I Tried 5 Things for Fibromyalgia Pain Relief. Here's How I Rated Them.
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Fibromyalgia can be a complicated illness to live with, and I find that fibromyalgia pain can be particularly difficult. There are so many supposed fibromyalgia pain remedies out there, and I have tried quite a few of them. The following are five of the main fibromyalgia pain remedies I have tried and how I rate them.
- What is Fibromyalgia?
- What Are Common Fibromyalgia Symptoms?
Heating Pads – 4/5 Stars
Heating pads are the first fibromyalgia pain-fighting tactic I learned to use, and when I am having isolated nerve pain, they tend to work pretty well. I am also sensitive to cold, so the heat from the heating pads helps this symptom as well. However, it doesn’t completely take the pain away, and I still experience the same amount of pain when I stop using the heating pad. I have also found that heating pads aren’t adequate to use when I am out and about and have fibromyalgia pain, so they aren’t very convenient. I am also sensitive to high heat so I am unable to use heating pads during the hot summer months, which makes the heating pads unusable for me for a large part of the year.
Over the Counter Pain Medication – 3/5 Stars
Sometimes when I am experiencing all-over body pain due to fibromyalgia, I try to use ibuprofen. Sometimes this works more than other times, but I find that it doesn’t adequately target all of my fibromyalgia pain. It is also unreliable because sometimes it will work, and sometimes it won’t. It really is just a case of trial and error concerning whether it will work or not.
Prescribed Medication – 4/5
I have been unable to try Lyrica due to interactions with other medications I take, but my doctor prescribed me gabapentin for the nerve pain and anxiety. I have found that this medication has lowered my pain tremendously, and it does help a lot with my anxiety and panic attacks. I am grateful to have found a prescribed medication that helps my pain level to such a high degree, while also being low when it comes to side effects.
Stretching and Yoga – 3/5
I have heard so many times that yoga and stretching can help fibromyalgia symptoms, and I have tried it over and over again. While stretching and yoga do sometimes help me to relax my body and my mind, I have found that they can also cause flare-ups of my fibromyalgia symptoms. It is because of this that I didn’t give this pain relief method a very high score because I never know how it will affect me from day to day.
Swimming and Floating in a Pool – 4/5
Like yoga, I have found that floating or swimming in water is a way to relieve fibromyalgia pain. Because I experience a lot of body aches and nerve pain, I have found that going in a pool helps me to feel weightless and relieves a lot of the bodily pain I experience. However, it does depend on the temperature of the water. I have found that colder water can cause my pain to flare up, while warmer water is more soothing.
There are so many “remedies” that individuals and medical professionals recommend for fibromyalgia pain and other symptoms, but ultimately it depends on a lot of trial and error to determine which methods will work the best for you. It has taken me a lot of time to work through different routes of pain and symptom relief to bring you my highest-rated fibromyalgia pain remedies as seen above. I hope that you can work with your medical team to navigate medical treatments, while also trying out more holistic methods to determine what is right for you. Feel free to share with me any symptom-relieving methods you have tried that have worked for you! I am always looking to add more tools to my fibromyalgia toolbox.
Mental Health Specialist & Coach - Author - Bibliotherapist - Book Reviewer My name is Ashley Nestler, and I have my master's of social work with an emphasis in mental health, as well as certifications in mental health coaching, art therapy coaching, crystal healing, dialectical behavior therapy, and bibliotherapy. I utilize my eclectic variety of skills to inform my mental health practice and provide my clients with the best skills to be able to manage their mental health. Apart from my professional experience, I am a survivor of Schizoaffective Disorder, Quiet Borderline Personality Disorder, Fibromyalgia, multiple eating disorders, Generalized Anxiety Disorder, and Complex PTSD. I use my personal experiences with my mental health and health to inform my work. In addition to my work in mental health, I am also a professional book reviewer. I run the publications Peachy Keen Reviews & Bibliotherapy - Celebrating the Healing Power of Art - and The Horror Maven - A Celebration of the Macabre. Books, and horror, especially, have helped me a lot through my struggles with my mental health, and I enjoy sharing the healing power of books with others. I am the author of three novels, and my poems and short stories have been published in various anthologies. I specialize in borderline personality disorder, eating disorders, schizoaffective disorder, anxiety, depression, and PTSD. I utilize art therapy and bibliotherapy in my mental health work, and I work with individuals struggling with mental illness, as well as their loved ones. I offer a variety of courses and free mental health articles, as well as one on one sessions.
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