Chronic Fatigue Syndrome/fibro - amitriptyline 5mg for sleep regulation
pain - ibuprofen 6 tablets a day 200mg each
other homeopathic stuff:
-moducare 3 capsules a day
-solgar V2000(multivit n mineral) 2 tablets a day
-fish oil 1 capsule a day
-echinecea 2 tablets a day for two weeks then off for two weeks etc.
have tried for pain:
-co-codamol
-codeine phosphate
-paracetamol
-tylenol
-aspirin
-any other ones i could get my hands on! they all made me sick!
painsucks
01-29-2004, 03:22 PM
Hi Sick_Mom, :wave:
I've had fibro now for about 10 years and I have taken a wide variety of medications during those years. I took Arthrotec for quite a while, but it really did a number on my tummy. My doctor switched me to Vioxx, which helped a lot more than the Arthrotec and didn't cause stomach problems. After taking Vioxx for a couple of years, I wasn't getting any relief so he switched me again, now I'm on Celebrex, it's working pretty well. I also take Neurontin and Ultram, both every 6 hours, I don't think I would be able to walk at all without those two drugs. For depression, I'm currently taking Celexa, I've used a lot of others, but after a while I build up a tolerance so my doctor switches me to something else, I've never taken Sertaline. For the irritable bowel, you might want to try Fiber Choice, it is a chewable fiber supplement, a lot easier to tolerate than the kind you mix in water, and make sure you take in plenty of water every day, helps keep things flushed out ;) For your restless legs, my doctor gave me a med that it used for Parkinson's called Mirapex, it worked wonders! And I also take Flexeril at bedtime along with a couple Tylenol PM to help me sleep. Oh, and I have sleep apnea so I have to use a CPAP so I don't stop breathing when I'm sleeping. I hope this is helpful to you, it is kind of a crap shoot, you try something for a while, see if it works, if it doesn't try something else. Have you had the lump in your breast checked out?
Tiredlady
01-29-2004, 08:59 PM
I have had a time lately getting my meds straight. Everything I try for pain ends up giving me terrible side effects. Here's what I'm on now:
Depression: Lexapro
Fibromyalgia: Neurontin (just started this, not sure how it's going to work)
Pain: Lortab, Extra Strength Tylenol
Anxiety: Ativan (as needed)
Ulcerative Colitis: Asacol
Endometriosis (stage 4): Having hysterectomy in March but taking bcp's now & Lortab
Migraines: Fiorinal
I'm really struggling here with pain. My doctor doesn't believe in giving narcotics for fibro. They tell me to exercise, but I physically can't. I have a sciatic nerve problem and exercising not only aggravates the fibro, but the nerve pain too. I'm hoping the hysterectomy will help with some of my pain.
7 Bugsy
01-31-2004, 02:16 AM
Sick Mom,
I am a 56 year old female. I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia (FMS) about 12 yrs ago. It appeared after my emergency hysterectomy 17 yrs ago. I had a very large cyst (chicken egg size) in my left ovary and it pinched off the ureter, causing a kidney infection, a diseased uterus,and I had contracted salmonella from chicken livers, plus I had adhesions from a 1962 appendectomy wrapped around ureters, ovaries, Fallopian tubes, and just about everything else in the vicinity. By the time I reached the hospital I was dehydrated and my veins collapsed. I had two surgeons, a urologist and a gynecologist and a 1 week hospital stay. That was 1986 and there was no info out there that explained how I was feeling. Severe anxiety attacks, mean as a snake, whole body pain, extremely sensitive (to pain) areas, and my rural doctor just thought I was NUTS and needed estrogen. I couldn't take estrogen. I never could take birth control pills ( caused severe migraines and made me so evil, who would want to have sex with me anyway ). I feel the trauma to my body at that time and the accompanying anxiety triggered the start of fibromyalgia for me.
I had no help until I moved to Harrisburg and found an excellent PCP who sent me to a rheumatologist in about 1992. I had ALL the trigger points and was used as a learning tool. Lucky me ! They tried all the anti-inflammatory drugs of the time but I couldn't take any of them. I had severe reactions ( blowing up like a frog, deposits in my liver, rashes, hives, "rip your skin off" itching ).... nothing helped.
Background: I also have osteoarthritis, degenerative disk disease, stenosis, allergy triggered asthma, GERD, IBS, depression ( anxiety attacks, as well ), myofascia syndrome ( MFS ), and sleep apnea. In addition to the hysterectomy, I have had exploratory colon surgery ( adhesions wrapped around and restricting intestines and colon), reconstructive surgery ( my body overreacted to steroid shots given to diminish keloid scarring causing the skin on my abdomen to tear open, resulting in 1 sq. ft. of skin needing to be removed), cervical spine surgery ( lots of titanium...a 4" double dog bone held in place by 6 x 2 1/2" screws and 2 pcs. of cadaver bone) and in mid-October of 2003 lumbar surgery ( 2 x 4" titanium rods, 4 x 2 1/2" screws, 2 cages around bone graft.... my own this time).
Whenever I have trauma to my body or mind I have varying degrees of fibro episodes, lasting anywhere from days to months. After almost every major surgery I had to deal with the fibro, as well as usual recovery pain i.e. increasing recovery time. This time before surgery I started taking immune boosting vitamins 3 time a day in addition to my "remission regimen". I still have to wear a steel brace all day and a bone stimulator 4 hrs a day for another 3 months but I feel great !! I HAD NOOOO FIBRO ATTACK !!!!
Remission Regimen: Malic Acid 825 mg, B-100 complex, condroitin glucosamine 500 mg, vitamin E 400mg mixed tocopherols, 500 mg chewable C, fish liver oil, garlic, and acidophilus capsules. I take all these 2 times a day and take 2 x 3 mg melatonin every night for sleep. For almost a year now my fibro symptoms have been extremely reduced by adding these supplements. I've been on the same meds for several years ( 200mg Wellbutrin SR, flexeril, vioxx 25mg, etc.). I have Tylenol #3 and Vicodin 750 & 500mg PRN. For 3 months before surgery I was on Tylenol #3 and, as the pain worsened, 750 to 1,000 mgs Vicodin every 4 hours. Now 3 months later I take nothing for pain !! YEAH !!!
I really feel my "Remission Regimen" has worked. A good night's sleep is extremely important. When I was diagnosed with sleep apnea and put on a CPAP at night, my pain reduced. Sleep deprivation wrecks HAVOC with Fibro's. The melatonin helps a great deal to get restful sleep.
I hope this helps.
Love you,
7 BUGSY
Sick_Mom
02-02-2004, 07:55 PM
I'm really struggling here with pain. My doctor doesn't believe in giving narcotics for fibro .......I know how that is :nono: ahhhhhhhhh
Hi painsucks
they are watching the lump to make sure it does not get bigger;
cysts do run in my family but so does cancer :o
Sick mom
painsucks
02-03-2004, 03:36 PM
Dear Sick_Mom,
I'm glad to hear your watching that lump, my mother had cancer and she died at a very young 62. Her cancer was in her colon and then spread into her liver and then into her bones, it was a very difficult 4 years of her/our lives. So you keep an eye on that! :nono:
tkgoodspirit
02-10-2004, 01:48 PM
I have 2 herniated lumbar discs, 1 with a lateral tear, 1 cervical disc with arthritis, 1 cervical disc that is out of alignment, also have Fibro and all it's nasty little sidekicks that go a long with having Fibro. ( Restless legs is the wierdest to me :p )
My meds are:
For pain: Percocet 10mg 4 times daily, Flexeril 3 times daily, Ultram 4 tablets daily
For my "emotional well being" Wellbutrin XL (took Effexor for years, but totally lost my libido)
For sleep: Klonopin
All these are taken for the pain from my back to the Fibro. Actually I went to a pain specialist for the pain in my back and when he first prescribed me Lortab I told him that it helped more with the pain I was feeling from the Fibro. So he kept me on it and over time has changed it recently to Percocet. HE is my main doc for the Fibro. My rhuemy just checks me out twice a year and prescribes the Flexeril and Klonopin.
I have tried a lot of others. Mostly anti-inflammatory drugs, which is like putting a band aid on a gaping wound!
There are a lot of herbs, vitamins and ammino acid OTC you can take. Just do a websearch on the Fibro and supplements. But be sure to tell your doc what you take. Try 'em out, what the heck. I recently started taking 5HTP to replace the serotonin, now that I am off the serotonin reuptake drug Effexor. There is also a vitamin package that is especially made for Fibro. You buy it in a big bottle and it has vita-packs that contain a lot of what is beleived to help the symptoms, like malac acid, magnesium. I don't think I can post the website here. I don't think I have my email posted on my profile. I too am new, and not quite sure how this all works. But if you post a reply to this and want me to send you the info to your email, I will.
Geez, I hope all this helps. There are so many different meds, either prescribed or OTC, it almost blows your mind. What little we Fibro's have left of it! LOL
Wittesea
02-11-2004, 01:09 AM
Deleted - I refuse to participate in a board that has spy-ware advertising
tkgoodspirit
02-11-2004, 07:48 PM
Hi Wittesea. Thanks for your info. I have already discussed this with my doc. Ultram can interact badly with a lot of prescrips, my rhuemy told me that since I have been taking the two together for so long and no side effects have popped up I am okay.
I am sure it isn't for every one, I know that you should always check with your doc whenever you get a new prescription especially if they are from different docs. I have 5 different docs, not counting my family doc. I need a huge wall calander just to keep everyone and what they prescribe for me straight. Sometimes I feel like I should get them all together on a conference call! LOL Oh well, I guess I can say that I am well covered as far as doctors go. Thank goodness I see them all about the same time! Having Fibro Fog is definately a challange, I think I would totally be bananas if all my meds expired at different times!
Any way thanks for watching out for me. I even go so far as to take all the jars of my OTC minerals and amino acids in a bag to my doc visits so they can see everything I'm throwing down my throat!
Here's wishing you good karma and a pain free day!
tk
P.S. I did a search on the Flexeril/Ultram drug interaction and then confirmed with my rhuemy. The interaction between the two drugs can cause over sedation if taken together. I'm good. :angel:
i take 3mg. mirapex and 2mg.requip for fibro.i also have lupus and take plaquinel forthat.i take pain meds when needed and trazadone at night -50mg.helps me sleep.but mirapex and requip have really changed my fibro. restlegs and arms-gone.fog-gone.walking into things-gone.pain-far less then it was.i have a life again.these two drugs have been a miracale for me.
kathy
pookah
02-16-2004, 07:31 AM
IBS= Imodium AD
GERD= Prilosec OTC
Restless Legs Syndrome= Mirapex (this drug changed my life incredibly)
Depression= Prozac
Anxiety= Klonapin
Bipolar= Zyprexa and Trileptal
Pain/Fibro= Vicodin
Rosacea= Doxycycline
Pulmonary Embolisms= Warfarin aka Coumadin
Leg/Feet edema= Lasix
The last time I listed all my meds on a public forum, someone called me a "toxic waste dump". I'm sure that won't happen here, though. :)
jkacope
02-16-2004, 08:46 PM
IBS= Imodium AD
GERD= Prilosec OTC
Restless Legs Syndrome= Mirapex (this drug changed my life incredibly)
Depression= Prozac
Anxiety= Klonapin
Bipolar= Zyprexa and Trileptal
Pain/Fibro= Vicodin
Rosacea= Doxycycline
Pulmonary Embolisms= Warfarin aka Coumadin
Leg/Feet edema= Lasix
The last time I listed all my meds on a public forum, someone called me a "toxic waste dump". I'm sure that won't happen here, though. :)
I take 25-50 mg trazadone
3mg mirapex
2mg requip
2mg alprazolam
that all i take for my fibro.i also have lupus and no thyroid and take meds for those.
i've been able to cut almost all pain meds out.i use to have to take more.know what you mean about toxic dump!my pharmacy even got hold of my md once because he thought i was taking too much!
