Medication for Fibromyalgia Symptoms
There is not one medication for Fibromyalgia that was specifically formulated for the condition. Instead Fibromyalgia sufferers have to try drugs that were originally created for other illnesses and conditions.
It is not unheard of that patients will try one medication for Fibromyalgia symptoms for a number of weeks or months. After finding them ineffective and/or experiencing horrendous side effects they are offered another drug to try for a few weeks or months. They then return to their GP to report that particular drug to be ineffective too and/or with too many nasty side effects.
This boomerang effect continues with the Fibromyalgia patient returning again and again desperately trying to find some relief from their chronic pain, chronic fatigue and chronic depression. A whole year or more can go by with the Fibromyalgia patient feeling exactly the same or worse than when they first visited the GP.
The main medication for Fibromyalgia symptoms is Gabapentin, Pregabalin, Amitriptyline and Tramadol. All these Fibromyalgia medicines have bad side effects and all were originally created for other conditions.
Medication for Fibromyalgia SymptomsAntidepressant Medication for Fibromyalgia
Of course many Fibromyalgia sufferers will develop depression, alongside their pain, brain fog and fatigue etc. Who wouldn’t be depressed with a host of awful symptoms that affect every aspect of life?
Many Fibromyalgia sufferers originally present to their GP with vague symptoms. “Oh Doctor, I feel tired all the time, my wrists hurt and so do my knees, I keep forgetting things and I seem to burst into tears over the slightest thing.”
Or “Oh Doctor, I can’t concentrate at work, I feel exhausted and overwhelmed and I also have terrible neck and shoulder pain”
Or “Oh Doctor, I have insomnia at night but can’t keep my eyes open during the day, I feel I can’t cope with the kids, I can’t climb the stairs without getting out of puff and my legs hurting.”
It is often found that the first prescribed medication for Fibromyalgia patients is an antidepressant.
This happened to me, after moving to a new area and reporting to a new GP surgery. I desperately and tearfully described the many and varied symptoms I had – horrendous all over body pains, feeling too exhausted to get out of bed and dress, lacking motivation to go anywhere or do anything, lacking concentration and getting forgetful, having terrible digestive issues, feeling overwhelmed that despite having many symptoms for over 3 years, no doctor could give me a diagnosis.
The GP asked me if I felt depressed. I said I did not think I was depressed just desperate for my symptoms to go away so I could get my life back again. The GP prescribed me Sertraline. Sertraline is a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) antidepressant.
I took the Sertraline as directed but by the second evening, I had the most terrible thoughts of suicide. It was a very cold winter night with a heavy snowfall. I planned that I would simply go out without a coat and walk to a field and lie down on the snow and die of hypothermia.
Luckily I had my grandchildren staying overnight, so because of them I came to my senses. I had never experienced such thoughts in my entire life. I suspected it must be a side effect of the Sertraline. I of course Googled the side effects and could not believe that one of the common side effects of this drug was suicidal thoughts!!!
I did not take any more of the Sertraline and immediately changed my GP.
If you do suffer from depression as a separate condition alongside Fibromyalgia there is a range of antidepressants that you may be prescribed.
But a couple of antidepressants are used not as antidepressants in people with Fibromyalgia but as pain relievers. These are Amitriptyline and Duloxetine.
Anticonvulsant Medication for Fibromyalgia
There are currently 2 types of anticonvulsant medication for Fibromyalgia. They are Gabapentin also known as Neurontin and Pregabalin known also as Lyrica. Both of these drugs were originally created to treat epilepsy but were believed to block pain by interfering with pain messages travelling throughout the central nervous system.
They are prescribed to people with Fibromyalgia primarily to help with pain. But evidence suggests that Gabapentin and Pregabalin give little pain relief to the majority of Fibromyalgia sufferers.
Painkiller Medication for Fibromyalgia
Over the counter painkillers such as paracetamol and ibuprofen are largely ineffective for treating Fibromyalgia pain.
There are a number of drugs you can try to help ease the aches and pains of Fibromyalgia, but most have unwanted side effects, are addictive or ineffective.
Naproxen
I was originally prescribed Naproxen when I first presented with Fibromyalgia pain symptoms. These effected my stomach badly and did not touch my pain.
Co-codamol
I know I should not have done this, but I tried some of my father’s Co-codamol which were prescribed for his back pain. I took just a couple, but they affected my stomach so much I had to stop taking them. And besides which, they did nothing for my pain.
Nefopam
Nefopam also known as Acupan is yet another painkiller medication for Fibromyalgia pain. But it is generally prescribed for mild pain and may just take the edge off. It can be addictive too and people can experience withdrawal symptoms when trying to come of it.
Amitriptyline
Although originally Amitriptyline was formulated as an antidepressant it is often prescribed for Fibromyalgia pain. How successful it is as a painkiller is debatable. I found Amitriptyline had zero effect on my Fibromyalgia pain.
Published by Cochrane who looked at the evidence of Amitriptyline for Fibromyalgia pain in adults. They found that:
"The most important message is that amitriptyline probably does give really good pain relief to some patients with fibromyalgia, but only a minority of them; amitriptyline will not work for most people."
Duloxetine
Duloxetine also known as Cymbalta is a serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRI) antidepressant but is also prescribed to treat nerve pain in people who have Fibromyalgia. Not much research has been undertaken to specifically assess the pain relieving qualities of this drug for Fibromyalgia pain.
Published by Cochrane who looked at the evidence of Duloxetine for treating painful neuropathy, chronic pain or Fibromyalgia.
They found that:
“Most people taking duloxetine will have at least one side effect. These are mostly minor and the most common are feeling sick, being too awake or too sleepy, headache, dry mouth, constipation or dizziness. About one in six people stop duloxetine because of side effects.”
Tramadol
Tramadol, sold under the brand names Invodol, Larapam, Mabron, Maneo, Marol, Maxitram, Oldaram, Tilodol, Tradorec, Tramquel, Tramulief, Zamadol, Zeridame and Zydol is an opioid pain medication used to treat chronic pain.
Tramadol is addictive and people tend to need higher doses overtime to get the same affect. Because of the risk for Tramadol addiction and misuse it had been classified as a class C controlled substance in the UK. It is becoming increasingly difficult to be prescribed Tramadol for Fibromyalgia pain. Some Fibromyalgia patients cannot get re-prescriptions for Tramadol.
Gabapentin
Gabapentin known also as Neurontin is a prescription only anti-epileptic drug which is also used for nerve pain. Gabapentin aims to change the way that the nerves send messages to the brain.
Published by Cochrane who looked at the evidence of Gabapentin for Fibromyalgia pain in adults. They found that:
"There is no good evidence to support or contradict the suggestion that gabapentin at daily doses of 1200 to 2400 mg reduces pain in fibromyalgia."
After taking Gabapentin for some time I found it had no effect on my pain levels.
I asked others on the Fibromyalgia Facebook group I belong to, of their experiences of taking Gabapentin for Fibromyalgia symptoms. A resounding 95% of the respondents reported that Gabapentin had zero effect on their levels of pain. They added that the massive weight increases they had while taking Gabapentin for Fibromyalgia had forced them to stop taking it. Other nasty side effects they reported were extreme forgetfulness, dizziness and unsteadiness.
Pregabalin
Pregabalin is known by the brand names of Lyrica, Alzain, Lecaent and Rewiscafor.
Just like Gabapentin, Pregabalin is prescribed to treat nerve pain. And again just like Gabapentin, Pregabalin is a prescription only anti-epileptic drug. Pregabalin aims to block pain by interfering with pain messages travelling throughout the central nervous system.
Published by Cochrane who looked at the evidence of Pregabalin for Fibromyalgia pain in adults.
They found that:
“We found high quality evidence that pregabalin at daily doses of 300 to 600 mg produces a large fall in pain in about 1 in 10 people with moderate or severe pain from fibromyalgia. Side effects occurred in 8 or 9 people in 10, often while adjusting to the medicine."
After reading this evidence and consulting with a Fibromyalgia Facebook group for their opinions on Pregabalin for Fibromyalgia pain, I decided not to take the drug. I had been prescribed Pregabalin for Fibromyalgia pain by a rheumatologist.
But for me the odds were too high of me being in the lucky 10% who gained SOME pain relief (not completely pain free, by the way) were outweighed by the likelihood of being in the 90% who suffered some gruesome side effects.
Over Medication Crisis
It is widely known that there has been an over medication crisis over the last few years in the USA with many people becoming hooked on prescription medication.
Recently in the UK, Public Health England stated that too many people are being prescribed medicines that can cause dependence. Around 1 in 4 adults in England are prescribed medication for pain, depression or insomnia which they find hard to come off.
Ironically pain, depression and insomnia are at the top of the list of Fibromyalgia symptoms. The growing concern about the abuse and misuse of prescribed opiates such as Tramadol, gabapentinoids such as Gabapentin and Pregabalin and antidepressants such as Amitriptyline leaves Fibromyalgia sufferers in a difficult position.
As again I state that Tramadol, Gabapentin, Pregabalin and Amitriptyline are the main forms of medication for Fibromyalgia. Fibromyalgia sufferers who have been taking these drugs for some time are facing a reluctance and in some cases a flat out refusal to re-fill their prescriptions.