How do u get fibro? I have it, and i'm in a world of pain

Hi Doctor, my fiance was wondering, how do people get fibromyalgia?? I was diagnosed a month or two ago and i'm in a world of pain because i am out of pain medication and lyrica.  What other alternatives are there for medications for pain?? i'm taking Lyrica, Percocet, and Robaxin.  Pls help!

[ferret5]

They really dont know for sure. They think, for some reason, nerves just become hyper-sensitive. If they could figure out for sure how it starts, maybe they could come up with some better ways to treat it. I read that some find it helpful to soak in hot tub of epsom salts. I tried it a couple of times and it helps a bit

[geminigirl1963]

First, I'd like to let you know that the fellow forum members here are not doctors, we are simply fellow fibro/CFS suffferers, so therefore we can only provide information based on our own experiences and knowledge.

Unfortunately, ferret5 is correct, they really do not know for sure what causes fibro - some doctors/specialists think that it can be triggered by a "stress" such as surgery, accident or serious illness, but for many, many fibro sufferers, no particular "trigger" can be determined.  Ferret is also correct in the statement that the nerves and pain receptors of fibro patients are hyper sensitive and often just seem to go haywire.

I do have a question for you - you said you are out of medication - is that because your doctor is not willing to prescribe it for you any longer or have you run out of it earlier than it would normally be available to get filled again?  If your current doctor is not willing or able to prescribe your medication for you, then it very well may be time to seek out a new doctor who is willing to work with you to control your pain.  Quite often rheumatologists have better knowledge of fibro than regular family doctors do, so if you're currently seeing just your family physician, perhaps seeing a rheumatolgist may help.  If you are out of the meds before it would normally be time for it to be refilled, you also need to talk to your doctor and explain that your pain is not under good enough control and therefore, you are running out of your meds early.  Taking more medication than what is prescribed is not only dangerous (I'm not saying that you have done this becaues I don't know the situation with your meds), but it could also cause other consenquences with your doctor perhaps refusing to prescribe any more and you also possibly having trouble finding a doctor who will.

There are other medications out there that have shown promise in treating fibro symptoms - Cymbalta and Savella being the two that most readily come to mind, so there are definitely other medication alternatives to what you're currently taking.  There are also other narcotic pain medications, muscle relaxers, etc.  It's also very common for fibro patients to have difficulty sleeping, so many of us need to take some sort of sleep aid, which may also help with pain - lack of sleep definitely plays a role in any type of pain, but it seems to be especially true of fibro pain.

As far as non-medicinal things to try for your pain - a warm shower or bath (not too hot or not too cold - extremes can cause increased pain) - a heating pad (or ice if you find it works better - I, personally, find that ice/cold makes my pain worse, so I stick with heat).  Some fibro sufferers can find a link between things in their diet (artificial sweeteners, sugar, caffeine, chocolate, MSG) that can make their pain worse.  I'm not really one of those - with the exception of MSG and caffeine if I drink too much of it.

Your fiance is not alone in not completely understanding what causes fibro and what fibro sufferers go through - it's very difficult for those that do not deal with chronic pain to really understand how we feel.  If you and he are comfortable with it, you may want to consider having him go to a doctor's appointment with you and talk to the doctor with you - that way he can get information first hand from the doctor and also have the opportunity to ask any questions he may have.  It may help him to udnerstand your pain better.

I hope you get some relief soon - I've been dealing with fibro for about 12 years now, and I know how difficult it is, especially when you're newly diagnosed.  Please feel free to ask any other qustions you may have.

[inga511]

I feel for you. I have had FM for seven years and have tried every medication under the sun. You are going to have good days and bad days.good doctors, bad ones but don't let FM keep you down. Keep fighting it, and keep moving.