My Dr suggested soaking in a bath of Epsoms salt for 30 minutes. You could try that. Ice doesnt help me all. It seems to irritate and tighten everything up on me. Good luck to you!

Have you ever tried biofreeze? You cant just get it anywhere- physical therapy places carry it and some medical supply companies. It does have a menthal smell. The gel form works better for me.

I hope that you are on other meds than Motrin. Only certain classes of prescribed medications work for the type of pain associated with Fibromyalgia (FMS). They are Cymbalta, Savella and Lyrica.

It is possible that you have bursitis in your hips and shoulders. This is a "perk" that is often associated with FMS. You should be evaluated for it as prompt and proper treatment is required.

Go to a medical supply store. They should have packs that can be heated in the microwave or frozen in different shapes that would accomodate your shoulder or hip. I agree that Biofreeze is a good product to use as well.

Good luck and take care.

I forgot to add that typically OTC medication does not work for the type of pain associated with FMS.

Consider purchasing a book called "Fibromyalgia for Dummies." Like all of the dummies series, it contains good basic information on this nasty syndrome. It will give you a better of understanding of how to manage FMS. You can order online from Amazon.

I hope that you feel better soon.

I was given predinizone and ibro.600 mg. I can not take these other meds. The side effects were too bad. I do have some mucle relaxers that I can take.

NSAIDS, such as IBprofen and Aleve are not helpful for FMS because it has nothing to do w/ inflammation, it's an issue w/ the nervous system w/ oversensitivity so stimuli...so therefore, that will not help. I use salonpas, which are OTC pain patches, as well as muscle relaxer flexeril. Otherwise you could look into a TENS unit, which I use when a specific muscle group is bothering me.

I am surprised you were given a steroid because typically, we do not do well with them. Perhaps there is another reason for prescribing that. There are older drugs available that do work, just in case your insurer refuses to pay for the newer ones. Just wondering if the doc and you have discussed PT? That can be helpful to learn proper techniqe for your stretching exercises and begin an exercise program. Initially, I remember being told to do the stretching at least 3X a day.

The more you understand, the better you can access your treatment plan and the knowledge of your dr. regarding FMS/MPS. Not all drs or therapists truly understand it and in some cases, they do not believe it. I would suggest adding to your booklist books that are well-referenced and describe these syndromes and how best we can learn to live with them.

I have a lot of pain in my neck and shoulders and it drove me nuts because my heating pad just would not hit the right spots. I found a heating pad on Ebay that is made just for the neck and shoulders. It is awesome!!!! Heat works the best for me. That and a massage from my daughter. A gentle one, lol.

One trick to try is a wet warm towel and drape that over the area it hurts. Or a long shower too.

The warm wet heat penetrates to the areas you need it to. After I lube up my muscles with heat, then I do my gentle stretches. And a little more heat after. I guess you can say I always treat my body like it's injured.

Epson salts will help remove built up malic acid from your aching muscles....so soaking in it will help (but usually while you are in it).

But even more so than these tips, we need to remember we're always going to be in some level of pain. My goal is to try to start each day with energy. If I have energy, I can deal with the pain much better than with out it. So I guess you can say I've shifted gears. I readily accept pain at the wake of my day each day. But then I quickly focus on what I need to do to build my energy for the day. And how not to deplete it too quickly. I also accept that each night I will be going to bed aching from something or other. Whether I created the pain or the weather or what not created it.

I have pain in my hips too and doc says it's bursitis. there are exercises that can help. it hurts at first but gets easier. Physical therapist showed me. Hip abducter exercise. Lay on your side and raise leg up and then down. do what you are able. flip over and do the other side. I am sure there are videos on youtube too show the exercises.
I use resistant bands to help with my arms and shoulders.

I don't know how long you have been doing the stretching but it's something you may have to keep on at it before you begin to feel some relief.

Have you ever used a pool noodle? I find that helps to roll on one of those on the floor. It massages the upper back and shoulders. The foam pool noodles has been mentioned on here before and think it's a great idea and actually helps.

I definitely agree about the Epsom salts bath. I find those are soothing. and I also have used Dead Sea Salts. they have a ton of minerals in.

@ Wonderbaby I think you maybe meaning Lactic acid in the muscles. malic acid is naturally found in fruit like apples and it also can be taken as a supplement. It is said that malic acid can help clear the lactic acid away and may be helpful for fibromyalgia sufferers. I found several articles on the internet about malic acid helping fibromyalgia.
I guess we need to be eating more apples.