help

I am Tess and have been diagnosed for nearly two years now but had it going on for years before I finally found out what it was. I take 10mg or 20mg of Ampytripline and does find it helps a little. Much better on it than off it. It does take a time to work though so need to be on it for some while to notice a difference. Like you I can't take any anti inflamatories as they upset my stomach. I also can take paracetomol but my doctor gives me co-proxomol but I try not to take too many as get another problem of constipation lol. What time of day did you take the ampytripline. They are suppose to make you feel drowsy so best to take before bed to help you sleep. Not all tablets though suit everyone as we are all different and have diffeent levels of pain etc.

My advice to you is to take one day at a time! If you are feeling really tired try to set yourself to achieve what you can. Make a list whether it be one thing you achieve, two or more will make you feel that you have managed to complete something that day.

I was sent to see a physio for some gentle exercise to do. i have now been doing twenty minute exercises every morning for a year now. It releases endorphines that help you feel better in yourself and also helps with stiffness.

I started of slowly and only doing a few of each a day and then gradually built it up overtime.

Don't be too hard on yourself if you don't achieve a lot as it is about pacing yourself as well. I am saying about pacing yourself but I am my own worst enemy asn I don't always do this myself and pay for it later lol.

Hope this has helped in someway and I am sure Lizzy, Linda or Ses will also tell you how they deal with their fibro.

Tess

I'm Lizzy and I am a beginner at this. Only had the symptoms for 18 months and diagnosed for about 10 months.

Ampytripline on 10mg put me on a high, so like you I stopped taking it. I also can't take ibuprofen, and have to cope with paracetamol. Firstly just because the ampytripline didn't work there are other low dose antidepressants in the same group that you can try. I use Dosulepin I started on 25mg and had the best nights sleep ever.(I take about an hour before bed) It really does take between 4 to 6 weeks to get into your system and is worth keeping at it as the side effects do go. The whole idea of a very low dose antidepressent is to help induce sleep and ease pain. Its no reflection on your mental state. The dose is no where near the dose that a depressed person would use.

I also use a tens machine and do gentle exercise which helps a lot. The whole idea is to pace yourself and when you sleep make sure you go into that deep rem sleep that is needed.

I also come on here a lot to talk to Tess, Linda and Ses as I find chatting about stressful events in my life helps as well.

Take care. Have a good weekend.

Lizzy

I`m Linda and I`ve had fibro for 3yrs now, I had real intense pain at the begining and a poor sleep pattern, (among many other things!) was given 25mg of Amitriptyline to take at night. Was quite spaced out for a few days and it took several weeks for the full affect to kick in. The side effects do get better. I`m still stiff and have general pain all the time but not the intense pain I had to start with. Like the others said we are all different and it takes time to find what suits you best. I did start to sleep better but found I was still waking early and not going back to sleep GP made suggestions on how and when to take the amitriptyine and it has helped. A good understanding GP is half the battle, some people find their doctors don`t really understand and don`t take the time to find the things that are best for you.

Hope you soon start to feel some improvement, but everyone with this condition is different, while some can carry on a more or less normal life, working etc. others like me have to give up work and some are much mcuh worse than I am. So do keep chatting and we`ll help as much as we can.

Linda

i am only taken parocetimal now , with little effect , going to start light swimming exercises this week and build it up , i felt the amytriptyline didnt work .I work full time and have to do a bit of driving , was very depresed this week but realized i had to pull my self together and think positive ,witch has helped ,will keep trying without antidepresants and will try acupuncture .

I have been getting stressed i felt some peaple i work with dont under stand what i am going frew , they just see me [ they dont seem to see the pain i am in ]i was speaking to a customer in the diy store i work in and she has it aswell and it was such a relief to speak to some one who is experiencing fmr .

i have had a lot of diffrent problems health wise over the past two years

and now know what has been causing them , and it is a relief to know now what is causing them and i havent been going mad .

speak to you all soon

jane

Wishing you a good week at work.

I also have a few more added conditions with all similar symptoms and what i can tell you is that I look the picture of health in fact people say blooming. So I do quite often find it difficult to convince the doctors I have a problem.

I now go out of my way to avoid stressful situations, I make sure I do exercise every day and most importantly I do everything within my power to make sure I have a good night sleep.

What I have learnt is that the more stressed/depressed I become the pain gets worse.

Let us know how the acupuncture goes?

Take care

Lizzy

Like Lizzy said people see us looking well but don't know what pain we have going on. You seem as if now you are getting to be bit more positive about it.

It does take time to accept it after not knowing what it is was you had going on. I think the more positive you are the better any illness is in the long run. It is a good idea with the swimming if that is what you enjoy.

Do come on an talk to us if you have any worries! It doesn't just have to be about fibro. We all come on and talk our family lifes as well if we want someone to listen.

Tess