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@ripley

Looking for updated comments from anyone with Fibromyalgia on how you deal with the pain and if any medications help. I've been having symptoms since February 2022, shortly after I got Covid, and was recently diagnosed. I have widespread body pain almost 24/7 that makes it hard to lead a normal life. I've also had severe insomnia since the pain started. I've watched video's from the Mayo Clinic and they seem to discourage any medications because they usually don't help relieve the pain very much and have bad side effects. Looking for any advice, your experience, and what helps.

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Replies to "Looking for updated comments from anyone with Fibromyalgia on how you deal with the pain and..."

@ripley Hello, what I am about to say is probably going to cause a chorus of protests, but I am just reporting my personal experience.
I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia, in addition to arthritis, 30 years ago. At the time, it was a horrendously controversial diagnosis, and probably 80% of the medical community didn't believe it was real. My doc at the time confessed that she also had it, and that like me, she had a demanding career and 2 young children, so bed rest or even "taking it easy" was not an option.
Her prescription was make time for adequate sleep and regular (at least 4X a week) exercise, no matter how fatigued I felt. She also gave me amitryptilin (stopped 10 years ago as contraindicated for people over 60) to help with sleep. I incorporated this into my life and managed to keep going - sometimes not very happily, until I was able to retire.
5 years ago I became ill with a serious lung infection & bronchiectasis that knocked me out of action for 2 years, and I became a couch potato & a ball of pain. Pain meds were no help, and ruining my stomach.
In 2020, I decided this was NO WAY to live - I went to the pain management clinic that is part of our large multidisciplinary medical practice. After 6 hard months, I was back in action, and have continued to improve.
The prescription? Visualization, meditation (still working on that), diet, sleep, stretching and daily exercise. The only pain med I take is a low dose of Cymbalta and occasional ibuprofen for a headache.
If I skip stretching any day, or exercise for more than a day, all my trigger points flare. Then I make myself go for a brisk walk or otherwise get moving - even though I want to lay down and curl up in a ball of misery.

Don't give up - look into a fibro or pain management program - they can be hard to find, but worth it. Do not think a "pain clinic" is the same - check it out - many of them rely on finding "the right combination of medication" - not what you need.

Have you asked about finding help?
Sue