I wanted to see what meds you guys are using and have tried and how they worked or are...

 Hello, I am Kristin.
  I am going in to see my PCP for my first appointment soon and think I have fibro(fatique,severe body pain,etc.).. i want to  be an informed and know what to ask for. If you can help .. any advice would be great! Kristin

I've tried several things starting with gabapentin which worked fairly well for awhile. Then I tried lyrica which worked but made me gain weight, sure don't need that! Next my pain specialist had me try cymbalta which I'm on now and it works awesomely, the best of all I've tried, have little to no pain. Now there are some folks on here that have had an awful time with the cymbalta, messed with their heads but it's done wonders for me. One thing you will probably find is we tend to have to change drugs every now and then and combine them with regular narcotic pain meds to keep reasonably pain free. Good luck on your appointment, your PCP may have you see a rhumetologist for a diagnosis. If your PCP isn't one who believes in fibro and there are some who don't, find someone who will help you. Feel free to stop in here and ask any questions we are always glad to answer when we can.

It's only been about  5 or so months for me and I have already been on so many different meds. Its makin me crazy! lol
Just be prepared to have to try different meds in order to find the right one for you. Keep us posted. Kerri~

 Hi Kristin, First of all, I am sooo proud of your wht loss. I have 200lbs to lose and hope my surgery will be the first week of August.  Ive been battling fibro for 6 yrs and nothing has helped me with the pain. Im now totally disabled, Im house bound most of the time and just going to the grocery store is the nightmare of my week

 

Im sorry!! I should not have started with that but its a bad pain day. Maybe I shouldnt have answered your post but I can tell you, many are better than me and some are worse. I too started with my pcp who sent me to the orthopedic and he is the one that said the word, fibromyalgia for the 1st time. Do not just look it up on the computer!!  I cried for days and now I know that any stress makes it worse .

 

My pcp than sent me to a fibro specialist in Nashville who was a nut and I never went back to him. My next Rheumy was a lovely caring woman but after a few mths, she moved across country so the search went on to find the next one. I was xrayed, Had a MRI, bookoos of blood work, physical therapy,catscanned, I had the needles put in from a neuorologist(SP) and they all just kept telling me it was the fibromyalgia.

 

I loved my job working in a huge highschool, and it was the saddest day of my life when I finally had to say, no-more.  I got my ssd for the depression (thats part of it too). I thought I would go crazy being home the 1st yr. Many of the fibro patients go into a kind of remission but I never have. My pain just gets worse and worse. Im now on 32 prescriptions{most of those are hard-core narcotics} I now go to a pain specialist who told me 2 yrs ago that he could help me but he couldnt.

 

You are going to think Im crazy for telling you all of this and some here may be angry with me. I will pray for you that it isnt fibro, but if it is, you can survive with it. It will change the life you knew, but it opens up a new world too. I walk with a cane now because I fall alot and I see things in nature that I never had time for before. I can not pick up my grandbabies but I can sit and read with them and cuddle.They love to play with the cane that I hate and they tell me how soft I am. Im hoping the vsg surgery will help with the joints. All of these meds they just keep adding on made me gain huge amts of wht until Im 360lbs. I would love to add you to my friends and you are welcome to contact me anytime. Im not always this dire. I just happened to read your question this morning when my ankle feels like someone crushed it with a sledgehammer.

 

I can tell you the most positive thing I have going for me is my massage therapist. She is wonderful and I love her dearly. Its much better than all of the physical therapy was. Also, Water!! Get into a pool. It helps. When Im in the water, I have no pain. I love water arobics. Cant keep the silly grin off of my face.  Sometimes I do too much and I pay for it for several days, but I love it.

 

I wish you the best of luck. let us hear from you after the dr appt. If you want to be a friend, just put in a request and I will add you on. May God bless you and keep you in his arms.

 

Suzette

Hi Kristin,
I have had Fibro for about 1.5 years now after months of complaining to my PCP, we finally came to the conclusion that I had Fibromyalgia.  My body felt like I had a bad case of the flu.  I ached all over, stiff, tired, could barely move my legs to walk, my hips are stiff and sore, problems sleeping yet tired all the time, very fatigued.  I was put on Cymbalta 60mg and the Duragesic Fentanyl patch 25mcg.  I also take as a break through med, Norco.  This is a very good combination for me.  I love the patch because it is a patch applied to my skin and not absorbed through my stomach where I would waste half the medicine because I had RNY 3.5 yrs ago.  I have good days, for the most part.  Compared to how I was before any medicine, is like day and night.  I would do a little research on Fibromyalgia before you go to the doctor.  I am in a pain clinic after my doctor decided he didn't want to work with narc meds.  But the pain clinic dr asked me if I knew what Fibro is.  It actually has nothing to do with your joints.  It is your fibrois(sp) tissues that are affected.  Like your muscles, tendons.  I believe Fibromyalgia means "Fibro-tissues and myalgia-pain.  If I remember correctly.  Best wishes to you.  I tried a lot of meds before I found this combo that works well for me.  Cymbalta-Fentanyl patch and Norco (which is like double vicodin). 1 Norco=2 Vicodin
Kristy

Kristy- I'm interested in finding out more info on the patch. I believe I will be having RNY and am very concered about how my meds will change for my fibro. Right now I'm having a lot of knee pain, I'm taking 300 mgs of Lyrica X 2 and Ultram. the Lyrica is making my ankles and legs really swell up. I was going to ask my doctor about Neurotine. Please tell us more about this patch.

Hi Monica,
I would love to tell you and everyone about the patch.  It is the best thing for chronic pain as far as I am concerned.  Usually the dr. will start you out on 12 mcg.  It doesn't seems like a lot, but this is a strong med.  Then once you start getting the medicine in your system then they will bump you up to 25mcg.  It is a small patch that is applied to your skin every 72 hrs.  And during that 72 hrs if you still have slight pain, you will be given a break through med.  (back up)  I like the patch because I don't have to worry about waking up when my meds (oral) have gone out of my system.  The patch is good for 72 hrs.  Then on the morning of the 72 hrs; set your alarm for about an hour before you are to change your patch and take an oral pain med.  Don't let the medicine go out of your system because you will feel the fibro pain and it is harder to stop it once it has started.  If you are having RNY, then the patch is a good option for you as far as a pain med, since you don't take it orally.  It isn't malabsorbed.  It is a good medicine for pain and you don't have to worry about having to take meds every 4 hours and oops, I forgot my pills have happened to me.  Let me know how this goes for you.  Best Wishes to you.
I like the Cybalta for pain and anti depressant.  Cybalta is actually a medicine for diabetes that have nerve pain, but the medical world has found it works for pain and depression.  They now advertise it as a Fibro med.  I tried Neurotine.  Doctors don't understand that Fibro pain is far worse than what Neurotine can help.  Kristy

Thanks so much for the info Kristy!!
I just don't know how to ask for this type of medication. I'm in the process right now of going back to my primary doctor because I honestly don't feel like my rheumy has done alot for me. Everytime I go to see her and ask her for a refill of percocet I get a speach on how she is really worried about me getting addition to pain medication, she actually backs it down everytime I go . I'm like look, I've been taking prescription pain meds for the last 10 years~ I don't feel like I'm addicted, but I have become dependant. Hello, it hurts and the pain works full time on my body. She (Rheumy) just makes me feel really bad about medicine and my primary doesn't she has always been willing to work with me to try different things to get my pain under control.

Hi,
You are very welcome.  I am in a pain clinic, so they understand what I am going through.  PCP and other doctors really don't like giving us Opiates.  They are afraid of getting in trouble because it is a C5 catagory medication, which requires a triplicate and FDA require a copy of it, to keep track.  So it makes the doctors look bad for giving what they think is a lot.  On the other hand, if you can get into a pain clinic, they are willing.  But if not, just tell your doctor, "Hey look, I would like to try the Duragesic Fentanyl patch 25mcg, and use the Norco as a "break through" medicine."  Say, "I have tried Percocet and it just isn't working as well as some of the meds that I have heard work better."  Tell the doctor that you will let them know how it works for you.  I know it will make you feel so much better.  If you can't get them to agree, tell them you pay a lot of money for your insurance and you are asking them for help and they aren't helping you so why are they in the medical field.  I told my PCP this one day and three days later I got a letter that he was retiring.  funny....
Anyway, you have to be kinda bold when you ask not rude of course but firm and bold, don't beat around the bush, well, tell them this is what you want.  Let me know how it goes or if I can be of any other help to you.  I have had a hard time getting to where I am today with my meds so it might take a while, just hang in there and keep asking for the same thing.  Eventually they will give in.  take care, Kristy

Hi, Kristin!

I also have SLE, and the Plaquenil is an immunosuppressant. Every one of my doctors has one of these lists in my charts.  I update as needed 
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Nexium 40 mg daily
(GERD)   Flexeril 50 mg Three times daily
(stiffness)   Lyrica 150 mg twice daily
(Fibromyalgia)   Tramadol 50 mg three times daily as needed (pain)   Advair 250/50 1 puff twice daily
(asthma)   Proventil (rescue inhaler prn)   Mirapex 0.5 mg one nightly before bed
(restless leg syndrome)   Xanax 1.0 mg twice daily as needed
(anxiety disorder)   Cymbalta 60 mg once daily
(antidepressant used for pain control)   Plaquenil 50 mg once daily
(immunosuppressant for SLE)   Provigil 200 mg twice daily as needed(Narcolepsy)   Voltaren Gel 4 g applied to knees 4 times daily
(joint pain)   Flagyl 500 mg twice daily for 10 days (antibiotic -kills off intestinal flora-will resume Sustenex (probiotic) when course of medication is finished - Duodenal Switch therapy)     OTC Medications   Immodium 2mg/4 times daily/as needed for  stomach cramps & diarrhea   Devrom (Bismuth Subgallate) 2 chewables up to four times daily (BM & gas odor control)   Sustenex (Probiotic 2 billion cells) One capsule daily (suspended at Dr. visit on 6/8/09)  
Duodenal Switch LIFETIME Nutritional Supplement Requirements   3 Bariatric Advantage chewable multi-vitamins with High ADEK daily or 3 Prenatal Multivitamins daily    (1800 mg) Calcium Citrate with Vitamin D daily   1000 mcg sublingual B12 Weekly or B12 shot monthly   100 mg Thiamin (Vitamin B1) Weekly   64 oz of fluid daily   75-90 g. protein daily