# New to the board... Hello.....



## Dylan (Mar 20, 2002)

Hello I think you know my name since I didnt use my video game nick name I figured this is personal stuff we all talk about so heck why not use my first name and keep it simple. Anyway im 23 years old just 23 on the 13th of this month I feel old no offense to anyone thats older. Ill tell ya right now I have been reading some posts here. I'm not much for forums of this nature but I find these posts and people here to be informative and caring. So I figured I would give it a go. After all there really isnt many people to talk to about this sort of thing. I believe the gentleman that posted 2 down from this post about very similar problems that I have. I have 2 buldged dics. Muscle spasms inflamation along the left side of my body. I have been diagnosed with FM. Although I do not believe this is a true diagnosis this is as close to one as I have gotten. Im in pain its pretty simple. I have fought with it for 4 years now. It has gotten worse year by year and continues. I have had many tests. For the first couple years my familly, and friends all had me feeling like I was A hypocondriac delusion basket case. Im sure many of you have had similar rough experiences. Its pretty good to have the internet without it I wouldnt be as confident in my problems. The fact that I know other people like me exist is a great comfort. My heart goes out to all of us. Prayer is my way of rebuttle not that im a preacher or anything far from it but I must find comfort in this messy situation. Ok now that I just poured my soul out I hope you have a well lighted introduction of who I am. On to A question if you are still here. Ok today I went to the doctor and got something prescribed new and from reading things about it on the net I am scarred ****less to take it pardon my french. Its called Amitriptyline. I never was too crazy about the anti-depressant way. However my doc says that people with chronic pain and FM use this and find posotive results in sleeping at night wich I have a great problem with. Has anyone else used this medication? Lemme know...  thankyou.


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## Feisty (Aug 14, 2000)

Hi Dylan! And welcome to the Fibro Board!Sure wish you didn't have to suffer so much. And, of course, there's always the question of why? Right? Believe me, I know. I've suffered from Fibro for 20 years and almost constant daily migraines for just as long. Also have IBS/C----thank goodness it changed to C (Constipation) after sigmoid resection 2 years ago. Before that it was uncontrollable BM's (lots of embarrassing moments in public places, let me tell you!!) and lots of problems with Colitis. I'm a 52 year old female (I could be your Mother







! Now for the questions: Buldged Discs---did you get that from an injury of some sort? I've never had that problem, but I know a few that do and it is very painful. Have you seen a Physical Therapist or a Chiropractor to try their methods? What did your Doctor suggest for that problem? I do not believe the buldged discs are due to the Fibro, but I could be wrong.Amitriptylene: Many of us have been on or are on it now. I was on it for over 8 years. It did help with the sleeping, but it did not help me with the pain or the migraine management. It works very well for a lot of people, so you may want to give it try for a few months. Remember, everyone's different and reactions are different. Unfortunately, it's a lot of trial and error to find the right meds for most of us. Don't be afraid of trying the anti-depressant to manage the pain----it is one of the most widely used meds for Fibro. Side effects are drowsiness, weight gain, and stomach upset (that knawing hunger feel that's not really hunger---if you know what I mean). For some, the side effects diminish with use, for others, they become worse, and for others, they do not experience hardly any side effects. I understand what you are going through. My youngest son (he's 27 now) was born with multiple congenital birth defects that required years of hospitalizations and corrective surgeries. At age 14, all of his large intestine had to be removed and he has an ileostomy. Not an easy thing for a teenager. He's had heart surgeries, abdominal surgeries, and spinal fusion. And some day soon he will need more heart surgery to accomodate the "adult" body.Remember, you are not alone.This is a wonderful supportive Board. It's been my life-line these days.Keep us posted.I'm sure others will have suggestions and support for you as well. Sometimes the Board can be slow, but the "regulars" are around, so don't give up.Hang in there!Sincerely,Karen


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## weener (Aug 15, 2000)

Hi Dylan:Love your name. Buldged disk can be very painful on their own as you know, but compounded with fibro it can make your whole body hurt. As Feisty mentioned have you seen a physio therapist? I also have a bulging disk in my lower back and ended up in physio therapy. It helped a bit and I was taught how to bend and lift properly and exercises to help strengthen my back. I find that with the disk problem it is more isolated whereas the fm is all over the body (especially my upper back and shoulders/neck area). I find that having a massage is where I get the most relief from the pain. Were you diagnosed with fm by a rheumatologist? As for the amitriptylene, my one and only experience with it was about 10 years ago. I didn't do well on it and had some side effects (mainly dizziness), but I know a lot of people who have fm and have done well on it. As Feisty said everyone has to find what works best for them. Others have gone the route of supplements and vitamins. I second what Feisty said, you are not alone, so please feel free to come here anytime. We are here for you.


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## LoriAnn (Jan 31, 2002)

Hi Dylan,I was diagnosed with FM 10 years ago and was put on amytriptyline, it was fantastic for me at the time.The way a specialist explained it to me: Amytriptyline is ineffective as an antidepressant unless given in lg doses, upwards or 250mg a day. But it has been found to be very effective for chronic pain in small doses of 25 to 50mg, once a day, at bedtime (not only for FM but also IBS-D and migraines). The side effects Karen and weener mentioned do happen to just about everyone, but usually wear off within 6 weeks (except the hungry feeling, which can be helped by taking it with food or milk)I took 25mg a day for about ten years, I only stopped taking it a month or 2 ago. You should NOT miss a pill, that can cause flu like symptoms, and you will have to wear sunglasses and extra strong sun block as you will be more sensitive to the sun. There is a tendency to crave sweets (expecially chocolate). I did gain 20 pounds but I was underweight at the time and needed it. Once I gained that weight it leveled out and I stayed at 128lbs (I'm 5'9") for most of the past 9 years.It seems I was misdiagnosed 10 years ago, and recently discovered I had a sever gluten (grain) sensitivity. Since I started the GF diet I no longer experience FM symptoms and have been doing very well. I wasn't sure if I should still be hanging around here but the regulars have been so great to want me to stay.It is a great place, if a bit slow lately. Welcome, and good luck. Hope you come back often for the support and information, It kept me going on many days when I just wanted to give up.Lori


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## squrts (Aug 14, 2000)

welcome dylan,i find nothing wrong with trying as many different meds as nessary to find the one for you.i`ve tried them all.just be aware of how you feel.if one works,make sure the side affects dont out wiegh the benifits.i wish you the best.denny


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## Dylan (Mar 20, 2002)

Thankyou everyone one for your posts it really makes me feel good to know its easy to talk about whatever I want here. I believe there was a question as to who diagnosed me. Well the buldged discs were seen by a orthapedic specialist and the FM was diagnosed by a familly doctor. My insurance is crappy so I really dont get the best advice or treatment. However I do believe I have FM like the familly doctor said along side with arthritus and buldged discs. It is very painfull for me as well in the hip, shoulder, and neck area. My joints pop all over the place and I have trouble sleeping due to the pain. The muscle aches are intense and this is where the FM comes into play. I took Amitriptylene last night for the first time. Well about 2 hours after I took it I felt like I had taken some kind of serious drug. I was kinda seeing stuff and felt pretty wacky and tired. A little confused feeling but about A hour after that I experienced that I slept like a baby. I woke up feeling a little different but definately far from how I felt 2 hours after I took the medication. I am thinking it is just my body is not use to what the medication is doing. Other than that I woke up hungry and ready for breakfast. At this moment I dont feel any side affects but rather that I had better rest than normal. Maybe the rest will be more important for me than the funny side affects I get right after taking it but only the next couple weeks will really tell me what true side affects I will be facing on Amitriptylene. Ill keep you posted so you can help me along in the mean time Ill spend some time in the other messages and post to other people trying to help with what I might know. Thanks for the info guys..


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## Susan Purry (Nov 6, 2001)

Hello Dylan, welcome to the board! I'm 23 too (I have CFS). About the amitriptyline (not sure of the spelling, sorry) - if you read any information about any medication you'll see that most of them contain some pretty scary stuff! But they are things that a lot of people take a lot of the time without too many problems - a gross generalisation I do realise! lol. Also, give it a few weeks before you decide whether it's the right medication for you. Side effects can settle down after a while, and effectiveness can increase after a while, particularly with antidepressants. BTW, we 'chat' today (thursday at 2 p.m EST). Find the link to the chatroom at the top of the page. Best wishes


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## squrts (Aug 14, 2000)

as susan said,the side effects like the ones you expirenced two hours after taking,many times do go away.keep at it.


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## Feisty (Aug 14, 2000)

Dylan,Just wanted to tell you that Amitriptyline is one of the oldest in the antidepressant class, so, it's been used for a long time and most Doctors are aware of the various things it can be used for.Lori is right, in smaller doses, it's great for helping alot of people with pain and sleeping problems. I always took it about an hour or two before bedtime and I was "out" for the night. Had a little bit of a groggy feeling first thing in the morning, but within a half hour of being up and about, it was gone. I had to stop it about 4 years ago because the Doc wanted to try a different one to see if it would help the migraines. Unfortunately, nothing seems to work for me and I've tried my rounds of meds--I think I've tried them all---and also tried health alternatives and it's still the same. Oh well, better days ahead, I hope.


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## Dylan (Mar 20, 2002)

Feisty Ive tried alot of things my self. I know how that is. I really dont see how this medication is really going to help me. Why do they want me on a anti depressant. Why cant they just give me valume (spelling)? I would much rather take something that knocks me out than to take something that messes with my serotonin and emotions. I dunno maybe I should keep giving it a go but im just kind of frustrated in the system of medicine.PS. damn I missed the chat


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## Feisty (Aug 14, 2000)

Dylan,Yep, I missed the chat, too. Here I am---out running errands and all of a sudden it's---damn!! The chat was this afternoon. One of these weeks I'll make it, I hope.The Amitriptyline---give it a couple of months try anyway. On average, it takes most of these meds approximately 6 to 8 weeks or longer for them to reach the point where they will either help you or they won't. I know what you're saying about the anti-depressant part. That's where I was, too. Unfortunately for me, the anti-depressants made me worse instead of better. I need an "downer" (anti-anxiety only) rather than the "upper" (anti-depressant). The only thing is---my Doc won't prescribe anything for me besides muscle relaxant (Skelaxin) and Clonazepam (sleeping aid that also helps leg cramps, which I have all the time). 3 years ago, I was on Serzone (after trying about 10 different ones before that) and it caused me to slip into a depression so great that I was suicidal. I felt everyone's life would be better if I wasn't around anymore. Well, after stopping the Serzone for 3 days with the "plan" to begin yet another anti-depressant on the 3rd day; lo and behold, the "fog" started lifting and I could think and focus again. Then I got really angry, but it gave me something to fight for and I decided I wasn't going to take that #### anymore. So I cold-turkeyed---not a good thing to do, but I was just so mad and so sick of being sick and Zombie like. It took my body 12 weeks to get rid of all the meds in my system and it was pure hell to say the least. But I did it. I've been trying to get through to my Doc that I could benefit from an anti-anxiety med, at least on occasion, to help me over some of the rough spots. But for now, I take Skelaxin, Clonazepam, and Extra-Strength Tylenol (the Tylenol doesn't seem to do anything, so I'm not going to bother with that anymore).Oh yuck, I'm rattling on again. Sorry.Just wanted you to know I think you should give the med a fair chance---then if it doesn't work, or the side effects, if any, are creating a problem; then, stop it and look for something else.The sad thing is that it's all trial and error on everything for us.What meds have you tried so far?Take care.Karen


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## Dylan (Mar 20, 2002)

I feel the same way you did. Despite everyones advice I decided it was best for me not to take the anti-depressant after a few days. I noticed it's definately not the answer I was looking for. Many people say it takes like 3 months to know. I dont have three months to tinker with my life anymore. I am really trying to get better and everything in my instincts tell me not to use anti-depressants. I feel the same way you do about anti-anxiety drugs. The pain causes so much anxiety that it would honestly be better to use a narcotic on the bad days to help me through than to be on a anti-depressant and live in a hazey fog. Today I took alot of my hard earned money and spent 350 dollars getting into the nicest gym in my area. I got a really good work out. That probably made me feel better than I have in a year. However lol I will be hurting tommorow but I am going to try the natural way from now on. I am going to a pain management appointment this week. I am hopeing and am going to demand if I can, for either zanex or clonipin or something similar or even a valume to help me sleep. Something that is strong, something that truely takes the pain away. I want to get in as good as shape as possible carefully and safely. I am allready a hyper person at nature. SO like your self I need the downer when the anxiety from the pain is at its most state of explosion. Anxiety is the biggest victor over me. I actually have somewhat learned to deal with the pain, however when the pain sets the anxiety in. I loose all control, all things that make me smile and it completely destroys my outlook until it passes. That is all I want is to have something to truely dull that to a minimum. If I can do that then I can succeed. I can eat better, I work more, I can exercise more, and I can live more. This is my game plan now I am doing this for me, my health, and my familly Im not gonna loose I have to get those medications to get me through until I can get a very strong handle on my situation. If they wont give them to me I guess im just gonna keep trying for them at different places and keep asking until I do get them in the mean I will just grit my teeth and get back in shape. Im gonna do it. Thankyou for all your suggestions everyone I really thought about all this, this last week. Everything in me tells me this is what I should do and I have to listen to my instincs, not my doctors. In all honesty I dont believe doctors know how to cure us or even neccesarilly help us. Not unless they suffer them self or are what you truely call a doctor someone that is truely inspired to heal people. Well I dont know this is the case for everyone but I have seen alot of doctors. I think in all my time of seeing doctors I probably have only met 2 or 3 that truely, honestly want to help me, want to help my pain. You see the problem here is the same problems you get with lawyers. For instance if you tell A lawyer that you got in a reck and into A CNI that you did yield and it wasnt your fault and even if it truely wasnt, that lawyer doesnt care, its not important what is important? The system and your money. Think about doctors, medical buildings, and nursery homes, and all things medical. Are these things not the exact same thing? Its about the system, your insurance(money). Its not about you. Its not about your hapiness. It's truely sad to say but by god I stand here knowing that the only person that can help me is me. Not that my familly doesnt help, or my loved ones because they do but they do not know nor can they know how to fix me, and help me get my life back. My strongest point here is do what works for you. If anti-depressants enable you to live you life to the fullest with your condition then definately take them. Me my self I know in my heart that is not what will help me. So all these emotions I am chewing away at into a computer on your screen. Is one very long un proof read run on sentance. Im sorry bout that but ummmm... I just gotta get it outta me I hope you guys enjoy my honesty and my bad grammer







I will definately keep in touch...................:-(..........


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## LoriAnn (Jan 31, 2002)

My dad always said, "Never hire an accountant, they don't give tinkers d*mn about your money as long as they are getting paid. You better be able to do your own taxes if you want to hang on to your money" (substitute doctor for accountant and health for money)I guess that basic idea can be applied to most things in life, I think you are right about us needing to take more control over our own health. As long as I left it in my doctors hands I just got sicker, and he forgot about my suffering the second I was out the door, after all he wasn't in pain. I didn't start getting better until I realized that I had to care more than he did and that it was going to be up to me. That may not be the case for everyone, some people actually have good, caring doctors who play an active role in treatment, but lets face it, that doesn't happen often, usually they slap a prescription in our hands and wave goodbye. They need to put the word "care" back into "healthcare".Lori


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## squrts (Aug 14, 2000)

i understand your cynicisum dylan.doctors are,after all,only human. many come away from life disillutioned and carry on there jobs for a simple pay check,but,now,ive seen MANY doctors and have met one or two who want nothing better than to see you heal.your right about healing yourself,but i think it will take more than a daily workout,i dont know what it takes or i would have done it,but your young and still relatively fit.you have lots of time to decide about those damn meds.by the time i was 30 my depression nearly killed me,i think the meds are saving my life and killing me at the same time.its probably better you stay off for as long as possible.best wishes!


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