cioc1212

Hi Dale, I'm surprised too, for several reasons. I agree with Allen but also want to note that Tylenol#3 has a nice amount of codeine and that it is VERY addictive. Vicodin has less narcotic but it can still be addictive. Nothing wrong with taking strong medications if you need to and are careful but there are several non-narcotic medications now on the market, Allen mentioned the Ultram which is becoming very common for FM pain relief, there is something that's stronger called Soma that I don't know too much about. Neither are narcotic but they do have an addictive potential.

I think that MOST people with FM are taking some type of anti-depressant for sleep and pain relief. I've done VERY well with an SSRI which is a newer form of anti-depressant. Elavil/Amitriptylene is an older med but also is very effective in treating FM. The first line in FM pain relief is getting better sleep and I've found that the sleep greatly reduces my need for other medications.

With any of these medications, you and your doc need to work closely together to find the ones that work best for you and give you relief and a minimum of side effects. It is an experiment, what works best for one person doesn't always work well for another. From reading and talking to others, it appears that most people are taking 2+ meds and many are using vitamins/minerals/supplements as well.