How do you deal with fibromyalgia flare-ups?

Many of you talk about their pain flare-ups. I wonder whether you have found good ways to deal with them or even found ways to prevent them?

Great question! I try to avoid confrontation and stress. I told my family about those flare-ups and that I need special treatment in those moments. When I say "flare up time" nobody bothers me, except if it is very important. It's good to talk with your family about your issues and agree upon how to deal with them.

I wish! Lol. I have so many diagnosed issues that share common symptoms with fibro that it takes me days into a flare to determine what has flared up. Whenever it happens I rest and baby myself, so I don't do anything to aggravate it.

I try relaxation, rest, soothing music, warm shower with massage, heat or ice, voltaren gel, muscle relaxers, & pain meds. 🙏🌼

I so wish!!!! All I can do is listen to good music and/or meditate when I have one. If you figure out how to prevent one, let us know!!

I find trying to get your mind of the pain by doing something you enjoy. I realise that this seems like a silly suggestion at FM flare ups are extremely disabling but I have had FM for 25 years and my enjoyment is walking. I find that the initial 20 mins of pushing the pain slowly eases to enable me to enjoy what I am doing. Becoming mobile shortens the flare up, for me anyway. At the start of my FM I used to just hit the bed and try to wait it out but them realised that I only prolonged the attack.

I always take Kava root and Magnolia bark. They usually help, except when I don't have them fast enough or the pain has me hallucinating everything around me. They usually stop smaller pain-caused hallucinations but not the ginormous ones. I also just try to accept that the pain is going to take over, and just feel it. Somehow that makes it possible to smile even though inside I'm screaming. It's an odd sensation.

Fred that sounds like a good thing telling your family. I don't think mine would abide by it though.

I do stretching exercises when a flare is coming up

Stretching does tend to help my stiffness. 🙏🌼

I tend to lay around and read on my kindel to distract me. But now I have my sweet grandbaby to distract me. I am hoping to start going to pool exercises at our health club insurance pays for it.

I do therapeutic breathing and listen to music that soothes me. I also try to do relaxing exercises as I exhale during my breathing. I start from the top of my head and then I work my way down and with each exhale, I "push" the pain further down my body until I have pushed it out through the bottom of my feet and out of my body. It doesn't get rid of the pain but it does take some of it away. If I can't cope at all, I take my meds and then I go to sleep (Zanaflex, the muscle relaxant, knocks me stupid so I usually don't take it all the time. When I am really bad, I'll take 8mg and fall of to sleep for a couple of hours). It's better than nothing at all. When all else fails and the pain is even too bad for the muscle relaxer to work, I pray

Good question, I haven't found anything yet. .i have other things stress & grieving causing my flare ups being worst

Instead of taking poison like celebrex and gabapentin, cymbalta and lyrica etc etc..found out I have lyme. Fibro is often times lyme disease and co infections

I can't avoid stress...I'm a nurse and work full time despite the pain. It's all I can do to get thru each day. No one understands....

Susan516 I worked as a nurses aide in one of our hospials. I understand what your stress levels are ,I too work for a yr where after 12 hr shifts having to practically climb up the steps to get in my house, then have deep stabbing pains in Lower back. I was too hard headed to try to stay on my job not wanting to admit to myself that I couldn't hold up to the work, that I was hurting myself by pushing myself. It's one of the hardest things to except,that instead of you helping someone it's you that needs the help now. There is always someone here to listen to you. Hugs and will be praying.

I generally walk 5 miles a day but I am currently in a major flare. Doc gave me gabapentin today with a referral to pain management. Hopefully soon

Gabapentin has helped me for 15 years. No flare ups more than a few hours but now all of a sudden I'm in a three week flare up. I try to keep moving as much as possible and crawl into bed under quilts and watch light TV. A TENS machine helps redirect the pain a bit. I take vicodin 5/325 but only am allowed two a day. I am a week in on a vitamin called Fibro response. Basically malic acid and magnesium. Staying calm helps. It's hard but it helps to stay calm. I also take prozac which helps usually.

When I have a flare up, I eant to be left alone, but to be supported at the same time, if that makes any sense. Have lost so many friends who dont understand and have distanced themselves from me. Keep saying they will wait until im better. News flash! This isn't going away!!

Does anyone else have trouble with hands and feet swelling and tingling? Mine is worse in the morning. So bad that I cant putrings on swollen fingers. :(

LauraV, I get swelling of tingling/burning in my hands but not at the same time. I'm guessing the tingling is from my fibro/sjogrens and the swelling is from arthritis. 🙏🌼

I think I've been in a flare-up for 2 years...I've finally found out I was allergic to eggs, dairy and chicken. I have Hashi so gluten is out as well. It seems to have helped some, which is why I started working out again, only to feel it gaining on me again. This is crazy. I just wanna go lay down in a field somewhere and stare up at the stars....and breathe.

Debc3, I remember doing that, star gazing as a teen. How relaxed and carefree those days were. If I tried it now I'm afraid I wouldn't be able to get back up. But just remembering it is relaxing. Thanks for the reminder! 🙏🌼

Everyone should have a "Feel Good Box". In the box you could have:
Aromatherapy candle
Lotions or oils
Chocolate
Favorite magazine or book to read
Coloring book and crayons (sounds childish but it is very relaxing)
Favorite photos that make you smile
Encouraging notes and cards from friends or family that lift you spirits
Blank notecards to send to friends or family that are on your mind
Anything else that will lift your spirits and make you smile.
Its no cure but might help to make a painful day better.
Just thought I'd share.

Same here Flappy. Some of mine is nerve pain from sciatica and pressure on nerves, i have lost some feeling in my fingertips due to it,

I LOVE the idea of a feel good box! Great advice!

LOVE the Feel Good Box idea! ❤❤❤

LauraV, I've noticed that I've been having a lot of problems with that lately. My feet and hands feel numb, tingling, burning sensation all at same time. Almost like when you leave a rubber band on your wrist for too long and it stops the blood circulation. It's been happening more frequently in the past month, before that it was once in awhile or several times a month. Now it's several times a day. I really need to speak with my doctor about this. I'm not diabetic, but I did have shingles on my leg and foot four years ago. Aside from that I have Fibro. I probably have other issues but sometimes the doctors don't have the time for full screenings, just a quick how you feeling today, write your script and get you out in15 min. Think it's time for second opinion. 😳

Dalyay once I got on neurotin it improved some, mightwant to talk to docabout that, hope you get some relief

Dalyaya, fibro has some of those symptoms, not the burning though. My doc said it's a cross between my fibro and sjogrens symptoms, along with nerves from my spine. Mines been better with the Plaquenil for sjogrens. Hope you can get some relief soon! 🙏🌼

Dalyaya,
This week sound weird, but depending on where you live it may/may not be available. Around here, you can get "Horny Goat Weed," which is a supplement that helps increase circulation.

Has anyone tries fentanyl pain patches? Doc put me on them a few months ago and have noticed improvement with neurotin and break thru meds,

My dad used them and so does one of my sisters. They said they're better than nothing but seems to wear offer just as fast as oral meds. 🙏🌼

I've tried Fentanyl 25mg patches. They made me feel loopy. Then they put me on Butrans 10mg 7 day patch looks like a bandaid. That works much better but I still need Norco 10/325 for breakthrough pain. Which by the way happens often. Seems like the pain is getting stronger or my body has become accustomed to the meds that they no longer work like they used to.

Thanks Ferretbandit. I'm going to check out the internet and see if I can find the Horny Goat Weed. Someone else suggested I should use Magnesium supplements for nerve, bone and muscle health. I've added it to my daily diet.

I have tried everything but still haven't come up with anything yet. I hurt everyday all I need to do is figure out how bad the pain is going to be.

I use fentanyl patches. Once it's in your system it feels great. They're supposed to last three days but they start to wear off after two days. I can always feel when it's time to change.Dalyaya, your reaction sounds like mine once when I was put on oromorph. The doctor put me on a high dose without any build up from a lower dose. My body had no tome to adjust to the high level. I started out feeling spaced out and then everything started to spin and I was so sick, I couldn't even lift my head off the floor

No, I have found that nothing helps.

Dalyaya, seeing this post just made me realize I haven't had any tingling & numbness in my feet for several weeks now. My cardio doc put me in compression stockings about three weeks ago because venous reflux is keeping my blood from pumping back up to the heart. I mentioned to him how if noticed multiple burst veins and capillaries on both legs, so he did an ultrasound. If nothing else is helping speak to your doctor. 🙏🌼

I have often found lots of rest can be helpful. Also my splints are a god send during these times, unfortunately when I have flare ups I tend to have reactions to my medications so they often just make me worse and add in other symptoms. Hot and cold baths can help too. This is something I've just been told about, it's what's athletes do to prevent lactic acid in the muscles. They go between hot and cold baths one after the other. Could be a good way to try?

Hi I'm new to the chat and would like to know if anyone has been put on a drug called Andepra. It is an antidepressant used for fibro sufferers. I was on Lyrica but that made me feel like l'd been hit by a bus every morning. I was only diagnosed a year ago and was previously very fit and active. Now I have trouble walking my son to school about 1.5kms. Any help would be much appreciated. Thanks.

Welcome Ouchithurts! I've never heard of it. I oppose you find this community very helpful and supportive. 🙏🌼

My doctor has mentioned a Andepra, to me because the lyrica that I'm on is making me gain alot of weight. But I don't do well with depression meds at all. So I never tried.

Thanks I also gained weight with the Lyrica around 12kg and can't shift it. It will be a bonus if the Andepra works as I'm tired of trying different meds all the time.

I understand. I'm barely functioning because the pain is so bad. I wish you the best of luck and if you do end up trying that please let me know how it goes for you.

Ouchithurts, welcome aboard!! I've not heard of that medication but have been on Zoloft for many years. I'm actually now on 200mg a day because it wasn't working that well any more. I'm sure with all the wonderful people here, you'll find someone who knows about it. Hope you get relief and that you don't have to keep changing medications because they don't work. 🙏🏻🌻

Thank you Alwayzinpain. I think it may be a relatively new drug. As with most fibro medications they only work on 30%of people so I 've been told. This one has a one in four chance of helping. It's been 2 1/2 weeks and there is no relief from it or the Tramadol.

Vitamins play a huge role in feeling better

I'm taking magnesium, is there any others that help?

I am stuck in one. I try to.meditate but sometimes the pain is to bad. I force myself to walk. Flexeril and tramodol

Vit d and b is important as well. Especially if you have restless leg with it. Lyrica put me in the hospital. And most anti depressant cannot be taken with tramodol.

Music and relaxation does it for me. Not completely but it puts me in a different place. I have a small beautiful Shi Tzu and she makes it her business to take me for a walk ha lol. She is three. I would say maggie and my two grandchildren are my
oxcycodone. Nevertheless i do suffer but i
don't say much to my famiy and children.
i am so happy i have you. I thank my daughter in law for finding you. She alsi suffers