Medication Options

In this weeks installment I'm going to discuss treatment options for fibromyalgia. While there are many different treatment options,both traditional and non-traditional,I'm going to stick with the traditional methods this week. I'm going to be focusing on medication options in particular. There are three different types of medication classes for the treatment of fibromyalgia. The first one that doctors recommend are called analgesics. An analgesic is a drug that relieves pain,as defined by the Merriam-Webster's dictionary. These medications include:Tylenol,Ultram,NSAIDs,and Aleve. These types of medications are often used along with other medications. They are typically used to help relieve pain and stiffness. The second class of medication used to help treat fibromyalgia is antidepressants. These types of medications are used to try and help alleviate two of the major symptoms of fibromyalgia, depression and difficulty sleeping. The last class of medications used in treatment are anti-seizure drugs. These drugs include Neruontin and Lyrica. I have personally taken Lyrica in the past and while it worked very well to help reduce the pain that I experienced,I would not recommend taking this drug if you are also experiencing depression. One of the known side affects of Lyrica is it may cause suicidal thoughts. I personally experienced this side affect earlier this year. After the birth of my third child I wanted to go back on my medication so I spoke to my doctor. She told me that it would be just fine for me to go back on Lyrica. After less then a month on Lyrica I started to experience suicidal thoughts. I later found out that I should not have been put back on that medication so soon after having a baby,only about a month after giving birth. I ended up in a mental ward from a combination of taking Lyrica,stress,and postpartum depression. Needless to say I have never gone back on Lyrica after that experience. Next week I will discuss other treatment options that do not involve medications.