FIBROMYALGIA

sandyvanderstelt

I was recently diagnosed with fibro and my pain just keeps getting worse. It is bad in my hips, arms, hands, feet, etc... but my hips are the worse. and i have really bad tension headaches. i take vicodin for the pain when its bad, and that helps, but doesnt help with the tension headaches which keep me from working out. I haven't tried any other medications yet... any body out there have this also? what do you take? what kind of workouts do you do? I cant run, it hurts too bad but i ride my bike and use my eliptical and free weights.

dayzeerock

I'm on 600mg of Gabapentin a day for my fibro. It seems to help somewhat, but I also have Lupus, and sometimes it's hard to decipher the lupus pains from the fibro pains...but my pain has seemed to decrease since taking the Gabapentin.

fibrogirl

Hi Sandy, I was eventually diagnosed with this about 8 years ago and have tried so many different painkillers. The most important thing that helped me was getting into a good sleep pattern, not easy and I needed the help of a muscle relaxant and sleeping pills which I didn't want to take but once you get this side of things under control it really helps to ease the pain. I am currently having a good spell and not taking anything other than paracetamol but never know when another episode is around the corner. Also avoiding stress helps, easier said than done I know. I hope that you have a good understanding Doctor too, I have eventually found one thankfully. Walking is my main exercise and when things are going well I do as much other exercise as I can but there are times when you just have to give in as frustrating as it is and rest up until you feel better. Good luck I hope that you find a way to cope with this and if you need any support get intouch although my visits to the site are a bit sporadic at the minute, I really need to get a grip! Take care, Angie

flutterby6973

i have tried every med that is supposed to be for fibro but they all have side effects... some helped the pain but side effects were worse. i used to be very active and now know that you have to move no matter what ... if you can only walk then do that ... do a little at a time and work your way up.... sleep is a must .... i am now trying no carbs & no sugar... sugar supposedly increases inflammation ... look for inflammation reducing foods too ... i am still trying to find the best strategy for me.... hoepfully you can find something that works for you.... oh and try to stay away from too much pain meds ... heating pads and laying down help my hip pain ... i used to take vicodin and other stuff and then developed gastritis which causes horrible reflux ... also i am currently going to school for ultrasound and just talking with some patients i have found out that some have liver damage from too much tylenol and others have stomach issues from NSAIDs and ibuprofen.... thats how it always is though, take something for one thing and you wind up creating another problem that is sometimes irreversable.....

good luck! you can add me as a friend if you like : )

circusmom

I can not speak from experience, but I remember reading an article in Oxygen magazine about the benefits of weight lifting and yoga on fibromyalgia. I don'y know if you can look up old issues? If you can it was about 7 years ago.... I hope that you can find something that helps!

bjshooter

I have CFS and have tried a few tablets. I tried gabapentin but they didnt really work for me. I now take tramadol when needs be and amitriptyline at night. They make me sleep well which seems to help with everything else. I also find all excerise helps a bit.

cschmidt42

I know how frustrating fibromyalgia is. I recently quit my job, I got so tired of trying to work with the pain, I also have lupus and a lot of the meds mess my stomach up. Since i have quit work I am doing a lot better, I mostly walk, do some stretching and mild weights. The key is to do this in moderation and when you are having a flare up just do what you can. And rest is also the key to more energy. When I get my rest I feel a lot better. But sometimes the fatigue will get to you and all you can do is rest. Good luck and you can add me as a friend! We need all the support we can get!

Crystal

knittnponder

Magnesium, spinach, raw foods, no refined flour or sugar (actually trying to avoid most grains in general!) and eating as clean as possible have helped me. I still have bad days and have learned to listen to my body carefully but I feel like I have my life back again. The magnesium has been a huge help! I don't take any medication (I have no insurance so it's just not an option but I do feel like I have it managed to the point where I don't need it.) Good luck!

flutterby6973

magnesium helpsme sleep and almost forgot ... lidopatches! those help when the pain is bad

_CHRISTIE_

I've tried many different things... I currently take tramadol and gabapentin... I was suprised to see that was being used for fibro treatments, I'm taking it b/c I'm a below knee amputee and have terrible neuropathy... I also for years had migraine headaches... I tried so many different medications to help w/ the headaches, by far the best headache medicine I have found is excedrin migraine...it outbeats many of the other meds that are prescriptions for migraines... I took frova for a long time but it always made me sick feeling... I also have alot of back issues and scolosis, they had me going for deep tissue massages at one point and time and that really helped w/ my fibro b/c they did the deep tissue all over... def. get enough sleep, that is really really going to help you, and then I would say add things in moderation...don't try to go full out all at once.... Hoping you start feeling better! I always have pain...it's a part of my daily life... and unfortunately w/ a 2 year old and 40+ hr a week job I can't take narcotics and function at work... when I exercise, play ball, do something... I notice I always feel better afterwards.... so I would say try to exercise even through the pain b/c you may find that afterwards you feel 100 times better!!

tlcrawford916

hi, I am also a fibro sufferer. I also had the bad hip pain. I would lay in bed and cry because it was so bad. I went to a Rheumatologist and he said that there is a bursa sac in your hip that does not have blood flow through it so pain meds do not get in there to work. He puts lidocain shots in my hips about every 5-6 months. It is wonderful. I am actually pain free in my hips for those few months. Also it seems to make all my other pain worse when my hips are acting up. I also have it in my hands and feet. The feet I was told is plantar facitis. Put two cans of what ever in the freezer for a few hours then roll them under your feet. It also feels wonderful. When my other pain is bad I take tramadol and two aleve. That combo also helps with tension headache. I still have the bad morning stiffness, and the evening soreness and fatiue, but my window of feeling better in the middle is getting bigger. When I work out I do cardio on an eliptical, then every other day do free weights. You have to start out very slow and work up. I started doing like 10 minutes on the eliptical and lifting very light weight, now months later I an up to an hour eliptical and more weight.. I also agree with the poster who said lidocain patches. They are excellent for pain that is in a localized spot. When my hip meds start to run out I use the patches to get me through until I can get back to the rheumatologist. They are also very good for up around the upper back between the shoulder blades for the tension headaches. If your not already it would greatly benefit you to go to a Rheumatologist. If you are seeing one and all they are giving you is vicoden then you need to find another one. Vicoden makes the chronic fatigue worse which in turn makes you feel worse. Tramadol does not make you tired. Also get lots of sleep. My doc also put me on vitamin D. Most fibro patients are vitamin D deficiant. I take a 50,000 IU pill once a month. If you cant get a script for it you can buy it at any drug store, just get the highest dose you can and take plenty of it. I really does help with pain. I have also started taking some weight loss supplements from cellucor. You can get them at GNC. I started taking the D-7, and W-7 both are thermogenics. The D-7 is a stimulant based and the W-7 is not. The W-7 works on lowering cortisol, which is needed to lose weight. I take both at the same time. Then when I get ready to work out I take the C-4 pre-workout. It makes you sweat and gives you that burst of energy to get through a workout. I have lost 17 pounds so far in the last few months. I have tried to lose weight for ever, nothing ever worked but this stuff really does. Anyway, hope this helps and if you like you can friend me and we can talk more.
Hope you feel better. :flowerforyou:

trickyfoxster710

I was recently diagnosed with Fibro too. I also suffer from migraines and the new rheuamotologist I am going to started me on Topamax. With in a week most of my fibro pain had subsided. It was amazing. I have noticed when i get too stressed or do not get enough sleep the pain starts to flare up again but for the most part it has been much more manageable. This med has tons of side effects though and most people do not stay on it long so I would def read into it first before discussing it with you doc, but I would still bring it up you never know it might be the thing for you. It has been helping me. I have to be patient with adding exercise in but I know I need it. It helps the pain and helps reduce the stress. Exercise is a definite must in a fibro treatment plan!

Hope you start feeling some relief soon.