Pain management

Hi and welcome pOptart22! Have you read the Fibro 101 post? It's the very first post listed. Lots of great, helpful info.

I, too, take gabapentin, which helps with nerve pain issues. I also take Flexeral occasionally, which helps with stiffness, though I get quite sleepy after I take it, so it's usually late in the day.

Warm baths and using a heating pad are helpful to me for pain, as well as muscle creams. What is your pain like--stabbing, throbbing or ?? I think what we take for relief depends on what the pain is "doing," if that makes sense. Maybe gentle massage? Sometimes even wearing an extra layer of clothes can help my pain. A short rest or doing something you enjoy that's not overly active can help sometimes, but it's best to not stay in one position too long.

Hope this helps a bit. I'm sure others here will post what they use. Hope you're better soon!

Just adding that if the pain is in my head, as I often get in cooler months, sometimes steaming over simmering water helps. I think this is often sinus pain; maybe nerve pain. Just use lots of caution if you try this, of course.

Thank you both. I have a lot of pain and stiffness in my neck, aching in my shoulders and a stabbing pain in between my shoulders blades, like a knife. I also have some hip pain that at times make getting around unbearable.
I tend to lay under a heated blanket or put a heated pad on my neck, back and shoulders.
This is all very new to me. Came completely out of the blue and I'm just trying to learn how to cope.

I tried a tens unit twice during two different times periods and it doesn't work for me.

p0p, what has helped me is seeing a cranial fascia massage therapist. I have a neck and back injury along with fibromyalgia. Other kinds of massage therapists didn't help me.

Good luck to you.

Hi and welcome,

I use some low dose tramadol, an anti inflammatory helps me a lot.

I use pain rubs, two of my favorites are pain erase , and soothenol x 2.. These reduce my pain by half..

I use an acupressure mat, heat, and loves my microcurrent unit, which is like tens but more gentle.. Tens would often hurt my muscles...sometimes with fibro, less is more..

There are so many ways to help yourself..and being medication sensitive makes it doubly important for me..

Stretching , helps me with stiffness..and the trigger point workbook has helped me a lot, as well as gentle physical therapy on occassion.

During a flare, you will want to have options of how to get more relief.

Lj

Hi, as far as meds, I take 200 mg of Gabapentin every night for nerve pain. I also take oxycodone during the day for deep aches.

With flare ups I've been taking Gabapentin during the day as well.

I also you heating pads, compression wear, tens unit, foam roller and that's all I can think of now.

So like you Gabapentin helps but does not take care of all the pain. I hope you can find something that helps you.

I may need to look into that brace for my mom; she has a lot of hip pain and pelvic pain as well as lower back pain. She has the tens unit, but she cannot take heavy duty medication and the doctors have basically told her they can't do much for her anymore. Wondering if that type of brace would be beneficial.

Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!