibromyalgia. Take care.

Thank yo all so much for the warm welcoming into this community. I am going back to my pain management doctor to hopefully get a higher dosage of gabapentin. My mother is also looking into going to a hospital in maryland that helps people deal woth CPS and FM. Thank you all for the advice and support!