Fibromyalgia Community

I wish i could help bit i can only tell you not alone,I to can not take may medication and i have to suffer through ,have tried many things and the side effects were worse then the pain, i do take xanx because anxiety make it all worse, but only otc meds, hope some one has some better answers for you , soft hugs ,Squarley

You say that you have tried many meds, but don't list them, so I am going to check if you have tried, Cymbalta, Effexor, and Savella to treat fibromyalgia. The medications in this class of SNRIs (serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors work better than meds in other classes. And also taking a combination of antidepressants can be the answer. You owe it to yourself to try every medication out there to see if they could help you.
Besides that, a Migun bed helped my fibromyalgia a lot. It is a designed to massage the body with lifting the body up and down as well as back and forth through the length of the body. It's thought that the jade beads are part of the curing method. A rheumatologist recommended the bed to me. It does cost quite a bit, so you should use it as many times as possible at the store before buying it. I tried it almost every day for 2 weeks, then purchased it with delight. (Unfortunately after my stroke, I've had more difficulty using it with my pain and discomfort from that.) I also have 24/7 migraines as my chief pain, fibromyalgia and a lot of other illnesses and disabilities.

Also, something that my therapist, trained in treating people with severe pain, recommended is meditation. I listen to a meditation tape every night before I go to sleep.

I wish you both the best. Pain is a very difficult struggle even when you get relief from medications, all kinds of injections, etc. etc.

Trazodone is an antidepressant, and is often prescribed to help FM patients sleep. It does change the seretonin levels, so maybe your body didn't respond well to that. I had a similar reaction to Savella. My pain got a lot worse when I was looking forward to some relief...weird.

Some people can't tolerate acetaminophen, and you may be one of them. Personally, I get generalized pain relief from Tramadol and/or a muscle relaxer.

Many of us FMers are med sensitive. Have you tried really low doses of new medicines? I usually respond to a child's dose of anything.

The idea about meditation is great. With practice you can turn a stressful and painful moment around and find pain relief.

Good luck while going through the process of medicine trials. It's rough, but hopefully you will find something helpful along the way. You might also try magnesium and vitD supplements and see how you feel.

YES I HAVE TRIED THEM, HAVE NOT TRIED THAT BED,I DO GET MASSAGES EVERY WEEK ,DO HOT WATER BATHES, HEAT RUBS, AND HAVE TRIED ANTIDEPRESSENT I AM VERY SENSITIVE TO MEDS, I ALL SO HAVE MIGRAINES AND FIBRO AND OTHER THINGS , WE ALL LIVE WITH DIFFERENT PAIN , BUT THIS SUPPORT GROUP HELPS A LOT AND MAKES ME FEEL NOT SO ALONE, SOFT HUGS TO YOU SORRY FOR THE CAPS ,MY EYES ARE ALL WAYS BLURRY, THANKS

Thank you. I have tried Tramadol, Percocet, Kadian - really messed me up - Effexor, Celebrex, Arthrotec, Wellbutrin, Amitriptyline. My doc. has suggested Cymbalta as the next option. I am terrified of the possible side effects because what happened with the others. One muscle relaxer made me so sick, eyes were all blurry, I was dizzy and it didn't even work! I wish I had money for alternative therapies but I can't even work now. I avoid sugar and gluten in my diet and I walk daily for 40 mins. I feel better if I sleep well but that is rare. Drugs that would knock other people out don't even cause drowsiness. I do get migraines as well and fortunately the med. (Relpax) I take for that is effective and doesn't cause any additional pain. I feel like a hopeless case. I don't even have support from my husband or daughter. Yours sounds like a very difficult situation. I sympathize deeply. This site is helpful and I am grateful for that.

Thank you for the hugs. My anxiety is at a high level also. I panic when I think that this condition is never going away and that I can no longer do what I want to do in my life. I take Ativan every night with a low dose of Imovane and I can sleep with that for 3-5 hours. I went back to school 2 yrs ago at age 54. I worked very hard for a year and did extremely well. Then I got this diagnosis and everything has changed. I am feeling a lot of anger. I have stopped telling anyone how I feel because they really don't seem to care. Not having support is very difficult. Not working is causing hardship for my family. I guess the most frustrating thing is trying a dozen medications and having nothing work. I can't afford it all anyway. I feel so much sympathy for everyone who is experiencing this condition. I wish you well.

YOU ARE NOT ALONE WE OUR HERE TO SUPPORT YOU,YOU WILL HAVE SOME GOOD DAYS CHERISH THEM, SOFT COMFORTING HUGS SQUARLEY

Hello and welcome....MiMi in NC....I am sorry that you are dealing with so much right now...but I am sure that you will soon find something that will help you cope better....it does take time...and a person must goes through the trial and error process to find the right combination of *tools* that will help you cope better.

I would like to encourage you to be sure and ask your doctor to check your Vitamin D level, if you have not already done this...it is a simple blood test...but you MUST ASK the doctor to run it...as it is not included in the normal bloodwork that the doctors do...low Vitamin D can cause additional pain for some people and it can also affect other illnesses as well...

I am one of the FMers here who also tried different medicines only to find that they only caused more side effects and I did not need anything else to deal with...so I eventually did my own research and I started my trial and error process...and I have learned how to *control my FM pain by taking vitamins and supplements and doing other things as well....so there is hope for you...

I take the following: Fibro Response (found at vitamin store) or Magnesium Malate (vitamin store)....either one or the other....but I would not take both...I do alternate these on occasion...I also take Omegas, a good multi vitamin with D, Super B Complex, Calcium plus others...as I also have other health issues..

I also drink plenty of water each day...watch what I eat...doing gentle stretches and exercises (GENTLE being the important word) try to limit my stress every day and remember to pace, pace and pace even more on the things I have to do...I also have chronic fatigue...and I have not found anything yet which has helped me with this yet...

Getting enough sleep is so very important as well...I have learned that if I take a hot shower at night using lavender bath salts in a stopped up drain...this helps me to relax right before I go to sleep....

I am having back issues right now and I am in physical therapy trying to get it fixed....so I have been taking a muscle relaxer off and on at night...which does help me sleep....but I do feel sluggish the next day...

I also use a heating pad when needed and Stopain Spray sometimes when I need it...I also try to stay on a schedule of sorts...(getting up, eating and going to bed)...this helps me...

I also have a tens unit that I use if I need it...which does help me with pain.

OK...I guess I have shared enough for now...

I hope you will post often, ask questions, make comments and/or suggestions...and remember that we know what you are going through....try to stay positive...

Take care and good luck...


MiMi

Your doctor is next having you try Cymbalta which is in the same SNRI class as the Effexor which didn't help you. But maybe it will help you, and maybe due to the withdrawal effects your doctor wants to try it next. If the Cymbalta doesn't work, go off of it very slowly. If you have any bad side effects, go off slower.

Just know that Savella is a completely different medication that may help you if the Cymbalta does not. Wish you the best with this terrible fibromyalgia disease.

Trazadone does not have acetaminophen in it, I wasn't sure you understood this from your post. It is not a pain medication per se, rather it is an antidepressant also used off label for sleep. It is listed as an SSR Inhibitor/antagonist.

I took it for awhile, I slept pretty well, but have lost memories for about three months while taking it and another SSRI.

After that my doctor and I decided to just treat the symptoms directly. I started taking opiates for pain and ambien for sleep. That was over 15 years ago, and the only other med I have stayed on is gabapentin.

I tried Effexor and a few of the newer antidepressants, did not like their side effects, and stopped taking them fairly quickly.

I have stayed on the opiates, zolpidem, and gabapentin, with the occasional Lidoderm patch. They have continued to work for many, many years.

You have to figure out what works for you. Take charge of your treatment and your body.

Take care, Annette

Thank you. Yes, I understand Trazadone is an older anti-depressant and that it does not have anything to do with Tylenol. However, that was my reaction and I am at a loss at to why these medications have the effect of increasing my pain. I was taking a low dose (10) and initially it helped but then I had other pain that wasn't evident before so the doc. upped the dose to 20 mg. At this does I was so nauseated, so dizzy, and feeling horrible. I had been taking it for 3 months and I wanted to stop it so I started decreasing the dose myself. I had the most horrendous withdrawal symptoms. One night I woke up screaming so loudly my husband thought the police would arrive. After that is when all the fibro symptoms began, in my back especially, Then joints and all the rest of it. I think that withdrawal triggered the fibro. but that's just my idea. That's why I say anything with Tylenol, which converts into morphine in the body, causes the effect that it does. I take 2.5 mg of Imovane (sleeping) and .5 - 1 mg of Ativan. Last night for the first time in ages, I slept very well and my pain is minimal today. My doc would prefer I not continue with the sleeping pills but I have argued that it is the only relief I have. I read something about osteopathic treatment online and I think I will look into that. Thank you everyone for your support.

Above I stated I was taking a low dose ?? 10 mg. of Kadian which is morphine.

I don't use Tylenol because it doesn't do anything for me. Where did you find out that it turned into morphine in your body? I have never heard that before.

Do you know the generic name of Imovane? It is not listed like that in my drug book. I will look online.

Ativan scares me to death, as do all benzos. You are taking a very low dose though. It should only be used for a short time for insomnia.

Doesn't sleep really help your pain though? It does mine.

I have tried many different kinds of things, but I am pretty happy with my current plan.

Take care, Annette

Thank you Annette. You have some good advice. I know how you feel. Benzos and most other medications scare me to death as well. I have taken Ativan off and on for a while. I try to keep the dosage low and it helps with anxiety and sleep. Since I am not taking anything for pain, I simply have to sleep. Before I started this sleeping pill, I was literally lying awake ALL night long. The next day I could hardly move. I reduced this one from 7.5 so it is pretty low. I know they should really only be taken for occasional insomnia or stress but what if that is the case all the time?
The generic name of Imovane is Zopiclone. I am in Canada though so maybe you don't have it in the US. I asked my doc. about Savella and he said he never heard of it. I don't think we have Ambien here. We do what we can and it's challenging every day. I try to remain upbeat because my daughter has moved home after finishing university. I am glad she is here. Keeps me going.
Take care you too.