I was just dianosed with the good ole f.m. ,,trust me i am being sarcastic,, but, i am finding my legs jumping alot especially at night,, i have never had that before,, i know about R.L.S., but this is weard, because as i said i was just diagnosed with F.M. recently, i could not take cymbalta,, omg,, it was horrible,, i was hoping to take nuerontin and zoloft, i am in the medical field, and i CANNOT AFFORD TO BE ON ANYTHING THAT WILL ALTER MY MIND AT ALL,, CYMBALTA ALTERED ME TERRIBLY, the RHEUMATOID DR. THAT diagnosed me, acknowledged that neurontin and zoloft would work, he ended up putting me on Savella, there is no way i can take that ,,i know that meds work different for everyone, but,,, do i want to take a chance and and have my licence revoked? i am so at a loss,,,, the rheumotoid athritis doctor said nothing thru the whole exam, I KNOW i need to see a different doctor, i am just so affraid of mind altering drugs,, yes i am on alot of pain meds, but I CAN CLEARLY function, also i get injections every 4-6 weeks, its like i need to get out of work for a few weeks to see what will help me,,ME ME ME,, instead of me helping everyone else, while i try a new medication,, anything you all can toss back this way i would appreciate it,, and i must say, THIS WEB SITE IS GREAT, ITS YOU PEOPLE THAT MAKE IT THAT WAY, AND I MUST SAY KAREN AS WELL, WITH OUT HER, I DONT THINK THIS F.M. PAGE WOULD help as many people as it has,, speaking of help.. HELPPPPPPPPPPPP.. i am going to be going on a antidepressant, as i am really getting so depressed with all this,, i cant do anything i used to, i WOULD LOVE TO PLAY MY GUITAR AGAIN,,, i was wondering, DOES F.M. have different stages,??? where one person is suffering alot more than others? my pain level is a 9 constantly,, i wear heat pads to work under clothes in the day time, at night, i have ice packs for shoulder and back (lower). this is an every day thing,and who can really live like this??. god bless you all,, or maybe i should say, my thoughts will be with you all,,, any info or hel[ yo can give me would help..i have written several times, but only got an answer one time, i think we are very luck to have this room, i know i have learned alot, as well as helped alot too,But still have a lot more to learn,,,, have a low pain day, Linda
Q: F.M.?,, all of a sudden i have "jerking" or bouncing with my legs??
Hi Linda,
Of course, I can't diagnose you, but what you describe does sound a lot like restless leg syndrome. It's not unusual for someone with FM to also develop RLS. As you probably know, they've had some success treating RLS with the dopamine agonists Mirapex (pramipexole) and Requip (ropinirole). Dr. Andrew Holman and Dr. Patrick Wood have also done quite a bit of research on using pramipexole to treat FM, with some promising results.
I know how frustrating it can be trying to find the meds that will work for you. It doesn't help that people with FM often have bad reactions to various medications. Unfortunately each of us has to go through our own trial and error until we find the best combination. The people who have the most success at controlling the symptoms of FM usually use a combination of medication, complementary therapies and lifestyle changes. My personal combo is tramadol, acupuncture, myofascial release therapy, and getting LOTS of sleep. Of course, it took me several years of trial and error to finally hit on that combo.
You asked if FM has different stages. The degree of severity and/or disability will vary from patient to patient, but there are no official stages of the illness. The way it's usually described is as an illness that waxes and wanes. Even once you get it under some control, various things will trigger a flare from time to time – for example, weather changes, stress, overdoing it physically, lack of sleep, etc.
I hope you're able to find the best combo for you soon. Please let me know if you have any other questions. – Karen
OMG,I've just, in the last few weeks been diagnosed with FM & CFS. Now I know where all the asful pain was coming from. I've been so into all the back pain ETC, that I never even thought about anything else being present, but guess what????? I have had the jerking in my legs before diagnosis , the CSF too. Didn't know where they were coming from. but Wow! I do now. Doesn't make me happy, but it's increased knowledge. I also have the twitching in my hands. Does anyone else have that that doesn't have Parkinson'? I feel like my mother who is 98 1/2,
she is totally deaf without her hearing aides so if she couldn't hear you then she would just answer what she "thought" you said! Too funny, but also so sad. Well, I won't answer what I thought you said, but there are a lot of "whats" going on. I don't need any more problems, OK? I also hace blurred vision and double vision. at times. So Linda my dear, you certainly aren't alone with this. JoAnne P.S. I will be sending you something doo by email.
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Dear Karen
First of all my appologies I did not see your reply until just now,
Thank you very much for taking the time and explaining this to me, I am still pretty much new with the F.M.- The trial and error thing is very true however It is so difficult for me with the trial and error because i have had some bad serious side effects, and my job does not allow trials and errors, so I have to take it slow and work my way up. I have found one thing that helps me very much, I use Ice packs at night when I go to bed, usually put it on the lumbar area, as that is one of the most sights that hurt, i used to use heat patches but after time it left me "branded", the ice packs are great and we all know what its like to actually not able to sleep thru the night, so I switch ice packs when i wake up, In the morning It really shows a difference,i am on the fentanyl patch and hydromorphone,as well as soma and I am really afraid of the fentanyl but it works well with the above meds, oh and nortriptyline, and i recieve trigger injections every six weeks, although those all seem to help the ice pack is fantastic, .I am actually having a flare up as we speak it started two days ago, and my muscles are twitching crazy... Karen I want to thank you for being such a great leader in this community, I dont think you realize how much we all look up to you and your posts. well I do anyways, and i just wanted to say thank you. Linda