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Posted 3/6/2015 3:22 AM (GMT 0)
Recently I went to my gp and told him that I needed something stronger for my pain than Tramadol. I was taking 300mgs/day of Lyrica and between that and The Tramadol I was not feeling any better. So he changed my Lyrica to 600mgs/day (which he initially told me we might have to do-apparently this is the case for a lot of his Fibro patients) and then he wanted me to try Butrans 10mg patch b/c I had told him that I had success in the past with Norco helping with pain. I started the patch exactly 2 days ago and have gotten no pain relief. I feel like it's working in my system just by the way my brain feels on it--kinda foggy/hard to concentrate but as far as lessening the pain-it's failed. I know I need to wait a little longer just to make sure it's not right for me, but how long is too long? Assuming it continues to be a failed attempt, when should I contact my doctor about maybe adding a second patch to make 20mg?

As far as attempts go, when I was diagnosed w/ depression and years later bi-polar, it took many different trys to find the combination of meds that worked well for me. Am I going to have to go thru this routine again w/ fibro or will I never find a combination that sticks? Will my pain always find a way to win over the meds? Just feeling a bit overwhelmed and frustrated with all of this-doesn't help that I feel like I was hit in the chest/collarbone area by a shovel and that my hips are in pain-and every time we have a weather change I know it in advance and wanna cry!
Posted 3/6/2015 5:04 AM (GMT 0)
We go through a lot of trial and error with meds...

I am not familiar with the patch or that med..we have been in the mega storm and it really does bring on the pain..

Tramadol really helps me, i can only take mini doses of it..

When i am in a weather flare...i use meds, topicals, heat, microcurrent, acupressure

Wondering if , with the hips ...you maybe have trigger points?

There is a great book on trigger points that lets you learn how to release them. This has saved me a lot of time not going for physical therapy
Posted 3/6/2015 12:14 PM (GMT 0)
Yeah I'm not wanting to do physical therapy again. Not that I don't love it-b/c it usually helps, but it is so darn expensive even w/ 90/10 insurance. I will definately look into that book, I'm willing to try almost anything to get the pain to go away, or at least lessen it since it seems we are always in pain. Tramadol did nothing for me. It was like taking piece of candy with no satisfaction of the sugar. It amazes me b/c it seems to help a lot of others. Norco helps but understandably my doc won't prescribe it b/c of its rate of addiction. I just paid $220 and had to get a 3 month supply of this patch so I might as well try it and wait to see if it's gonna work.
Posted 3/6/2015 12:33 PM (GMT 0)
Have you tried vitamin D3 and magnesium malate? These do help with pain and I use both of them. There are links in Fibro 101 about these and how they work in the body.

I do trigger point therapy on myself and use The Trigger Point Therapy Workbook. It shows where to look for the trigger points that are causing your pain. Much is referred pain. I fixed my frozen shoulder this way...no shots in the shoulder for me. You can find this book on Amazon and it's under $20. I hope this helps you

Yes, it's trial and error when it comes to finding what helps you for fibro. Along with the supplements above, I take ibuprofen with food, Tylenol, and a muscle relaxer called Robaxin that has helped me significantly. I only take half of what was prescribed so I don't get the side effects like drowsiness, etc. These things help calm the muscles down whereas pain medication just masks the pain but really doesn't help calm the muscles.

I also walk daily as a gentle form of exercise, do stretching exercises throughout the day and I pace myself when doing things. All of the above helps me be in control of my pain and I've had a full and enjoyable life in spite of this illness.

So, once you try a few things to help yourself...things like walking, stretching, trigger point therapy, etc...you just might be pleasantly surprised. I know that I was! And it only takes short periods of time in the day.

Sherrine
Posted 3/7/2015 4:59 AM (GMT 0)
MSM helps me a lot -- 1 tsp powder in glass of spring or distilled water three times per day, helps pain reduction.
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