I have seen many posts on tyhis board from fibromyalgia sufferers. My daughter has been diagnosed with this and is having a hard time, so I was hoping for some input.

They have tried multiple medications, most make her tired or ill. The pain is constant, her memory is horrible. She has a 18 mo old boy, she need some relief from these symptoms.

They keep trying different meds but she is getting frustrated and tired of trying mew meds, since none seem to work without more side effects.

Any advice? What meds did they try on you? Which ones worked?

Magnesium malate found at your local health food store works well.

Massages; Movement.

I have heard most medicines don't work and that taking a natural road seems to work for most people.

tho it's hard with a young child, try to make her schedule as routine as possible so that she gets a lot of rest. Maybe regular day care so that she can take a nap during the day...a friend with fm said that made the biggest difference for her.

My mother, also a sufferer of this disease, dug up burdock (wild leafy weed) roots, washed, quartered and cut them into 3-4" lengths. Then she would pour about 2" of rubbing alcohol out of the bottle and put enough of the burdock roots in it to fill it up. She'd put the cap back on and set this mixture in the window sill. When the alcohol turns sort of dark brown it's done and ready to use. She'd rub this on the most painful areas a couple of times a day and it helped. Worried that there might be something in burdock that would hurt her I contacted a plant/folk medicine expert at the University of Illinois. He researched it for me and said that burdock has been used for hundreds of years as a pain reliever. It can, although a bit bitter, be eaten in salads, dried and brewed as tea, or infused in alcohol as mom did. You can also use a rolling pin to crush the fresh leaves, dip them in hot water and wrap them around a gout inflamed toe then wrap a towel around that for some relief.

This is about the only thing that burdock is good for! Nasty plant.....

There was someone on the board that posted this, I'm sorry I don't remember who it was, but here is what she posted, maybe it will help. I had replied that I had a couple of friends with fibromyalgia and this was her response.

http://www.vitalfactors.com

They will probably be convinced it's just another blind alley, so they should scroll down where it may still offer a week's supply for the price of shipping and handling, or call the 800 number listed there and call in and ask if the offer is still good. I have a hunch it will be. I started taking Vital Factors on a Monday, and by that Wednesday, I was able to put the Neurontin my doctor had prescribed for excruciating pain on the shelf never to take it again. That was about 6 or 7 years ago. You take it 5 days and skip 2. All it is is natural vitamins and minerals and plant extracts from around the world that some doctors and biochemists collaborated upon and are still improving to this day. After I post this, I will try the website again. I haven't had to call them except when I moved from Wyoming to the farm in rural Walker County where I live now. I still take it faithfully. It still stops most of the pain (about 90%).

I sympathise with your DD. I have had fibro most of my adult life. I have gone through years with few symptoms and other times it was almost crippling.
Attitude is very important. Laughter is medicinal. Hot showers or baths and massages help. Having a supportive spouse makes a lot of difference. There is a lot of research going on now and hopefully they will come up with the answer.
I take Cymbalta. It's the only thing that has worked for me. I still have flare ups from time to time, but overall it works well for me.
Check out this site. I get the news letter with all the latest research and suggestions.

http://www.fmnetnews.com/

I hope she gets some help. The good news is it tends to wax and wane, so she will have better days. :cry:

Try the Mayo Clinic. We took our son there and after testing they suggested that he go to their Chronic Pain Center. Fortunately, (we live in Canada) while we were waiting for an opening, my son found a clinic in our home city. He was not able to do very much and was always in pain. He is now back in University. He has his life back. He is not "cured" but he has quality back in his life. It is the asolute best thing that has happened in our family.

I have had fibromyalgia since I was 17, now 56. I also have polymyalgia rheumatica which means more pain and fatigue. I am on prednizone for poly. I take pericet once in while when pain gets worse. I endure it all I can. I do take vitamin D3, helps with energy, take in morning gives me more energy 3000mg day. mOST OF US HAVE VITAMIN
D deficiency. Hope the best for her. Take one day at time.

Keep moving...I know it's hard at times but not to let the muscles get stiff. Stay warm! The cold makes it worse. I can't take the meds they have, for one thing...no insurance so I take aspirin when it's bad. It helps the inflamation and keeps it down, not away. The worst thing with me is the chronic depression and fatigue! I have to stay busy..being here helps more than you know! I take naps when I can...mainly in the later mornings. And laughter...really is the best medicine. It releases the good endorphins and helps to heal. The good thing is it may come but goes away at times for a short while. Some people it's better and others worse. My sister has it worse than I do. Your daughter...She sounds way to young to have these problems but it happens. I feel for her, I'm in my 50's and my children are grown taking care of their own babies. They do check in on me and make life a lot easier for Mom. I'm married but seperated for 6 years now, my youngest daughter lives with me and boy does she help me so much. I think I'm very lucky to have what I do with my family. But thank God, the fibro isn't any worse than it is...as anything could always be worse. Help her, love her and pray for her...thats better than any medication on earth...