RATE YOUR MEDICATION RESULTS

People with Fibromyalgia (FM) and CFS/ME often have different reactions to the same medications. Below are the results thus far of my poll on medications used in the treatment of FM and/or CFS/ME.

Medications are listed in alphabetical order by brand name, with the generic name in parenthesis. Select the medication from the pull down menu to read reviews.

• It stopped my restless leg syndrome at night completely.

• Did not work for me but might be worth trying. It didn't help and not being able to sleep is not acceptable.

• It's better than nothing.


• Stopped restless leg at night, increased compliance with c-pap requirement, stopped trigger point pain, relaxed upper neck pain.


• It works to keep the nerves functioning. I just do not like the way it makes you shake in the hands and arms


• As long as the dose is high enough, but not too high it works well with hardly any side affects at all.


• Didn't think it was working until I stopped taking it and I learned very quickly how well it truly was working!


• This ALWAYS works for me. It desensitizes my nerve endings enough that I am not on fire. Tends to make me slightly fuzzy for the first dose or so but is quickly dissipates. Very inexpensive and also generic.


• I thought it wasn't working anymore because I had been on it so long. I stopped taking it and found out how much it really does help! I highly recommend it!


• I have Fibromyalgia, and this medication really helps my pain at a fairly low dose. It also helps my migraines. It helps greatly with my sleep and anxiety, though it does give me some blurred vision and causes some issues with reading and slows my thoughts sometimes. I've had to lower the dose from what I really need for better benefits because it has caused tremendous hair loss. That is my biggest side effect with this medication. I'm hoping to find a way to stop the loss and regrow the hair so that I can increase the Neurontin again.


• I am prescribed these for nerve pain and although they wiped me out when I first started on them...and also every time the dosage increased...I do feel they work very well - I hardly get any nerve pain now.

• Incapacitates me for usually about 8 hours.


• If I am honest I cannot say that I am feeling better from taking gabapentin. My dose is two 300mg capsules 3 times daily. I think I may benefit from something else.


• I have to take so many pills, my Doc gives them as 300mg and then I have to take 4 in the morning and 4 in the evening.


• I had to quit taking this because it caused me to gain 40lbs and I can't lose it now.


• Neurontin is a worthless drug unless you have seizures. I took it when it first came out and decided it was not working but then started to have an intense itching on my head. I itched so much I thought I must have head lice and treated myself. I finally was reading the insert and found that the itching was a common side effect. Later the shows on TV like 48 hours determined it has no use except for what it was originally made for which is seizures.


• I was left so bloated with severe weight gain that for the first & only time I suffered from depression. Also spoke to people with epilepsy who had exact same problem. When I came off this I went down four sizes in clothes in a matter of months!

• Great for knocking back the pain so I can sleep, provided only do so at the really bad times.


• (Paraphrasing letter) I started out in 1990 with pain meds and stimulants. There is nothing helps me like these two meds. I did very well on oxycontin until the formula was changed. I'm still using it, but not with as much success as the original formula.

• Made me have hallucinations when falling asleep.


• Addicting

• Great for the continual Headaches and lessens pain a touch.


• Paracetamol is an effective pain relief I use it along with wearing a skin patch

• Only works on minor pain ... which really I can tolerate anyway. More effective with Codeine as co-codamol or in higher dosage as Kapake. For worst pain I use Kapake and ibuprofen in alternate doses every 3 hours or even 1 tablet alternating every 90 minutes if pain isn't too bad on waking (assuming I've slept!)

• A bonus was that this one helped to limit migraines
• I can actually sleep for more than a few hours & If I do wake up, I'm able to go back to sleep.

• Helped with my body temperature regulation.

• Seemed to effect REM sleep (or at least the ability to remember it.) Have always been a vivid dreamer, and on a high dose dreams completely ceased.

• It worked better when I added elavil, together they seemed to really address the depression and nerve pain.


• For me these tablets are a must I could not live with out them. I have been on them so long now trying to wean me off them would be a NO NO.

• Seems to be like most antidepressants...work ok, but dosage is increased as my body gets 'used to' the medication.

• I am a depressive, so these medications are for my depression. I take ibuprofen and Percocet for the Fibromyalgia. If Percocet does not work, my house mate will give me a Vicodin and that relieves me. The reason why my doctor gives me Percocet is because it doesn't get mt drowsy, as Vicodin does. I saw a specialist in pain, and she was clueless as to my pain. So, I rely on my PCP to help me along with this.

• Excellent med. Could not get out of bed without it.


• I have Bipolar disorder so I need to watch for mania at times. However, I think that Provigil is one of the best drugs I've taken as far as doing what it says. My Fibromyalgia made it so that I had no energy at all. It didn't matter how much I slept. I began with Provigil and it felt like I got an energy shot. Not every day is perfect, but I don't know if I could function without this.


• Somewhat helpful for energy levels and 'fibro fog' when used occasionally. Had to stop using this medication due to it's expense. Not covered by PBS (in Australia).


• Cleared "fibro fog" (significantly less confusion) and produced alertness without jitters (unlike caffeine). Helped excessive sleepiness greatly.

• I had no insurance when doctor prescribed this for fatigue.


• Both help a bit, but I wish I could find a doctor that would be willing to try other meds. I have been on the same ones for 12 years and want to feel better!

• Side effects only when I took it in the morning. Now I take it in evening there are no problems.


• I feel like it helped most of the time for my depression. But I had to take it with the Wellbutrin. I still had melt-downs (what I call the maximum stress).

• I couldn't sit still on this medication.
• I don't know what this medicine did to me. I got where I couldn't lift my body up to get out of bed.

• Works once you fall asleep, but it takes time for you to fall asleep.


• This has been a crucial medicine for my inability to sleep. I have been taking it for years as with other sleep meds you usually develop a tolerance and then the medicine doesn't work anymore. I have not had this problem with this medicine. However, it helps to eat a light snack with it before bed.


• 15mg at bedtime - still wake up a lot at night, but getting much better sleep and no longer up at 3 or 4am in the morning.


• This medication is amazing. I've been taking it for 6 years. If anyone has nerve pain & insomnia. I am so sore at night suppertime this medication relaxes my pain and I sleep fine. It's like my miracle med at end of the day. Fibromyalgia, chronic pain, muscle disorder, nerve pain.