Hi mummiof5 from Australia!
I started with SR morphine ten years ago 15mg x twice a day with diazepam (valium) for relax and sleep. This increased to 40mg twice a day after a few years... After ten years of suffering from hyperalgesia from the morph (amplifying the pain) i switched to 10mg methadone tabs 1 x day to which i nearly overdosed. i tried 16mg hydromorphone 1 x daily for 6 months and then buprenorphine 20mg patch 1 x week for 6 months, all which made me screwed up in the head and not myself. It was like living under a dirty blanket.
I am currently on 100mg SR tramadol twice a day, 5mg Endone (oxycodone) for breakthrough pain, valium for sleep and relax, prescription NSAIDS so I can walk, and Baclofen tabs 10mg (an MS drug) for tight muscle spasms. I have to see a Pain Specialist up to four times a year to suggest what meds I can take for the government to release a script to my doc who I see every 28 days.
Fibro will affect your mind as does the medications. Chronic Pain has robbed me of my life from 29 to my current age of 40. I have had to stop asking why me and get on with it.
Being on heavy narcotics blurred my life and my relationships with my last jobs, my friends and my family. I feel like I just exist in this world of pain BUT I have my mind back now.
Stress is a great aggravator of Fibro. I know its very hard to deal with energy levels and other people's expectations Vs your own but I have had to concentrate on clean eating and be mindful that i don't put too much energy into tasks just to get them done, as I end up burning out. You can do the dishes by half and sit down for 5. Go back to it. Break up tasks. I never thought it was possible being such a success and results driven person.
Try ginseng extract for energy (vials). You will find it as Panax extractum in chinese supermarkets. I rely on it for energy and some brands also have B1, B2, B6 and B12. Drink lots of water and remember that small doses of pain releif often is better than larger doses of nasties which RUIN your body, your bones, your mind, and your digestion to name a few. There is a ceiling level to every drug and above that there is just addiction plus chasing that elusive pain relief again.
I feel for you, you busy mum.
Cheers from Australia!
Drew