The Different Types of Fibromyalgia Medications Available
Every person with fibromyalgia is different, and every person needs a treatment plan that's unique to them. One medication that works for one person may not work for another. There are various kinds of fibromyalgia medications which are used ease symptoms.
Do fibromyalgia medications work? In my opinion, yes they work, but it's also kind of a yes-and-no answer.
Every person is different, and every individual needs a treatment plan catered to their needs. One medication that works for one person might not work for another person. There are various kinds of medicines which are used to treat people or you almost have to come up with sometimes several medications to ease your symptoms.
But to be completely honest, I've never in my life met somebody that has had a treatment plan that made them feel completely in a remission state, like they were cured or like that their life was as it used to be before this disease.
Medications really can help improve your life. They can help improve your symptoms enough for you to function and be able to enjoy life a little bit more. Lots of people are kind of on almost like a cocktail of medications.
I'll go over some of them.
Pain Medications, Muscle Relaxers, Anti-Depressants, Nerve Pain Medication and Other Treatment Options
You have your pain medications, muscle relaxers, nerve pain medication.
A lot of people take selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors to help treat depression and anxiety that comes along with fibromyalgia. Sometimes when you have depression on top of fibromyalgia, that can make the fatigue a million times worse. A lot of people take those kinds of medications.
Sleep medications like Ambien, non-steroid anti-inflammatory drugs like really high doses of Ibuprofen. There are just so many medication options, and they can work, and they do work for some people. Then some people they don't work for or what works for a lot of people don't work for them.
For instance, a lot of people do well on gabapentin or Lyrica. A lot of people take antidepressants like Cymbalta, and that helps them a lot.
I will say that I suffered from postpartum depression so I did start taking an antidepressant, anti-anxiety medication. I did notice a slight improvement in my fatigue and especially that fatigue that was added on from depression.
But for me, I don't benefit from taking these medications long-term.
I gain weight easily, and I gained a lot of weight on gabapentin. I gained weight on the antidepressant as well, actually 40 pounds. When you have fibromyalgia, it's tough to lose weight because you need to exercise.
Exercising is also a form of medication in a sense, self-care you could say. You need to exercise, but then not too much. It's a tough balance.
In Conclusion...
If you have fibromyalgia and you're trying to decide a treatment plan or what works for you or what medications work for you, you need to work closely with a doctor – like a rheumatologist – and try different things.
It's important to remember that every single person responds differently to medication. Every person finds solutions which work for them and some that don't. I can't name one drug that works for everybody. I think as a whole, medications, different kinds of medications, combining different stuff, can improve our quality of life significantly.
So get with a rheumatologist or your doctor or whoever can help you and try different things. Find a plan that works for you.
