continuous release pain medicines for Fibromyalgia?
I'm 17 and have had severe chronic pain for 2 years. the doctor's believe i have fibromyalgia. we have tried every non-narcotic pain medicine out there. (e.g. lyrica, cymbalta, amitryptiline, steroids, etc..) and short acting narcotics like vicodin are a trouble because they can only fill small prescriptions and i have to take several a day to cover the whole roughly 15 hours a day i'm awake. tramadol lasts about 8 hours in my system which is good but is too weak even at high doses. My question is will stronger long acting or continuous release medicines like oxycontin, ms contin, or methadone help for chronic pain syndromes. ( if you have tried them for chronic pain please tell me how it worked for you) and the problem is that i my x-rays, MRI's, etc..have come up normal so i have no proof to back up my claims of pain so it makes the doctor very unsure if he will get in trouble for prescribing strong narcotics to me with no proof other than my word. Is there anything I can do to help prove to him how much i hurt without sounding like a drug hunter? (by the way i'm seeing a psychiatrist for this because no other doctor in our area believes me, they all think i'm crazy.)
Public Comments
1. Have you tried the Extended Release Tramadol (Ultram))? I was taking 30mg of MS contin twice a day and I did really well on it. I have since changed as I do not have Fibro like was first thought, but Multiple Sclerosis. Also have you tried Soma or Soma with Aspirin and Codeine? Soma is a muscle relaxer and works well for me when I am having a "Flare". It makes me very tired and lethargic so I only take it when the pain is unbearable. And have you tried higher doses of Lyrica combined with the Tramadol or other pain medications? I take a small dose of Xanax that really helps to relax my muscles so it helps take some of the pain away that way. Try as hard as you can to stay away from the stronger narcotics as long as you can. There is a website that I belong to. It has been a life saver for me. It's http://www.patientslikeme.com You can pick from a list of conditions (Fibro is one of them) and get connected to people who are going through exactly what you are and they can give you more information on medications that work for them. It isn't like any other medical forum I have ever seen. It is truly amazing and I have gotten better care from my doctors because I now what to ask and say to them to get them to really hear me. So go, sign up right now:) You won't be disappointed!!2. I do use chronic opioid therapy in my Fibromyalgia patients, although I have never used it in someone as young as you.
When you say you have tried EVERYTHING, have you tried a combo of meds together? Mainly, have you tried Cymbalta, Lyrica, Elavil, Ultram (and I mean at the Maximum dosage of 400mgs per day of Ultram), and a quality muscle relaxer (either Zanaflex, Baclofen or Soma)? My first suggestion would be for you to try to combine parts or all of these medicines together to see what sort of pain relief we could get you. If you are monitored CLOSELY it is perfectly okay to combine them.
If you would like to discuss this further, please e-mail me through my profile. I treat a LOT of Fibromyalgia and consider it one of my specialties as far as pain management goes.
Best Wishes for Relief!
3. This is a very qood question. Jack's story: For many years I have had a bad back. It started back in my teens. At the time, the doctors never took me seriously so I thought hmm maybe it's in my head and then I just tried to ignore it the best I could. As I got older my back pain became worse and I seriously pursued it. So many doctors tried telling me that I have fibro because they couldn't find anything on my tests. I thought, ok cool, finally a diagnosis! But I did more research on fibro and discovered that I don't have this at all because I just don't fit into that category. I think that many doctors just throw that out because they now know that it is a real condition and unexplained pain seems to fit into that category. I don't know if it's because they are trying to avoid prescribing pain meds but more of throw their hands up type deal because they don't know what else to tell you.
Btw, after pursuing the matter with my back it was found that I have sacroiilitis and 2 herniated discs in my neck and now I am having nerve pain issues. I feel the nerve pain could've been prevented if doctors would've taken me seriously in the beginning. This was his story. My cousin Laura who suffers from Fibro does take Oxycontin she is lucky her doctor is a compassionate man who is ruled by his patients illness' not the insurance companies or fear. He knows she is sick and suffers horrible pain that causes her to writh at night without the Oxy, Lyrica, soma, hydrocodone (for breakthrough pain) and she uses her meds correctly as the physician prescribes and can live her life fully waking up refreshed (Ambien) and then taking her Oxy, Lyrica and carrying her breakthrough pain med if necessary she can do about an 8 hour day without feeling alot of pain. She exercises at a gym 3 times a day and does water aerobics which is great for her, hot tub relieves her muscle pains. This was a woman who was bedridden for 6 months before she found her doctor who saved her from a life of being a cripple and bedridden. You have Fibro so you have been diagnosed with a very painful and debilitating condition. If you have a history with your dr and he knows your pain levels and the diminished quality of your life I'm sure you can talk to him and express your concerns and your need for a stronger pain treatment. I know you are young but you sound very mature and very in touch with your pain and your body. If he cannot help you or is hesistant have him refer you to a Fibromyalgia Pain Center or a pain management specialist dr who treats this disease he/she should be able to help you. Researchers have come to the conclusion that person with a high inflammation rate in their body (which alot of Fibro people have) will not be addicted to Oxy, Percocet, Morphine, etc. Keep seeing your pysch this situation can definitely affect your mental state. Good luck to you. Again, there are alot of Fibro people on continous release pain meds for their pain so there are doctors out there who know they need these meds and are not afraid to prescribe them to their patients. Good luck.
4. i've tried a large variety of narcotics--tehy rarely even tough teh pain
