Fatigue, joint pain ? could it be RSD or Fentanyl side effects or withdrawal?
I have had RSD for over 10 years. Around the time that I developed RSD, I started having symptoms of fatigue, severe joint pain tiredness. I have been to all kinds of specialists. I don't know if this started happening after I went on Fentanyl patches. I am on Fentanyl patches changed every 48 hours. I use to change them every 72 hours. I don't have as many episodes of these symptoms now but I still have them. I was not on any of the other meds I am taking when I first had these symptoms except for possibly Fentanyl patches.
FM, infectious diseases, autoimmune disorders other than Celiac Sprue(diet controlled) and Picks disease which they believe may start out as an autoimmune disease have been ruled out. The only arthritis I have is some osteoarthritis in my back. I cannot tolerate NSAIDS so I don't know if that would help. I have found nothing including water therapy, alternative therapies, exercise that have helped it.
I had a bone scan around the time I developed RSD and there were several hot spots all over my body but no doctor has every explained these to me.
I am also on two other breakthrough meds but was not on them when the sypmtoms started. I am on an ant-seizure med and Namenda. Other meds. I take don't have these side effects.
I also have abdominal migraines, Celiac Sprue-I am very careful about my diet, I only eat things cooked with known ingredients at home, Meiniere's disease, and I have FTD or Picks disease that was diagnosed this year. The doctor thinks I have had that for five years.
I go to a good pain management doctor. He has not been able to tell me what these symptoms are related to. As I said I have been to infectious disease doctors for evaluation also as well as urologists, neurologists,endocrinologists and GI doctors and as I said rheumatologists. I am also on an anti-depressant.
Any ideas are welcome.
RSD can cause an enormous number of symptoms. While fatigue is not one of the most commonly found symptoms it certainly occur in RSD. In fact a broad range of symptoms similar to chronic fatigue syndrome and fibromyalgia (fatigue, fibibmyalgia pain, irritable bowel syndrome, sensitivity to odors, lights, smells, migraine, etc.) are also found in RSD.
If that's so you might want to check out - with your doctor's permission - some treatments for CFS and FM. Several drugs have been approved for FM (provigil, cymbalta, duloexetine) and many CFS and FM patients concentrate on getting better sleep, doing stress reduction exercises, etc. These types of exercises seem to be able to calm down a system (the sympathetic nervous system) that appears to be turned on in these diseases.
Good luck on your search to get better!
http://www.healthcentral.com/chronic-pain/fibromyalgia-treatment.html
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Hello....I posted to you a few days ago. Nowoo I have a notebook near my pc.
God Bless and now I am also at my phone.
Rememeber me?
Dear God....
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That happened to me too and my doctor said that it was fibromyalgia in addition to the RSD. I didn't think that it was at first (and obviously didn't really want a second hassle of pain on top of the first), but now that I've been living with it for longer (the RSD has been five years but the fibro only two) I agree with that diagnosis.
The symptoms you've described do fit fibro but they fit a lot of things and people with RSD do seem to collect extra diseases like a magnet. So look into more than just fibro. It's likely that your treatments wouldn't change much though so I wouldn't stress about it over much.
be as well as can be,
meredith
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