Do I have to check with my doctor before trying any new supplement? I have done soMe research today and was going to try a supplement called fibropin but because I take prescription meds I was not sure what to do!
Fibrop
rin I think is the product you mean...
Generally it's advised to tell docs & pharmacists. In practice most don't know much about them anyway.
Once you're now only taking duloxetine/Cymbalta (no Prozac any more?) it seems to me only St. John's Wort is something to avoid, as it also decreases depression and that may interact wrongly.
The high amount of vitamin D3 in it isn't a known problem for duloxetine, but I'd get your levels checked first.
You say 'research': What you've done isn't actually research, it's just looking at company sites, designed to make money off of us.
Research should mean looking at medical articles like on pubmed, or on specific fibro/CFS-sites, best is healthrising, and general health sites are also often OK: healthfully, verywellhealth or draxe, as these quote their sources and give a balanced view.
That will lead you to look at individual supplements.
Contents: If you do that, you will see that vitamin D3 (if you have low levels) and magnesium glycinate (next to malate) are generally often recommended for people with fibro.
But the others in Fibroprin, magnesium oxide, MSM, Piper nigrum, Boswellia Serrata = Frankincense and Bacopa monnieri
have no evidence for helping fibro. Only the Frankincense I've heard taken successfully by one person that used to be on this forum.
(A few people say that artificial D3 is way inferior to natural sources like sunlight or fatty fish.)
Additives: The company claims no additives, but it contains magnesium
stearate and silicon dioxide, both of which I avoid - other companies are proud of not using them, they do, but pretend they don't...
Company: They say they are a small company. Customer reviews show that it hasn't sold much of its product yet. Names of companies (like this "Approved Science. Scientifically formulated to get results") or products which are "over the top" usually have components that are "under the bottom". These are usually things to avoid.
Customer reviews on A: 1 rating of 2 of 5, not a single review.
Price: On their site they pretend it is 10$ cheaper than it is.
If you buy 6 you pay half that. But let's say you don't tolerate the sulphur in the MSM, which is pretty common - then you'll have paid a lot for nothing. If you buy it, start with one and start with one capsule, not the recommended 3. 90 capsules cost 50$, 3 a day is recommended, so = 50$ a month, not expensive. My high quality D3 with added vitamin K2-MK7 costs 1€/m.
Side effects of MSM, that's the one I'm most wary of: Heart palpitations, skin, digestion. "People with mood disorders seem to be more likely to have serious psychological side effects like anxiety and depression." "But also headaches, migraines, insomnia [so don't take in the evenings], muscle cramps, increased thirst and dehydration are other side effects reported by those who have tried MSM."
Problems with magnesium oxide: Very controversial. It's cheap, but anorganic, so it's only 4% bioavailable. It's used to delay the uptake, which wouldn't be necessary if you take the 3 capsules spread out.
Generally I advise
against combination products, because you won't know which component any main or side effects are from and can't influence by changing amount of time of one. In this case for instance magnesium glycinate might help sleep (does most, not me), but MSM can cause insomnia. You may need higher levels of D3, but praps need to reduce the MSM.
Instead I'd always recommend to get your B12 and D levels checked and supplement those accordingly first, using a good product. (B12 you're taking already I know.)
Then I'd go just for a magnesium glycinate and/or magnesium malate product. (We already talked about magnesium on another thread.)
Then if at all any of the others, I'd try a single Frankincense/boswellia product, but only if you have swellings/edema/puffiness.
For your fatigue I suggest the magnesiums, and next CoQ10.
For your depression I wouldn't take supps as that might interact with the duloxetine/Cymbalta.
Starting something next to a med I'd only add one supp at a time, starting with a reduced dose and increase and wait for a few weeks before adding the next, watching your symptoms closely and stopping if it doesn't help or it harms.
There have been situations where I start with several supps at the same time, but only cos I know what I'm doing.