I think I might have a positive fibromyalgia story to share, but given how unpredictable fibromyalgia is it could all go downhill very quickly.
TLDR version: got nasty fibro symptoms, tried natural/holistic treatments without success, the standard FDA approved treatment (Cymbalta) reduced fibro symptoms by around 80%, I am essentially back to the way I was before.
Dec 15: Symptoms started with parathesia of the ankle, progressed to paraesthesia and pain in all major body parts. Pain varied from a 3 - 6 on a 1-10 scale.
Dec 16 - Feb 16: I googled Fibromyalgia, and read all these scary stories about what the anti-depressants and anti-convulsants (Pregablin, Duloxetine, Amilipityrne, etc) will do to you. Decided to go the natural/holistic route:
- Gluten free, MSG and Aspartate Free
- Overdosing vitamins - Vitamin B, C, Magnesium, Curcumin, CoQ10, Fish Oil
- Warm water exercises
- Yoga and mild exercises
- Also had heaps, heaps of tests etc to rule out misdiagnosis.
I got these ideas from naturopathic sites.
None of these worked. I don't think I even experienced a temporary placebo effect.
March 16: With my symptoms deteriorating (the whole body parathesia and pain had been joined by muscle spasms, stabbing sensations, and constant nausea/burping) I gave in and booked an appointment with a psychiatrist.
April 16: The psychiatrist put me on Cymbalta (60mg/day). I experienced mild initial side effects - a feeling of nausea/vertigo around midday (morning dose), and when I yawned. These side effects disappeared after a week and have not returned.
June 16: My symptoms are down to 1-3/10 pain each day, as opposed to the 3-6/10 I was on before. Of the 1-3/10 pain each day, around 50% of that could be attributable to non-fibromyalgia causes i.e. bad posture, carrying heavy things, overexercise, etc. In fact, the only remaining fibromyalgia symptom that bothers me is back pain, which comes and goes for hours at a time.
August 2016: Symptoms have held steady since June. Given that my only real health issue right now is back pain I suspect I may no longer qualify for a diagnosis of fibromyalgia.
Moral of my story: Don't believe what you read about natural/holistic cures online. Listen to your (real) doctor, and take on their treatments. And finally, don't believe that the horror stories that people post on forums - most people like me just move on with their lives. Am I a different person now compared to when I first got fibro? I doubt it - the suffering was intense while it lasted, but mercifully short lived.