Drugs

[Fibrofighter39]

Hello everyone
3 weeks ago my psychiatrist recommended elatrolet , i told him that i take tramadol 4 the pain and it scares me to combine it with another meds..he calmed me and adviced me to take it ..now i have these weirdest feelings...i am so depressed, all i want is to cry, hot flashes...is it possible that the drugs are doung this???

 

[sunkacola]

Yes, it is entirely possible that the drugs are doing this. However, no one here can tell you whether or not that is, in fact, the source of the problems. It could be that these are side effects that will go away rapidly, or it could be that you shouldn't take one or either of these drugs because your body is not well suited to them.

I recommend having a good talk with your medical doctor as well as your psychiatrist about this, tell him what is going on, and ask him if you shouldn't maybe try a different medication.

I do know that sometimes when people are put onto anti depression medications such as amitriptyline their symptoms of depression and anxiety get worse before they get better. this could also be what is happening.

The only way you can get answers is by asking your doctors.

Also, you could try doing some other things that you can do for yourself that may allow you to manage your pain symptoms without the use of potentially dangerous and addictive substances like tramadol.

 

[Jemima]

Hi Fibrofighter,

I'll second everything Sunkacola said there - as someone who has taken a whole lot of different medications over the years, and experienced a lot of different side effects! The generic name of Elatrolet is Amitriptyline. It's a drug you'll find discussed quite a bit here in the forum. I have a friend with fibro who feels that it saved her life, but as Sunkacola pointed out, different people can react very differently to each medication. Discussing what you're feeling with your doctors is a great idea. Please also be careful and kind to yourself - if you feel really low, remember it's a side effect that will pass - either with time, or when you stop with the drug, depending on how everything goes. Those kinds of emotions can warp our logic, so it's good to keep our anchors down, until we ride out the storm!

 

[Fibrofighter39]

Hello
This has been helpful
I did ask my family dr and he recommended not taking elatrolet. I have been feeling very low ...it's so overwhelming

 

[Jemima]

Hi Fibrofighter,

That sounds like a good call. I'm so sorry you're feeling that low right now - it's a place I know well, and being in the middle of it is incredibly hard. Keep the faith that it is going to lift, and come here anytime if you would like someone to talk to. You're not alone!

Will you keep us posted on how you get on? I hope you start to feel brighter very soon

 

[Fibrofighter39]

Oh that is so sweet of you..thank you so much

 

[sunkacola]

You are welcome here. Fibrofighter, and we want to support you.
I also suffer from serious depression, as do many of us here, so you are in good company. You can always talk with us if you need someone - we understand what it is like. It doesn't make everything all better to talk with others, especially when it's on the internet, but at least you can vent if you need to and you can know that you are not alone. I wish I had a magic cure for depression and could just tell you about it. Don't we all wish this. But at least we can be here for each other.

How have you been doing lately?

 

[Fibrofighter39]

Thank you so much..i do find comfort here and everytime i feel down, i reach out to you guys. Well, i still have the" i wanna cry" feelings. It sort of comes and goes..i found it really strange that every dr would say something else explaining my situation..my psychatrist insisted that this is how elatrolet works and i should keep taking it while my reuhmo told me i should stop taking it cause it made me feel worse. ANYWAys i stopped taking it, it has been 3 weeks now and i still have the bad feeling. I don't kbow hiw long it takes 4 my body to get rid of the meds ...i am so confused

 

[Jemima]

Thank you so much..i do find comfort here and everytime i feel down, i reach out to you guys. Well, i still have the" i wanna cry" feelings. It sort of comes and goes..i found it really strange that every dr would say something else explaining my situation..my psychatrist insisted that this is how elatrolet works and i should keep taking it while my reuhmo told me i should stop taking it cause it made me feel worse. ANYWAys i stopped taking it, it has been 3 weeks now and i still have the bad feeling. I don't kbow hiw long it takes 4 my body to get rid of the meds ...i am so confused

I haven't taken elatrolet, but when I tried cymbalta, I read that the side effects can take a couple of months to dissipate - perhaps you may be in a similar place, but I can't be sure! Were you feeling at all low before starting the elatrolet, or did it strictly come on with the drug? Perhaps if you continue feeling that way, it might be worth going back to discuss alternative medications - but if it began when you started taking it, I'd maybe wait a little longer. Of course, only you know what you're feeling and what you can tolerate. Don't struggle alone, and get help if you need to!

I also wouldn't underestimate what Sunkacola said above about trying other things to alleviate your symptoms. I find that exercising daily without fail for a week or two often helps to kick the awful depressive feeling you describe down a gear. My go-tos are either walking or swimming, but you can do whatever feels handleable - nothing intense, but something to boost helpful feel-good neurotransmitters and pull your brain out of its funk! I agree too on being a little bit careful with Tramadol, but one issue at a time I'm so sorry you're in such a bad place, but keep the faith. This will pass

 

[Fibrofighter39]

I never felt this way...it started 3 weeks after taking elatrolet. I usually feel down and off bc of fibro but not that way ..i started taking elatrolet on 14.10...on the 7th of Nov..i started feeling like i wanna burst into tears ..down and depressed..it felt as if sth heavy is sitting right there on my chest..i don't give in to this feeling..i wake up ...cook..clean...listen 2 music and read...even if i am feeling this way i try my best not 2 lose hope
..i hope it is a matter if time and it would go away ( by the way the dr recommended 10 mg 3 times a day..i did not pay attention to the prescription..took 10 mg once a day..imagine wbat woild've happen id i took 3 pills a day)

 

[Fibrofighter39]

I don't want 2 tey other meducations...it scares me to

 

[sunkacola]

Fibrofighter, if the depression came three weeks after starting the amitriptyline then I wonder if the drug was the cause of it, because I think if you are going to get such side effects, it usually happens faster than that. But don't take my word for it because I am not a doctor. It's possible for side effects to take a few weeks to develop. You won't know until the drug has been completely out of your system for another few weeks.

I think you are right not to try any more drugs for now. You want to be certain that the previous one is completely out of your system.

If you are taking Tramadol regularly, I want to encourage you to stop doing that. Tramadol, being an opiate, also affects your brain, your mood, and your outlook. It can make people feel high or down. It is also very dangerous because if you take it regularly your body will get addicted to it and you may have terrible withdrawal when you stop taking it. I am not saying it's an evil drug or anything. I took it for a while. These days I still have some and if the pain is over so bad I will take one but never on a regular basis. It is possible that the Tramadol is also affecting your mood.

I think the best thing you can do for yourself is explore other ways of managing, as Jemima says above. Have you tried doing regular exercise, even just a little bit? Getting out into nature? Are you eating a healthy diet?

 

[Fibrofighter39]

Perhaps it would have happened faster if i took higher dosages...i took 10 mg once a day ...as i mentioned before this mood switching and the depressive episode happened only after taking elatrolet. I have tried diets ..multiple ones..not sure it affected my pain. I tried exercise as well..i have tried a lot of stuff...my pain is not bad everyday...it depends.

 

[Fibrofighter39]

By the way i had a blood test and it turned out i am vitamin d deficient..do u think my depression is related to it???

 

[sunkacola]

Depression can be related to deficiencies, for sure. The only way to find out if it has any affect for you is to experiment.

You say you have tried diets, but I wonder if you mean that you have tried specific diets for this or that? If so, then I would like to encourage you to try something else. Do experimentation to find out what the healthiest diet is for you.

The reason "diets" often do not work is that people are not one-size-fits-all, most especially when it comes to FM. What works for one person doesn't work for another.
Same thing with exercise. You say you have tried it, but have you done all of the experimentation needed to find out what would really work for you? Some form of daily exercise is guaranteed to help. It just depends on what kind, what will work for you. The best kind is something you like to do and don't have to even think of as "getting my exercise".

I am saying this because I strongly believe that if a person with FM works diligently to discover the combination of diet, supplements, exercise, and mental wellness techniques that work for them, the pain can be lessened and can also come less frequently. I believe this because I have done it. Gone from being in bed in pain and taking tons of pain medication every day to living a close to normal sort of life, all without medication. So have many, many other people using my ideas and others that they have developed on their own.
I am a strong advocate for people doing this work.

If you have not already I strongly recommend you read the advice post I wrote and start now to implement some of those strategies and changes. Most important, as I said, is to experiment in order to find what works for you. No one can tell you what will work, but my post has so many ideas that something there is sure to help.

My advice for managing fibromyalgia (especially for newcomers)

I am not a doctor or anything, just a person who has lived with fibromyalgia for several years now and has done a lot of research and trial and error experimentation. What follows is just basics. There are a lot of variations. You will find your own versions of everything I say, as this is not a...

www.fibromyalgiaforums.org