Hi fellow sufferers.

[spikeanderson19]

Diagnosed by two different MDs October 2018, and managing not too badly I guess, though fog and short-term memory loss is annoying. Sleep loss a serious issue, as is awful left wrist/hand pain and lower back, complicated by multiple disc bulges and herniations (ugh). Wondering if I'm the only one who's been put on a proverbial cocktail of Rx's: Meloxicam 15mg (with Rabeprazole first so I don't get ulcers), Gabapentin 400mg 3x daily, and Cymbalta 60 mg (he wants to up it to 90mg!). I love this doc, but he keeps upping dosages, and I've never had liver enzymes (supposedly good idea with Cymbalta). I want to wean off at least one, not continue increasing! Would love to talk with anyone with similar Rx's if any. Good health to all here - Mike.

 

[Affinity]

Hi Mike and welcome,

I am glad to hear you are managing well enough. I tried gabapentin but it made my brain fog worse and so I am not currently on any meds to help manage things. But I am curious because I am considering medication, something like cymbalta. Right now I manage my symptoms through getting enough sleep, regular exercise, meditation and really just being as kind and patient with myself as I can.

 

[sunkacola]

Taking a lot of medications is not really the best approach to this thing in my opinion. As FM is systemic, you have to treat the whole body, not just suppress pain. In the long run pain suppressors will not help you and you may end up needing more and more of them. Read the post I made for newcomers, and see if any of those things start helping you, instead. Feel free to ask questions if you have any. We are here to help.

My advice for managing fibromyalgia (especially for newcomers)

I am not a doctor or anything, just a person who has lived with fibromyalgia for several years now and has done a lot of research and trial and error experimentation. What follows is just basics. There are a lot of variations. You will find your own versions of everything I say, as this is not a...

www.fibromyalgiaforums.org

 

[spikeanderson19]

Thank you both for the warm welcome, I really appreciate it. Honestly I would love to get off both meloxicam (isn't long-term NSAID use bad for your heart?) and Gabapentin. It's at the point where we have to budget for my meds. I'd like to keep on Cymbalta (though not necessarily increase dose) because of lifelong largely untreated depression and anxiety. I have to say my mood has brightened a LOT since starting it.

I've started physio for low back and am really happy with it so far, and am being more mindful about things like phone and computer use, as I know they contribute to long-term RSIs that are made much worse by fibro. @sunkacola, what you say rings true, great post. In our society we are far too likely to let docs handle everything and not take responsibility for our own health. I learned years ago that MDs are human beings, not gods, and we should speak to them as equals and develop an open relationship with them, or risk becoming guinea pigs.

Looking forward to participating more!
best regards, Mike.

 

[TopKat]

Spikeanderson19; I am on Gabapentin and Cymbalta. Cymbalta has the WORST gastrointestinal side effects ever for me! I am really wanting to find out from my doctor if there is another option. I am thankful to hear it helps you. I search Everyday for answers for my pain. Yoga has helped a lot but for about the last three weeks I have Been in a terrible state physically. Anyone else out there experience any flare ups that last this long.

 

[spikeanderson19]

@TopKat - just quickly as I’m getting my day rolling, gabapentin is the one I really want to get off most of all myself, because for several weeks now I’ve been experiencing really bad constipation, and my doc tells me that’s probably the cars cause. I don’t know if there’s a substitute, but I have a phone appointment with him this morning and I’m going to be pretty insistent about weaning off of it. Good luck to you and best wishes-
Mike.

 

[spikeanderson19]

Sorry - the cause, not "cars"! iPhone voice to text.

 

[Affinity]

@TopKat - just quickly as I’m getting my day rolling, gabapentin is the one I really want to get off most of all myself, because for several weeks now I’ve been experiencing really bad constipation, and my doc tells me that’s probably the cars cause. I don’t know if there’s a substitute, but I have a phone appointment with him this morning and I’m going to be pretty insistent about weaning off of it. Good luck to you and best wishes-
Mike.

My current flare up has been about 6 weeks. I had one good day earlier this week and I think that it might be starting to lift but today I am feeling pretty rough again.

I appreciate the info on Cymbalta, it is something I am considering but not really very excited about trying, to be honest.

 

[spikeanderson19]

@Affinity - regarding Cymbalta or any SSRI, I’m sure it’s different for everyone, but on first taking it (and I’ve tried Paxil as well in the past with the same result) you are likely to feel things like fogginess and some nausea. It really bugged me that I was going through it again for something that I really genuinely felt might address my depression and anxiety, so I tried something new: I took it at bedtime instead of the beginning of the day. Guess what? – none of those symptoms at all. It didn’t affect my sleep either; if anything, I was sleeping better. A little hint your doctor probably won’t know.

 

[Affinity]

@Affinity - regarding Cymbalta or any SSRI, I’m sure it’s different for everyone, but on first taking it (and I’ve tried Paxil as well in the past with the same result) you are likely to feel things like fogginess and some nausea. It really bugged me that I was going through it again for something that I really genuinely felt might address my depression and anxiety, so I tried something new: I took it at bedtime instead of the beginning of the day. Guess what? – none of those symptoms at all. It didn’t affect my sleep either; if anything, I was sleeping better. A little hint your doctor probably won’t know.

That's really interesting how taking it at night helps you so much! I hesitate to take any antidepressants due to bad results in the past with them but I feel like I need to consider all options.

 

[sunkacola]

Sometimes taking the right antidepressant can help. The only medication I take daily is anti-depressant and anti-anxiety. It doesn't directly help the pain, of course, but it does help to manage my stress and anxiety level, which in turn helps the fibro not to be bad quite as often. This only works if you have a depression or anxiety disorder, of course. Otherwise you are taking medication you don't need and not only will it probably not help but it may do harm to your system, so do be careful with this and make sure you and your doctor assess whether or not you are a person who needs this.

I would also say try other ways of reducing your stress first, and only take a medication if they don't help enough. But give the other ways a good try, like for a month. Just a few days or a week won't tell you anything.