Get Informed: Fibromyalgia
1 in 106 Americans have Fibromyalgia
iGuard is currently monitoring more than 16,783 patients with Fibromyalgia from around the United States as shown on the heat map below. These figures suggest that roughly 2.86 million Americans have Fibromyalgia with this condition mostly affecting women.
Medications used for Fibromyalgia
Drugs commonly taken by iGuard.org users for Fibromyalgia are listed below, together with the percentage of patients that take each drug.
|
Commonly Used Medication Name* (Hover mouse over name to see medication class) |
% of Patients | Average Risk Rating | Has Generic Available |
|---|---|---|---|
| Advil | 14% |
|
Yes |
| Tylenol | 13% |
|
Yes |
| Aspirin | 8% |
|
Yes |
| Ambien | 5% |
|
Yes |
Less than 5%: Aleve, Celebrex, Celexa, Cymbalta, Desyrel, Effexor, Flexeril, Hydrocodone, Klonopin, Lexapro, Lyrica, Neurontin, Oxycontin, Prozac, Ritalin, Topamax, Ultram, Vicodin, Vitamin E, Wellbutrin, Zoloft
*This list is NOT EXHAUSTIVE - Only drugs used by a sufficiently large number of iGuard.org users are listed.
**Medications are sometimes known by different brand/generic names, depending upon how they are packaged or used.
Global Patient Feedback for Fibromyalgia ( Post a comment )
Question/Comment:
I have recently been diagnosed with Fibromyalgia. I have been doing a lot of research on the condition. 1 thing I came across was a suspected link with toxins. I grew up in the Houston area which is nothing but chemical plants. Looking at the above map, the highest concentration of people suffering this condition is in areas with high levels of air and/or water pollution. I think that we should be sounding the alarm a little louder on the effects of being exposed to these pollutants.
37 year old Female
Posted: 2009-11-18 12:57:26
Question/Comment:
I have been taking Xyrem since 2004 for Fibromyalgia. This drug is a miracle for me, and my doctor also believes it is the main key to my treatment. I am closely monitored by a pain specialist monthly, due to multiple medications. I have had no side effects or problems with its use. I did get pregnant in 2005, and luckily, the Fibromyalgia went into remission during my pregnancy, and I went off of the drug with no withdrawal symptoms or other adverse side effects. Unfortunately, as my doctor predicted, it came back with a vengeance after the birth of my daughter, and I have been back on the medication ever since. I get good sleep for 4 hours, wake up like clockwork, take my 2nd dose, get my remaining four hours sleep, and wake up refreashed with no drowsy after effects. According to my doctor, this is because Xyrem is metabolized through breathing, and bypass the liver unlike most other drugs, so it exits the system much quicker (thus the need to take a second dose halfway through the night). I have noted that without Xyrem, I sleep much more and experience much more fatigue due to the fact I do not get the proper type of restful sleep, as most Fibro patients have many waking episodes during the night, most that they are unaware of. Because of this restful sleep, my muscles get time to heal, and it decreases pain during the day as well. My doctor stated that she has had much success with this drug with all of her Fibro patients, and I highly recommend exploring the options of this drug to anyone suffering with Fibromyalgia.
36 year old Female
Posted: 2009-10-27 18:52:11
Question/Comment:
I had felt achy and just plain awful for several years, and took a lot of Tylonol. Then in 2002 I had my first knee replacement, what a shock to my system that was. Some months after my surgery, the aching and pain got considerably worse, and a friend recommended his Rheumatologist to me. He was the answer to my problem, I was diognosed with FMS and CFS, so finally I had some answers and was able to learn about the disease and proceed with treatment. Exercise, a sleeping aid, some pain Rx and relaxing therapy, did help tremondeously, I am not cured by any means, but I am able to function on a more normal level today.
69 year old female
70 year old Female
Posted: 2009-09-28 20:30:24
Question/Comment:
I have been diagnosed with Fibromyalgia about 7 years now and I am on Effexor XR 75 mg. 2 times a day. This medicine works great, I don't feel much pain and I exercise by swimming and doing water aerobics at the YMCA. I was also diagnosed with Pre-diabetes and have cut out alot of the sugar and carbohydrates and I feel alot better. Thank You Geneva
53 year old Female
Posted: 2009-09-28 20:12:56
Question/Comment:
i have this awful pain for 20 years now and i have been on all different kind of med. now i still have to take pain & sleep med. but what works for me is diet and working out at the gym. thanks and bless you'll
65 year old Female
Posted: 2009-09-09 00:57:36
Answer/Reply:
I was diagnosed about 3 years ago. At first I thought it was just sore muscles from excersing/bowling,raquetball and stuff. But it didnt' go away. I don't like going to doctors so I waited about 3months before I went. They tested me for all kinds of stuff. Then i told him it felt like i had bruises all over. All the tender points hurt. I live on 2nd floor apt. so it kills me going up the stairs everyday, feels like i have cement shoes on and like ran a amile before climbing up the stairs You would think i was and older person. I was taking amitripline to help me sleep all that did was make me groggy(zombie like). lol Im now taking a lower dose of amitripline and gabapentin. It was working good for the first week but it stopped working. So i been going every 2weeks to get the dosage changed. I just hope it will work at a higer dosage. I do get shakey in my hands a lot and seem foggy like i forget stuff. But if it works to relieve the pain i can live with the side effects.
26 year old Female
Posted: 2009-09-14 21:38:15
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Patient Comments about
Fibromyalgia