Last post Thu, Apr 17 2008 6:33 AM by Peter Skinner. 11 replies.
Hi guys (sos about spelling)
still new at this site but it has been a blessing and i just wanted to raise the issues about the other factors we have to deal with on top of the pain and fertigue which you think would be enough to cope with on its own,but i suffer with anxiety,panic and depression due to fibro. and with all the lac of help off docs that dont understand or give a rubbish ,how much these effect us everyday and our families who dont understand,it realy tics me off.ive suffered on my own for 4 years with no support from my docs,i even saw different ones but in the end they all dreaded seeing me,that inturn made me worse as i had no idea what was going on with me and why i was getting these pains.they scared me that much i thought they were clots in my legs which then caused panic attacks and then i would drink to cover it up.i think we should talk about this more as i suffer realy bad.does anyone esl suffer like me who i can talk to,as ive gone on all the info sites but they dont help.many thanks everyone who has helped me upto now.god bless you all thanks.
Hey Kellyanne! Maggie here.
I also have depression and high anxiety (not quite the same as panic) with my Fibro. My dr or psychaitrist wouldn't give me anything for anxiety alone, but I am on an antidepressant that is supposed to help with both the depression and anxiety. It is called Remeron. There are other antidepressants that are made for that also, but I don't know the names, you would have to research that. Maybe if you suggested this to your dr, he would consider it for you, or ask to be referred to a psychiatrist and they can arrange the meds for you.
If that is not an option, then there are natural remedies for both the depression and panic, but you would need a reputable natural products store to ask what might be suitable for you to try, and then check with your pharmacist before taking anything to make sure it doesn't contraindicate with your other medications. That would be the first step towards a short-term solution, and then you can look for a good relaxation tape that helps you to relax your body and calm your mind. Once you have a little help with whatever meds you can get, the relaxation therapy is something you would have to practice two or three times a day initially. This takes a few weeks to get good at and start to actually notice changes in your body, but it does work. The tape I have actually talks you through relaxing every part of your body - I have one that's 15 minutes and one that's 30 minutes long - and I was amazed by the time I would get to the end of the 30minute tape, I was falling asleep! Talk about relaxed! LOL You can use any tape, though, of nature sounds or the ocean, or whatever helps you visualize a calm and peaceful place. Just put it on for 30 minutes, two or three times a day, and you should start to notice changes in a couple of weeks.
I found that the tapes only relaxed me in the beginning for as long as I was listening to them, but as I kept using them regularly every day at the same times, I started to notice that I was feeling calmer even when I wasn't listening to them. Not for long at first, but after awhile, you get so you can almost do the relaxation in your mind without the tape, and get your anxiety down more quickly. It is also helping to keep my anxiety down most of the time now. Mine is what they call a "free floating" anxiety, meaning that when it goes up, I can't get it down, it stays there.
I was very disappointed in the beginning when I knew how much work this was going to be, and I just wanted a quick fix, but I figured I had nothing but time anyhow, since I had to quit working from high pain levels, so I decided to give it a fair shot and try to discipline myself to do it every day (something I'm usually not very good at). Now I am so glad I gave it a chance cause it has made a lot of difference in my life. I don't worry as much about getting anxious now, cause I know I have a coping tool to help me get it back down. Before, I was getting anxious just thinking about getting anxious! It was insane!
This may not be what you wanted to hear, I know. I just turned up my nose at first too, but if you try it and it doesn't work, well you haven't lost anything, have you? But if it does help, even to bring the panic down from as high as it is when you're in it, then you will have gained a lifelong tool that will always be at your disposal, and you don't even need a prescription for it.
I do know how awful it is to live with this kind of condition and what a 'Hell on earth" it feels like. You are a prisoner of your emotions, and I lived that way all my adult life. I so feel for you, and I will keep you in my prayers, dear. I try to just have faith that God and the angels are guiding me to the answers that I need, but they don't, unfortunately, seem to do this very quickly. One step at a time, though, and keeping yourself receptive to wherever they may lead you to next, is how I get through all this constant pain.
I hope this helps in some way, and I hope you start to find some peace soon.
Gentle Hugs,
Maggie
Hi maggie
thanks for that info it should be very usefull thanks,i will try that along with my yoga and hope it helps me more.
i too suffer long going anxiety that can last all day and im constantly breathing with yoga so it dont go into a panic.but thanks i will try that.god bless you and we all need to keep our chin up.
Dear Sir/Madams: My Name Is Rob. I Was Diagnosed With Diabetic Neuropathy In The Lower Extremities In 2000. Now I'm Being Told After 7+ Years It Could Be Fibromyalgia. Now I Dodn't Know What Is Worse? Help How Do You Treat One As The Other???????????? P.S. Sorry Have No Advice But Looking For One.
Hi rob
totaly understand what you mean but i think first you need to see a rhuematologist as they will confirm if its fibro as they did for me ,as i at first was being treated for my back for a year then it was comfirmed tobe fibro.once you have done that we all can help you with advise and support.but still for now if you need to talk which will help you alot please do as i left if for 4 years befor talking to anyone,and now im getting sound advise and lots of support.god bless you and you are welcome to talk to me any time. kellyanne1
Thank You And God Bless You For Replying To My My Cry For Understanding! The Health Care System Here In Manitoba Sucks And Can't Get Any Answers. I Am Not Sleeping Any More With The Pain. They Gave Me Gabapentin For Pain But Stopped When My Body Rejected It. This Disability Cost Me A 18 year Relationship My Job And Has Beaten Me Up. With A Invisable Impediment Nobody Gives You The Time Of Day! Can't Just On CPP Disability.
Hi RMN
i tried gabapentin on the highest dose what aload of rubbish it made me worse,try tegratol may help,and try atarax for sleep it realy gave me good sleep, and i panic at night and also have to turn constantly cos of the pain and the atarax helped totaly giving me realy good rest for the day.god bless you please talk to me again and i will try and help.we are all here for you best wishes keep intouch
I to suffered panic attacks in the beginning, until the doctor got me on the right meds. I had the feeling of lightening striking down my legs, which they said was siatica. Hurt like crazy for a few hours and paralyzed my lower back in a position that I could not move from. With the fibromyalgia it is a constant battle to keep up your good face and feelings. The physical rehabilitation doctor's are the best to help and of course the psychologist, psychiatrist help with the emotional side. I find alot of the medications give me gastrointestinal trouble, so of course and Internest or Urologist doctor is good to have as a back up to all the meds. I pray you find your source's to help you, like me this site's information is helpful. huggss nessa
hi the meds affect my gastrointestinal too even ibuprofen as ive IBS.ive taken meds for panic and anxiety but they cause more server panic and it scares the kids as i cant get it to stop for days,so im having todo it myself with the mental health and yoga.for me its the pains alone that cause my panic as i think what if its a clot its horrible ,but its now stuck in my head as the docs didnt help me 4 years ago by telling me it was simply just anxiety i was feeling and not a clot going to my heart.thanks to this site im starting to put things together slowly and feel like its not just me.i wrote this post as i think docs over look all the other issues that go along side having fibro.thanks and huggs to you too nessa
Thanks To Both Celestia And Kellyanne1(Hope I Got Both Names O.K.) My Doctor Won't Give Me Tegretal Besides Gabapentin, I Take Halcion To Sleep, Sometimes I Wish I Could Take The Whole Package. I've Had EGC's Up To My Ying Yang And The Problem Is Peripheral Nueropathy And Live With It. I'll Never Be The Same Again. Irritable,Putting On Weight,And Loosing All My Friends. I Miss Oxycontins. Peace (I'm Tired Try To Get A Couple Of Hours) Will Be Back With A Better Outlook.!!!!!!!!!!!! RMN
Hi Rob! Welcome to Disboom! My name is Maggie and I also suffer from Fibromyalgia and Osteo arthritis.
Also nice to meet a fellow Canadian. I am in Ontario, and although I have access to a fairly good drug plan on Disability, I can't get the dr to give me anything except Tylenol 3's! So, if it isn't one, it's the other, and we still suffer. I am basically "on hold" now until I see a Fibro specialist in April that I found from my girlfriend. He is in Toronto, which is about a 4 hour drive from here, but I am willing to make the trip to try and get relief. If that doesn't work out, I found a pain clinic about an hour's drive from here, and I will get the referral to that. My dr is going to learn that I am like a dog with a bone when I know I need something, so either she'll dump me as a patient or I'll get what I need. With a shortage of doctors, that's pretty risky, but I figure I have no other choice.
After I had gone almost 6 months without a decent night's sleep, I finally found a clinic dr here in Ontario who prescribed Amitriptyline for me. It is non-addictive, so they don't mind prescribing that. At first it was the answer to my prayers and I finally got some restful sleep, but as time went on, I have found it too sedative well into the day, so I am trying Melatonin for now. There is also another drug in the same classification as Amitriptyline called Nortriptyline, and another member said she got switched to that and it still helped with sleep and wasn't as sedative. So there are two options for you to ask your doctor, and they are well known as being prescribed for Fibromyalgia now.
Hang in there, Rob, and one small step at a time, you will find some answers eventually. I have never heard of anyone being pain-free yet, but there have been small victories for some of us with some of the symptoms. This site is one of your greatest tools for information and support, so I hope you stay in touch with us. My symptoms are not necessarily any better, but my spirits are so much better since I have found this community to share my gripes and fears with. You are in my prayers, with all others here who are suffering every day.
Hi everyone! I became a member of this website a few days ago as i have Fibro and wanted to see how others were doing. I have had this disease for about 10 years now and can relate to just about everything you guys are talking about. My doctors prescribed morphine, steroids, codein, anti-depressants, sleeping pills etc. and it now feels like I have taken just about every pill there is. Like all of us, I got sick of this whole situation and started to look into alternatives. Today I am off the meds and have lost 40 pounds. I am pain-free most of the time unless I do something stupid and I no longer feel depressed. Not to mention that there are no more medical bills.
So what is my secret? Lifestyle, nutrition and a strong desire to get out of this mess. I don't think there is a cure out there but I have managed to get my life back and increase the quality of it tremendously. Of course we all have a burning desire to get better and I am not suggesting that we are weak. But when we get ill and listen to a bunch of doctors who have no answers, there comes a time where we would love to hear that we have cancer or something treatable, just to get an answer and a feeling that we can get better. However, when I try to reach out to others and tell them my story, they often get angry and don't believe me. Well, my doctors were forced to believe me when I told them that I didn't need their drugs anymore!
Doctors are wonderful and have saved my life several times as I have had a number of operations. But they simply don't have an answer for Fibro. I'm certainly not saying that I do either but as I said before, I now live an almost "normal" life and it has become a passion of mine to spread the word. If anyone gets upset by what I'm saying, let me assure you, that that is not my intention at all. All I can say is that if I could do this, chances are that you can too. Let me know if this is of interest to you. You can send me a personal message if you want and I will gladly spill the beans.
Have a great day!
