Fibromyalgia: Functional Medicine Dr & Supplements Helped Anyone?

Not a problem. I hope I can help. On my arthritic hands when they hurt badly, I rub them down 4 times a day. I have arthritis in my spine, back, neck, shoulder (need replacement), knees, elbows, hands & feet! Yee Haw! I have a family member to rub my back down with the Voltaren 2-4 times a day when my arthritis in my spine gets really bad. I can rub my neck and shoulders and the rest myself....head, shoulders, knees & toes, right? LOL. I know there are a lot of conflicting comments about Voltaren Gel. I was inquisitive about it like you are. She told me to put it on like ketchup and up to 4 times a day for best results. Not to go over. I don't use it every day...only when I'm flared up the most until I get relief and then as a preventative measure, the next day afterwards. My shoulder was really flared up on Friday. I applied it liberally 2-4 times that day and then again yesterday and applied heat. It is so much better today. I will apply it again before bedtime tonight. Talk to your doctor about it please. I'm so sorry you are having so much pain. It's so tiring. God Bless You and give you some relief.

I only take Flexeril when I am miserable and I am ultra sensitive to medication. I can only tolerate 1/2 of a 5 mg at the time. The Voltaren gel is for joint pain, BUT, my doctor recommended it for fibromyalgia. It helps me with that too. I apply the Voltaren Gel and then use a heat pack (Bed Buddy on Amazon). If I am miserable I will take 1/2 a Flexeril. I have never heard that Flexeril can stop working. It has always worked for me. I get in flareups that can last for days. Try and lower your stress as much as you can, eat healthy, no caffeine or Aspartame (makes Fibro worse), a massage helps if I am not in a whole lot of pain where I can tolerate it and stretches in the morning because I am so stiff. I have a lot of arthritis and I also have both Thyroid Diseases which pushes the arthritis. It's important to move as much as possible, BUT, when you need to stretch out and rest do it. I empathize. Prayers right now.

I see many people mentioning Voltaren which Ive used for over a decade.

I recently added Salon Pas Lidocaine cream in my really sore areas and it helps. (The smell isn’t as strong as many pain creams)

It makes me feel like such an old lady when every morning after my shower, I apply Voltaren plus Salon Pas cream before I slather myself in moisturizer.

I hope this addition helps someone. Fibro stinks.

Thank you. My Dr said it's ok for me to use. I think there's an applicator that measures how much you are supposed to use each time.

I thought Volturen was only to use lightly and in small areas of the body?? It is an actual NSAID and should not be used with other NSAIDs like Advil or Aleve. I know that part for sure. But if a doctor said its ok to use it all over, and so liberally, I am glad it helps you. Obviously a doctor knows more than me.

I thought Volturen was only to use lightly and in small areas of the body?? It is an actual NSAID and should not be used with other NSAIDs like Advil or Aleve. I know that part for sure. But if a doctor said its ok to use it all over, and so liberally, I am glad it helps you. Obviously a doctor knows more than me.

Yes. I’ve had fibromyalgia for over 10 years which had progressively gotten severe enough that every third day or so the usual pain, fatigue etc. built up to the point I couldn’t get out of bed let alone exercise as they recommend and as I used to do. Nothing my Gen Practice doctor tried seemed to work for long, and they resorted to suggesting mental health visits and antidepressants. I’ve been fortunate enough to have a spouse with a decent enough income that although difficult, I have had the luxury of time for mindfulness and meditation, etc. which has helped. But it was not until I saw a holistic nurse practitioner at my clinic that I was prescribed low dose Naltrexone to aid with the pain and inflammation. It seemed to reduce pain enough initially that I was able to exercise and had excess energy. However, my MD started messing with my thyroid hormone replacement dose when my insurance company quit allowing me the brand I had taken for years, and now my pain has returned mostly, and will probably remain until my dose is adequate.