What works best?

[allih]

What works best for you for muscle and joint aches that are breaking through your regular medication?

I've been waking up with just awful muscle pain in my ribs and I've tried a variety of OTC's for it but nothing is really effective. So I am polling to see what works best for others.

Thanks!
Alli

[MichelleC]

Time. Generally most of my fibro pain travels around, so if a wait a few days or weeks, whatever spot that is afflicted will ease up.

Ibuprofen & naprosyn helps with my overall pain levels, but not my specific fibro pain. I also have trouble with migraines, headaches, and bursitis.

Michelle

[allih]

ugh... I was afraid of that. I've only been dealing with this for about a year and I'm still getting used to the fact that I hurt more than I did before. I also have chronic migraines and TN, so between all three there is always something hurting.

I don't want to give myself another ulcer from OTC's, so I am torn on treating the pain and not ruining my stomach. Such a choice.

Oh well.. :(
Alli

[MichelleC]

Sorry, I did not intend to discourage you! I've only been doing this for a year also. It is hard having several types of pain. I used to have trouble with ibuprofen, but I suppose my stomach has healed itself, because lately I've been taking 200-800 mg a day for a toothache. I was surprised my stomach did not start hurting. I've had this toothache for about 2 weeks now. I keep praying it will go away....

Michelle

[allih]

Is this a new toothache? Or one that comes and goes periodically? I'm asking because my bout with Trigeminal Neuralgia started with pain in one of my teeth. I had a root canal done twice and it STILL hurt. I found out later that it was TN and I never needed the root canal.

Some people with chronic migraine also have trouble with the Trigeminal Nerve as it is affected by the pain pathway of migraine. They have different causes, but tooth pain and facial pain are the primary symptoms of TN. The sharp stabbing bolts are the most obvious symptom and they can occur in the teeth, jaw and almost anywhere on the face.

If this sounds familiar, I can give you some more info.

Hopefully, it is just toothache.

Alli

[MichelleC]

Hmm. I do get a lot of facial pain, and have read some about TN. The tooth pain that you have, is it affected by chewing, eating or drinking cold things, or touching that area of your mouth with your tongue? That's the sort of pain I have. Sometimes it aches, sometimes it throbs with my pulse. I have had this sort of pain before, although it was not as bad. Advil does help it, although I have managed so far today without any. That fact makes me hope it is fading away.

I have never had any severe tooth pain before (well, I did have a lot of pain when they cut my wisdom teeth out, but that was from surgery and it was over 20 years ago).

Thanks for your advice. :)
Michelle

[Tootsie]

The question is whether the rib pain is due to standard fibromyalgia or is it an inflammatory pain? Either one would be helped by the use of a heating pad for 20 minutes at a time. Best, is to get those 20 minutes in at least 4 times a day. Do not sleep on a heating pad as it will have the opposite effect than what you want, after those first 20 minutes. Use it consistently, over a period of 2-3 weeks before you decided it isn't effective.

If you are using an anti inflammatory medication like ibuprofen or aspirin, you need to take it conscistently, in the maximum dosage, over a period of at least 3 weeks to get at the cause of the pain, the inflammation. Any other dosage, you are simply masking the pain. Maximum dosage of aspirin is 12 a day, or 3, four times a day. It should always be taken with food. Maximum dosage of ibuprofen is 2400 mgm in a 24 hour period broken up any way you like; 800 mgm, 3 x a day, or 600 mgm 4 x a day, also with food. In these maximum dosages, you should be in contact with your doctor, as in those dosages over a prolonged period there should be some kidney function tests.
Cheerio.

[Fayelle]

Unfortunately in my experiences it is typical to just have to "wait it out" to see if it is going to go away, typically meaning fibro pain for me if it does....I have worked myself off of the tylenol3 and found that ibuprofin works as well at this point for the unrelenting/ significant pains....

I do feel for those of you who come to fibro as an adult I cannot imagine living with a new pain condition like fibro.....In my case since I have had it since childhood and no one ever addressed it I learned to manage my life with it and around it.....

The general thought is that daily exercise will decrease the pain response, I am not entirely sure why it works....But I do know that I get up stiff and in pain daily despite a good bed and pillow, if I get up and move about it seems to lessen those pains as the day wears on without the use of a pain killer.....I notice when I exercise or do yoga every day (both on lots of those days) that the pain decreases faster, and the longer I sit around doing nothing the longer the pain persists throughout the day......

When the nerve type pains come, or the skin pain I am just more careful about hitting on those area's.....Sometimes its a mind over matter thing, if I can remain calm and find something to do (often repetitive like crocheting, or playing a mindless computer game) it will push to the back of my mind and I can live with it......

The thing is unless your underlying condition is untreated there is not much you can do about fibro pain unless you live on pain pills and even then you will have breakthrough pain......I am still of the opinion of if it doesn't kill you it wont hurt you to deal with moderate amounts of pain......However that is up to you and your doctor to make that decision......

I recently changed docs and told him my regiment and asked if he knew of anything to change about my treatment plan he gave me that frustrated look of helplessness and said you are on the typical plan and there is not a lot that can be done about it.....He is a very up to date knowledgeable doctor which is why I switched to him in part.....

So the truth is until they pin down what is happening with fibro and the way to cure the cause of the random pain it is what it is.....

Talk to your doctor about adjusting your pain meds though, it is possible to be allowed to increase in times of significant breakthrough pain so long as you are not already on a top dose regiment.....There may also be another type of pain med to address the particular pain that is breaking through.....

At the end of the day until fibro gets a breakthrough well pain is the standard for many of us......

Mostly exercise and push through until your body adjusts as you will hit a major flare that lasts for about 1 to 2 weeks, but we all know with fibro "this too shall pass"......

Best of luck, I am sorry there is nothing magical or groundbreaking to tell you......

Fay

[allih]

Thank you for your advice. I do notice that the rib pain does go away after a few days and definitely gets worse with cooler or cold weather. I think on those times I just have to take Ibuprofen and deal with the stomach issues. If I'm careful, then it shouldn't be too bad.

I've been using ice packs because that is what I am used to for injuries, but I will switch to a heating plan instead, and now!! I have a heated pad in my car but I don't use it very much because it makes me have hot flashes (yea, menopause!) but I will try using it again.

Michelle.... Sometimes it is hard to tell what triggers the TN pain. It can be hot, cold or sour foods or it can just start. It can last in that tooth for a few days to a couple of weeks before stopping. If Ibuprofen is helping then it is probably not TN. The only thing that really helps with that pain is anti-convulsants. Tegretal is the first one they try and if the pain goes away fairly quickly, it is TN. I take Neurontin because I have Type 2 TN which doesn't respond well to Tegretal, but Tegretal works on Type 1 right away.

Good luck and I hope it isn't TN. This is another condition I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy.

Alli

[MichelleC]

Thanks, Alli. I had lots of trouble with hot flashes, even though I'm only 42. I started taking a vitamin/supplement called Menopause Multiple (got it from my local health food store), and haven't had any trouble since. Amazing, but true. I think it's the soy in the vitamin...

Michelle

[allih]

I'll have to try that one. I'm only 46 and am also too frickin young for this! I am on a no-dairy diet so I eat lots of soy but it doesn't seem to help much with the hot flashes. Maybe the other ingredients help the soy to work.

I feel like I am a walking disaster sometimes. :eek:

Alli