I'm in daily pain and have been taking Ibuprofen and Naproxen way too often, and it's causing my stomach to get upset. My doctor prescribed Prilosec to prevent an ulcer, but it makes me really queasy. So I'm trying not to take anything and naproxen with other drugs
tough out the pain, but it gets overwhelming. My doctor won't prescribe muscle relaxers because she said they interfere with getting deep, restorative sleep and that will make the Fibromyalgia worse. Also, she won't prescribe narcotics because they are addictive.
I try and take care of myself by getting to bed early, exercising, eating right, getting massages and meditating. But it's not enough so far, and I'm tired of being in pain naproxen with other drugs
I'm sure people are sick of hearing me complain. Should I just shut up and deal with it and accept that every day is going to be like this, or is there something that might help?
First let me say that I understand how you feel.. its FRUSTRATING! to say the least.. Coming from someone who suffers the same as you … If you are lucky enough to get a doctor to agree with you and believe you in the first place and NOT tell you in all in your head, then you have done good.. Second the common thing that is done is pain meds and antidepressants to help you sleep… It sounds to me like you are doing all the right things.. .. Fact is your going to feel this way and there will be good and bad days .. If indeed your doc has ruled out any other cause and decided along with you that Fibro IS hwat the problem is..I am not trying to be negative, just realistic… all I can tell you coming from one who has read every website just about on the planet about this, is try your hardest to find what works for you.. remember you are you and not everyone elses pain is yours.. What works for them may or may not work for you…
I have learned not to bother talking to some people about it because like it or not they will not understand… They simply cant comprehend what you are going through… Dont expect a quick fix because there isnt any… On a good note you are not alone and there are many GOOD websites out there with support from others who understand how you feel…. Here are just a couple.. Keep up your search for wellness..
Ibuprofen and naproxen are seldom effective for fibromyalgia pain, although they work for some people. These drugs primarily treat inflammation and fibromyalgia pain does not seem to be caused by inflammation. The most common pain meds for fibromyalgia are Tramadol and acetaminophen. Lyrica is a relatively new pain med specifically for treatment of fibromyalgia pain and it can be combined with a few other pain meds. Ask your doc about trying Lyrica and also if it can be combined with Tylenol or Tramadol.
Get on a low dose of Zoloft.
It has the saved the quality of my life. I've been on 50 mgs for about 10 years now. Not one bad side effect. I still have the occasional pain – like now as the season changes – but nothing like before. I can do ANYTHING want.
Advil and muscle relaxers don 't have the same effect as a constant stream of a SSIR.
nsaids like ibuprofren and naproxen are more helpful for inflammation.
there is no inflammation
if they are really helping i would be concerned that you are misdiagnosed
narcotics hardly did anything for me–didn't touch the joint pain at all and were iffy on the muscle
muscle relaxants have limited use–the stiffness is caused by a neuro porblem..muscle realxants target a muscular problem.
funny thing it–teh doc prescribed them to help me sleep–only problem ws that i wasn't sleeping, i was unconscious..it dropped my blood pressure so low i passed out
have you considered trying a nother doc
have you tried SNRIs and antiseizire meds
are you sure your doc has a clue
most docs misdiagnose and mis treat FMS
most people are falsely diagnosed with FMS when they really have something else
Hi Lolita! I'm sorry you're dealing with fibro. I've had it for over 15 years now. Because it's still unclear what causes fibro, treatments being used seems to be still a hit and miss type deal. Since you've been doing research, you know that it may be caused due to neurotransmitter problems, but there is research to see if there is a retrovirus connection….
If all you've been taking is Ibuprofen and Naproxen, you have every right to complain! Bless your heart! These two meds are not usually given for fibro because it's not an inflammatory syndrome. Right now, there are 3 main meds that are being used in the US. (there are more in Europe). These meds are Lyrica, Cymbalta, and Savella. Everyone responds differently to medicines, so you would just have to try them to see how you respond- one at a time of course, and over multiple weeks. There is also a lot of talk about LDN, low dose naltrexone. Apparently this medicine has been used for opium addiction in it's usual form of 50mg. There have been studies in the last year or so using only 3 – 4.5 mg. This is obviously very low dose, so there are no side effects. Many fibro patients are having really good results with this. You can google this and see what you think. I'm actually going to talk to my doctor on my next visit.
There are also many vitamin/ supplements that many fibro patients have found helpful. My doctor put me on B12 shots, but I found that sublingual B12 works just as well. Get the highest amount. Your body cannot get a toxic amount- what your body doesn't use, it flushes out. This will help with fatigue. He also put me on malic acid with magnesium. This can be found in health food stores, and will help with muscle pain. Some fibro patients say vitamin D helps them. (Apparently vit. D deficiency can cause pain, but according to everything I've been reading, we're ALL deficient in vit. D!) Your doctor can check your levels of Vit. D.
GI problems also go along with fibro unfortunately. Something that I have been taking lately is active enzymes. They can also be bought at a health food store. I believe they're helping me. If you're having trouble with the Prilosec, just tell your doctor. There are other alternatives out there.
As for the muscle relaxers- I take them, just not on a regular basis. I don't like taking anything strong regularly. If I didn't have my muscle relaxers, I wouldn't sleep sometimes. As you know, we fibro patients really don't go into deep sleep anyway. That's one reason we have the knots in our muscle fibers. If you feel like you're not getting the treatment you need for your condition, you may want to seek out another rheumatologist, neurologist, or general practitioner who is comfortable treating fibro. There's a difference in people who want to be 'drugged' all the time and someone who wants to be treated effectively for a condition.
You mentioned that you are exercising. I'm glad you have found something that doesn't hurt you. If you do notice that you are having pain afterward, you might want to look into water exercise. Many Ys have classes. Water takes all the stress off your body, and the class instructors can show you how to really stretch your muscles well in the water after exercise. Sometimes I would stay and stretch a little more, which always helps. I would often go into the sauna after the class so my body would stay warm and my muscles wouldn't start cramping.
If you are hurting, it's okay to vent. There are some good yahoo groups for fibro patients. We share information, vent to one another, laugh with one another. It's sometimes good to talk to others who can relate. You can have the most wonderful family and friends, but unless they are also dealing with this, they really can't relate to you. One of the groups is the Fibromyalgia_Support_Group at http://groups.yahoo.com/.
I'm sorry this was so long. You have to be your own advocate out there. Keep fighting for yourself!