HealingWell
Search Close Search
☰

Hello - Just joined and looking for answers??

Support Forums
>
Fibromyalgia
✚ New Topic ✚ Reply
❬ ❬ Previous Thread |Next Thread ❭ ❭
Posted 10/6/2009 3:44 PM (GMT 0)

Hi everyone!

I have been struggling with FM for about 10 years.  Also been dx with IBS...who hasn't, right??

Anyway, anybody tried magnesium + malic acid as a treatment?  If so, did it really work for you?  I am so tired of every dr trying to put me on antidepressants!

Thanks!!

Posted 10/6/2009 4:22 PM (GMT 0)
Hi, fancymom, and welcome!  Yes, I take malic acid/magnesium supplements and they really do help me.  I also take vitamin D3 to help with pain and fatigue, too.  Many people with fibro are deficient in these vitamins and nutrients.  Here are two links all about them and how they work in your body.

 

https://www.healingwell.com/community/default.aspx?f=24&m=1238999

 

https://www.healingwell.com/community/default.aspx?f=24&m=1423725

I'm so glad you found us and joined in.  We have wonderful members that love to help one another and, as a bonus, we really do care about each other, too!  Don't hesitate to ask questions because we are here to help you.  Hope to hear more from you soon.

 

Sherrine

Posted 10/6/2009 4:52 PM (GMT 0)
Hi Fancymom. 

 

Yes, I take the malic/magnesium 3 times a day and it works for me.  I also take amitriptyline at bedtime and am finally sleeping through the night.  I haven't slept this good in over 20-25 years.  Normal for me was getting up in the middle of the night to soak in a bathtub of very warm water to relieve the pain/stiffness every night!

 

I also take arthritis strength Tylenol and an occasional ibuprofen.

Posted 10/7/2009 4:21 PM (GMT 0)
Fancymom,
Your doctor is really looking out for you. If you look upon these meds as Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRI's) instead of using the "antidepressant" label you might understand how they can help.

Fibros are notoriously low in serotonin. We burn it up like marshmellows over an open fire. Serotonin is a brain chemical that is necessary in appetite control, pain perception, circadian rhythms and mood. In other words, it does more than modify your happy/sad level. Adding an SSRI to your regimen can help lower your pain perception, offer better sleep, (especially if you take it at bedtime), stop you from snarfing carbs and improve your overall feelings of well being. As an aside, eating carbs is a way of self medicating when we are burning thru our serotonin. Carbohydrates elevate your serotonin levels. This is why carbs are called comfort foods.

I've had symptoms of fibro for my entire life and when I started on SSRI meds about 12 years ago my whole world changed for the better. My short temper (from nagging pain) went away. I am now able to enjoy my family instead of being cranky all the time. I still have pain. I still have fibro but I am coping in a much better way. I'm not the only happy one in my home. My whole family benefited from this medication. Hope this helps.
Posted 10/7/2009 5:16 PM (GMT 0)
Welcome you have found a great bunch of people to ask ? to.

Veronica
Posted 10/7/2009 6:05 PM (GMT 0)
Mom,

    The Malic works for me, too. I just started vit D to see if it makes any difference. Since I'm an outdoor

baby I don't know if it will. I tried the antidepressents and didn't like the way I felt. I now do as much

herbal as possible with maybe one or two flexorils a month. I just seen at Eckard drug store a

hemopathic for siatic. I wonder if it would also relax the muscles so I could chuck the flexoril too.

Maybe when I get paid this week I'll pick some up and let you know how it worked.

           Nana Monster

Posted 10/7/2009 6:35 PM (GMT 0)
I take amitriptyline, an antidepressant. The doctor explained to me that to take it for depression, you need higher doses. Taken in lower doses, it helps relieve nerve pain. I've had facial pain and shooting/ stabbing pains in my body since I developed fibro. This was the first medication that was prescribed to me, adn for me it works. When my pain starts to increase again, they raise my dosage. I started at 5 mgs and am now on 50mgs. He is now saying I am at the cap for nerve pain, but I know there are different thoughts on that. So I will be discussing this with him if he wants to switch me to another med.

Malic acid/ magnesium does work wonders too! I used to take it and within weeks noticed a difference in my general aching, how much I could expect out of my muscles, and fatigue. I felt cured in the spring, and went off all meds. I quickly went back to my prescription drug as my pain intensified dramatically, but I haven't started back the malic acid combo. I am better equipped now to deal with flares, and I follow an exercise regimen. We'll see what happens this winter though. I have felt much worse since the cold weather hit, with more of my bad, needing to rest, days than I had all summer.

Good luck finding something that works!
Posted 10/7/2009 7:09 PM (GMT 0)
Jeannie, that's the BEST explanation of how/why SSRI's help fibro that I've ever read!
Posted 10/8/2009 12:12 PM (GMT 0)

Hi...and welcome!  I am about to try magnesium/malic acid to see if it helps.  I agree with you about SSRI's, and I would respectfully suggest anyone deciding to try them for fibro do a detailed research on what these drugs do to your body when you, for whatever reason, go off.  I was given a short summary or what I could expect to experience when beginning to take them.  Not one word about the horrific side effects of withdrawal.  I guess some doctors think you will be on them forever.  Having been addicted to several heavy duty pain killer years ago after a number of surgeries in a short period of time, I can say the withdrawals from them do not hold a candle to what I am going through now.  JMHO, and  I realize everyone is different.

Take care and I hope you find some relief.

Donna

Posted 10/8/2009 4:47 PM (GMT 0)
i cant do magnesium for my ibs.. my magnesium levels are TOO high.. but i do the calcium/vit d and i drink TONS of water.. there is one over the counter product that helps.. Miralax.. it helps some but not much.. i have it horrible and i wish there was a way to get rid of it
Posted 10/9/2009 1:47 AM (GMT 0)
I definitely understand the withdraw from antidepresents. I have been on 3 now. But i also must add. I am on cymbalta now and i am so glad... i would not be the same with out it. I know i wouldn't be dealing with the pain and anxiety. I was very sick going off prednisone... at the same time withdrawing from that i was getting my very sick brother from new mexico to take back home after nearly 30 yrs living there( he almost died from alcohol abuse) 4x's they had to revive his heart shocked
Anyway, i guess i'm just saying you do live through it as tough as it is. For me the benifit out weighs the bad...and you have to get through the first few weeks, before you know it the nausea is gone.for me anyway.

good luck!! Laura
Posted 10/9/2009 5:58 AM (GMT 0)
An additional note here. Lexapro is one of the SSRI meds and there are several others including Prozac, Wellbutrin and Zoloft. Each of these is of a different chemical makeup and works slightly different than the others. I had no luck at all with Wellbutrin, in fact I felt worse! Both Zoloft and Prozac work for me and the Prozac is available as a generic so that is what I take to save money.

Cymbalta is a medication in a group of drugs called selective serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SSNRIs). Others in this group include Savella and Lyrica. These medications work differently than SSRI's and have a whole set of different side effects and also have some special problems if you stop taking them suddenly. These medications have worked very well for some people and have caused problems for others.

You need to work with your doctor on this. Often times he/she will have two week sample packs to offer you so you can try a med before getting a full prescription. This is how I found out which ones worked for me. Another thing you can do for yourself is read up on the different medications that are offered for fibro and discuss treatment options with your doctor. None of the treatment options available will take away all of your symptoms so you have to become informed to evaluate what is best for you. The more you know the more you can help yourself and become a partner in your healthcare.

(Jeannie gets down off of her soapbox and walks away into the fog.)
Posted 10/10/2009 1:49 AM (GMT 0)
LOL @ the "walks into the fog". That's the first chuckle I've had in a long time. Thank you. I have a ton of pills I take every day and unfortunately cannot take the magnesium because it interferes with some of my medications. I also cannot take extra Calcium because I make kidney stones. Some girls have all the luck, eh? But, Effexor XR (another SSNRI) works pretty well for me. I was taking it for depression but never realized that it was also helping my fibro! Y'all are a wealth of information here. Glad I stopped in this forum.
✚ New Topic ✚ Reply

HealingWell

Connect With Us
© 1997-2024 HealingWell.com LLC All Rights Reserved. Our website is for informational purposes only. HealingWell.com LLC does not provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.