Wednesday, February 16, 2011

An Interesting Article on Fibrofog

Finally, an article that recommends some medications and supplements that might help with fibrofog! http://www.prohealth.com/fibromyalgia/library/showArticle.cfm?libid=14402&B1=EM021611&slvor=10594.1032735.0.1.0.37055&eid=fibrohaven%40gmail.com

It lists tricyclic antidepressants as possibly making fibrofog worse but it seems like my fibrofog episodes are much less severe since I started taking amitryptiline. Of course, I'm only taking 20 mg and I'm not feeling much of a sedative effect.

I'm certainly willing to try some of the supplements. CoQ10 is expensive but it also helps with fatigue so a round of it might be worth a try.

Another thing I found very interesting about this article is that it talks about how fibrofog might be caused by all the extra signals the brain is receiving because of pain and fatigue. Something I've noticed is that I get brain fog from being somewhere noisy with lots of movement and different things going on. My brain essentially shuts down for the rest of the day after time spent in noisy, busy environments. I wonder if it's the same thing - the brain becoming overwhelmed with too many signals?

Does this happen to you? Have you found anything that helps with it?

Friday, February 4, 2011

From Fatigued to Fantastic - A Book Recommendation

I finally got around to reading From Fatigued to Fantastic by Jacob Teitelbaum, M.D. and I'm very glad I did. Dr. Teitelbaum has treated thousands of fibromyalgia patients and even suffered a bout of CFS/FMS himself so he knows what it's like and, most importantly, believes that CFS and FMS are real conditions. I thought his theories about the causes and/or underlying conditions make a lot of sense and the treatments are very doable and affordable (provided you can find a doctor to prescribe them). He does recommend products that he helped develop but, as he donates all his royalties to charity, I didn't feel like the purpose of the book was to promote his products. Another thing I really like about Dr. Teitelbaum's approach is that he recommends use of both traditional drugs and alternative therapies and he gives an overview of each treatment. The more I learn about fibromyalgia, the more I feel a variety of seemingly subtle and unrelated treatments is going to help more than that one magic pill that researchers can't seem to come up with anyway.

Dr. Teitelbaum recommends a SHIN protocol

S - Sleep: The Foundation of Getting Well

H - Hormonal Support

I - Infections: Destroy Your Body's Hidden Invaders

N - Nutrition: Optimizing Your Body's Ability to Heal

At the end of each chapter, there is a list of questions to answer and directions for marking off the treatments to create your own treatment protocol. Some of the supplements and natural treatments you can start on your own right away. I've been taking the Revitalizing Sleep Formula, Ribose and adrenal support formula and, although I'm still having migraines and flares, I'm feeling much better than I generally do in February.

After reading this book, I feel much better prepared for discussions with my doctor about possible treatments, I feel much more hopeful that I can and will feel better and I feel like I understand how declining hormones - progesterone, estrogen and thyroid - could be what's making my fibro worse.

If you'd like to learn more about any of the From Fatigued to Fantastic products or research, Dr. Teitelbaum's website is http://www.endfatigue.com/. (Just a hint - you can find good deals on some of these products at Amazon.)