How does your doctor treat your fibromyalgia? I get little to no relief.....headaches,neck,jaw,... pain.?

I take soma,highblood pressure and anti-depressants meds.I have also had steroid shots(medrol?) but they only help for about 4 months. Anyone with similar experience?

I can't afford Lyrica. I do not have insurance.

You have got a few good answers already but here are a few links that will also help you. It's good free info from medical professionals.
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/fibromy...
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/...

Good luck. It's a painful disease.

Thumbs up to MelnThis

Stay away from Lyrica, it is a horrible drug. I gained 66 pounds in 5 months. I am seeing a specialist who is a doctor of osteopathy, they treat the cause not the symptom. Check this webiste to see if this approach might work for you. www.fmtlc.com

Otherwise, I use trammadol with Tylenol for pain managment, cyclobenzaprine (instead of soma), cymbalta and weekly self injections of Vitamin B, Oxytocin and Magnesium with a host of supplements prescribed by the specialist I see. He claims he may be able to send it in to remission. I am hopeful. The pain can be overwhelming. I also use my hot tub morning and night and I see a therapist for chronic pain management, we are working on hypnotherapy techniques to help with pain control. I have had FM for several years now and I am all for a multi-disciplinary approach to treatment. Just make sure all of your doctors, therapists, etc. know what eachother is doing. Hang in there!

Massage helps SOME people-not me

steriods usually don't help-they mainly reduce inflammation-there is no inflammation in FMS---they can also be used to suppress the immune system-but FMS isn't autoimmune--there is immune dysfunction so teh immune system can be over or under reactive---but it is rare that streriods help the pain....

you can try other antiseizure meds that come in generic form..some people use things like neurontin

I woudl be concerned that you have a different condition-one that actually causes inflammation or is autoimmune

Don't people realize that saying 'google your question' is NOT answering the question and is a vioaltion of teh community guidlines

A very real problem for people with fibromyalgia is very often as you well know chronic fatigue. Experts aren鈥檛 sure if sleep disorders cause or are caused by fibromyalgia, but the fact remains that people with issues like sleep apnea are at a higher risk for this painful disease. Most doctors don鈥檛 like to prescribe sleep aids unless they have to due to a risk of addiction. Once the patient stops taking the medication, they often have an even harder time getting good rest, so they really aren鈥檛 very helpful anyway. Getting exercise and making your environment conducive to rest are good strategies.

Massage on a regular basis, once a week for 30 minutes should help you to sleep better. This will help with the rest of your problems.

Lyrica is the new treatment. Best of Luck

You have been to countless doctors and specialists, your medical insurance has been through quite a workout, and you still don鈥檛 have the answers you need. All you know are you seemed to live life with constant stomach bloating, loss of concentration skills, and chronic fatigue. That doesn鈥檛 even begin to describe the life altering pain you experience just about everyday. At this point most of your friends, family, and health care professionals are treating you like you might be crazy because all of the medical tests have come out with good results. It鈥檚 time to find one of the fibromyalgia doctors and see if they can help you.

Fibromyalgia is an often misunderstood disorder that can cause an enormous amount of horrible symptoms, including chronic pain mainly in the back of the head, the upper back and chest, as well as the neck and shoulders. This pain can also manifest in the face and create chronic headaches. The joints of the body aren鈥檛 immune to the pain either. Most often it is found in the hips, knees, and elbows of the body. The pain of fibromyalgia can last from a few weeks to a few months. It鈥檚 pretty clear to see why fibromyalgia treatment is so important.

Another problem with this disease is that it is very difficult to diagnose. It often behaves like other illnesses like lupus or even some forms of arthritis, and then when tested, don鈥檛 have any of the famous hallmarks of those diseases. It鈥檚 easy to see why many untrained doctors in fibromyalgia have such a hard time diagnosing it correctly in a timely manner. There is a very vague panel of tests and criteria fibromyalgia patients are supposed to meet. The problem is lots of medical experts disagree on the set criteria, making speedy treatment that much more unlikely.


If you have run the gauntlet thrown down by your doctor and specialists and still don鈥檛 have an answer to your health problems and pain, seeking the advice of one of the fibromyalgia doctors may help. He or she will be able to at least give some hope and a correct diagnosis of fibromyalgia or not. The good news is fibromyalgia medicine is improving all the time. Fibromyalgia isn鈥檛 curable presently and a lot of research is still left to be done, but you can get some relief from the symptoms of fibromyalgia with good medical care.

Source: http://www.fibrofruit.com/fibromyalgia/2...