Hi EastCoastGirl, Not one simple answer. I had tests done for micronutrients, food and chemical sensitivities and allergies first. This is important because it is pointless in taking unnecessary supplements that your body does not need and can actually cause more harm than good. What I take may not be appropriate for another person. I am on HRT and thyroid replacement, all compounded. I keep my Vit. D levels up which is really important. I take Vit. C. For methylation support(prescribed by my doctor) P5P, 5-mthf, B-12 injections. I am taking zinc also since this was low. What I have found helps with my sleep, besides having my hormones balanced and thyroid levels good, is Natural Calm Magnesium citrate powder in the evening. I sometimes use the magnesium oil spray too. I take some other supplements for my tummy and, of course, probiotics. I like the Xymogen ProBioMax DF 100billion. That's worked well for me.
It sounds simple but you have to try to eliminate the things that are disturbing your sleep such as pain, find the source. For example: Some things that disturbed my sleep were.. muscle spasms in legs due to a deficiency of magnesium. Once I supplemented, spasms went away. Then I had hot flashes, once I got on the hrt properly, hot flashes went away. Then there was the constant pain, also that can be caused by nutritional deficiency, thyroid imbalances, hormone imbalances. I also have lyme disease which causes terrible joint pain. But by taking an herbal and natural antimicrobials, plus detox, detox, I have gotten some control over that too. I maintain my good diet. All this adds up to improved sleep for me.
What most people don't understand is that the rx drugs can further deplete nutrients and it becomes a viscious cycle going downward.
Reducing toxic load has cleared alot of my brain fog too. I feel fortunate to have gotten this much improvement, but I also have to avoid certain things like EMF and chemicals. This is part of our illness. Improving the environment is crucial, especially in the room that you sleep in.
hi Gina, Im on Lyrica and it takes most of the pain away, but im also on Trazodon for sleep and it really lets me sleep great. Im also on Tremadol for pain and i can take up to eight Ibuprofen which helps. I hope you find a combination that works for you. Sometimes you just hope for no side affects. So far so good for me and ive had fibro for 7 yrs.
I was on Cymbalta, Tramadol, and various different sleep medications. None of them helped. I was on them for nearly a year until I realized I was always in daze, always in pain, still didn't sleep well - and I wondered why I was on all this stuff when it wasn't helping. I slowly went off of everything. The Tramadol is really difficult to get off of (well, it was for me - lots of side effects!) so be careful if you decide to go off your medication and do so slowly. I do feel better without the drugs. I still can't work - but at least I can concentrate enough to read and my memory has gotten slightly better. I certainly feel more "alive" without the drugs.
Hello,
Iām curios about the OTC homeopathic fibromyalgia relief. Of the same name my homeo path has me on Calcaria carbonica Is it the same thingā¦? If not could you let me know? Thank you, Janie
Thanks so much for your thorough e-mail. You gave me a lot of good information and ideas! I'm so glad you mentioned what kind of probiotic you use. I like that brand but I didn't know they had a probiotic. I will have to try that one. Also I have a lot of tummy problems-stomach aches and heartburn. Do you think any of your tummy supplements would help those conditions?
Gina, I do not take Medication for Fibro any more because of the side effects. Cymbalta put so much weight on me it was unhealthy and Lyrica was not good either. I did take tramadol but that quit working with me and I was taken off amitripaline for some reason, cannot remember. I still take muscle relaxer, flexerill and something for sleep, and other meds, but nothing for the fibro. I am trying to fight it without the medicine. I am doing o.k. not great but I keep fighting.
I tried Savalla and had horrible side effects. Iām now on Cymbalta. While I donāt think it has done anything for controlling the pain, I do think it has helped with my anxiety and depression. I also take muscle relaxer (which I just had to increase the dose), hydrocodone, and Ambien. I would love to come off everything but the Cymbalta since it helps the depression. I have come to the realization that I am chemically dependent on the Ambien to sleeps which I feel is probably a bad thing.
Tramodol didnāt help, neurotin did help some but increasing dosage and I gained weight, lyrica made me crazy (literally). I use some medication: lamotringe helps some with nerve pain and flexiral to help with muscle pain. Each person with fibro is different in how symptoms manifest keep that in mind when seeking symptom management. One group of medication I would encourage anyone with fibro to avoid is opiates. There is so many reasons not to take this kind of medication regardless of your level of pain.
Iāve been doing lots of reading and the one thing that I keep seeing consistently, is that people with fibro must exercise. Now, that can be difficult with the pain, but I have noticed that when I force myself to get moving and do my walks in the indoor pool, I feel so much better and I actually sleep really well. I noticed these results even before I knew I had fibro, or read the articles, so there must be something to it. My other chronic condition it is imperative that we move. I started with the warm therapy pool, moved to water aerobics, and I also walk on land 2 nights a week. So far, aside from Lyrica, this has provided the greatest amount of relief.
Agreed, I do 1/2 hour of pumping small weights by following an exercise video every morning even when I get up with many pains which is ...every morning. Small pains are helped quite a bit, don't find it does anything for the neuropathic pain in my feet.
I forgot to mention in earlier response that I started taking 2000 I.U. of D3 and 200 mg of COQ10 a month ago. The D3 is to guard against D3 deficiency that is possibly associated (caused by, who knows?) FM. The COQ10, not cheap, is supposed to help neuropathic pain, had good results from five pain research (not FM) studies, but hasn't helped me so far. I'm looking into trying another less researched supplement, will report if it does miraculous things for pain.
Natalie....you're welcome. I actually have low stomach acid, so digestive enzymes and, at times, hydrochloric acid with pepsin.. with my meals(especially protein meals) helps a great deal. As we age seems stomach acid production goes down. Unfortunately, doctors right away think the symptoms are of "too much acid", such as heartburn, burping, , gas, bloating, indigestion etc. Both high and low acid causes very same type symptoms. No wonder so many get prescribed PPI's and end up worse off cause it further reduces the acid that is so needed to digest the proteins.
I also like using Bragg's ACV. As long as you clear it with your doctor, you may ask if he/she thinks digestive enzymes would be ok for you to take. I'm actually sensitive to some of those too. Doctor gave me one called Special Digestive Enzymes by Holistic Health and they have been ok so far.
You can talk to your doctor regarding low acid vs. too much acid. Here is some info on the low acid problem...it's real important to distinguish exactly which one you are dealing with...
The first time a doctor said to me "you have low stomach acid" I said "huh"?? I've been treated with antacids and PPI's in the past. He said "that's why you got worse instead of better." It was really bad and I couldn't even digest my meat anymore, always bloated and just miserable. So, glad it got figured out.
GrumpyCat....we need oxygen and exercise does help with that via increased blood flow. Even deep breathing on days that you can't exercise seems to help.
Th is for the deep breathing tip. Not usually something I would do, but if I have a bad day, I will definitely keep that in mind. Makes sense, especially when you look at the cause.
You're welcome. I'm embarrassed to say that several doctors had to remind me to breathe. Honestly, we sometimes overlook the most obvious. It makes me laugh that I actually put a sticky note up that says 'breath." :')
I am so sorry to hear about all your tribulations. I do not take any medications for Fibro. I have Adderall for my ADD, but I take it as needed. That means I really don't take it on the weekends or if I'm not working. But on those days I have to focus for work I will take it. I take a low dose and that's usually enough. I also have a Rx for Vicodin for my migraines. But again I usually take this only when I absolutely need it. I usually try all my natural methods for fighting my migraines and headaches first, and if nothing works then I'll break down and take the Vicodin. But other than that, I don't take any Rx drugs. I treat my Fibro holistically and naturopathically. I usually try to post my approaches to fighting fibro on my blog (fightfibronaturally.com). So, you can always stop by there and say hi. But, just so you know, I use Curamin by TerryNaturally for inflammation and hence pain, I take a Vit C, Magnesium, B12, and CoQ10. Many fibro folks I know also take Vit D, but I cannot because of my kidneys (that's another story), but I've heard that helps too.
I haven't been taking any medication other than the occasional trazadone for sleeping, and Aleve. I have never found daily medication to help my symptoms or the side effects from the drugs have been so bad it isn't worth taking. I have been managing symptoms over the last several years through alternative care.
These links will take you to my new blog, where I've been putting down my thoughts and research about CFS, Fibro, and Costo. You may find some of the information helpful.
