Does medication help

[glasgogirl]

Hi everyone. Im new here. I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia/chronic fatigue 2 years ago. Im 56, but feel I've had symptoms since my 20's
I was prescribed duloxetine (cymbalta) 30mg. They worked for a short time. I then went to a private neurologist as I thought there was something
being missed. He confirmed fibromyalgia diagnosis and doubled my duloxetine to 60mg. Again this worked for a while. I've recently had multiple
Flare ups. The aching burning pain is bad, but I've just experienced fatigue like I've never known...it was painful to keep my eyes open, I couldn't function.
I work full time and found it quite scary. I had to go home. I'm now scared of that feeling coming back. It only lasted a day.
My question to you all is does medication work. I'm not willing to keep upping the dose. I was thinking of stopping them altogether. Can anyone recommend
some kind of self help.
Thank-you in advance xx

 

[BlueBells]

@glasgogirl
Welcome to the forums

Please browse the various threads, and you will find you are in good company here.

I'm fortunate, not on any medications yet, but I think most are, so as they come online, they are sure to offer their experiences.

The most important thing for you to do now is to participate in conversations, this is a very friendly and supportive site, and by talking, that's how we all help and support each other.

Again, Welcome

 

[Ian waxman]

Hi everyone. Im new here. I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia/chronic fatigue 2 years ago. Im 56, but feel I've had symptoms since my 20's
I was prescribed duloxetine (cymbalta) 30mg. They worked for a short time. I then went to a private neurologist as I thought there was something
being missed. He confirmed fibromyalgia diagnosis and doubled my duloxetine to 60mg. Again this worked for a while. I've recently had multiple
Flare ups. The aching burning pain is bad, but I've just experienced fatigue like I've never known...it was painful to keep my eyes open, I couldn't function.
I work full time and found it quite scary. I had to go home. I'm now scared of that feeling coming back. It only lasted a day.
My question to you all is does medication work. I'm not willing to keep upping the dose. I was thinking of stopping them altogether. Can anyone recommend
some kind of self help.
Thank-you in advance xx

I’ve had fybromyalgia for 25 years and took every medication under the sun.currently on reletrans 40mg and tramadol.citalopram and diazepam.ive been in agony head to toe,sickness,violent headaches everyday,everything that fybro gives u.been to pain clinic and that was useless just told me to stop the reletrans.i feel the same as day 1 when I started.i wish I had gone down the herbal route and sauna,anything with heat.medication is a complete waste of time.u get on it want more and then go through hell coming off it.i tried with reletrans and I could have laid on the train tracks it was hell.try herbal,vitamins,heat and going out for walks,anything that takes your mind off it.i hope you find the right route but I wouldn’t recommend pain killers.it messes you up.take care and keep us informed

 

[JamieMarc]

Well, I was prescribed duloxetine at one point for MDD, not fibromyalgia, but I can tell you that it did nothing to help with my fibromyalgia. Not everyone will tell you the same thing. I believe that some people have been helped by duloxetine, but it seems to me I read more posts about people who were not helped at All by it.

Yes, medications can help. There are many other options to help manage fibromyalgia other than duloxetine. Ultimately, with any drug, give it a few months, and if the adverse side effects outweigh the benefits, work with your doctor to titrate off of it. And then if you wish try something else. Mostly it's a matter of trial and error.

Personally, I am currently taking Tramadol and Gabapentin to help with my fibromyalgia symptoms. Be warned that Tramadol is an opioid and can be addictive. Opioids are often prescribed, there are many opioids, and everyone of them can be addictive. Most importantly, don't ever rely solely upon medication. I know you said you've had fibromyalgia for a long time, so I don't want to offend you, but it must be said that homeopathic, self-help treatments and assistive aids are the most effective and the most important in my own toolkit. Movement, exercise, activity, stretches. These things I find to be more helpful than any medication.

Speak with your doctor and discuss other medication options if the duloxetine is not helping and you have given it a good go. Some examples might include Lyrica, Gabapentin, LDN, muscle relaxants or other antidepressants like duloxetine.

I wish you all the best and keep us updated.

 

[SBee]

at the moment I'm not on any meds for my fibromyalgia. I have other pain which may be from rheumatoid arthritis ( seeing a rheumatologist next week) so my plan is to get the arthritis ( if that's proven ) under a level of control with meds and see what pain and symptoms I a m left
with fibro wise.

Reading on here I am wary of taking stuff that it seems can work for a while then need constantly upping when their effectiveness lessens.

But, saying that we are all so individual and what works for one may not for another. I'm not saying I will never take meds in the future. Everything has a side affect but it symptoms need better control it for a quality of life, then it's something I would consider.

 

[a gentle voice]

I developed Fibromyalgia in Jan 2023. I saw a general doctor who gave me Gabapentin to try. He didn't diagnose me with Fibromyalgia or anything yet, but he suggest I try it to see if my symptoms were nerve-related. I said OK. Gabapentin improved my back pain but did nothing else for the rest of my body. It made me feel sleepy and helped me sleep faster but It caused me to oversleep, which just worsened my symptoms. I got off it after 2 months on it. The withdrawal symptoms were terrible and my body just kept getting worse and worse until:

I saw a neurologist and got my Fibromyalgia diagnosis in September 2023. He started me off with 30 mg of Cymbalta which immediately helped, even though it messed with my sleep for the first 2-3 weeks. My dose was increased to 60 mg after a month on Cymbalta and that too affected my sleep a bit for a couple weeks but then helped a lot after. I've been on Cymbalta ever since, and it significantly eased my pain symptoms, helped me sleep better, and improved my mood. I was still struggling to attain deep sleep without interruptions, so I started drinking spearmint tea nightly 30 mins-1 hour before taking Cymbalta and my sleep was deeper and better. I found that combo super helpful.

 

[JamieMarc]

I developed Fibromyalgia in Jan 2023. I saw a general doctor who gave me Gabapentin to try. He didn't diagnose me with Fibromyalgia or anything yet, but he suggest I try it to see if my symptoms were nerve-related. I said OK. Gabapentin improved my back pain but did nothing else for the rest of my body. It made me feel sleepy and helped me sleep faster but It caused me to oversleep, which just worsened my symptoms. I got off it after 2 months on it. The withdrawal symptoms were terrible and my body just kept getting worse and worse until:

I saw a neurologist and got my Fibromyalgia diagnosis in September 2023. He started me off with 30 mg of Cymbalta which immediately helped, even though it messed with my sleep for the first 2-3 weeks. My dose was increased to 60 mg after a month on Cymbalta and that too affected my sleep a bit for a couple weeks but then helped a lot after. I've been on Cymbalta ever since, and it significantly eased my pain symptoms, helped me sleep better, and improved my mood. I was still struggling to attain deep sleep without interruptions, so I started drinking spearmint tea nightly 30 mins-1 hour before taking Cymbalta and my sleep was deeper and better. I found that combo super helpful.

I'm glad to hear that cymbalta has helped you.

 

[ciubaTrader]

Dealing with fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue can be tough. Medication works differently for everyone. Alongside meds, try things like gentle exercise, diet changes, or alternative therapies.

 

[SweetWithSour]

My question to you all is does medication work

Welcome to The forum! I'm sorry to hear you have been getting more flares and the extreme fatigue.

Everyone is different when it comes to meds, what meds do and don't work, and even the dose of the med. I tried ALL kinds of meds, both on and mostly off label. I had never found on for me that worked. I however metabolize medication differently. Some I'm super sensitive to, some don't work at all. For my fibromyalgia pain: moving, stretching, guided meditation, acupuncture, breathing, and distraction have been my most successful tools. Heat also helps me.

Again, welcome to the group!