Good morning! I just received a call from my Rheumatologist's nurse, who said all of my blood work came back normal (they were ruling out Lupus). So now my official diagnosis is Fibromyalgia. I am on the following meds:

Relafen (anti-inflammatory for joint pain)
Mirapex (for Restless Leg Syndrome - I have it BAD)
Zanaflex (to make me sleep)

One of the meds is making me EXTREMELY dizzy, so I've discontinued the Mirapex & Zanaflex until the dizziness goes away. Then I am to start one at a time for 3-4 days to see which one is causing it, and then they'll change that particular one. My Dr. said getting sufficient sleep is the most important thing. I have had major sleep deprivation for almost 2 years, so he thinks my body has been shutting down. In your experience, b/c I'm sure most of you know much more about all of this than I do, is this true? Do you think I'm on the correct meds? I go back in 3 weeks for a follow-up, and I want to be as prepared as possible.

TIA,
KAtie

Good morning! I just received a call from my Rheumatologist's nurse, who said all of my blood work came back normal (they were ruling out Lupus). So now my official diagnosis is Fibromyalgia. I am on the following meds:

Relafen (anti-inflammatory for joint pain)
Mirapex (for Restless Leg Syndrome - I have it BAD)
Zanaflex (to make me sleep)

One of the meds is making me EXTREMELY dizzy, so I've discontinued the Mirapex & Zanaflex until the dizziness goes away. Then I am to start one at a time for 3-4 days to see which one is causing it, and then they'll change that particular one. My Dr. said getting sufficient sleep is the most important thing. I have had major sleep deprivation for almost 2 years, so he thinks my body has been shutting down. In your experience, b/c I'm sure most of you know much more about all of this than I do, is this true? Do you think I'm on the correct meds? I go back in 3 weeks for a follow-up, and I want to be as prepared as possible.

TIA,
KAtie

Hi Klee, :wave:

Welcome to the board. This is a wonderful place to get info and especially support and understanding.

It sounds like you have a good doctor who is taking you seriously, doing blood tests to rule out Lupus and such. That is part of the battle when you have Fibro.

When it comes to Fibro sleep is so important. It is the only way our bodies regenerate. I have had chronic insomnia since I was a little girl and I think that it is a reason that I was so prone to Fibro, IMO. :yawn:

It seems to me that a great amount of people who have Fibro have a difficult time sleeping. When I sleep my pain level goes down drastically. You will notice that many people who post on this board have trouble sleeping.

Are you stopping the med that helps you sleep? If it is the Zanaflex that is making you dizzy, you might want to talk with your doctor about giving you something else for sleep. If you are still taking the Zanaflex has it helped with your sleeping?

Again, welcome, take care and please post to let us know how you are.

Peace and love, Hangin

Welcome aboard. Sleep is a huge problem with most who have fm. I am in the process right now of trying to find something that helps me sleep. I can sleep all day everyday. Going to sleep isn't the problem for me it is the quality of sleep that I get. Research is showing that people with fm are not going into the level 4 sleep pattern. That is the sleep that a body needs to get refreshed. This is what my rhuem. doc says anyways.
Again welcome to the best board out there on fm.
Avrod

Hi Katie, a warm welcome to the fibro board. Most of us started out
with trial and error where meds were concerned. I had never really had a
good nights sleep since the pain began until my GP put me on Ambien.
Nothing else worked for me. I take pain medication as needed and that
has decreased in the past year to 1 or 2 in 24 hrs. The fatigue is worse
than the pain, but sleeping through the night helps both the pain and
tiredness. If you have a good doctor, stick with him/her until you find
what works for you. Please keep us informed on your progress.
Bilij