Thursday, September 04, 2008 Julie Cavese asks

Q: What to do when you can no longer handle the medications?

I've been bounced from one drug to another, prescription and non-prescription, over the last ten years for a few maladies (depression/anxiety, chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia). I am now at the point where my body can no longer handle any side effects at all!

I was wondering if anyone knows of anything I can do to reverse this system hypersensitivity I seem to have developed. In particular is a very acidic digestive system (which went through a colitis flare-up 2 years ago due to many years on Advil).

My fibromyalgia pain is getting unbearable because any medication (except the Wellbutrin for depression/fatigue) feels like it's eating me from the inside out! Now even natural supplements are bothering me!

ANY suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

Answers (2)

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Cort

9/ 5/08 9:18pm

What a problem. All I can relate is my problem with MCS - which is ongoing. The only thing that really helped me - besides avoidance - have been therapies designed to turn down the stress response. Ashok Gupta - a former CFS patient - believes this overactive stress response - really centered in an overactive fear response in the body - drives much of the pain, fatigue and sensitivity problems in these diseases.

What I have done to turn down this hypersensitivity problem is to do things like meditation, progressive relaxation. Its certainly hasn't eliminated my MCS but it does feel like its recalibrating my body to some extent so that its not reactive - so that its more relaxed. Several studies do show that 'fight or flight' response in these diseases is turned up while the 'rest and digest' response is turned down.

This is more of a longterm effort but it has helped me. Ashok Gupta has a program called the Amygdala Retraining program that has been helpful for me.

http://www.guptaprogramme.com/

Good luck.

9/ 5/08 10:15am

I don't know if this will help Julie but when I started out with pain it was IBS when I was about 14 years old.I have been in the emergency room about 6 times for doctors prescribing nsaids to me.24 years ago I was put on Naprosin.It put me in the hospital.It took my stomach a year to heal.And then I started noticing commercials about pain meds that will not hurt your stomach.I can take tylenol,but not aspirin.I just asked every time a doctor would want me to try a new medicine.Is this an nsaid.If they said yes I would just say I can't take nsaids.They put me in the hospital.They eat holes in my stomach.The first time a doctor lied to me and said this does not break down in your stomach.So believing he was telling me the truth I took the pill and ended up in the E.R.I went back to that doctor and said "Sir you said this would not hurt my stomach.Well he said it is broken down in the small intestines.So I said well where ever it breaks down,I have blood in my stool.And a lot of pain.After that I flat refused to take anything that is hard on your stomach or liver.Our medications have to last us a long time.So do our livers and stomachs.Maybe you were like me.Taught not to question a doctor.A doctor is a god.I hate confrontations.But I finally learned how to asvocate for myself by reading a book.It is called The Fibromyalgia and Myofascail Pn Syndrome, A Survivors handbook" written by Devin Starlanyl and Mary Ellen Copeland.2 women who have the same diseases we do.And I learned a lot.Sometimes now though I have got to the point where reading is very painful to me and I do have compassion for anyone in pain.And I do hope that someday you will find the answer for your specific needs.Not everybody is the same.What helps one doesn't automatically help everyone.I hope this was of some help to you,Jo

Q: What to do when you can no longer handle the medications?

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