I don't take pain meds, but I probably should. I use heat, tylenol & ibuprofen. I am starting on some muscle relaxers & I also take an anti-inflammatory.

I don't take pain meds as such, but I am on prozac which controls some of the pain.

I guess I just tune it out as much as I can and carry on anyhow. On the occasion when I am not in much pain I celebrate and enjoy every second of it!

If the pain gets too bad I lie down, with the cats, get as comfortable as I can and daydream myself into another place.

I dont take pain meds unless you count prescription motrin..it is just reg motrin in 800 mg.. I also take OTC tylenol but that is it..
I do stretching exercises, relaxation techniques,hot showers and heat and ice..Meditation works wonders for me.
However is I ever got to the point that I could NOT control it in this way I would NOT hesitate to use meds..I just figure I am going to have this a very long time and I want to conserve my options for the future..
Hugs Micki

I take Voltaren (anti-inflammatory) and Melatonin (natural enzyme) for sleep, that's it. I barely take Tylenol or Ibuprofen as they don't do very much. I do a lot of meditating and get hubby to do trigger point massage every night.

I forgot to add that I do a lot of moaning, groaning, crying and "aaahing" when nobody's home. It's just what I do, but don't want the family to think there's a crisis every time. LOL I do puzzle books for memory, so far not working that great! ROFL

I take Mobic for pain - couldn't function if I didn't. It doesn't completely control it, and sometimes I take Vicodin for breakthrough pain.

I also take amytriptilene (sp?) to help with sleep, and it's supposed to help with pain also, but I've never seen any difference.

Lately, I've been relying more and more on muscle relaxers. They help me sleep at night, and I'm not quite as stiff when I wake up.

I do take percocet and have a pain patch. I started the percocet before I was diagnosed with Fibro because I have such nasty back pain. I have trouble separating what pain is from my back and what is the fibro. I could not function without my pain meds. When I am up, out of my bed for more than an hour or two, my body starts screaming in pain. And the back pain is the worst. I will take my pain meds, lay down and fret until they start to kick in. It is awful. I can't imagine how I would live if I let the pain get out of control, by not treating it. It scares me.

I HAVE TO TELL YOU I GIVE ALL YOU GUYS WHO DON'T TAKE PAIN MEDS ALOT OF CREDIT AND YOU MUST HAVE A HIGH TOLERANCE FOR PAIN. BECAUSE THE PAIN I GET I CAN'T EVEN STAND UP UNLESS I HAVE A PAIN MEDS SO YOU GO GIRLS.
LOVE TRISH

For me it isn't a matter of not taking pain meds, I can't take them. Anything stronger then otc ibuprophin and I'm sick.
When the pain gets extremely bad I try to relax. Bubble baths, keeping my back flat.. whatever it takes. I usually use ice instead of heat because it calms my muscle spasms.
It's just a matter of distracting myself.

No pain meds. Only meds for inflammation and chronic low-grade infection that is undetectable with blood tests. If that is under control, I don't need narcotics. I try to have a nice soak in a hot tub at least once a week, and use a vibrating chair pad with heat to ease my back and hips. I also find having my head massaged really eases pain all over.

WOW, I HAD NO IDEA THAT THERE WERE SO MANY OF YOU HOW DEAL WITH THIS W/O PAIN MEDS, I BOW TO YOU FOR YOUR ENDURANCE TO TO THE PAIN, OR NOT BEING ABLE TO TAKE THEM. WOULD YOU TAKE THEM IF THEY DIDN'T AFFECT YOU?I'M REALLY BLOWN AWAY AT HOW STRONG YOU HAVE TO BE TO SUFFER ENDLESLY. MY HEART GOES OUT TO YOU LADIES....LOVE YOU ALL....HELEN

I use heat and Ibuprophen for my pain...and since I have started Pool therapy my pain levels on an everyday basis has dropped considerably !!
No meds of any kind here cause I have grown sensative to them !!

I do not take pain meds, except Excedrin or Tylenol. I have been on a few when I was beginning to work this whole insane illness out, but I am very sensitive and get every side effect listed. Plus, I do not like not being able to think clearly. So now, I take nothing. How I cope? One day at a time, baby steps, all all that stuff.

I agree, how you all get thru your days of pain with no meds is beyond me, im on meds, and narcotics and now that ive been on them so long my body has become imnune to them and im hurting all the time. I just cant take the pain anymore, i see a new doc today. I wouldnt be able to function without my meds.

Kuddos to you all, ive tried PT, accupuncture, am doing massage therapy, i can't get thru my day to day without meds. I would be worse off now than if i wasnt on them.

I don't use any pain meds but I do use valium as a muscle relaxer when I have to. When the pain begins to get unbearable, I go see the acupuncturist. Between the needling, heat and massage, I feel pretty good when I leave and it works for at least a couple of weeks...sometimes longer. It isn't something that works for everyone but my body wasn't dealing well with all the chemicals so I had to find some other choice.