Hi. I feel so bad for all of you because after reading this, I realize that my fibro pain is minimal compared to others but it is still pain. A few things that help me. Some of them many of the group has tried and hasn't helped, but for me they help a lot. First of all, no one has mentioned chiropractic treatment. I have a wonderful chiropractor who understands how the spine affects everything in the body. I go for regular adjustments; however, when the fibro flares up, I will go three times a week. It's short, only in there 15 minutes total, the adjustment doesnt't hurt except for maybe a second and it makes me feel much better, but keep in mind it is a process. One must go regularly to achieve maximal benefits from it. Hot shower at night helps me plus Gabapentin, which I read some of you cannot take or doesn't help. Sometimes I beef up Gabapentin with couple Advil. It is frustrating and discouraging. And finding a physician who understands and wants to help is also difficult. I found a pain specialist in a city near me and he,, like the chiropractor understands and is quite helpful. He tried Lyrica on me and it messed up severely with my mental health after only two pills. Stopped it immediately and he put it in my medical record to never prescribe Lyrica for any reason. It caused me to become suicidal very quickly. It seemed to be odd to me, but some meds will do that. He told me that Gabapentin is the most effective, safe and widely used drug. It helps me only if I take it regularly like clockwork. If I miss a dose, my body tells me. A warm shower at night helps me sleep. Also relaxation techniques, such as meditation with soft music playing in the background, yoga because when one is in pain, the entire body tenses up and causes the pain to worsen. Relaxation helps relieve that tenseness and thus the pain. It is a horrible illness/syndrome. I am extremely blessed to have some good periods before a flare-up. Even though those good periods, I still have pain, it is not as intense and I can function better. I hope this helps. Many of you have tried some of these things, but hopefully, there would be something in this that someone could take that would help.
How much Gabapentin do you take and how often? Does it help reduce pain? I read your body can build a tolerance and the dose needs to be constantly increased. Has this happened to you? I'm afraid to try it due to side effects I've read about and that it's addictive. Thank you!