Amino acids have nearly done away with my fibromyalgia

[mrstiggywinkle]

Specifically L-Arginine and L-Citrulline. After years of going to doctors and refusing to believe my problems had to do with fibromyalgia, I finally realized it was time to accept it and look for some relief.
I came across an article online about researchers finding that fibromyalgia patients had lower nitric oxide levels than non-fibromyalgics. So I looked online on how to raise nitric oxide levels.
The nonessential amino acids L Arginine and L Citrulline was the response. So then I searched for where to obtain these two amino acids. The Vitamin Shoppe in my town.
So I bought some, not because I had great hope it would work, but because I decided to leave no stone unturned.
Nothing happened until the third day, when I got up, and instead of heading for the sofa, decided to clean the kitchen.
Every day I just kept getting more energy and less pain and fibro fog.
It's been three months since I started taking the amino acids and I'm stunned, actually in disbelief, that it's working.
Let's get this straight, I still have fibromyalgia. But I feel 80% better, even more than that some days.
Friends and family say it's like Lazarus. I've risen from the dead.
I don't know why it works. All I know is that it works for me. Gone is the fibro fog. But after suffering from fibromyalgia for at least 10 years, I do feel as if it's caused some type of brain damage. There are many things, events, conversations that happened that I just don't remember.
So I am working on brain exercises. Maybe some connections are dead, but I'm determined to make new ones.
I'm taking 500 MG of L-Arginine and 1000 MG of L-Citrulline (free form) both from The Vitamin Shoppe in California. Because I don't feel completely rid of fibromyalgia symptoms, I am thinking about upping the dosages after six months.
If anyone else decides to try them, please post here as to whether they are effective for you. It's working for me. The question is, will it work for others?
For those wondering if I've told any of the doctors I went to, I haven't yet. Also waiting for the six-month mark. I should also say that none of the suggestions that I got from doctors about reducing fibromyalgia symptoms did any good. In fact, they were useless and actually made me feel worse. Unless a doctor has fibromyalgia, they have NO idea what's it's like to be told to exercise more even though you exercise as much as you can without falling down dead.
Looking forward to see if this helps anyone else...

 

[johnsalmon]

sorry but these two supplements may increase blood flow which has nothing to do with fibromyalgia - as they increase the blood flow then energy will increase (to a point) and brain fog may disappear due to that increased blood flow to the brain. It appears you diagnosed yourself with fibromyalgia - fibromyalgia has a lot more symptom then brain fog and tiredness you don't list the fibromyalgia symptoms you are experiencing especially the main one that all of us on this forum experience, Brain fog is not unique to fibromyalgia it is also found in Hashimoto's and a number of medical conditions

but if they appear to decrease your brain fog then by all means keep taking them but the body already produces these in the liver

 

[JayCS]

Hi mrstiggywinkle,

the amino acid GABA has helped me quite a bit, originally really well.
To find which amino acids will help us best, Trudy Scott's amino acid "questionnaire" (actually just symptom lists) can help, together with her long experience and that of others on her blog.
interesting that it's these two that were so effective for you, like steering straight for the 2 needles in the haystack. But I hear you've tried a lot of other things before, so not that straight.

Thanks for sharing your success. I don't get it yet, tho. For a start, nitric oxide has generally been found too high, and not too low, in fibromyalgia, causing oxidative stress, making antioxidants important to reduce it. Nitric oxide is important in the body, but the imbalance seems to be the other way round than you're saying. Antioxidants seem to regulate nitric oxide, as they are used to increase and to reduce it.
However your 2 amino acids actually increase nitric oxide, like you say, so would be wrong for fibro.
If it'd only be about nitric oxide there are of course many other foods and supps that can help with that, and I use many of them for their antioxidant effect and cos they improve blood flow. So I wouldn't know why precisely the two amino acids you're having success with will help others, and how we'd know.
Arginine is something I actually have a big tub of, but never used, after rechecking pros and cons. Pro: It's like johnsalmon says good for blood flow and reducing blood pressure, also it can inhibit mast cells, that's all be good for me. Teitelbaum recommended trying it for FM and CFS as one of his "200" suggestions. Con: On the other hand it is seldom recommended, has no evidence for fibro, and can increase heartburn/GERD etc., which is something I have to watch out for, incl. with my other amino acids (GABA, glutamine, theanine, carnitine and SAM-e). So I won't be trying it again.

There's loads other supps I'd recommend more than these for fibro.

I understood that you'd been officially diagnosed with fibro, but first didn't accept that diagnosis, and when you did, jumped on this nitric oxide track.
I'd be interested which research article it was that set you off, whether rightly or wrongly..., could you name the title, year and authors?

 

[mrstiggywinkle]

Dear John: Let's set the record straight: I was diagnosed by a regular MD who specializes in fibromyalgia. I followed the Guaifenesen protocol for two years with no improvement.
Let me list my symptoms so that you (and others) understand that brain fog was just ONE of my symptoms:
-Moderate to extreme fatigue: My daily life was spent determining what task was most important, be it a job assignment or cleaning the bathrooms. I only had so much energy so I had to prioritize. There were days I would just sit on the sofa. Making my bed was a victory.
- Sleep. I slept 10 hours a day, sometimes 12, and would not wake up feeling rested. But if I tried to sleep less, I would end up with a horrible headache. It would take at least an hour to fall asleep, but never a deep sleep.
- Pain. Pain. Pain. Let me count the ways. My lower back hurt all the time. I would wake up and go straight to the sofa to sit with the heating pad. If I did too much activity with my arms (one hour) I would end up with a horrible headache that sometimes kept me in bed for two days. Painkillers did not help.
My neck, back of the head and sides, and shoulders and arms hurt all the time. I was convinced I had another herniated cervical disc, but an MRI discarded that possibility. More X-rays and MRIs dismissed bone, muscle, tendon or ligament damage in the shoulders and arms.
- Exercise. My doctor would exhort me to "push myself" to increase my exercise level. I tried to walk or bicycle on a daily basis, but I could only do 20-30 minutes. I would start out feeling tired, feel even worse while walking or cycling and come home feeling worse than ever.
I do indeed have Hashimoto's thyroiditis, which is said to be more common amongst those with fibromyalgia. When my thyroid hormones levels were out of whack, I felt even worse. Once they were back in the normal range, I only felt LESS WORSE.
Remember that a fibromyalgia diagnosis is considered a differential diagnosis. You keep testing for stuff until they run out of other possible diagnoses.
I've seen multiple doctors of different specialties, hoping that my problems were not due to fibromyalgia.
I never believed in taking vitamin or other supplements, except for vitamin D3. As far as I was concerned, everything else was just a waste of money.
I decided to try these amino acids out of desperation.
And again, I don't feel that I am "cured." But my assessment is that I'm 80 percent better. That's why I'm sharing my story. Maybe amino acids will help others as well.

 

[mrstiggywinkle]

For JayCS: I didn't make a copy of the article, but I found it under the National Institutes of Health. It said nitric oxide levels were LOW in fibromyalgics. I have since found articles saying that those levels are too HIGH as you pointed out.
I can't explain why these amino acids work for me. I do think that fibromyalgia may very well be a dumping ground for people who have similar symptoms but due to different causes.
At this point, all I care about is that it works.

 

[JayCS]

dumping ground for people who have similar symptoms but due to different causes.
At this point, all I care about is that it works.

Fully agreed. Dumping ground may appear a bit harsh, but fits completely to there not being good normal medical help... I've saved your experience in case I ever feel like trying it. After having 40 supps that do help a lot, I still have "no" energy. Methylene blue was the last thing I tried, being hyped a bit, but it seemed to harm rather than help and I'm in a real hairy situation at the moment where any trial is a high risk.

 

[johnsalmon]

if they lessen the brain fog and widen the blood vessels to put more oxidated blood into the muscles then keep taking them keeping in mind the side effects and any problems from long term use. However I do not believe that decrease all the symptoms . There is no research that shows the if you have hashimoto then you may get fibromyalgia etc I have COPD and hashimoto but there is no link and I would expect if you took a survey many Fibromyalgia sufferers would have COPD I would assume that many older fibromyalgia suffers may also have essential tremor but there is no scientific link between them.

if these supplements work for you then keep using them but they might have contradictions with medicines that others are prescribed
.

 

[Sister50]

I'm really glad to hear you found some relief, and you shared it with us. It gives me some hope that there's something out there that may help. You're right that anything that makes you feel LESS WORSE is a good thing.

 

[Nan]

Hi I am going to look into your products. Would be lovely to feel well again. Nan

 

[mrstiggywinkle]

Hi Nan, let us knows if it helps, and to what extent...

 

[ayassresearch]

It's important to note that while L-Arginine and L-Citrulline may relieve fibromyalgia symptoms, individual responses to supplements can vary.

 

[sunkacola]

It's important to note that while L-Arginine and L-Citrulline may relieve fibromyalgia symptoms, individual responses to supplements can vary.

As we all know, this is true of every and any thing that is a potential treatment for fibromyalgia.

 

[Sharkman]

I’m seeing some great results with Himalayan Shilajit.

 

[JayCS]

Himalayan Shilajit

Good! An strangely impossible to define substance said to be useful for many symptoms: energy, pain, inflammation, antioxidant, IBS, "immobility", anxiety and lipids... 3-4 week stints, then 10 days without. I had to take it at night to not conflict with all my many other supps.
I tried it as "mumijo", but it didn't do anything. Hope it does more for you.

 

[Nan]

Hi I decided not to try because of my other meds I’m already taking. Have you tried it? Nan x