It sounds like you might have been on too many meds, so it is hard to tell what is working and what isn't. I haven't seen Soma work for anyone.
I am in your side, so don't yell at me! :)
Every medication affects everyone differently, so i usually come to groups like this to see if anything is affecting EVERYONE in an adverse way. But Lookin4drperfect, you need to keep a pain diary, see what sets off your flares, and you need to tell your doc EVERY med that you take.
My best rheumy sadly retired but his approach to FM was fairly simple. Three-pronged. 1) MOVE at least 90 minutes a week. That sounded horrible at first and i was sore at first but then (I had my own place for 2 years, my FM was almost gone at the end of that time, but because of the bad choices of others, i am back in House Of Pain) 2) Get Good Sleep - and it is OK to use meds made for this to get it.
3) Manage pain, again it is absolutely fine to use the meds that are made for this.
Make sure you do have a doc - none of them are perfect so have reasonable expectations - who will work with you. You have to be a team. Go in with a bullet list (you know, short sentences, not all wordy like i'm doing) and explain what is happening with your body. Choose words carefully - "I hurt all over" unfortunately doesn't work. Show where it hurts, tell your doc about your lifestyle (work, stress, how you eat, etc)
*LYRICA is a scary one, even the ads make me mad! NO doctors said what the actress (not a real person in pain!) says "Fibromyalgia is what doctors agree blah blah something about nerves" <--- hello, FM is about muscles and tendons and ligaments, not nerves like the terrible pain Diabetics have!! It and Cymbalta are given to doctors by Drug Reps (did you get a free sample? That is a red flag, it means docs are being leaned on HARD by the people who make it to "sell" it to patients - watch the movie "Love and Other Drugs" to get an idea of how it works, that was based on a book - true story) A doc tried to make me take it & all the "new" stuff - if i hadn't known better, i would have said "OK" - this is why we have to keep on top of research, see how others are doing, etc. Don't ever let a doctor scare or intimidate you. I know that's hard with a lot of them.
I agree with all of this:
"I'm like you, Cymbalta and Savella did not work for me - I actually had pretty bad reactions to them both - made me very hyper, INCREASED my pain instead of helping it and shot my BP through the roof. I've had that same type of reaction to any of the SSRI's that have been tried. I know quite often the SSRI's are used for fibro, but for me, it' not worth the side effects and my doctor agrees with that".
Why do they have you on Methadone?? That isn't primarily a pain killer, is it? I know they give it to drug addicts who are trying to not be any more.
I know your post is 3 years old, i have been looking everywhere to see what is causing my current flare. I think i already knew though - it is the stress of having to live with people who fight all the time, who yell at me when i just want peace. I have no life, literally. I just exist. I got sick half my life ago, i have no idea what it is like to fall in love as an adult. To get married and have kids. To have a full-time job. Fibro and the anxiety and depression that came with it ate all of that up. So you guys? FIGHT! Don't let this monster beat you. I wish i had known things 20+ years ago that i know now - i would have run so far and fast from this abusive home. If i can help anyone, that will at least mean i don't suffer for nothing. Please move your bodies. Please INSIST on a reasonable pain control. And remember your doctor needs to be your partner - you pay them, so they are not your boss! Fight for your life, OK? Do it!!
i have horrible fibro pain from my head to fingertips and toes, i also have nuerpathy in my right legs and buttok.so makes it hard to drive i have teo boys 9 and 7 that also have mental health issues and i try to keep them busy but i am 31 and walk with a cane and can barely get out of bed.when its to cold to hot i dont get out of bed, and when the rain starts fallin im out of commision..i am currently looking for a pm doctor.which is very hard in my state because they have decided to close most of them dowm unfortuntly...i take lyricaa 75 2 a day flexerill 10 3 times a day celexa and oxycodone..amd still no help with the pain...if anyone has any info on what i can try next please feel free to email me thanks for listening eveyone.. ***@****
I'm sorry you're in such pain. Unfortunately, none of us can tell you if the Opana will work better than your current meds - as you know, each person is different, and how their body reacts to meds is different, so what may work wonders for one person, may not do a thing for someone else.
What I would suggest is when you go to your new PM doc, simply tell him/her that your current medication regime is not helping with your pain and ask THEM if there is anything else they can prescribe/suggest. I, personally, feel it is never a good idea to go into any doctor asking for a specific pain medication. Of course, if the doctor asks you what has worked in the past, then by all means, tell him/her if there has been anything that has helped you before, but I would not go into the appointment specifically asking for a particular drug - this may not look very good on you.
It could be that your current pain meds could still work if they were just "tweaked" a little bit - maybe increase your methadone for the long acting and perhaps switching out your muscle relaxer - I've tried both Soma and flexeril and have found that the flexeril actually works better for me - but it does make me pretty sleepy also, so I definitely don't take it when i have to drive or do anything that I have to be fully alert for.
I'm like you, Cymbalta and Savella did not work for me - I actually had pretty bad reactions to them both - made me very hyper, INCREASED my pain instead of helping it and shot my BP through the roof. I've had that same type of reaction to any of the SSRI's that have been tried. I know quite often the SSRI's are used for fibro, but for me, it' not worth the side effects and my doctor agrees with that.
How are you sleeping? Are you having a hard time with that? Many, many fibro patients do have sleeping problems and many of them need a prescription sleep aid to help. Sleep is definitely a major problem for me, and I notice a MAJOR difference in my pain levels when I haven't gotten good (or enough) sleep - they are way higher. I do take Ambien at night and some nights it helps, but there are other nights that it doesn't. For us as fibro patients, it's a vicious cycle - we can't sleep because we hurt and we are hurting more because we aren't getting enough sleep. If you're not currently taking a sleep aid, you may also want to ask the doctor about giving you one - again, probably not asking for a specific one, there are several of them - but just letting him know that you're having trouble with sleep and ask if there's anything that could be tried.
As far as other ways to hopefully help your pain, I sometimes find that a warm shower helps - not too hot, but also not too cold - I find that extremes of temps either way are not good. If you'rre able to, perhaps soaking in a warm tub. I also quite often use my microwaveable heating pad - of course, it doesn't cover all areas at once, but I can rotate it to the areas that are giving me the most trouble at the moment and then move it to another area, etc., etc.
I wish you the best of luck and please keep us posted on how your appointment goes.