Hi Annie,
I too take 10-20 ml of Amitriptyline at night too,as is stops my clenching my jaw,as I mentioned before, I have not looked back since I started Duloxetine, I take mine in the morning, as it kept me awake when I took it in the evening
x
Dr suspects TMJ but wants me to visit a dental surgeon to confirm. On a soft diet, and told to rest joint as much as possible. Any other ideas of treatments that can help.
Hi, Yes a dentist will confirm, or even a chiropractor, I am going to one every 3 weeks now. The improvement I've seen to my tmj is amazing. I'm trying harder foods now, after avoiding for 10 years!! My dentist never told me how to manage my tmj even though he diagnosed it!! I would recommend a chiropractor over any drugs any day if you can manage it. I still haven't taken a paracetamol since I went to the chiropractor several weeks ago, before the chiropractor I was living on them to keep me going.
Good luck with your treatment, hope you find something that suits.
C
Thanks 4 advise will try to find a reputable chiropractor. C
Hi, I am new to the forum - still trying to get used to the format. I seem to be suffering from a mixture of TMJD and trigeminal neuralgia - the chiropractor is working on both, but I can alter the TMJ, up to a point, myself. I had to do something last night as everything was very nasty. I have had jaw problems previously but this seems to be a side/after effect of radiotherapy which I had to have for tongue cancer. My doctor is in full agreement that these things can affect people for years afterwards and certainly on the mouth cancer forum there are people suffering this 16 - 18 years on. I have tried Gabapentine but it made my mouth even drier than usual - this is another effect of radiotherapy: it kills most of the salivary glands making eating anything that is not soaked in gravy very difficult. So, Gabapentine was rather defeating the object of taking Pilocarpine, which does help moisten the mouth a little bit. So I went on to Carbamazapine (I think it is) which hasn't made any difference so far, but I am now gradually increasing the dose in the hopes that it will eventually help. Otherwise it is the chiropractor - he has been keeping me sane (whatever that is!) since 1979. We will get there eventually... Both my doctor and dentist are fully aware that I use chiropractics - some 'medics' are very sceptical - especially my ENT Consultant.
Cold and wind: my goodness one wants to keep that off ones face! I do a nice line in trappers' hats which nicely cover the ear and the face when the pain goes from the ear into the masseter muscle, into the jaw and neck. I really don't care much what I look like - I dress for comfort, not for style.
Good to be here and I hope not too late to join in the discussion.
Hi and welcome, not seen much discussion for a while on here, maybe your comments will start us off again.
Oh yes the cold, the weather recently has certainly tested that!! I always cover my jaw and left ear(it's just the left side of my jaw affected) Can't stand it otherwise.
I'm still seeing the chiropractor, but now every 6 weeks and to be honest I'd now say I've plateaued out. I learnt how to massage the different areas of my face which effect the jaw and surrounding areas and most of the time, as long as I do this the pain and discomfort go away eventually without the need for paracetamol. I will be asking him next time I go to make the appointments further apart again, as I'm not seeing any significant improvement now. I am so happy I went though, saved me from popping the pills and not sleeping for 10 years!! :-))
Keep in touch and let us know how you get on.
Clair :-))
Thank you for your welcome - have just spent a little time trying to find my way back in! Ah, painkillers. I do hate taking them and always reckon I'll wait until things get really bad before taking anything - then wonder just how bad things can get! Just had a chum on the phone from New York, but couldn't carry on talking for more than half an hour - even that was too much - as the back left hand side of my mouth hurts too much with searing pains. Eating certain foods also sets off the searing pains, but I am restricted in what I can cope with due to the lack of saliva. Too much going on.
Hi I've just found out I have tmj, after believing for the last 2 years I had reoccuring ear infections that just totally wiped me out, yours and other people's comments have helped me understand a little more about it, I take anti sickness tablets, solpodol and naproxen, there only give me light relief, lasting about an hour when it works, I've tried a deep sports massage and reflexology but they don't seem to be working either, I'm waiting for a referral to the maxi facial unit now to see what, if anything, can be done, is there anything I could be saying or doing to help myself? Any advice would be appreciated.
A Chiropractor really worked for me. Massaging the joint and points on the face keep my TMJ under control. I now know how to eliviate pain if it develops, which 'nips it in the bud' before it takes over. Maybe this could work for you?
Let me know how you get on.
Clair
Thankyou, think I need to Google one for Bradford, one that has knowledge of tmj, many thanks will let you know, I've been off work for 2 weeks because I'm so wiped out with it :-(
Good luck 
for TMJ, there are certain exercises you can do with your mouth to help loosen up the muscles. Getting the right minerals in your body to help muscles in general is also important. I actually have a chiropractor use an activator on my jaw to help ease the pain. I also read that even a missing tooth or some kind of dysfunction in your dental situation can cause TMJ. I am not well versed on TMJ at all because mine isn't so severe but some days it is hard to chew yet its never locked up on me or anything like that. I really feel for you. As far as the fibro goes, you are welcome to send me a private message because it depends on your symptoms and it is so complicated that I don't think this forum has a page long enough for me to give you all the information. actually, anyone is welcome to message me privately. But please know this is only based on my experience and the research I have done. I am NOT a doctor just an extremely informed patient who does not put up with the lackadaisical attitudes of most doctors.
Please don't feel like a fraud. Fibromyalgia in itself can be extremely disabling. I have mine under control well enough to where I don't usually even have to take medication. Yet there are some nights I wake up screaming.
My best advice is to do searches on the internet. I start every search with "natural ways to treat".
There is still an ongoing dilemma in the medical community as to whether fibromyalgia is an autoimmune disease or a neurological condition. and I do believe it is well established that there is a genetic predisposition to fibromyalgia.
Based on my research and experience I actually believe it is an endocrine dysfunction that aggravates the peripheral nervous system creating hyperactivity in the nerves, which obviously severely affect the muscles...and just about everything else. Ironically, the larger percentage of people that suffer from fibromyalgia have the opposite personality type of the fibromialgia stereo type of being lazy. We tend to be type A, motivated, active go-getters.
No, we are not wimps and can tolerate pain very well. Unfortunately, fibromyalgia does create a condition called hyperalgesia which is where we experience pain so much more intensely than the average person. It doesn't mean that the pain isn't real it just means that our brains are experiencing it differently. Because of what we have to put up with., we are tougher than the average person. So dont let that part make you feel bad or weak. It's quite the opposite.fford to, see a massage therapist & ask how your sacral and psoas muscles are doingEvidence I've been hanging out with Aubers a lot. So test I had a spasm from my left shoulder all the way down to the back of me knee. Like a huge charlie horse. I was a mess. This is what I sent P this morning... FYI. Ur momma is doing much better. No limping. I can even spin around like a pretty princess. OK. Hanging out with Aubers too much. Lol. Mine can make me feel like I'm wearing burning socks.
If you look up the HPA axis and all the hormones, not the girly ones, you will see how one hormone out of balance that could come from a gland in your brain or from your thyroid or even a dysfunction in hormone receptors can completely destroy the proper functioning of your body.
I also urge you to type in any medication you take in an internet search and add adrenal fatigue or endocrine dysfunction in the search. you will be utterly shocked at how many medications make it so if you continue taking them your endocrine system will never ever ever work the same way again. I'm not saying not to take medications, I'm just saying to educate yourself.
Hi Thankyou so much for this recommendation, I had my first session at the chiropractor today I go back Friday, I have never felt so relieved in my life, I can actually move my neck, I was so relieved I could move it I cried, it's expensive but seriously worth the money if this is the relief it gives. I still have to wait for the referral to the maxi facial unit to sort my tmj, but for the time being I have some relief and can move my head without feeling sick, slowly but surely I feel like I'm getting somewhere! :-)
No problem, really pleased for you! Good luck with the TMJ referral.
Hello
Today is a very bad day for me with the pain of Fibro. I think the fibro fog has kicked in very bad...What is TMJ please? Regards Anne
TMJ is your jaw joint by your ear, tempromandibular joint (I may be misspelling that). It clicks, is really tight, painful & can even lock up... that's called lock jaw. May sound basic but it hurt like holy heck & can affect your neck & give you headaches, etc.
Hi, I see you have an explanation, but here's a link,
https://patient.info/health/temporomandibular-joint-disorders
Mine was caused by traumer to the jaw. I was hit in the jaw by accident during sport 
Clair.
Dang. I can't even image how horrible that was and is. Mine is minor & from neck stuff. And still some days it hurts to eat, talk, etc. I FEEL for you!!!
Under control now thanks! Although for ten years I didn't connect the TMJ with this at all and just tried to carry on!! Doh! 