Hello

[Buckle]

I am new here. Lived with Fibro now almost 30 years. Dxed in 1995. I am not on any medications. I do take Benedryl at night, to keep away the allergies, but it also helps with sleep. Mainly allergies though! There are some things that I have become more curious about of late. I hope to find some answers here, from other FMers that share their experiences. I will go more into those curiosities, on the other forums. Thank you for being here.

 

[Auriel]

Hello buckle, welcome to our forum
, I take gabapentin for mine (very sleepy, a bit slurry wording as a side effect, but other tries either didn't work or had bad side effects) one of our members knows a few things about allergies (they're not on right now though) how have you managed for sooo long with fibro unmedicated (it's VERY painful) do you have chronic fatigue with it too? (I have both) anyway, nice to (forum) meet you

 

[Buckle]

At the beginning, I tried prescriptions. Only to have side effects that just added to or were worse than what they were supposed to be treating. I tried them all, back then. Though I am sure there are new ones, I don't wish to try. I went through a phase of herbal remedies and natural healing techniques. I spent a lot of money and yet did not get any satisfactory results. So, stopped that too. I either am very blessed in the degree of fibro that I live with, or I have adapted to the pain. It has been "sooo long". Thank you for the welcome.

 

[sunkacola]

Welcome, @Buckle . Hope the forum is helpful to you.

 

[Auriel]

Oh buckle I'm so glad you're managing ok with it

 

[Bob the Goalie]

Wow... can't imagine not being on a pharmacy of pills !!! Sadly, I would assume the majority of peeps here are on a variety of anxiety/depression/pain meds. I needed to buy a pair of boots just to use the larger box to house my collection...

Be well,
Bob

 

[Auriel]

Are you on a lot then @Bob the Goalie?

 

[SBee]

Blimey @Auriel I just had a call from a pain clinic ( they say my health is a bit more complex than what they are used too!) I had to list my medications... It's a long long list these days. I'm a carrier bag job when I collect from our pharmacy can't wait for my yearly meds review next month....

 

[Buckle]

Wow... can't imagine not being on a pharmacy of pills !!! Sadly, I would assume the majority of peeps here are on a variety of anxiety/depression/pain meds. I needed to buy a pair of boots just to use the larger box to house my collection...

Be well,
Bob

There are so many different levels of Fibromyalgia. I am blessed to have the milder form, I suppose. Some days, it doesn't feel like I do, but then I visit groups, such as this one, and realize how lucky I am. Since I don't care for boots, I am definitely luckier than you...lol. That made me giggle. Thanks.

 

[Auriel]

Hi @SBee , (had my yearly review a few month's ago,) sooo glad I don't have to list "everything" on prescription telephone day's (that would be a bit of a challenge )

 

[SBee]

Hey exciting news @Auriel ..... Today I have a new prescription to add I to the mix. Hurrah! A six week course of steroids to help with the inflammatory arthritis flare. I think my meds review may need to be a double appt this year??? Is it just me or is everything getting just a little bit madder atm?

 

[sunkacola]

Wow... can't imagine not being on a pharmacy of pills !!! Sadly, I would assume the majority of peeps here are on a variety of anxiety/depression/pain meds. I needed to buy a pair of boots just to use the larger box to house my collection...

Be well,
Bob

Definitely not everyone here is on a lot of medications!
Some of us are not on any medications at all.
I take one medication that is not related to fibromyalgia at all. And I only recently started taking one pain medication that I do not take every day.

We are all different, and we all find different ways of dealing with this.
Not everyone who has fibromyalgia suffers from anxiety and/or depression, although being in constant pain can bring a person into depression.

 

[Auriel]

Hope they help @SBee! (I hear steroids I instantly think Mr stay puffed gym bunny men)

 

[SBee]

Oh @Auriel I didn't think about the 🏋 side !

And I agree @sunkacola. If I were able I would not take meds at all. I don't wish to sound frivolous in a serious subject, but it's a coping method for me. I laugh because so can't afford to have the alternative moods.
Many of my drugs are not connected to fibromyalgia as such.
Like a lot of us I have additional health conditions, I that need lifelong medications such as hypothyroidism, hiatus hernia, low iron, now high BP and inflammatory arthritis and osteoarthritis.
These are medicated through necessity.

I am also on a range of hrt due to severe mental health problems associated with the hormonal crashes.

So from a painkiller and depression point I am trialling amitriptyline for nerve pain, and a low dose of AD for cyclical mood swings. Also Naproxen to help with pain and inflammation with a weekly injection and folic acid to help the side effects of the inflammatory arthritis meds.

I research carefully before embarking on meds. But My body is under a lot of stress atm and needs medical assistance as well as my life style changes and mental acceptance and attitude.

I use humour to help cope with what can be a very depressing life, physically and mentally if I slip downwards mentally when I am forced to note how sick my body really is. That's a realistic acceptance.

I hope, in some future so can begin to reduce some meds if I can get conditions better controlled. But I do feel with everything going on, and dealing with the usual aspects of Life in general, I am coping the best way I can. Which, as you always say is us as individuals finding the best way to manage our varying health concerns. And we can adapt accordingly, meds are not the only option. Maybe some future I can reduce or stop some of mine. That's my best aim

I totally believe all of us are pretty amazing.

 

[Harpy]

And I agree @sunkacola. If I were able I would not take meds at all. I don't wish to sound frivolous in a serious subject, but it's a coping method for me. I laugh because so can't afford to have the alternative moods.

I agree with you here SBee, I take a variety of meds, not that I want to but it’s a necessary evil. I take THC oil at night, personally for me it helps much more than the others, specially for sleep ( which was on average 2/3 hours a night) where now I get 4 to 6 hours.
A lot of my meds are for my dodgy spine, issues from head to tail bone.

I use humour to help cope with what can be a very depressing life, physically and mentally if I slip downwards mentally when I am forced to note how sick my body really is. That's a realistic acceptance.

Oh yes I definitely use humour to cope, I get on my phone and I will send of anything funny to friends keeps me distracted a little.

I hope, in some future so can begin to reduce some meds if I can get conditions better controlled.

It’s a hard task coming off the meds, took me 7 months , I never want to go through that again. The meds I am on now I have been trying to ease down some doses but it’s hard.
If I am not careful it sets off some terrible flares from either the fibro or poly.
The steroids I am on are for my poly, they do help a lot with the fibro too.
My gp and rheumatologist are currently trying to taper the dose by atm my poly doesn’t let me go under the 10 mg a day, then we up it again and start the taper once all settled, it’s a horrible cycle.

I totally believe all of us are pretty amazing.

Everyone here definitely is amazing and very helpful .