I take Cymbalta and antivan for the pain
Do you have kaiser?
Dear Susan,
Like the others hear I feel horrible about your situation! Some doctors can be such jacka**e**! I take a medication called Nortriptyline for pain management of my fibromyalgia and it is amazing. Believe it or not it is an old school antidepressant, so vaguely similar to Cymbalta, but a different formula. I had tried Lyrica and Cymbalta with no success. I take 100mg at night, because it does make me slightly drowsy, (not as much anymore as when I first started taking it) and I think it does a great job of helping me avoid major Fibro flares. Nortriptyline is not a narcotic, not even a pain medication, so maybe it is something to try. Especially since the Lyrica doesn't seem to be helping. I should mention that I am on the larger side ~ 5'11" and 270# ~ so the 100mg dose might be a lot for someone smaller. Although I have learned through the years that size doesn't always determine appropriate dose.
I also have a bone disease that causes a very different kind of pain than Fibro pain, and I thank God that my PCP is good about medication and giving me Oxycontin on a daily dose and Oxycodone for the breakthrough pain. Oddly, for me, the narcotics are not as helpful for the Fibro pain. I have better luck with a generic Excedrin type med that is a combo of Aspirin & Tylenol + a little Caffeine (super cheap @ Wal-Mart - $5 or less for two bottles) or sometimes generic Alleve. During the Minnesota winter my bone & Fibro pain is always worse, especially yesterday as our temps dropped below zero for the first time this winter. I sure wish we could understand why our bodies are so affected by the weather - and then figure out a way to NOT be so affected by the weather!
Good luck at your doctor appt tomorrow and hopefully based on all the great replies from the FABULOUS members of the group here you wil be able to either ask some new questions or maybe ask about different medications.
Good luck and God Bless in 2013!
Gentle hugs,
Judy
Hi Susan,
They have started you on a low dose, which in my non-medical opinion is a good idea. I started at 150mg and currently take 225mg. My GP wanted to up it to 300 mg, but the Rheumatologist said no, because he has seen the swelling from fluid retention. It is sometimes necessary for me to stop taking the Lyrica for a day or two. (This is with the approval from both Drs) My body naturally gets rid of the fluid, as I am constantly in the bathroom. The main reason that I take Lyrica is for Sciatica. http://medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/sciatica, but it is helpful for other fibro and dental pain. My remaining teeth have exposed nerves. The tooth loss is from the Sjogren's.
Here is some info from Pfizer, the manufacturer.
http://www.lyrica.com/answers/how-to-take-lyrica.aspx
I am very glad for you that you are feeling a difference with this med. It is always a tremendous physical and emotional relief when we finally find something that works for us!
Wishing you well,
SK
Oh, Hockeymom, I am sure that you meant that you have almost totally weaned yourself from it. LOL. Hope you have a great day!
So agree with "Hello, anybody in there?" You wonder how these ppl actually become doctors and nurses! Good news, though, is that my PCP gave me a higher dose of lyrica, so fingers crossed that this does a good job. Thank everyone for your support!
Hi youngone, I'm so sorry to hear what you've gone through with these Docs, I'll never understand how any Doctor takes a Hippocratic Oath (first, do no harm) then won't have enough mercy to ease someone suffering pain. It might be worth it for you to drive farther out to see someone else. If you do, you might as well ask upfront before you waste your time and money. Just call and ask if the Doctor ever prescribes narcotics for chronic pain and if so, what type of pain conditions warrant these painkillers. Explain what you've gone though. If they say yes, make the appt. If they say no, keep calling til you get a yes. Try to see a Rheumatologist, they are more merciful than regular MD's. I see one and he gives me 10/325 vicodin, 240 of them per month and I'm allowed to take two every six hours, which is like 4 regular vicodin. It allows me to function normally. I also have Lupus so between that and fibro, I would not be able to get out of bed without them. I don't know where you live but if you're not that far from Austin, Tx, you might want to consider seeing my Rheumy. Let me know and if you want, I'll give you his name. He's so sweet and gentle and he understands because he has Lupus also. It's sad you have to settle for Tylenol... it doesn't do much for me unless it's combined with Vicodin. Hope this helps, wish I could do more for you! : )