Fibromyalgia Support Group
You're not alone in your pain. Fibromyalgia is a condition that can be difficult to diagnose and manage. If you're trying to cope with pain throughout your body, sleep problems, general fatigue, or other common fibromyalgia symptoms, you're in the right place. The community is here for you to talk about therapies and share your challenges.
I have lived with severe back pain for many years which has gotten worse. I keep trying to deny my Fibro because I would panic when my old doctor would blame everything on Fibro. So I would worry that he was overlooking something. Hence, I decided to go into denial about my Fibro which I was diagnosed with by 3 different doctors back in 1996. I am seeing a new doctor and he said I do have back problems but the dilemma is that I'm on pain medication which is not good for Fibro patients, but without it, I can't live with the pain. I don't know what to think anymore. My new doctor is sending me to a Pain Specialist. Talk about being between a rock and a hard place! Apparently opiates given for pain can make Fibro worse so I don't know what to do. I started riding my bike for exercise but tripped on my neighbors stairs 3 days ago and sprained my ankle. I feel like such a mess! Can anyone advise, give their opinion, or give me some support on this? I would so appreciate it!! Hugs GB
Life just sucks sometimes, or in our case, all the time. I don't have much advice, except that I would recommend Ultram (tramadol) for pain. It's an opiod that is combined with something else (can't remember right now, of course). It works pretty well, althoughI have no idea if it will help with your back pain.
I tried a pain program that was a waste of time for me. It focuses on pain other than fibro, so it might help you to try that. My problem was, for the second step of the program, you had to be able to walk for 30 minutes, plus have someone accompany you! I couldn't do either of those things. So...oh well.
I know how it is with something like this. You probably feel like all you do is take care of your body. Me, too. My life is a total bore. Even though I have friends, I never feel like seeing them or even talking to them on the phone. It takes so much out of me. I can't imagine having back pain on top of this. You have my sympathy.
The thinking on opiates for any kind of chronic pain is changing, but the medical community at large is slow to come around unless a change (i.e., ipioids are bad for fibromyalgia) fits with what they want to do anyway.
I'll try to find some resources to help but it won't be tonight.
This summer I accomplished all kinds of fantastic things like painting that I would never have been able to do without pain relief.
Doctor's are just mis-informed when it comes to Fibro. They are not trained well in med school.
I too have been taking Hydrocodone for a number of years and have never had to up my dose and on good days I don't even take all my doses. Never had a problem.
But if the opioids help you more than anything else you've tried, you should be able to remain on them. Go to Pubmed.gov (google it) and type in opioids fibromyalgia and see what research comes up. Take that to the pain specialist. Or, better yet, find a different primary care doc who will be compassionate and allow you to continue taking what works!!!
I have been on a low-dose methadone (no increase in dose over 10 years) and baclofen with it and it works pretty well to quell my daily pain. It doesn't take away ALL the pain.
After viewing a opioid medical conference for docs, I said, ok, I'll wean myself off of methadone and baclofen---maybe I don't need them. I did ok, but the pain and stiffness were oppressive stil. And what would I take for it? Nothing else has worked without causing weird and numerous, intolerable side effects! So I went back on them.
Here's a good quote from the highly regarded 2012 Canadian Guidelines for Management of Fibromyalgia:
Pharmacological overview
24. Physicians should identify the most bothersome symptom(s) to help direct pharmacological treatments according to a symptom-based approach. An ideal pharmacological choice may address multiple symptoms simultaneously and may require a combination of medications, in which case attention must be paid to drug interactions (level 5 (16,27), grade D).
25. Pharmacological treatments should be initiated in low doses with gradual and cautious upward titration to reduce medication intolerance (level 5, grade D) (27) with regular evaluation regarding continued efficacy and side effect profile, with the knowledge that drug side effects may appear similar to symptoms of FM (level 5, consensus).
26. Physicians prescribing medications for FM should be open-minded and aware of the broader spectrum of agents available to treat symptoms, and should not confine treatments to a single category of medications (level 5, consensus).
Another quote:
29. A trial of opioids, beginning with a weak opioid, such as tramadol, should be reserved for treatment of patients with moderate to severe pain that is unresponsive to other treatment modalities (level 2, grade D) (80,81).
30. Strong opioid use is discouraged, and patients who continue to use opioids should show improved pain and function. Health care professionals must monitor for continued efficacy, side effects or evidence of aberrant drug behaviours (level 5, grade D) (82).
Ok, so you may have to document to your doc how the opioid improves your daily functioning.
Hope this helps.....Shakota, RN
Two rheumatologist who reconfirmed my fms reccomended I take only aleve or motrin. Thankfully my gp prescribes Ultram and Lyrica which are working well together. (I have a spinal injury as well.) So I totally understand your concern that your symptoms will be ignored.
There is also Nucynta which is similar to Ultram (tramadol) but
stronger.