Creative Medication Management

Fibromyalgia Syndrome has a changing course from day-to-day.  One week your symptoms might be very well controlled and the next week you experience a flare up.  One dose of medication may not control the symptoms of a flare up, whereas it is adequately controlled under normal circumstances.  For this reason, it is helpful to get some orders from your physician regarding changes he or she will allow you to make in your medications when you are having a flare up of pain.  Sometimes a small increase of medication for a few nights when a flare up is starting can prevent a major flare up.  Here are some examples of times when increasing medication for a specified period of time might prevent flare up or minimize pain and improve your overall quality of life.

 Medication Changes For:

  More sleep medication for a specified number of days when your sleep is more disturbed.

 More sleep medication during flare ups of pain.

 More sleep medication premenstrually when symptoms are more active (every month).

 More sleep medication during winter months or hot humid months when symptoms are more active.

 Add a muscle relaxant with sleep medication for a specified period when stress is dramatically increased.

 Add an anti-inflammatory drug or analgesic several times per day when symptoms are flaring.

 Slight increase in sleep medication or addition of a muscle relaxant at bedtime when you’ve overdone exercise or physical activity for one to three nights.

 Anti-depressant medication in the winter months when the sun is gone and you tend to feel better in the summer months.

Work with your physician to find times when you can increase your medication with their permission under specified conditions.  This will increase your own control over your symptoms, prevent your frustration trying to reach the physician every time you have increased symptoms, and reduce your own feelings of helplessness.

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