At age 40 I started crippling migraines. These transmuted in my senior years to what I now recognise as FMS. Looking back before age 40 I can see that it may have been present at a lower level.
All my information has been gathered from exhaustive reading on and off-line. My local clutch of GPs have never offered me a diagnosis of any kind despite intermittent vsits with a long list of symptoms. Always fobbed off with an inadequate blood, urine or BP test and no effective help.
I have learned to manage the residual migraines tolerably well - bed, Anadins, Stemetil nowadays instead of Imigran which saved my sanity for two decades when the migraines were at their worst.
Since I turned 65 (now 72) one of the most disabling aspects of my FMS has been the depression, with associated prostration. More reading led me to try St John's Wort, with minimal effect - and then 5 HTP.
This is the only medication that has dragged me - sometimes even bounced - me out of a pit of mental and physical misery. Its effectiveness does vary a bit, but generally it is helpful. You need to take a 'holiday' from it after a few months before going back to a regular daily dose. Have any of you tried this? How did you get on with it? Any other tips? Currently it is lifting me out of a deep depression and getting me moving and motivated again - but having no effect on the pain in my left inner thigh that the visiting doc was (again) unable to diagnose, ignoring all my other symptoms. So much for 'Primary Care.'
Hiya Pam,,welcome to us.,Imigran was like a miracle fir my daughter..when she was prescribed it at the hospital she was told if it wasn't migraine it wouldn't work...wiweeee with 15 minutes she walked out if there..this was when she was 17, she started having shockers at the age if three..no help as can imagine there was nithing she could really have..except the usual scabs, MRI,s lumber punch...grrr...anyway she doesn't get them anymore yay.. she's niw 36 ......as far as Fibro goes I had a good 10 yrs before I was diagnosed like most of us on here seem to have done.,...like you I just kept having númerous seperate Symtoms looked at..it wasn't until I was referred to a Rhumotologist 20 ago I was finaly diagnosed...it was real..it had a name......it them took a couple of years to get my medication and disage right..I will give you the info on what I take...I have in my memos, on this iPad so I just cut and paste it when indeed it...my story only..we are all different..
Amithriptilyne . is a Nerve-pain blocker..with sleep assistance and minor anti-depressant)..
Here it gies Pam ....Amithriptilyne is the only med I take for Fibro...gives me a great pain free sleep..- no pain..still feel a tad drowsy waking up...but that sleep is what makes this Fibro manageable for me..only get flare ups now..once it was just constant pain almost everywhere and sleepless nights..I take it 7pm before bed..it really does work wonders ( for me..that is,) we are all very different..I take 25 mg...never had it increased either ...started on 50mg but I was like a zombie...all the next day..dropped to 10mg for a while-still not too good but 25 mg is perfect for me..it is actually an antidepressant that works excellent for pain..it numbs the nerve ends and stops the pain from jumping on to the next nerve..hence a very painful body...the antidepressant is probably a lil bonus as most of get depressed from time to time..yes it does knock me out to give me that great sleep which is just sooo needed, to be able to deal with the pain etc the next day..but once I'm up and dressed..I'm fine.....Its great...16yrs down the track..have to be woken up in the morning..but once up and about I'm just fine.....when I was first on them I was like a zombie..but it's like a miracle med for me... it takes a while to settle in. ..also, please remember that less stress is the key to Fibro....be blessed Pam have a lovely day..:-) xxx
Christine and Bee , thank you all so very much for the many kind words, guidance, and hugs! At the moment the 5HTP is still buoying me up - more energy and smiles today - but left leg inventing all sorts of pains for itself. Makes walking about very awkward and uncomfortable. BUT! I did manage to get up a stepladder to rehang a couple of curtains today!!! xxx
Inexplicable matching bruises on both forearms (tight sleeves???) prompted me to Google 'low pain threshold and bruise easily' just now. Guess what - back on the UK Fibro Forums! Shouldn't be surprised. Off topic, I know, but did any of you sweet people get to see that wonderful lunar eclipse? Hallelujah - I was awake, and watched it for 45 minutes from totality to the first silver sliver of returning light. No pics - couldn't gather enough of the hardly-any-light-left-at-all to get an image of the utterly blotted-out Moon, the colour of a 'black' rose. Back to topic - the 5HTP has kept me cheerful and reasonably active but thigh still as sore as it was a week ago. Mystified. Doesn't hurt if I keep still. No swelling, no inflammation. Doc couldn't enlighten me last Friday. Another question for you - do you all have the required set of tender points on the body? Are these really such a key criterion for FMS diagnosis? xxx
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