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Some medications that are currently being used to help treat Fibromyalgia are Lyrica, Cymbalta and Savella. I have used Lyrica (gained weight, helped me sleep a bit more and it worked somewhat), Cymbalta (gave me horrible headaches and nausea and had to stop taking it) and a few others. Now I am on to trying Savella. It has only been 3 weeks so far. It seems to lessen pain a little and helps me to function a little more, but it's too early to tell if it's really helping or not. I have to just cross my fingers and hope...and wait.
Prescription Medications for Fibromyalgia: Lyrica, Cymbalta, Savella, and Off-Label Remedies - New Solutions for Fibromyalgia - Health.com
Seeded on Wed Aug 18, 2010 7:09 PM EDT
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- Public Discussion (16)
I have fibromyalgia. I have tried Lyrica, but, never could reach a clinical dosage level, which I believe is around 4 tablets a day (can't remember the mg of each tablet). Lyrica was just too sedating. As fellow fibromyalgia sufferers know, chronic fatigue is commonly a symptom of this disorder. It seemed silly for me to keep taking medication that only made the symptoms worse. I find that therapeutic massage, by a massage therapist who specializes in fibro patients, and exercise are most effective in relieving the symptoms of fibro.
- 3 votes
#3 - Sun Aug 22, 2010 6:25 PM EDTHi Littlereddog. Lyrica did help lessen the pain a bit and it did help me sleep a little. For me, it was a good thing because I have horrible insomnia and do not get more than 4 hours of sleep, if I'm lucky, and I wake up a trillion times during the course, so I really don't sleep at all. It's an endless, vicious cycle. Exercise can help a bit, although I hurt so much it's hard to do. I have Fibro severely and a few other medical problems that compound it, so pain is a major issue for me. I do find that massage does help to lessen the pain but I really can't afford it right now. Heat and massage do relieve the tension and help loosen the muscles, so I'm a fan of them. I buy these heating pads called Thermacare and it does relax the muscles for me. Currently, I'm trying out Savella right now, but I'm not sure about it yet. I will be posting on Fibro friends about it as time progresses, but I may go back to Lyrica. Only time will tell... In the meantime, I am wishing you a less painful day. :)
- 2 votes
#4 - Sun Aug 22, 2010 6:54 PM EDTI know that it's a huge undertaking to get up the energy to exercise, but, I make myself do it. I also have arthritis and two degenerated disks in my back, so most of my exercise involves walking and biking. And I hear you about the sleep deprivation. I read in one of my books on FMS that patients with this disorder never reach a deep sleep state. The deepest sleep reached by the typical FMS sufferer is REM (dream stage) sleep. A person will never truly feel refreshed after a night's sleep without the rejuvenating deeper sleep stage. I haven't felt awake and refreshed after a night's sleep in many years. That's why we walk around in various levels of fibrofog. As for the pain, after years of FMS, I have learned to treat it something like "white noise". It's always there and after awhile I learn to tune it out, like it's normal. (of course there are still those days where I feel like I've got knives stuck in my fibro firing points, and I haven't perfected ignoring those!) After so many years of constant pain, I've had to learn to accept it and try to ignore it, lest it take over every day of my life - something I refuse to let it do. I'm stubborn like that! :)
- 1 vote
I take Cymbalta and Trazadone (for this and other conditions) and it really helps overall, but when I have a flare, it seems like there is nothing to be done. The catch-22 thing is just that. Exercise helps, but the pain can prevent it. Yoga/stretching. Heat. I'm having a flare now for the first time in awhile. Miserable. I just do what I can when I can and try to do the "it is what it is" mantra.
- 2 votes
#5 - Mon Aug 23, 2010 12:10 AM EDTI feel for you neenie. I understand completely. I couldn't take Cymbalta (too many side effects for me), so now I'm trying Savella. I tried Trazadone and it didn't help me sleep, believe it or not! Now I take something else for sleep. Trust me, I've tried it all! And when I'm flared up, nothing can be done either. I have to just deal and hurt and make do with what I have, but it stinks! Stretching and heat helps me a bit too, but not enough. I'm sorry you're flared up right now. I feel like a walking flare, so I feel your pain. It amazes me how each person's journey can be so different. I know women (and a few men) who are in wheelchairs and don't get around much anymore and I've met a few that say it's not a huge factor. I suspect some may be mis-diagnosed or have something else because Fibro certainly is very real and very difficult and I know what happened to me and I was a very young, healthy and fit former cheerleader and it took me down to the ground. I am not at all the girl I was. It's not "in my head" or "not that bad". It's very bad and I hate it and hate that other people suffer too. But, just like you said, I also live by the "it is what it is" motto. It's a running joke with me, my friend and my mother. We all live by that saying. Well, I would love to compare notes with you also and feel free to share your experiences on the group site too, if you would like to. You have my support anytime you need it...
- 2 votes
Boy, you sound like me! I have a form of arthritis and 2 herniated disks in my neck/back and they suspect I have spinal disk disease. It sounds like we have some (unfortunate) things in common! Yes, exercise is good, but I can only walk or swim. Even that is difficult but anything more, forget it! Fibro sufferers do not reach stage 4 REM sleep, so our muscles/tissue never get a chance to repair themselves. I have read so much on the sleep stages and Fibro patients definitely have sleep abnormalities and some studies were done that also prove Fibro patients have loss of grey matter in their brains. I think Fibro is a spinal cord and brain problem and suspect it will be figured out in the near future. I have met many, many people with Fibromyalgia and everyone is different and has varying degrees of issues. Some can function relatively well, others not at all. I guess I'm in the middle, but more and more it's taking over my life. I try really hard not to let it, but it's just progressing that way. Some of my other medical problems flare up the Fibro and it's just the way it is. I try to be happy and smile every day but have to admit I am one of the Fibro sufferers whose life is ruled by pain. I wish it wasn't the case, but no matter what I've tried (and I've tried it all, almost) my pain is very severe and it took the life I knew away from me. I've learned to try to accept it, but I don't want to. I hope everyday that I can get my old life back. And maybe one day I will. But yes, I'm a little stubborn too and I try to be grateful for what I do have and I do the best that I can. That's all you can do, right? I'm glad your Fibro journey isn't taking over your life. I suppose I can't say the same for me because right now it is ruling my days, although summer is the worst time for me and I tend to do better when it cools down. I should be a little more active in the next coming weeks, as the weather gets cooler. I look forward to taking my walks at night and getting out more because in the summer, the heat causes me a lot of discomfort and flares me up more. So do rainy days and extreme cold, but I find the extreme heat to be the worst for me. The next few months coming up should be a little better for me, so I'm looking forward to them. Plus I love the holidays and I refuse to let pain ruin them. Well, it sounds as though we have some things in common and I look forward to comparing notes and chatting. It's nice to have you in the Fibromyalgia group. Thanks for joining and keep in touch! :)
- 3 votes
#6 - Mon Aug 23, 2010 12:21 AM EDTSummer is the worst. It seems counter-intuitive but it's awful. I get flak about it because I use heat for relief but hot weather kills. Fall is the best. Then you have to be careful about overdoing because you feel better and don't want to throw yourself into bed for days. Pacing myself is hard. I fall quite a bit. I don't know if other people do. My hips and knees will just collapse. I also have numbness sometimes in my legs and arms/hands. I'm a mess. :)
- 1 vote
Rainy weather, humidity and extreme cold really set my symptoms off! My husband and I travelled to Santa Fe last year for an anniversary trip and I found that a lot of my pain was relieved there with the dryness of the climate. I'm not sure if it was the FMS or the arthritis that was affected, but, all I know is that I felt much better after being down there for a bit. Now, we're seriously considering moving there for at least part of the year as retirement looms. I even sleep better down there!
One thing that hasn't been touched on is the depression caused by FMS. I know that you, dear Neenie suffer from it, as well as I do. And I, too, have the peripheral neuropathy (numbness in the extremities). I remember years ago when doctors didn't know what to do with FMS patients, they saw the disorder as psychiatric - probably because FMS effects far more women than men, and God knows women are so damn crazy and hysterical when it comes to pain! LOL! Then, the powers that be decided that FMS belonged in the realm of rheumatology. I was diagnosed by a rheumatologist, who put me on Zoloft - which amazingly helped my symptoms for about 2 years until all of the side effects outweighed its effectiveness. Now, FMS is becoming the realm of the neurologist, where I think it should have been in the first place. My husband is a physician. He is convinced that FMS is a neurological disorder - something going wrong in the nerve synapses that cause nerve tissue to misfire or over react to stimuli.
Have a great, not so owie day, Jerseygirl, Holly and Neenie! ♥
- 1 vote
Neenie and JerseyGirl-
I am so sorry you are both flaring up right now. Mine flares up if I've been on my feet for hours at a time or have done moderate exercise. Has anyone tried Traumeel tablets for effectiveness? I was thinking about trying it but haven't had the guts to yet.
- 1 vote
#7 - Mon Aug 23, 2010 12:52 PM EDTHey all! Just reading your posts has my jaw hanging! Over and over I keep thinking, that's me, I have falling spells, I don't sleep well, I've tried cymbalta (made me edgy). I have NO confirmed dx but I don't need to be, I hurt. Now, the depression. I take 200 mg of zoloft daily and it seems to keep me out of the dark, although still gloomy at times. The very best thing I have discovered is smoking cannabis. It just seems to make my day a lot brighter. While I realize this is illegal, it is so worth the risk for me that I am willing to do this. It is simply a matter of time before "they" will legalize it, I am just pre-empting the tide. I feel SO strongly about this issue that I am willing to suffer the consequences. I am not recommending this to anyone, simply trying to make the point that of all the studies done, and there are many, I've not seen any correlation with mental health. THC has helped my spirit better than any anti-depressant I've ever taken, and I've tried ALOT of them. This method of "hit or miss" with antidepressants is so mid-evil and probably the reason so many people refuse to go beyond the first attempt. I go to such dark places that I didn't have a choice but to go through the horrors of "trial and error". So while the zoloft doesn't give me sunshine, it does keep me out of the cave. Cannabis brings the sun out for me.
Oh, I've about dribbled enough for now. I'd be interested if anyone has an experience similar to mine.
- 1 vote
#8 - Sun Aug 29, 2010 10:18 AM EDTGaynel, this article was on my tracker, but didn't notice until tonight. Sorry I missed the chance to comment when you wrote your story. I will contact you and hope we can discuss this further. Stay well, my friend. :)
- 1 vote
Jerseygirl,
Things seem to heve been remiss aroung the vine for a little while, yesterday I could not paticipate at all, no posts, no comments, no articles, except the one I DID finally manage to get on, without comments I might add.
How have you been? I've really been struggling with this cold weather settling in, yea, in my bones!
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