Natural Remedies & Supplements?

Hi, welcome to the forum!

There are a number of ways to treat fibro without using prescription meds. One of the best treatments is exercise. Getting in a daily walk and doing gentle stretches during the day is very beneficial. Using moist heat also helps with sore achy muscles. I found deep breathing exercise and meditation to help with stress and pain too. Doing things you love is a great way of distracting pain also.

Supplements like Vitamin D-3 and Vitamin B-12 have helped me with achiness and energy.

I also have been on prescription meds for fibro.., Savella and flexeril that are helpful. Trial and error, finding what works is common...we are all so different.

Hoping you find a great combo that works for you! Glad you have joined us. keep posting, we care:)

Hugs, Robin

Hi, JLM, and welcome! I use magnesium malate and, yes Karen, this is the same as malic acid/magnesium supplements. The magnesium is bound to malic acid that can be found in apples and the body then recognizes this as food so it is one of the best absorbed of the magnesiums. Magnesium Oxide does not absorb well.

How long did you take the magnesium malate? It has helped quite a few members here but yet there are some that it didn't help. Unfortunately, with this illness, what works for one doesn't necessarily work for another. It's trial and error.

I also take vitamin D3. Many people...not just ones with fibro...are deficient in this vitamin and this can cause pain and fatigue. I was checked, was low, and I now take 5,500 IU of D3 a day. I live in sunny Florida and was still low in vitamin D because I wear sunscreen when I'm outside.

Other supplements that help me with pain are CoQ10, which is an enzyme found in nearly every cell of our bodies, and I also take krill oil. Fish oil gives me diarrhea but krill oil doesn't. Krill is in the shrimp family. You can google this and find a lot of good info about these.

I also use ibuprofen with food but I take three at a time (600 mg). Two at a time did nothing for me. But be sure to take with food to help protect your stomach since ibuprofen can cause stomach ulcers. I also use Tylenol as needed.

If you keep moving, you will do better, too. Since you are so young, you probably do move a lot. Pacing yourself helps, too, along with gentle massages. So, there are quite a few things you can do to help yourself without taking more powerful medications. The only prescription med that I take for fibro and another illness I have, is a muscle relaxer called Robaxin. This has made a significant difference in my pain and I take fewer doses of ibuprofen because of that.

Be sure to read Fibro 101...the first thread on the forum. There are good links about fibro and you will learn a lot there. There are links about magnesium malate and also vitamin D3 and how these work in your body so you might want to check those links out, too.

I'm looking forward to getting to know you better. Don't hesitate to ask questions because we are here to help you. Hope to hear more from you soon.

Sherrine

Sherrine would know more where to start with the magnesium, I do know you need to start slow because it can cause diarrhea. I have found it really helps with the muscles. Also guaifenison, I spelled that wrong. It is what is in musinex. That helps the muscles too.

I am sorry that you had to get this so young. I was in my early 40's when I got it. But reading here and getting support and answers can help you to still have a good productive life. And attitude helps. You got to think positive.

Keep moving. If you exercise late in the day, it gives you energy so it might interfere with sleep. I would set a time like 6:00 and no later.

I walk as much as I can. I haven't been able to this winter much. But today is nicer and I might try to get out and walk or cross country ski...

Take care and have a great day!

Hugs, Karen...

Ugh, my hand pain never goes away regardless of what I do/take. The only time I don't notice it is when I am busy. I do think typing on my keyboard keeps my hands 'loose' but its awful when I wake up. I can't open a door, put on socks, etc. After time and moving them a lot (petting my kitties helps with this!), they tend to me more flexible. For my feet pain, the ONLY thing that has helped has been Lyrica. And sadly, my feet is the only thing it benefits.

Other than that I take my opiates for muscle/joint pain and have started taking coconut oil. Man, that alone has done wonders for my fibro. It has corrected my GI, it reduces inflammation, and has severely increased my endurance throughout the day at work and well into the evening. This is a new addition (I'm going on 9 days) so I don't have any long term anecdotal info for you but I am happy so far. I also take strong probiotics (haven't noticed anything from that). I still have to take advil (it just works better for me than tylenol) but it's been dramatically reduced. I recently 'took myself off' fent patches with the approval of my pain doctor. We're seeing if it's doing more harm than good (I started to think the adhesive was giving me systemic allydonia, and I haven't had it since I stopped, hmm).

I guess that's it, outside of general vitamins. But even then, I get much better energy from coconut oil than the B12 in my vitamin regimen. But we still need vitamins. I tried to do the magnesium thing but I didn't find any changes in my body, so I will leave that to Sherrine. :)

I also went gluten and sugar free recently and have been very happy with the results, although I am not sure how long I can sustain it. I think sugar really hurts us fibromites, i just don't have any science to back that statement up. lol

Good luck!

Sprouts. It's like a smaller version of Whole Foods. I purchased the Nature's Way organic, virgin, for $10. I have taken 3 tbl a day for 9 days and I am not half way through it yet so it lasts for some time, but there is an expense that you'll need to find room for. But, I am serious, it's ability to energize without tanking the adrenals is awesome. Just do not eat any after, say, 2pm. I had a hard time going to sleep...

Costco started carrying organic coconut oil about a year ago - it's a huge tub for the same price as the medium ones that we used to buy at the food co-op. It's the exact same brand. In addition to taking coconut by the spoonful, you can use it in cooking and baking. I also use it to condition my hair, on my face for minor skin breakouts, and as a moisturizer if I get dry patches of skin anywhere. It is truly an amazon product!

I take one 1000 mg extra virgin coconut oil daily ( when I remember LOL) it has helped significantly, I also do d3, and b12. If the pain gets very intense I eat turmeric or curry. If nothing else helps a hot tub and baclofen work wonders.