Fibromyalgia

[Marie0]

Hi ladies - just some ideas if anyone here suffers from fibromyalgia?

My DH suffers from fibromyalgia and is in constant pain which he manages with ibuprofen and paracetamol.

Sometimes different parts of his body ‘flare up’ and are particularly painful- for him these seem to be his neck area and calf muscles.

We are away for the weekend and enjoy walking and unfortunately the soles of his feet are in agony. Poor thing has been placing his feet on freezer blocks to try and ease them.

Anyway - just wondered for when we get home if anyone had tried any different treatments which made a difference?

He currently has weekly massages (mainly on his problem areas), which does provide some relief but only for a day or two.

He’s got a yoga mat and is looking into yoga at home - (too self conscious to go out to a yoga class), and in the past has tried physio therapy.

Was thinking of maybe trying acupuncture- anyone else try this? Also any herbal remedies anyone recommend?

Many thanks if you have any ideas

I have fibromyalgia and I second Vitamin D along with Magnesium in both bath salts and vitamin form. Three months in and I can feel a slight benefit (although I'm not on any medication now).

Medication wise, has he tried Gabapentin or Pregabalin?

Thanks doddle- no I don’t believe he has tried Gabapentin or pregabalin are they a type of pain killer? Or anti inflammatory?

Yes I have fibro .I have given up on painkillers they don't help. I still work but some days I an done in literally. I can't tolerate gabapebtin, it did not suit me at all .You sound a fantastic partner .Mine truly struggles to understand an illness he can't see so to speak .

Don't be too put off with the stomach ulcer thing. Yes, you need to be careful but because of other pills I was on it was regarded as high risk.

Thank you - it’s awful to see someone in so much pain 😦, he soldiers on bless him but I can see how much it’s really getting him down - don’t want that to happen- state of mind is so important

When you say the soles of his feet hurt, is it a burning pain? There are quite a few conditions that can cause burning feet, including a b12 deficiency - which may be more likely if he’s taking Omeprazole as it can affect absorption of vitamins.

Thanks MipMip but I don’t think I want him to take anything linked to stomach ulcers - he already suffers with stress and high blood pressure so I’d be constantly worrying about him

Lidocaine patches are prescribed by my pain clinic through the hospital, I know they are expensive so they can be reluctant to prescribe but worth asking, tell the gp you've seen them recommended by other people with fibromyalgia online and ask if he can try them. Otherwise I believe you can buy lidocaine cream over the counter, I think EMLA is the brand name, but from memory you have to put a thickish layer on and leave for some time, so less easy to use. It's the stuff they use in hospitals when kids have blood tests, they put cling film over it.

Wrong kind - it wasn’t a burning pain but a pain ‘deep’ within his foot - it has flared up from time to time, I can certainly get him some B12 tablets - he already takes Vit D supplement - presumably they’re ok to be taken together - I was also planning on getting him magnesium as PP suggested. I may go to Boots or Holland & Barrett and get some advice as there may be a supplement that maybe includes all 3 of these?

Ok thank you MrsRuby 👍🏻

Gapapentin and pregabalin are officially anti-siezure meds for epilepsy, but they have been shown to be beneficial for neuropathic pain. The same as amitriptyline, its originally an antidepressant but works for nerve pain. Amitriptyline makes me too emotional, I ended up crying at TV adverts, and gapapentin doesn't have any effect for me, but they are both effective for other people so worth trying. I've found that with a lot of the medications I've tried, it's been a case of balancing whether the side effects are easier to deal with than the pain. The muscle relaxants make me groggy and sleepy but I can cope with that. The crying constantly I couldn't.

If he is low in b12 he may need injections, not just a supplement. It might be worth discussing with his GP if the Omeprazole is long term? It may also affect absorption of iron which again won’t help his symptoms.

Amitriptyline is good if he finds it hard to get to sleep or stay asleep. The downside is that it does make you a bit tired in the day (I’m currently coming off the 10mg dose - it was great for sleep but I was sleepy during the day). Also if taking anything like ibuprofen or naproxen it might be worth getting on the omeprazole to prevent heartburn. 🧐

I have various aches and pains and my current favourites are Deep Relief (ibuprofen gel), cocodamol and Yoga With Adriene on YouTube. Adriene is brilliant and doing her yoga videos has improved my body (and mind!) in so many ways. 😍

Hi i do acupuncture on people with fibromyalgia: I would say there is certainly an improvement in their symptoms. If people feel worse for a short time post acupuncture it tends to be because the needles have been left in a little long ( everyone is different) ... acupuncturists can obviously tailor make their treatment time .. I would say definitely try it 😊

www.healthcmi.com/Acupuncture-Continuing-Education-News/1813-acupuncture-beats-or-complements-drugs-for-fibromyalgia-relief

www.acufinder.com/Acupuncture+Information/Detail/Fibromyalgia+How+to+Use+Self-Acupressure+to+Relieve+Symptoms

You can try these acupressure points yourself... they don’t be as effective as acupuncture but definitely worth a try

I have fibro. Better pain relief, I take tramadol and nefopam. Devils claw gel helps with flare ups. Best thing is learning to pace yourself xx

One thing that if forgotten that might help is occasional sleeping pills. My sleep can be rubbish (spend too much time in REM instead of deep so I take them when I'm feeling really crap. The rest quality is better and gives my body a chance to recover.

If he has joint problems please try omega/fish oil. It takes a few weeks but is worth it. At one point I was going to the doc to up my meds and was reminded that I'd run out of omega a few weeks before. It really is that noticeable for me.

Doesn't fix it. But helps.

I had ME, with a significant pain component. I am now approx 90% recovered. I found a combination approach finally did the trick. Acupuncture, Vegepa and hypnotherapy were the things that contributed most to my recovery, but it is also vital to get enough sleep, pace, keep stress to a minimum possible, and eat a good diet, along with supplements.

I don't have fibromyalgia, but I do have experience with amitriptyline and even 10mg made me too spacey. However, when I tried cutting it in half for 5mg it was perfect. Maybe he could try 5mg at night and see if that's any better?

Acupuncture really helped me but go to an acupuncturist NOT s physio. advice give to me by my physio friend! You need a good course In a row then regular top ups.

Can't believe so many people have problems with Amitrypteline. I'm on 50mg and will probably go up in a few months (doctor says you can't get used to it). I'm sure you all have some that are bad for me though. Shows how much the approach needs to be tailored to the individual.

My mam suffers with it her life has gone down hill, she is in constant pain, uses paracetamol, codine. She still drinks alcohol and has lots of sugar and wheat. My DSIS has an autoimmune disorder she ditched sugar and gluten, she begs DM to try it. It is proved to make a difference in some cases, Lady Gaga is a sufferer she has an interesting documentary on Netflix.

100 try cutting out wheat. Huge improvement

Hiya,
I just jumped on to say I’ve had fibromyalgia for nearly 10 years now. I was on loads of different pain killers and at one point around 50 pills a day.
I did a pain management course on the nhs which was life changing. The main things that helped me were learning about pacing and slowly getting the balance and coming to terms with what was manageable. Other things were relaxation classes, I now do a slow yoga class (he could try yin yoga which is very gentle). I also take loads of good quality vitamins and pre/pro botics, 5htpc is good for sleep, magnesium as other have said, vit D, I also take a multivitamin.

I also agree warmth work best for pain and I often have a hot water bottle of my flare up areas.

Sending hugs