What meds do you take?

[Sick_Mom]

What meds do you take?


Arthritis - in my fingers & toes ARTHROTEC 50MG

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome ..... NOTHING

Depression & Anxiety SERTALINE 50MG

Dermatographic Urticaria HYDROXYZINE HCL 10MG

Fibromyalgia ..... NOTHING

Hashimoto's thyroid & thyroid nodules ELTROXIN 0.1MG

Irritable Bowel Syndrome ..... NOTHING

lump in left breast ...... NOTHING

Restless Leg Syndrome ...... NOTHING

Pain tylenol 8 hour 650mg

Sleep IMOVANE 5MG

[sammikins]

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]

Hi Sick_Mom,

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]

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

Meds I've tried:
Depression: Prozac, Celexa, Paxil, Effexor, Elavil (yikes, allergic to this), Lexapro
Fibro pain: Vioxx, Skylaxin, Bextra, Indocin, Naprosyn, Robaxin (none helped)
Pain: Darvocet, Percocet, Lortab

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]

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 !!!!

Depression: Wellbutrin SR 300mg
Anxiety: Lorazapam (PRN)
GERD: Omeprazole
Hormones: Estratest HS
Sleep: Celexa & Flexeril
Fibro: Cyclobenzaprine 20mg, Vioxx 25mg, Tylenol #3 or Vicodin 500-750 mg,
Melatonin 6mg
Sleep Apnea: CPAP, Melatonin 6mg
IBS: Acidophilus capsules


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