Fibromyalgia

crutches

50mg tramadol x4
+(30+500mg) co-codamal x4
+2000mg evening primrose
is a base with
double up on a bad day
+ robaxin 200mgx6
+ibruprofen 500mg x8
if necessary.
plus dulcolax every night.!;)


HTH

crutches

TOBRUK my CFS clinic believe that they are the same thing but my rheumatologist differs!;)My GP puts Fibro as the primary diagnosis and CFS as secondary on forms

Hope that helps!

TOBRUK

septemberblues wrote: »

I've been to a pain clinic, and they reckon you should keep taking a steady stream of painkillers, rather than waiting until you are in agony and then taking the pills (which is what I do). I always worry that the painkillers won't work if I keep taking them continuously, and then the hunt is on for a new painkiller that works.

So what painkillers work for you all?

I have prescription co-codamol - although I have tried not taking them unless I have to, I have found that it is better/more effective to take them continuously rather than wait until you are in agony.

I have Pregabalin (for neuropathic pain) highest dose (600g a day) which is really effective and when I take the 200g at night together with the co-codamol, it eases my pain enough to lie in bed and get some sleep. These are so helpful. When I get up in the morning and can hardly move with pain, a while after taking these I can feel the relief!

I have Baclofen which helps relax muscles, relieves muscle spasms and improves mobility.

I also have stomach problems and take Maxolon and Lanzoprazole.

Unity

somebody_else wrote: »

Speaking from umpteen years experience with the pain, I would suggest that for someone who is in almost constant pain it's better to take regular pain relief to keep it under control rather than waiting 'til you're in agony with it before taking any.

I tend to find that the first dose of the day does little more than stop the pain getting any worse, the second dose is more likely to reduce the pain levels, and I've found I'm less likely to have to get up to take pain relief at night if I take a dose when I go to bed "whether I need it or not" sort of thing. This regime gives me a bit of leeway for an extra dose during the day if I'm doing something that is going to increase the pain. Of course, all this depends on what pain relief you're on.

I hope you're in less pain tomorrow.

Hi somebody_else, I was told this at the pain clinic too, but since I worry about the toxicity of meds and I'd like to hope my liver will be with me for a long while , I take Milk Thistle as a supplement to try and help it along.

bigzippy wrote: »

I remembered what it was... about the painkillers... I've been told a few times that I should take a steady stream of painkillers rather than waiting for the worst pain and then giving in... but I get to the point where I'm so sick of popping pills all the time, and searching for fresh boxes of pills, asking for more from GP continually, waiting in chemists etc etc etc that I can't be bothered.

Does anyone else feel like that?

Hi bigzippy, I used to feel this way - it wasn't helped my my then GP having me on a 50% overdose of Tramadol every day - for the whole of the final year of my degree either :eek:. No wonder some lecturers wrote things like "This student has a very laid back approach" on feedback sheets :rotfl:.

When I was put on Durogesic patches my life changed quite radically - at last I had found something to take the edge off the pain and it only involved changing the patches every 72 hours. However the high dosage meant I really felt that the brain fog had turned to cotton wool and I couldn't escape it.

I have managed over the years to get the dosage down by half which I consider a major step in the right direction for me - plus Paracetamol works with the morphine to prolong it's effective life.

I hope you and everyone on here finds something that works for you as that's the important thing. We may well all suffer from the same condition, but we are all individuals and what works for one may not work for another

---

now if only the medical profession could see it that way :rolleyes: .

These days I have a great GP, really well informed and always willing to help. He likes to see me every four to six weeks to keep a check on everything including my BP which inexplicably shot from 70/90 to 150/100. With his help and the PC doc that does the spinal injections - I feel like I'm coping for once and I'm sure the Prozac helps with this too .

Have a good one :T

Unity

Hi All,

I just wondered if anyone has found any health supplements helpful?

These days I find I'm taking more supplements than conventional meds and for me the following cocktail seems to work. I get most of them from Savers, or The Health Rack, although some do have to come from the US.

Multi-vitamins and minerals, Vit B Complex, Milk Thistle, CoQ10, Gingko Biloba, Glucosamine, Omega 3 fish oils, Aloe Vera caps (for IBS) and Bilberry extract - recommended by the eye hospital as my pressures aren't right, so I have yearly checks (Glaucoma in the family). There may be more - but they're what I use on a daily basis. I can certainly tell if I run out of Glucosamine and fish oils as my joints kick up a fuss .

Love,
Unity

somebody_else

Unity wrote: »

Hi somebody_else, I was told this at the pain clinic too, but since I worry about the toxicity of meds and I'd like to hope my liver will be with me for a long while , I take Milk Thistle as a supplement to try and help it along.

It used to worry me a bit in the past (seemed to worry my mother more), but since I've been referred to a Rheumatologist who can be arsed to see me I have regular liver function tests which shows that in that respect (at least) everything is fine.

There was some research done some time ago that showed a person in moderate to severe pain can tolerate much higher doses of pain relief (without doing any damage to the vital organs) than someone who's not in pain. Can't remember where I came across it though.

Unity

somebody_else wrote: »

It used to worry me a bit in the past (seemed to worry my mother more), but since I've been referred to a Rheumatologist who can be arsed to see me I have regular liver function tests which shows that in that respect (at least) everything is fine.

There was some research done some time ago that showed a person in moderate to severe pain can tolerate much higher doses of pain relief (without doing any damage to the vital organs) than someone who's not in pain. Can't remember where I came across it though.

My GP regularly gets a full panel of bloods done (we call him the 'Vampire':D) and always includes a liver function test. I think the Milk Thistle is just a sort of belt and braces thing - plus I always have that awful rib pain on the right side.

Are you affected by the weather? Over the years I've heard a lot of people with fibro say this. I can always tell when we are in for a damp spell, but that may just be down to the arthritis. :rolleyes:

Have a good day. DH is taking me to see Quantum of Solace, while it is quiet. Then it means when I have to get up and move about a bit to ease things, I won't be disturbing anyone .

bigzippy

Unity wrote: »

I think the Milk Thistle is just a sort of belt and braces thing - plus I always have that awful rib pain on the right side.

Are you affected by the weather? Over the years I've heard a lot of people with fibro say this. I can always tell when we are in for a damp spell, but that may just be down to the arthritis. :rolleyes:

I have "that awful rib pain" but mine's on the left hand side - I call it the spleen pain (because it's roughly where the spleen is and there technically isn't any actual ribs where I get it worse, and because when the pain there was the worst they were checking for an enlarged spleen and lymph nodes) -I told my GP about my "spleen pain" and then kind of corrected myself - but he said that "spleen pain" was fine cos it was an accurate description of where it was lol :rotfl: Made me chuckle anyway.

As for the fibro & weather, I have a few... I damaged my knee in my teens and that's never happy when the temp starts dropping, then there's the wrists (which is v similar to carpal tunnel syndrome -only I wasn't doing anything repetitive so they called it tendonitis til fibro got mentioned years later :rolleyes:) and I end up with tubagrips on my wrists to keep them warm (and I think it's supposed to improve circulation in them somehow).

I think I may've gone off on a tangent now... :rolleyes: but while I'm out there somewhere - does/has anyone else suffered from the kind of shin splints type pains? I've always had this recurring - like a massively awful bout of "growing pains" in my legs that I used to describe as cramp in my bones. At first they thought it was just growing pains, but it had me rolling round the floor in agony even in my teens. Mum took me to the GP who said it was likely cramping caused by low salt in my diet (yeah right! ) and low quinine - so I was forced to drink bitter lemon (bleurgh!). Looking back I'm almost certain it's all to do with the fibro as I still get it now. My GP gave me loads of crepe bandages at the time to wrap around my legs when they were painful - to aid circulation and keep them warmer - which does actually help to a point. Maybe someone will find that little nugget helpful...?

bigzippy

Unity wrote: »

Hi All,

I just wondered if anyone has found any health supplements helpful?

These days I find I'm taking more supplements than conventional meds and for me the following cocktail seems to work. I get most of them from Savers, or The Health Rack, although some do have to come from the US.

Multi-vitamins and minerals, Vit B Complex, Milk Thistle, CoQ10, Gingko Biloba, Glucosamine, Omega 3 fish oils, Aloe Vera caps (for IBS) and Bilberry extract - recommended by the eye hospital as my pressures aren't right, so I have yearly checks (Glaucoma in the family). There may be more - but they're what I use on a daily basis. I can certainly tell if I run out of Glucosamine and fish oils as my joints kick up a fuss .

Love,
Unity

Hi Unity - my ex is still a very good friend of mine and works in/runs a health food shop locally. He can and has come up with a massive list of things for ME and for Fibro - I'm really naughty and haven't taken him up on this advice - largely because I know how expensive all the supplements are and I'm S K I N T. (I know that some of you will probably perk up with something about health being more important, and it's not that I don't agree, I just don't actually have the money to continually spend on supplements) In an ideal world I would take his word (and his articles that he passes on to me) for it and guzzle the lot (although I really would rattle then!) but until that day... :rolleyes:

(If anyone is really interested and would appreciate me passing the list on I could get it out of him again...?)

bigzippy

septemberblues wrote: »

I've been to a pain clinic, and they reckon you should keep taking a steady stream of painkillers, rather than waiting until you are in agony and then taking the pills (which is what I do). I always worry that the painkillers won't work if I keep taking them continuously, and then the hunt is on for a new painkiller that works.

So what painkillers work for you all?

I know I should, but I don't. I have the same worry about the painkillers not working properly anymore.

I've been prescribed (and this list is not exhaustive, cos I am and I can't remember stuff! :rolleyes:):
Tramadol
Dihydromol (sp?) / Dihydrocodeine
Co-codamol (30/500)
Diclofenac
Ibruprofen
Paracetamol

My problem with painkillers also is that I felt weird on the tramadols, spacey etc. I can't take the anti-inflamatories when my asthma is bad. I can't take the codeine when my IBS is bad. And paracetamol doesn't touch it 95% of the time. :rolleyes: