My Doc Gave me Homework...Help!

[elawhon]

So the day finally came for me to go and get my blood work results and talk about treatment options today. First, my blood work came back normal and negative for the list of test run to rule out autoimmune diseases and other illness that could be causing my chronic fatigue and pain. Big relief there...but my blood pressure has been way up the last two times I have gone. This time it was 168/100.... OMG! It has never been that high. I figured I was on the verge of a stroke and clearly my doctor was extremely concerned. He told me that he wanted to begin treatment for the chronic pain and fatigue, but we had to address the blood pressure first. I was certainly okay with that. Lucky for me I had a mild pain day today and could accept that easily. He did however ask me if I was interested in medication for my pain and forewarned me that he did not and would not prescribe narcotics, which was fine with me, because I cannot tolerate them. Anything ending in "et" or "one" makes me very sick and I had rather hurt. I told him I was interested, but since I had to take a blood pressure medication right away, I didn't want to start two new medications just in case I had any bad side effects. Anyway, he wrote down the names of 4 different types of medications and told me to research these and speak with my insurance company about their cost. I have seen all of them commented on in this forum, and I know I can read through the different entries to find out your feelings and experiences, but I really want specifics on these medications all in one place. What I specifically want to know from those who respond to this thread is what of these have you taken, typical side effects you have had, and any positive results. My biggest issues is the fatigue, but I am not interested at this time in sleep aids. I feel that if I can get my pain in control when I have flares, I will rest better at night. Also, just so you know, I am interested in life style change alternatives rather than alternative medicines. The medications on my list are...Savella, Lyrica, Cymbalta, and Gabapentin. I am very nervous about taking anything, especially when weight gain may be involved. I had gastric bypass surgery about eight years ago and have lost 130 pounds. I do not want to gain more weight back, because I already struggle with 20 pounds I gained that I need to loose due to being on a birth control pill that made me super hungry 2 years ago. Thanks in advance for any assistance you can give me.

 

[1sweed]

Hi and welcome to the forum. I can only comment on the Gabapentin, as I can not take the other medications you mentioned. This medication can cause some weight gain, but for me it helps with the pain, and it works well with other meds. What I have found is with any medication it is best to start with a low mg dose and then work up to a comfortable level. If you start at super high dose (800mg.), you could face some serious side effects. My doctor years ago started me out with 100mg, then 200mg and over the years worked up to 300mg. It is best to start low and then increase the mg as needed. Also this medication has a short life, this means if you take it everyday, take it at the same time everyday to get the best effect of the medication and to keep the chemical level in your body the same all the time.

Hope this answers your question about Gabapentin.

 

[elawhon]

1sweed, so what you are saying about gabapentin having a short life... Does this mean that it is in your system when you take it and when it wears off it is out of your system? If that is the case, that sounds good. Probably less major side effects and less withdrawal if a dose is forgotten or if you had to stop taking it for a period.

 

[katydid]

I have used each of the meds you listed. Personally, I hated each one. They all gave me side effects, the lyrica Cymbalta and gabapentin all made me super depressed (and I'm not a depressed person by any means) and they all made my pain worse. I was on each one for 4-8 weeks, all tried at different times during my course of treatment..
Savella also seemed to make my pain worse. It also made me nauseous to the point I had no appetite... It was causing insomnia and I had other side effects too.

I also have friends who have tried all of the meds and I've seen them gain weight. And I'm Not talking about a few pounds here and there... My one friend gained over 50 lbs while on Cymbalta, the other friend gained 30-40 lbs from lyrica... And a Co worker of mine just told me this week her Dr put her on gabapentin, and it was making her feel as high as a kite....

In my opinion, these medications were no Bueno for me! It's different for everyone, and you won't know how your body will handle them unless you try them.. Unfortunately, no matter how many responses and opinions you get, it's just information on what could happen, and you can hear tons of people say the meds were horrible for them but you could be that 1 out of 100 that actually responds well to the meds.

My only advice is, weigh the pros and cons, and give it an honest try. These meds can take 4-6 weeks to really kick in and possibly give you relief... So if 1 week in you're not tolerating them, remember, 4-6 weeks..

 

[elawhon]

I have used each of the meds you listed. Personally, I hated each one. They all gave me side effects, the lyrica Cymbalta and gabapentin all made me super depressed (and I'm not a depressed person by any means) and they all made my pain worse. I was on each one for 4-8 weeks, all tried at different times during my course of treatment..
Savella also seemed to make my pain worse. It also made me nauseous to the point I had no appetite... It was causing insomnia and I had other side effects too.

I also have friends who have tried all of the meds and I've seen them gain weight. And I'm Not talking about a few pounds here and there... My one friend gained over 50 lbs while on Cymbalta, the other friend gained 30-40 lbs from lyrica... And a Co worker of mine just told me this week her Dr put her on gabapentin, and it was making her feel as high as a kite....

In my opinion, these medications were no Bueno for me! It's different for everyone, and you won't know how your body will handle them unless you try them.. Unfortunately, no matter how many responses and opinions you get, it's just information on what could happen, and you can hear tons of people say the meds were horrible for them but you could be that 1 out of 100 that actually responds well to the meds.

My only advice is, weigh the pros and cons, and give it an honest try. These meds can take 4-6 weeks to really kick in and possibly give you relief... So if 1 week in you're not tolerating them, remember, 4-6 weeks..

Thanks for your input. You are right about how different medicines are different to many people. I seem to have a low tolerance for strong medicines of any sort. I recently had dizziness and drowsiness for three days after taking a strong antibiotic.

 

[katydid]

It actually seems to be a common problem with most of us in this forum, most of us have very low tolerances for medications in general... I have heard numerous posters here say that they can't.. I've been through so many medications over the last 2 years it's ridiculous, and I've only lyrics found maybe a dozen I could tolerate (no side effects) but even if your body can tolerate a medication, it doesn't mean the medication will actually help provide relief tho... I've had that happen too which really makes me mad! Lol

Honestly, I don't know if you've tried any at home remedies or natural approaches, but you might want to have a look through the alternative medicine /treatment section of the forum. Many of us have looked else where for help with our symptoms because we're sick of meds being shoved down our throats or the side effects... There are a lot of great suggestions in that part of the forum!

 

[1sweed]

elawhon,
Yes, that is what i mean. the medication usually lasts a certain period of time and then the effects of it reduce. This is generally the time you would be taking more. Say the doctor gives you 200mg capsules, of gabapentin and tells you to take it 3 times a day. So since it can be taken with food (another good thing), you decide to take it morning then noon, and night. So you take the first dose say 7:00am, by the time noon rolls around the medication is slowly wearing off. Then take it at 1:00pm and then say 8:00pm. Now by staying on that time frame give or take, everyday this medication will remain steady in your system and your pain will be controlled.

But if you just take it on and off, whenever, your pain will not be affected and you will not get the full benefit of the medication. And you will figure that it is not working or did not work for you. I think many people take this medication the way you might take over the counter pain relief and don't realize this medication needs to be taken in a certain way in order to combat the pain properly.

Let me know how you make out. If you have trouble with medication like me it is best to start out with lower dose mg, and get it increased as needed. Hope this answers your question.

 

[elawhon]

elawhon,
Yes, that is what i mean. the medication usually lasts a certain period of time and then the effects of it reduce. This is generally the time you would be taking more. Say the doctor gives you 200mg capsules, of gabapentin and tells you to take it 3 times a day. So since it can be taken with food (another good thing), you decide to take it morning then noon, and night. So you take the first dose say 7:00am, by the time noon rolls around the medication is slowly wearing off. Then take it at 1:00pm and then say 8:00pm. Now by staying on that time frame give or take, everyday this medication will remain steady in your system and your pain will be controlled.

But if you just take it on and off, whenever, your pain will not be affected and you will not get the full benefit of the medication. And you will figure that it is not working or did not work for you. I think many people take this medication the way you might take over the counter pain relief and don't realize this medication needs to be taken in a certain way in order to combat the pain properly.

Let me know how you make out. If you have trouble with medication like me it is best to start out with lower dose mg, and get it increased as needed. Hope this answers your question.

Yes it does and thank you.

 

[Indianagal]

elawhon, I have been taking Cymbalta and Lyrica for almost 3 years now. I am not happy with either one, my doctor told me Lyrica can cause weight gain. I have gained 40 pounds and am having trouble getting it off.
I recently started seeing a new doctor and told him I felt these medications are not helping me very much anymore. When I see him again in 2 weeks I am going to ask to be taken off these. One idea you may want to consider is a product called 'Fibrowellness'. I was taking that for awhile and do have to say it did help with the fatigue and pain. I am going to start taking that again and order some more. It is an all natural product...a little pricey but in my opinion it helped me a lot more than my prescribed medications.

 

[elawhon]

elawhon, I have been taking Cymbalta and Lyrica for almost 3 years now. I am not happy with either one, my doctor told me Lyrica can cause weight gain. I have gained 40 pounds and am having trouble getting it off.
I recently started seeing a new doctor and told him I felt these medications are not helping me very much anymore. When I see him again in 2 weeks I am going to ask to be taken off these. One idea you may want to consider is a product called 'Fibrowellness'. I was taking that for awhile and do have to say it did help with the fatigue and pain. I am going to start taking that again and order some more. It is an all natural product...a little pricey but in my opinion it helped me a lot more than my prescribed medications.

Thanks for the info indianagal.

 

[Trellum]

I completely understand how you feel, I'm gain weight right now due my insulin resistance... so adding pain pills would make that worse, I'm sure. Sadly... most meds will cause side effects, of course each person is different and will have a different reaction to a medication, that's why you need to try it yourself.

Some meds make you feel so hungry! Amitriptiline did that for me, that's why I gained more than 50 pounds in the past, getting rid of that weight was very hard! But if you just watch what you eat I think you will be fine, staying active is also important.

 

[LivetoErr]

I don't take any of the mentioned drugs as I was prescribed Citalopram and Trazadone (both used in Fibro) long before I was diagnosed with this stupid disease.

However, I wanted to comment on your blood pressure. Is it normally that high? Blood pressure often raises in a doctors office. Do you have a home meter that you can test your pressure on? My father always has elevated blood pressure when he's in the doctor's office. At home, with our meter he's normal. We know our meter is accurate because we take it to the doctor with us for calibration. Also, your pressure can raise when you're in pain. You may find it getting under control if you can find something that helps your Fibromyalgia.

Good luck in your journey and keep us posted.

 

[elawhon]

I don't take any of the mentioned drugs as I was prescribed Citalopram and Trazadone (both used in Fibro) long before I was diagnosed with this stupid disease.

However, I wanted to comment on your blood pressure. Is it normally that high? Blood pressure often raises in a doctors office. Do you have a home meter that you can test your pressure on? My father always has elevated blood pressure when he's in the doctor's office. At home, with our meter he's normal. We know our meter is accurate because we take it to the doctor with us for calibration. Also, your pressure can raise when you're in pain. You may find it getting under control if you can find something that helps your Fibromyalgia.

Good luck in your journey and keep us posted.

My blood pressure has been pretty high for me since October. I had a severe headache for 2 weeks and went to the doctor because I couldn't get rid of it with OTC meds. I had the nurse at my job check my blood pressure and it was quite high and it was high that day in the doctor's office. I was put on medication for high blood pressure through that visit, which was my last visit to that particular doctor. She had been my doctor for the past ten years. I tried to tell her that not only was my head hurting and my blood pressure high, I just did not ever feel good any more. This had been going on for about three years, or since I was diagnosed with severe anemia and was just about the walking dead. I was also diagnosed with vitamin d deficiency. At this appointment, she promptly stated that I was still vitamin d deficient (mind you she had not seen any blood tests in almost a year) and I was supposed to feel bad. She claimed my headaches were from elevated blood pressure and medication should help. Well, what she put me on made me feel worse and still had the headaches... I took the medicine for a month and decided to quit. In March, I went to a new doctor, who also said that my blood pressure was high, but did not want to medicate me for it until he had bloodwork done to see what all was going on with me. When I talked to him about being tired and sore all over for the past year and have had short bouts over the past three years, he was not sure if the blood pressure was not elevated just because of not getting enough rest, hurting, and from constipation issues I was having. At the next appointment, he diagnosed me with fibromyalgia and gave me a prescription for a diuretic drug, with frequent urination as the only side effect. My blood pressure is finally under control and I am having less headaches. When I have headaches now, my blood pressure is not the cause. I keep a check on my numbers at home too. I do feel that the fatigue and pain do contribute to the elevated blood pressure, because even on the medicine, when I am hurting the worse, it is usually high. I am now trying to decide if I want to take medication to help with the fibro pain.

 

[elawhon]

I completely understand how you feel, I'm gain weight right now due my insulin resistance... so adding pain pills would make that worse, I'm sure. Sadly... most meds will cause side effects, of course each person is different and will have a different reaction to a medication, that's why you need to try it yourself.

Some meds make you feel so hungry! Amitriptiline did that for me, that's why I gained more than 50 pounds in the past, getting rid of that weight was very hard! But if you just watch what you eat I think you will be fine, staying active is also important.

Thanks so much for your input. I feel that right now I am in a place where I can tolerate the symptoms of fibro without any medication. I have a good support system, which unfortunately does not include my husband, but those who are supporting me are giving me very helpful and useful advise. Hopefully I will be able to put off taking prescription meds for a while. Keeping my fingers crossed.

 

[Brismom]

Its funny your doctor will not prescribe narcotics they're really the only thing that works for me. I've been taking Norco for years but I am careful not to keep increasing and increasing. I have stayed at 1 or 2 a day for many years. I have tried the others and they do nothing for me. The verdict is still out on the Gabapentin. I know it knocks some people for a loop but I am on the maximum dose and Im not sure yet. I haven't had any side effects that I know of. My docs keep trying to give me more drugs. My doc gave me Cymbalta and I bought it but decided not to take it. Im done adding pills....doubt my symptoms are going to get much better than they are right now. I do not think the current line of "fibro pills" is very good IMO. Hope you do well on whatever you try.