Pain relief

Hi Trisha,

everyone's pain level is so different.  I did as I was instructed in the beginning, to take meds regularly to avoid a flare up,  but you know what, it didn't avoid a flare up, they still happened and then the body is already used to loads of meds and stronger one's are needed to dampen down the flare up.  

I dont take meds on a regular basis now, I have had really bad reactions to some of them, that I decided I would rather put up with the pain and take something when it is really necessary.  I appreciate that not everyone would be able to do that, but when I compare some of the side effects I was having, it's the best way for me.  I try not to overdo things, It does help that I have a very supportive hubby.  I take dispersable co-codomal in the mornings to just take the edge off things and occasionally at night if it's really bad.  My Rheumatologist has just prescribed Celebrex, but to be honest I havent taken any yet.  

This is just my view of things, it will be interesting to hear how others feel about it. pain is horrible and drags us down so much, but the side effects of some of the drugs are horrendous.  

I'm trying to get by on paracetamol and ibuprofen, along with Epsom salt baths, curcumin and various other supplements. My doctor prescribed me 10mg amitriptyline last month, but two days after starting it I started feeling nauseous which has got worse, and I also got a dry mouth and felt hungry and thirsty a lot. I'm assuming they're all side effects of the medication. I quit it last weekend, but have been feeling really nauseous since and continually thirsty, which I'm wondering might be withdrawal symptoms.

I find I seem to get bad reactions to quite a few of the meds the doctors' have prescribed me since I started getting the pains, so am going to try and continue on over the counter pain killers and supplements.

I'm not on any pain meds at the moment but I've been doing aqua aerobics and keep up with my supplements and hot baths

It seems to help out and still have pain but not as bad.

I've always been advised that narcotics aren't effective because of the type of pain fibro is.  The only thing I took for a while that worked was mobic, but I think it may have been a rare inflammatory type of pain I was enduring; generally fibro isn't inflammatory.  I had to stop because I have terrible stomach problems and it exacerbated them, like tart cherry and turmeric do.  Bummer!

I know how you feel. I had to beg my GP to give me pain relief for years before he would give me anything stronger than Dafalgon, which was useless. I am allergic to cedeine so that was not an option. I have tried nearly all of the pain relief possible I think. Lamaline worked well but I needed a higher dose. Doctors seem to have a mental block where dosage is concerned, and he preferred to change my treatment rather than give me a higher dosage of something that worked for me. Finally I was put on morphine 150 mg each day, but I still had unbearable pain. I did not feel "drugged" at all, But I didn't want to increase the dosage until I was sure that I would not have to stop taking it, because I was afraid of suffering withdrawal symptoms as I had when he stopped the lamaline. I saw a specialist at a pain clinic and she diagnosed fibromalgia straight away, but said that morphine was not the correct treatment, and she prescribed Oxycontin 30 mg twice a day. So I changed my medication and was very ill for 1 week. So I stopped the oxycontin and went back on the morphine, which I reduced gradually over the next four weeks. The pain was very hard to live with., but I persevered because I didn't have a choice. When I got down to 20 mgs a day with the morphine I stopped taking it, and started Oxycontin 10 mg twice a day, and gradually increased the dose to 30 mg twice each day. That has worked well for me, but I am not completely pain-free so will probably increase the dosage a bit more. The only thing that stops me is that I am not sure that the tiredness is not made worse by the Oxycontin. It is definately the most efficient pain relief I have tried, and doesn't seem to have any unpleasant side-effects for me. Constant pain IS horrible, and knowing there is no cure is very difficult for me to come to terms with. My doctor says that people with fibromalgia have a much lower pain threshold than those who do not suffer with this condition, so it is obvious to me that you probably need a higher dosage of something that works. Why should we live with pain? What useful purpose does that serve? I have had people tell me to cut out cheese, or don't drink milk, but I have to say that anyone who suffers from fibromalgia knows very well that it takes more than a change of diet to make the pain bearable. The specialist I saw said that Oxycontin is the only medication really efficace with the pain of Fibromalgia.  My experience of this treatment is that she is right. I know that this treatment has a bad press but that is mainly because of people who have abused the drug. Over the years several treatments that I have tried have been banned because of abuse and deaths. But there will always be drug abusers and I don't think that people who suffer from severe pain should be denied proper pain relief because of their actions. I would advise you to start with very low doses of whatever medication is prescribed, and increase the dose slowly. My inital prescription for Oxycontin was much too strong, and as I had stopped the morphine suddenly after 5 years I had withdrawal symptoms too. It was the most horrible experience imaginable, but the doctor could have advised me to diminish the morphine substantially before starting the new treatment with a minimum dose. I have a lot of respect for doctors, and have a good relationship with my GP, but sometimes they just don't THINK! They need to put themselves in our place, in constant pain, afraid of the progression of the illness, not knowing what the future holds for us. And we need help to just continue to live as normal a life as possible, without severe pain. I hope you find something that works for you in the near future. Good luck