We did not have any luck with medical treatment. We saw about ten or more doctors, and tried a number of medications along with biofeedback, cbt, counselling, sleep medicine referral, etc.
We have had significant improvement using supplements. I wrote a post under alternative therapies "what worked for me". I wish you the best of luck. Most Fibro patients have to do it on our own. The medical community doesn't really have an effective treatment at this time. You are not likely to see much significant improvement from medication, and you will have side effects, and it's possible that it could make you worse, if you are not a good detox-er, because it is strain on the body to eliminate those medications from you system after you take them.
If you have not been tested for MTHFR, you should get that done. You may need L-5-MTHF, and you may need to avoid folic acid. Many people with fibro have the MTHFR genetic mutation. It can cause risks in pregnancy as well. Finding out about the MTHFR is one of the few contributions from the medical community, although I had to find out about it and ask about it, myself, in order to get tested.
I strongly recommend a strong magnesium supplement such as Natural Calm, daily dosing with at least 5,000 iu of vit D3, Twinlabs Stress B vits, several fish or krill oil caps a day, co Q10, acetyl L carnitine and B12 patches and/or Active B12 lozenges. That's a good place to get started. If you start feeling sick, take up to 50,000 iu of D3 daily for up to a week. I also suggest taking MSM daily. We get a big jug of powder and add it to our tea, but there are pills if you don't like the bitter taste. Also, malic acid. Be aware -- most multi-vitamins don't work very well, if at all. This sounds like a lot, but it can make a real difference.
Also, try focusing on whole foods, fresh foods (Not packaged or ready to eat). Read ingredients, and try to avoid corn syrup and additives. Many people feel better after eliminating ALL gluten for at least two weeks. Any exposure, however, will set off the immune reaction, so you have to be very careful. This can be very hard, in our modern lifestyle, and it is a skill to be learned. It is best done gradually, learning new foods to eat, and what to avoid, making slow changes over time to your diet. Also -- try digestive enzymes. There are specific ones for gluten.
Fibro is an immune disease, and gluten is an immune stressor, and also casein (dairy, because cows eat wheat). Consider other immune stressors as well -- mold, animals, pollen, dust. Air cleaners can be helpful. Nasal filters can be helpful. Nasal rinse can be helpful. Eliminating carpet. Getting dustmite covers on the bed and pillows. Switching to natural bath products. The less assault on your immune system, the better chance you have of reducing the overactive immune response.
I wish you the best of luck.
