What alternative treatments have you tried?

[sunkacola]

...........and what worked for you, and what did not?

I am not a big fan of the AMA and their approach to things, although I do take tramadol every day and would not be able to function, I think, without it. The doctor I see at a pain clinic wants me to take something else, but everything tried so far makes me feel sick except tramadol, with which I have no side effects at all.

I am interested in alternative treatments, natural remedies, etc. I would love to give medical marijuana a try, and the doctor even says that he believes that it is often very beneficial for Fibro patients. But if I do that, even though he said it wouldn't be a bad idea, then he will no longer prescribe the tramadol for me. So if it did not work, I would be in trouble. He said it would take weeks for the MMJ to leave my system enough for him to be able to let me have tramadol again. So I don't know if I want to take the chance.

I am interested in knowing what has worked for people, so that I can give some things a try.

 

[Martha]

I used gabapentin for pain. It was my only prescription. It seemed to retrain my pain receptors or something. Now I just take Le-Vel Thrive and their Boost and vitamins products. Half a dose per day to keep the cost down. And I take Elysium Basis. These two companies products seemed to have promoted cell health or something and made me more comfortable. I also use and electric blanket and hot pad and hot showers to calm down FM. I work out by walking no more than 1/2 mile (find your limit) and I occasionally cut firewood with and ax to build muscle. Only one wheelbarrow full. As soon as I get an FM flare up I chill on the couch for a day or two. FM is cumulative. I avoid letting it get out of hand. With all this management I still can't travel. I'm unreliable and just need to sleep a lot to recover. An Aleve helps sometimes. I stretch when I can to stay flexible. Develop a stretch routine. It helps.

 

[Martha]

I forgot to mention I get help from a chiropractor and physical therapist. Reliefs for knots and stiffness and pain.

 

[Eyesup]

Did your doctor say why you had to wait for the mmj to clear your system? I
Don't take tram or mmj but I'm quite sure there are many out there that use both.
Martha has good advice and I really recommend a GOOD chiropractor that's familiar with FMS. Many swear by a massage done by a therapist. Hot epsin salt baths help me a lot while in a flare. Just like how we all respond differently to different meds the same goes for alternative. Good luck. If you can stand a month without tram then give it a try.

 

[sunkacola]

Eyesup, the Dr. said that it would take several weeks for the mj to leave my system entirely and that until I tested completely free of it he would not prescribe the tramadol for me again. So it would not be a month off tram, it would probably be more like three or four months - a month or so to test out the mmj and then if it did not work, another couple months or more before the Dr. would prescribe the tram again. I asked him why, and he said something about both medications could cause breathing problems and so they cannot be used at the same time. I think that is bs because none of the side effects listed for tramadol say anything about breathing problems. And if you don't smoke the mmj I doubt that could do that either. But you can't argue with the Dr.
Chiropractor is not covered under the subsidized medical plan I am on nor is massage so that is out. I go to a very good chiropractor if I hurt myself and it is an emergency but cannot afford to pay to see him regularly. Massage costs even more, so I can't ever do that.

 

[LivingwRAAF]

Sunkacola~ I take a lot of prescribed medications, and also am looking to try magnesium it is a cofactor in more than 300 enzyme systems that regulate diverse biochemical reactions in the body, including protein synthesis, muscle and nerve function, blood glucose control, and blood pressure regulation. I also take Probiotic for digestion and Glucosamine w/ Chondroitin for joint health. I am not sure what I would do without Gabapentine it helps me a lot, I take 600mg in the am and then 300 x2 during the day. The small dose of Oxycontin 10mg 3x daily I am not sure how that is helping me but I take it. My doctor is looking to do a cleanse of some of my reg medications to wake up some of my receptors in my brain, I am hoping she does the Oxycontin so that I can see if I can be without it. I hope this helps.
Best regards,
Jodi

 

[DoobieBrother]

Lessee.... I've tried massage, acupuncture, non-opiates (loooong list), and diet control, i.e. going gluten free. Only the latter did any good. I have to admit a bias against so-called alternative treatments (are they the same thing as an alternate fact? ), as my background is hard-core science. Anything holistic is imho, a total waste of time.

Just my 5 cents worth.

 

[Eyesup]

Hmm, I'm not a doctor but I know there are cancer patients taking pain meds and mj for nausea so maybe get a second opinion. I'm not sure how bad your pain is but that seems like a long time he's asking you to endure. Has you doctor suggested going to a pain management clinic? Preferably one highly exsperienced in FMS. I'm assuming your insurance requires a referral but if not you could make your own appointment. I had insurance that wouldn't cover any alternative (chiropractor included) but would cover a pain management clinic. Lol if I went to a pm clinic for a massage then it would be covered! Go figure! Lol

 

[sunkacola]

Hmm, I'm not a doctor but I know there are cancer patients taking pain meds and mj for nausea so maybe get a second opinion. I'm not sure how bad your pain is but that seems like a long time he's asking you to endure. Has you doctor suggested going to a pain management clinic? Preferably one highly exsperienced in FMS. I'm assuming your insurance requires a referral but if not you could make your own appointment. I had insurance that wouldn't cover any alternative (chiropractor included) but would cover a pain management clinic. Lol if I went to a pm clinic for a massage then it would be covered! Go figure! Lol

The Dr. that I am talking about is at a pain management clinic. I got referred to that clinic by the regular Dr. because she was unwilling to prescribe medication for chronic pain. I think I am stuc k with this doctor. He is not bad, at all; he is respectful and reasonable.....except for the mmj thing.

 

[sunkacola]

Sunkacola~ I take a lot of prescribed medications, and also am looking to try magnesium it is a cofactor in more than 300 enzyme systems that regulate diverse biochemical reactions in the body, including protein synthesis, muscle and nerve function, blood glucose control, and blood pressure regulation. I also take Probiotic for digestion and Glucosamine w/ Chondroitin for joint health. I am not sure what I would do without Gabapentine it helps me a lot, I take 600mg in the am and then 300 x2 during the day. The small dose of Oxycontin 10mg 3x daily I am not sure how that is helping me but I take it. My doctor is looking to do a cleanse of some of my reg medications to wake up some of my receptors in my brain, I am hoping she does the Oxycontin so that I can see if I can be without it. I hope this helps.
Best regards,
Jodi

WOW Jodi, you take that much oxycontin every day?!! That is a lot!
If I take even 1/2 of a 5mg oxycontin it helps me. If I took as much as you do I would be out cold on the floor, I think.
Very sadly for me, I am out of those, prescribed by a previous doctor, and the current one will not prescribe them for me. I don't know what to do. I only took one about four times a month, just when the pain was really unbearable despite the tramadol. I tried to make them last but they are gone. So now I just try to tough it out.

But what I really, really do not understand is this:

Why don't the doctors prescribe what will ease the pain for me? I keep asking them: What is the benefit to me or to anyone else for me to be in so much pain all the time and worn out by trying all the time to be tough about it, when taking a medication would make my life so much more bearable? I think that the level of unrelieved pain I have contributes also to my depression.
The medication exists that would ease my pain, and I am very responsible and would never abuse it, but they will not let me have it. That feels so wrong to me.

 

[Janette Holzer]

I use gabapentin 3x a day @ 300mg and Effexor 150mg which I was taking before diagnoses. I find this helps with the pain so it is manageable and allows me to function.I too suffer from major side effects from the medication and so I am also seeing a natropath who has a background in bio -chemistry. I have only recently been seeing him and he is very passionate about helping people with chronic fatigue and pain. So far my energy has improved. I take a probiotic, vege nac and a high protein powder called Energy X. He is starting by getting my system to work for me rather than against. Overtime he will add and take away those things my system no longer needs. I reccommend someone with a bio-chem background as they really understand the body the way it functions and how natural medications can help the body to function at optimal levels. I have also tried accunpture and massage but it needs to be done weekly. It really helped with the pain but I can't afford to do all treatments too expensive. All the best hope this helps XX.

 

[vickythecat]

I have tried all the classic fibro meds, different doses, long periods, different combinations, sadly the side effects were unbearable.
I am now on tramadol and it is the only med that seems to allow me to continue to be semi-human. I also take the muscle relaxant Tizanidine a couple of times a week for a good night's sleep. And quite a lot of paracetamol and sometimes diclofenac, ibuprofen etc. like anti-inflammatory meds.

Alternative therapies;

- acupuncture - I was very hopeful but it did nothing for me.

- massage - a massage is great, but it does not have long lasting effects and is quite expensive. So now I self-massage with a tennis balls almost everyday day.

- hot pack - I love my hot pack. I use it to ease tense muscles. It does not necessarily take away the pain, but it surely relaxes the muscles.

- TENS machine - waste of my time and money. Somehow it does nothing for me, i don't get it!

- kinesiology tapes - after my shoulder dislocation/start of frozen shoulder, I got my shoulder taped every 3 days. I loved how it kept the muscle/tendons together. I made my very painful shoulder feel more in place/safe/secure. Hard to explain, but I'd recommend it after any injury.

- aromatherapy - I am obsessed about smells, so I do use different oils for different purposes. Natural clean smells can make one feel good. I use a pillow spray and dab different oils throughout the day.

- magnesium - again very hopeful, but did nothing

- B12 vitamin - a must for everyone. My levels were low, so I now inject myself with B12. I have not noticed a difference, but I know it is important to keep the levels high and it also helps so that doctors do not automatically blame low B12 levels for ALL of my problems.

- vitamin D - another must for everyone. My levels were again on the low side, so I have started taking some extra. I also try 15 minutes of sunshine everyday. The latter does make a difference - only in that it forces me to go out of the house and enjoy the sun for just 10-15 minutes. (I am allergic to the sun!)

- stretching - I LOVE stretching, would recommend everyone to do some every day. It just feels good, also in the sense that you are doing something good for your body. Listen to your limits everyday, do not push yourself, on bad days, just do very little.

- mindfulness - I cannot meditate for very long periods, but I do like 3-5 minute meditations. I also try to focus on being in the moment. It is also a trick people with mental illness are often taught during therapy. I've downloaded some short guided meditations and have them on my phone.

- exercise - I try to go for a walk everyday, but only succeed 3-4 times a week. But once I am outside, after the first 10 minutes, I feel the amazing therapeutic effect of walking. I take breaks whenever I get tired, do some mindfulness = paying attention to sounds, smells, creatures around me, deep breathing etc. I also have to rest once back at home.

- yoga - some basic yoga moves feel real good too. I believe we have to keep our muscles strong, so exercises, any kind or form, is very very important to stop the pain from getting worse over the years.

- Thai-chi - again, some basic moves feel great. It is all about doing small movements slowly and taking time to relax and focus only on your wellness.

- I just started taking CBD oil - too early to decide whether it helps. I do have high hopes...fingers crossed.

 

[Tipnatee N]

I know I should of not laugh but after also have done just about everything and not being a person that react well to medications cause side effect would hammer down my daily panic attacks and major depression problem to the blink of sucide. I can picture my face aggravating and my brain is constantly cursing while doing something that among most people see as the greatly relaxation methods. I would probably attack bitting the monk if he starting to hit my shoulder for not relax enough during meditation lol. 😂

 

[JudyBluEyes]

I just ordered a little variety of things from a dispensary here. Gonna try a few different ratios of CBD/THC, some high CBD for days of work when I don't want any psychoactive effects, and some high THC for pain relief at night. See how it goes!

 

[RichardSWaite]

Acupuncture is the best alternative if one does not want to go through the medication treatment. It is used to help relieve headaches, back pain and migraines. These are problems that many people suffer from on a regular basis and having a technique such as acupuncture to help reduce the pain and discomfort that these symptoms cause can be a great relief.