Chronic Pain and Fibromyalgia - alternatives to medications?

Great conversation to kick-off, @kdubois! I'm tagging other members who live with fibromyalgia to join the discussion @clownscrytoo @wandamiller @sandytoes14 @jenapower @robbinr @chari978 @irene5 @mchel46 @kayelle @bstephens @basslakeview @2122 @angieh @persist @jamesthee @michiganstressedlady @hmr52 @lucia: what non-drug therapies or activities help you relieve the symptoms and pain of fibro?

Hi, All the alternatives mentioned I find to be helpful when I am able to do them. Tai Chi takes a long time to learn, but it is definitely worth the time spent.
Yoga is available almost anywhere these days, and restorative Yoga is very soothing. Any and all water treatments are wonderful. Acupuncture works, but it is a slow process. Eating right always helps! When you get massage, find someone who actually understands trigger points. Best of Luck. Robbinr

robbinr, Thank you for the suggestion about Tai Chi. I do a lot of yoga and it is wonderful. Acupuncture was not helpful. Good advice about the trigger points and massage! I've very interested in so-called complimentary therapies. I have TM and Burning Mouth Syndrome.

For a while, I was having burning mouth, but I was able to knock down the sensation with a daily dose of Nexium. My tongue would swell and burn, and it turned out to be rampant stomach acid. I'm glad you can do Yoga. There is a healing form of Tai Chi, called Wu form. Hard to find an instructor, but well worth it, unless you want the killing forms -} R

@kdubois Kelly,
The treatments you mention are now popular in healthcare as alternative but they are also complementary to medicine. It's good for folks like you who have genetic reasons which impede the benefit of medicine. And it's good for folks like me who want to limit the amount of medicine they take, Over the years I have done Massage, Acupuncture, water therapy, and dietary changes. I cannot twist and turn and balance with traditional Yoga so I try to remember Chair Yoga on YouTube .Each has its benefits and drawbacks.

-Water therapy is easy on the body but you need a timer to start slow. I can't tolerate cold water.
-Acupuncture helped me the most when I had no pain medicine (for neck pain) but did little for fibro. I like massage the best for fibro. My therapist can modify the pressure from one area of the body to the next.
- As far as dietary changes, I felt no difference physically in eating organic as far as fibro pain.

Over the years, I have not been able to walk as far or as fast as I could. Seven years ago, I was hiking to waterfalls and trails all over Oahu, Hawaii. Yes there was pain, but not like now. Today, I need to rely on how I feel before making a trip to the grocery store.
Doctors say fibromyalgia is not a progressive syndrome but I challenge that thinking.

Kelly, one thing you do not mention and I wonder if you have tried bio-feedback?

***NOTE FROM THE COMMUNITY DIRECTOR***
July 2017

Investigation revealed that @rpoucher has a commercial affiliation with the product she claims to be using for various pain and heart health issues. Posting solicitations or advertisements of any kind violates Mayo Clinic Connect’s Terms of Use https://connect.mayoclinic.org/terms-of-use/.

For this reason, this user has been removed from the community and her posts deleted.

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@sandytoes14 I haven't tried biofeedback yet. I start cognitive behavioral therapy soon in the hopes that it will help with my brain damage and sleep disorders, so I'll ask about that.

I think therapeutic massage will help. Are there any certain qualifications I should look for in a massage therapist?

@rpoucher I wonder if this is what's happening to me, as well, though I am 100% certain that my local weather affects it, as well.

Can you provide more details regarding the supplements you use? I can't take many of those as well, but I can certainly research them to see.

Hey this is Jennifer, I thought I posted already and it seems my post is not there. I'm losing my marbles too, ha ha. I just decided recently I'm not taking any more opiate pain medicine. I it got it out of my system completely. It's surprising that now that I am not taking opiates at all, I don't have as much pain as I did before. I've heard this happens but I've never really experienced it. I have started massage therapy which is very helpful, and plan to start either Mindfulness my meditation type therapy, acupuncture and try some of that herbal things, I also rely on lidocaine patches which work well for me. I know people were talking this morning about 2 nonnarcotic pain medicine coming out, and supplements, but no one was very specific about what it was. Could somebody post what supplements they get relief with besides Turmerk, started. It's supposed to help with inflammation. I don't want to go back on any kind of opiates because they were just causing me so many problems, as someone mentioned takes away your joy for life. I also tended to isolate myself from my friends because I felt like I was a burden and I'm stopping that. I found that my friends are willing to come to my house because they missed me. I really am trying to push through and do my exercises and walking. Trying right frame of mind, I don't want to continue feeling sorry for myself, which I was doing. Anyway, if anybody could post names of items that they use that would really be helpful. Happy Fourth of July to everybody, have a wonderful weekend. Thank you Jennifer

@jenapower I recently visited my fibromyalgia specialist, and she stated that pain meds (opiates and prescription pain meds) generally don't work for fibromyalgia pain. Interestingly, I also still have chronic pain but less since ceasing so many meds. One thing I have done that helps... meeting with friends regularly; it does help!

Keep exercising and walking; it's not only good for treating the pain, but it's good for blood pressure, bone density, anxiety/depression, and more.