Fibromyalgia Support Group

Hi all,

I was just wondering if people have any feedback on what is working for the chronic pain part of fibro. I am allergic to hydrocodone and other opiates, but my pain was so severe the other night I took one and tried to alleviate the itching w/ a benedrayl. Luckily, I had also taken my sleep meds so I didn't have to worry about itching. I am using Lidoderm(lidocaine) patches and they just seem to help the one area, my back where I hurt the most. They don't touch the other areas. I usually take Ultram when I wake up, but in a major flare , it doesn't touch it. I was wondering if the Savella I heard about has helped anyone or what other pain relievers are being used. I need something for those days the weather effects me or in this case I made a cheesecake for my hubby yesterday (didn't read the recipe thoroughly before I started to know it was a lot of work) )LOL, not really laughing)and all that standing caused todays pain. If anyone has suggestions please bring them on

Thanks

Kristine

I know that one of the group leaders, aTinaL, is taking a medication called low dose naltrexone (LDN). It is not an opiate and has been around for quite a while. You may want to give here a pm and ask her for some info to take to your doctor.

I agree with Steffanie and also, have you discussed your options with your doctor? What does he think about trying Savella? Some people love it while others had no luck with it. There is an existing thread regarding it if you type it in the search box you should find lots of information on it. Good luck and I will keep you in my prayers.

Connie

Kristine, I am taking Savella and I have nothing really positive to say about it right now. I am really disappointed in it and had really high hopes before taking it. However, I am also on Lyrica and I still have a lot of issues, but I do not take any type of pain medications with the Lyrica and Savella.

The Lyrica has caused dramatic weight gain in my case. I had fatigue before starting Savella and my biggest hope was to alleviate some of this with the Savella. I have extreme fatigue being on the combination.

Now, this is just me and there are some that have great experiences with the Savella, even the Lyrica. You may benefit from the Savella just as well. As a matter of fact when I start with my new PM Doctor, I am going to request taking what Tina is taking and stop the Lyrica and Savella all together.

Elizabeth

Post edited by: emendoza23, at: 07/18/2009 11:19 AM

I have already tried Lyrica and it stopped working after 2 weeks. I can't take the medication(Buprenorphine) that Tina is taking, it is a narcotic as it is used for opiate withdrawal,I had many patients on it when I was still working as an Addictions Therapist and as in New York it is not approved for fibromyalgia and being a narcotic it is going to take a long time to be approved in our state. My doc said that they will want to look at long term effects of the Buprenorphine before they would approve it. Maybe I will ask about the Savella. I haven't heard any good things yet to be honest and don't want to waste anymore money if it won't work.

thanks everyone for your advice.

Kristine

I am taking pristiq it is an antidepresant but it has helped my pain remarkablely. I hope you find something that works for you. HUGS River

River,

Is the name of that medication the brand name or is it the generic, just so I know when I ask my doc.

Thanks for the suggestion

Kristine

Cinderella, pristiq is the brand name. I hope you find something that works. Good luck!

Kristine, I'm having TREMENDOUS success with suboxone. I've been on it for about 6 weeks now and my pain is virtually gone. At a very minimal dose. If you can get your doctor to let you try it, you know on the very first dose whether or not it's going to work for you.

I've always had that itchy problem with my vic and trammies, too. Not a problem with this at all. There were some side effects at first, but they have all gone away. I'm now almost completely off my other meds. The only thing I'm still taking is gabapentin, but only a third of the dose that I used to.

Here are some links if you want to check it out. There are actually two drugs involved. Naltrexone, which is not available where I live, and the suboxone, which my doctor substituted for the naltrexone.

Here's the link to a thread about my suboxone experience:

http://www.mdjunction.com/forums/fibromyalgia-discussions/ general-support/579208-new-drug-update/limitstart/90

Here's a link to an article on the STanford study on naltrexone:

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/146634.php

In the thread there's something written by a pharmacist to help you talk to your doctor about the drug.

Hugs, Tina