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.
Hi All (sorry if this is a repost... I put it in advice but that board seemed less active so I wanted to switch it to here but now I'm not sure if it already went up so I'm trying again)
Anyway, currently I'm taking
LEXAPRO for depression (truly life-changing... if, like me, you tried numerous anti-anxiety and anti-depression meds without any relief, I encourage you to try this one...)
and LYRICA since I got the fibro diagnosis (I had previously been on Gabapentin).
I have tried to avoid other pain killers so that I could see how the Lyrica is helping because I just started it about three weeks ago... but the pain has just been so bad. I am a hoarder, so I often don't finish prescriptions so that I can save them (I know this is bad... but sometimes I'm so afraid of pain that I'd rather experience it but know that I have stock to relieve it if I need to... does that make any sense? probably not...) but anyway - it means that I have a personal pharmacy at home at my disposal!
Since the fibro diagnosis, I've been trying to see if anything helps. I haven't tried tramadol yet (though I do have some) - I've tried paracetemol + codeine which relieves my headaches but doesn't help anything else, and I've tried flexeril (which didn't seem to do anything... though i only took one) and I've tried tizanidine which also helped with headaches but hasn't helped anything else.
(If you read a previous post of mine - I also am debating going back on Ritalin to help with fibro fog)
I'm going to see my neurologist tomorrow, and was wondering if there was a general consensus as to better meds to support pain? I haven't seen my neurologist since the fibro diagnosis but she didn't seem that familiar with it. I'm working with a rheumi who is very familiar and I'm seeing her in 3 weeks... but since the neurologist prescribed the tizanidine originally, I thought I might talk to her. I'm also seeing my physiatrist in a month and he is the one who used to give me the flexeril and tramadol before the fibro diagnosis.
I don't want to be on a million medications... but at the same time, I'm desperate to be more functional than I currently am.
Most debilitating pain currently (in the last month or so) is:
- neck, shoulders, upper back (sometimes spreading to jaw and head)
- wrists (radiating into hands and up to elbows)
- ankles (similar to wrists but more sharp and random)
Cognitive has also been REALLY bad recently... which is why I'm desperate to try the ritalin or anything that can help... and I know additional meds will probably make that worse... but maybe I can find a balance.
Anyway, thank you for anyone who is still reading this long post!
In summary, I 100% realize there is no magic prescription and we're all different and I can't pop 3 pills a day and make this go away... but at the same time, maybe someone on here has a similar symptom profile to me and has had similar results with various meds and can offer suggestions? I know this will take a lot of trial and error to find the right path... just thought I'd start by checking in with people who are ahead of me!
Thanks so much,
Vanessa
Anyway, currently I'm taking
LEXAPRO for depression (truly life-changing... if, like me, you tried numerous anti-anxiety and anti-depression meds without any relief, I encourage you to try this one...)
and LYRICA since I got the fibro diagnosis (I had previously been on Gabapentin).
I have tried to avoid other pain killers so that I could see how the Lyrica is helping because I just started it about three weeks ago... but the pain has just been so bad. I am a hoarder, so I often don't finish prescriptions so that I can save them (I know this is bad... but sometimes I'm so afraid of pain that I'd rather experience it but know that I have stock to relieve it if I need to... does that make any sense? probably not...) but anyway - it means that I have a personal pharmacy at home at my disposal!
Since the fibro diagnosis, I've been trying to see if anything helps. I haven't tried tramadol yet (though I do have some) - I've tried paracetemol + codeine which relieves my headaches but doesn't help anything else, and I've tried flexeril (which didn't seem to do anything... though i only took one) and I've tried tizanidine which also helped with headaches but hasn't helped anything else.
(If you read a previous post of mine - I also am debating going back on Ritalin to help with fibro fog)
I'm going to see my neurologist tomorrow, and was wondering if there was a general consensus as to better meds to support pain? I haven't seen my neurologist since the fibro diagnosis but she didn't seem that familiar with it. I'm working with a rheumi who is very familiar and I'm seeing her in 3 weeks... but since the neurologist prescribed the tizanidine originally, I thought I might talk to her. I'm also seeing my physiatrist in a month and he is the one who used to give me the flexeril and tramadol before the fibro diagnosis.
I don't want to be on a million medications... but at the same time, I'm desperate to be more functional than I currently am.
Most debilitating pain currently (in the last month or so) is:
- neck, shoulders, upper back (sometimes spreading to jaw and head)
- wrists (radiating into hands and up to elbows)
- ankles (similar to wrists but more sharp and random)
Cognitive has also been REALLY bad recently... which is why I'm desperate to try the ritalin or anything that can help... and I know additional meds will probably make that worse... but maybe I can find a balance.
Anyway, thank you for anyone who is still reading this long post!
In summary, I 100% realize there is no magic prescription and we're all different and I can't pop 3 pills a day and make this go away... but at the same time, maybe someone on here has a similar symptom profile to me and has had similar results with various meds and can offer suggestions? I know this will take a lot of trial and error to find the right path... just thought I'd start by checking in with people who are ahead of me!
Thanks so much,
Vanessa
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We're all troubled.WSo, to remind ourselves we're not at rock bottom (this is a reverse optimism thing I learned as a kid):We are not living on the island of Krakatoa when the volcano goes boom!Yeah, okay, that sucks.***Toay in 1942, Pierre Laval announced that the way to free France was for Germany to win WW2. Pierre did not win a lot of friends. When the war ended, quite quickly he was tried...
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Another day, another ouchie?My bruised achilles tendon (don't ask) makes my foot numb. Wonky on meds, whacked it.Now, as to fibro:A lot of reports are going around some parts of social media that fibro (and dang near anything else) are caused by post-Covid, post-flu, post-vaccinations, post-pick-something.1. Your risk of death or serious complications beyond "ow, that shot hurt!" are typically...
I'm sorry, but I am going to scold you. Please stop playing Russian roulette with medication. You could accidentally kill yourself.
Chronic pain is not managed by taking a pill when it is bad. It requires that you adhere to a medication regimen 24/7. It is very difficult to control pain once it has reached maximum intensity. And, the longer a chronic pain cycle continues, the harder it becomes to manage or stop.
The purpose of pain management is to restore some quality of life to the patient. Not stop the pain altogether.
I also saw your post on Ritalan. If you have not had a sleep study, that should be done before the Doctor decides if you need medication for fibro fog. Fibromyalgia interrupts the deep deep cycle with short bursts of high intensity brain activity. Your muscles require deep sleep in order to recover from the days activities. Lack of restorative sleep causes higher levels of pain and cognitive issues.
I'd like to suggest that you purchase the book "Fibromyalgia for Dummies." It is available on Amazon. This is our go to book on this board.
You can not beat Fibromyalgia or fix it. It requires a lot of work to find the right combination of prescribed medication for each FMS patient. We are all on different medication cocktails. Please stop tinkering with medication on your own. Take care.
I hope you find what you need.
Please get a set regiment from your doctors, and stick with it long enough to know if it's working.
This won't make you feel very well, probably, but my rheumatologist told me there really isn't much that can be done for me. He has a family member who has fibro, and he's tried everything on this person. There is no cure, but some things do help somewhat. I wish I could be of more help. This is just my experience...others may have better advice, and outcomes, from their meds.
Acceptance is important. And a doctor who listens, as well.Hang in there.