Hi Jackie, I have taken just about every medication known for Fibro. I started with Gabapentin which caused me to gain 30 pounds and made my ankles swell up like balloons. I quit taking it and went to the doctor and he put me on Lyrica which he warned may have the same side effects, but luckily for me the Lyrica worked well. However I am not someone who believes in taking much medication. I have found that the muscle relaxers work the best for me, esp Soma but the doctors are not wanting to prescribe it anymore because they believe it is more addictive then Oxcontin and the drug companies have changed the schedule on the medication making it harder for doctors to prescribe it. I tried most of the non-controlled muscle relaxers, but none of them helped and they made me dizzy. I now take Klonopin which is controlled and really helps with the muscle symptoms and the anxiety that often comes with fibro. Klonopin is not listed as a muscle relaxer and is in the same class as Valium, but both of these drugs work really good for muscles. I have not tried Xanax, but it is supposed to work great too, at least patients have told me this.
I decided a few months ago that I did not want to be on many medications and now only take Klonopin every day and Oxcodone as needed. I think moving more is helping me and started to build up to walking more, but have to be careful not to overdo it. I have lost 15 pounds since going off Lyrica and increasing my activity level. I have decided to find alternative ways to cope with pain other then medications. I found out about a book on the doctor OZ show called "The Melt Method." and it very helpful with my fibro but you have to start out slow. It uses pressure points to help relieve pain and when I do the foot exercises before bedtime I sleep so much better and don't wake up often. Hope this can help you and others!!!
Poseymom- i can relate to you totally and completely. Have you tried icing and maybe physical therapy? I have pain in the same places you do- one time my back pain was so bad I stayed for three months in bed unable to move but I discovered these back stretches i do daily now on you tube and while I still have pain it is much more mild. let me know if you want the link. Also an ice bath is good for feet that hurt. You can Google and find out safe way to do ice baths before you try it.You can also alternate between ice foot baths and warm foot baths with Epsom salt. I also use essential oils- i rub arnica oil on my aching feet and legs and add a few drops lavender which calms me. I will pray for you Fibro Sister!
I have taken gabepentin,neruonton and lyrica all in the past they caused me to have stammering ,stuttring not to be able to remember words ,simple ones say wrong words that even sounded strange coming out .The reason I stopped was when they started causing the tardive dysconsia effects like lips smacking and ticks ,neck jerking They don't do this to everyone but after these three related drugs all did it to me ,and others have not ,I am really sure it was them that caused it.
I take 800 mg of gabapentin twice a day and 750 of methocarbamol at night and half that in the morning. I definitely know if I donāt take them. I am sure it adds to my fog in the morning but it helps me function.
I have been on Gabapentin for years for my bipolar disorder. Rheumatologist thinks this is the reason for the delay in diagnosis. I just hadnāt been hurting badly enough to get checked out.
I am on 2400 mg Gabapentin and 30 mg Baclofen. The Gabapentin was prescribed to address the leg and foot issues I had prior to my surgery last year. The pain management doctor has kept me on it because of the continuing severity of back and hip pain. I have gained a LOT of weight on it.
Like others have mentioned, see if thereās financial aid available to you. Taking the finances off the table will help reduce your stress levels. I know that stress triggers all my pain areas at once. Itās not a good feeling.
I tried CBD with no help. it made me very nauseated. I used Lyrica and two weeks, but felt absolutely no difference and was not willing to continue gained 19 pounds in 10 days. Dr. changed that to Gabapentin. I only took it ashort time as it also causes gaining weight. Cortisone helped greatly but caused osteoporosis which Dr. said it would. I took several Norco a day which helped, but new dr. said YOU ARE ADDICTED and took it all away.
So now i am taking ibuprofen, had some nerves cauterized and have a thyroid problem, on a really low dose of levothyroxine. I think every person reacts differently to meds - so you are the only one who knows. doctors get their info out of booksā¦ you have to speak up and tell them what you feel and how you react to meds. I personally am at wits end and very sad I am unable to do so many things. I take 2 mg of Xanax at bedtime and that does help me sleep. Muscle relaxants like Flexoril have no effect on me at all.
I take gabapentin, Iāve had no side effects that I noticed, but I was instructed to take it at night. So if it makes me have Fibro Fog, I wouldnāt noticed because itās at night. Iām allowed 4 pills but I take only what I feel I need. Iām allowed 6 tramadol during the day but again I take the least I can to get me by. Interesting that Lyrica has helped many of you. I had a friend who took Lyrica for RA but for her, it helped with pain but her side effects were so bad she could barely walk. I had no side effects at all but it also did not help a lick. We all react so differently to medsā¦everyoneās body chemistry is so different.
Even among Fibro sufferers, thereās a huge difference. Some seem to have a ālightā case, others much worse. Personally I had to give up my career 8 years ago, and even some people I know with Fibro donāt understand that. You are you, your pain is your pain, and just because someone else, even someone who has this, doesnāt get it doesnāt make YOU crazy!
Iāve been curious for some time if there are other conditions that occur along with Fibro frequently. I have hypothryoidism and migraines, and the few people I know personally who have Fibro often seem to have these two things as well. Do any of you have other things happening like this?
I can also relate to people who donāt have Fibro not āgetting itā. My mom, who is gone now, was ALWAYS supportive and never, ever questioned my pain and fatigue. But when she got cancer and was wiped out from chemo and such, she did tell me āI always tried to understand your fatigue, but honestly I just thought you were really tired. Now that Iām experiencing real fatigue for the first time in my life, I see itās WAY more than just ābeing tiredā. I had to feel it to really understand.ā It meant a lot to me that she said that.
I have a brother who really means well but he has a āpower through itā attitude, and he just doesnāt get that if I overdo it on one day, I will pay for it the next. Iāve never heard him say the words āmy sister has Fibromyalgia.ā Heās supportive at times and frustrating at times! I know he means well so I have just accepted that this is just how he isā¦I know he loves me and I think he has sort of an inability to accept that there is something wrong with his sister that he cannot fix. Heās a fixer. I think he feels powerless against this and that drives him nuts. I just try to be patient and explain to him that Iāve already tried some of his suggestions, they donāt work for me, etc.
Muscle relaxersā¦yes I take Flexeril as needed. I donāt take it often. If I do, I take it at night as I feel tired and foggy if I take it during the day. I donāt find it helps that much with everyday Fibro pain anyway. I do have some terrible pain from back problems, which may or may not be made worse by my Fibro, I donāt knowā¦but when the back pain is bad enough, I will take the Flexeril and I donāt care if it makes me sleepy or feel like my brain is foggy. I guess Iām deciding day by day if itās worth it to feel kind of out of it.
Iām so sorry for all of you who have problems with Drās. I have been blessed with great Drās both in the place where I lived when I was diagnosed, and after I quit my career and moved back to my home town. If you have a choice of Drās, find one that gets it. To me that is the biggest deal of allā¦you wonāt get meds that work for you from a Dr who thinks itās all in your head or doesnāt understand Fibro.
Iām interested to hear what everyone takes to help with sleep as new drug laws have forced me to choose between my Valium, which has always helped me sleep, or my Tramadol for pain. I chose the Tramadol. I havenāt run out of Valium yet and Iām terrified I wonāt sleep once I do. We have drug abusers to thank for all these new laws that keep meds away from the people who desperately need them. My Dr is so apologetic every time he has to take away one of my prescriptions, but I know thereās nothing he can do, he has to abide by the laws.
Yes, my scalp itches all the time. I try so hard not to scratch. Iām also losing my hair. I donāt know what is causing that and I have too many issues right now to try to figure it out.
I took gabapentin for several years and I was almost pain free, until I needed an increased dose, and my doctor upped by dose from 1600mg a day to 2400 a day, which was awful and made me very loony. (I think the increase was way too much.) So my doctor took me off and prescribed Cymbalta, which didnāt help at all.
For the past 23 years Iāve taken gabepentin 600 mg 4 times a day and a muscle relaxant at bedtime. I also have crushed nerves in my feet from a yoga accident, my fault.
Hi! Has anyone gained a lot of weight taking Gabapentin? Iāve gained at least 30 pounds in 3 months and itās like I canāt stop eating. I feel out of control. I donāt know if the weight gain is from inactivity from having so many flares that keep me very immobile or the Gabapentin.
Freedom, Iāve had the same problem of weight gain, but my eating habits havenāt really changed. I am hungry more often, but I just let my stomach growl at me. I got used to that when I was working those 60-80 hour weeks.
I suspect mine is due to the lack of movement combined with the fact that Gabapentin has the side effect of weight gain. The web site below says itās a less common reaction, but everyone I know who has taken Gabapentin has complained about weight gain.
I take flexeril when my back is preventing me from moving. It makes me very sleepy so I only take it at night. Itās not a cure all, but it helps me stay out of bed.