Fibro pain or something else?

[Pixiedust1234]

I have no idea if this is Fibro related or another condition so if anyone has similar I would appreciate any pointers I can mention to GP, or what helps it.

My Fibro pain seems to be very closely linked to the weather, mostly gusty winds but also change/drop in temperatures. This past week I have been outside in the beautiful weather gardening with no painkillers but at 5am I woke up in excruciating pain and knew the weather was different - it is still warm but not as warm, overcast with a bigger breeze (but not gusty). It shouldn't be different enough to cause this amount of pain but it has. I am bed bound today and even struggling to turn over or sit up. Painkillers do not help - it is not a joint or muscular pain, it is as though my whole body is on fire from scalp to toes. If the weather remains reasonably stable over the next couple of days then the pain vanishes, if it keeps changing temperature/wind I could be bedbound for a month. This has been happening for over twenty years but I have only noticed the pattern in the last five years.

Various GPs, Rheumatology, Pain Clinic, Neurology (?) say it is Fibro and nothing can be done OR make out I'm over exaggerating the amount of pain I'm in OR saying it isn't linked to weather and my mh needs to be checked for even suggesting it 😯

I can't carry on like this so any suggestions as to what it actually is, or any medication to help during the bedbound days, would be wonderful. TIA

Joint pain / arthritic pain is quite commonly associated with the weather. I feel 100x better in Spain and the Caribbean than here when it's wet / barometer has dropped.
No amazing advice on how to help though, if you can't move to Spain, a couple of paracetamol before bed is my best suggestion.

Oh, how i wish I could move somewhere more "stable". It doesn't matter if it's cold or hot though.

Unfortunately paracetamol does not touch it, nor does codeine or tramadol which is why I'm asking if anyone else is similar.

Have you tried the nerve medications- amitriptyline, nortriptyline? They are what takes the edge off for me. It settles the jangly nerves that make you twitchy.

amitriptyline - yes, but a long time ago as it turned me into a zombie. Maybe it's time to retry it.

nortriptyline - no. I can't take ibuprofen and i think this is from the same "family".

The thing is, I'm not 100% convinced it's just Fibro and is probably a mix of two things and I'm trying to figure out what the other is in case it requires different medication. Some days my symptoms are very close to RA but without the swelling or weight loss so idk.

Amitriptiline and Nortriptiline sorry can't spell, are from the same family.

@Pixiedust1234 nortriptyline is the ‘less sleepy’ version of amitriptyline.

Do try it- it’s helped me hugely. I liked amitriptyline at first, because I was exhausted and it helped me sleep. Eventually I swapped across to Nortriptyline to see if I had better focus in the day. It has helped a lot but I miss the doziness to be honest! 🤣

It may have a sedating effect the first week or two, but persevere because that wears off and you just get the settling of the nerve pain.

Honestly, I have gone from sofa bound and struggling to do the stairs at bed time, looking for a bungalow, to active and working again.

@myplace 😮

I'll ask the GP the next time I manage to get an appointment. It's the one medication they haven't offered me (pregabalin and gabapentin have been tried too) so assumed it was from the ibuprofen family. Many thanks all.