Pharmacy, Schmarmacy

I'm officially, permanently moved down to St. Thomas. In the midst of the move, I faxed a Hippa release to my doctor's office so that I would have hard copies of my prescriptions faxed to me. Result: Fail.

Problem? I ran out of Savella, oh, say, Friday night. My doctor's office is closed Saturday, imagine that. I have a cute automatic voicemail from CVS telling me that my "Prescription is ready for pick-up," but that CVS is in Maryland, and I'm pretty sure they don't ship prescriptions. Also, I must point out that I specifically asked my pharmacist to stop any and all automatic refills since I moved out of the country. Result: Epic Fail.

So, I'm about 36 hours into withdrawal from Savella. If you don't know anything about the medication, it's important to know that this isn't the type of medicine you just go off cold turkey. Oooooh, no. You have to wean off of Savella a bit at a time, just like you start the med by slowly increasing the dosage over time. Needless to say, I'm less than thrilled by the prospect of the many possible horrific withdrawal symptoms I may endure by the time I get the Rx refilled (or if?).

I've been feeling a tidbit fatigued and at the end of my run this morning (a measly 1.5 miles, and that's probably generous) my body did that fun thing where everything turns to lead and I feel like I'm going to fall over and pass out from sheer lack of muscle control. It's really quite fun, I must say.

In an effort to at least sleep all the way through the night last night (I've been waking up way too much during the night, due in part, I think, to the obnoxiously loud, yet ineffective, AC unit in the house that the landlord has yet to replace), I took 1mg of melatonin--instead of my usual .5mg--and a muscle relaxer. I took the Soma as much for muscle issues as for sleep, as my neck and back had been warning me all day of an inevitable spasm episode. Sleeping Beauty had nothing on the sleep I had last night, even including the 7:45AM potty break I took, before passing out again until 10AM. Mmmmm...bliss.

And now, I am hungry. Back to play with the doggies (who are still trying to figure out what would possess their normally caring and loving parents to move their very furry Huskey-Chow mix dogs to the Caribbean--the plaintive looks are something to be reckoned with!) and make some lunch with A for the rest of the lazy Sunday rain day. Oh yeah, it's raining today. Oh well, back to sunny paradise tomorrow, I'm sure!

Ciao

Treatment Overview

While I have ups and downs with Fibro, sometimes the downs last too long and are too painful to endure. In October 2009, I was at my breaking point. I could not sleep, was always exhausted, had horrible sciatica, and in general was just a hot mess. I finally had a break-down and decided that despite years of protests against the medicines the FDA approved for Fibromyalgia treatment (largely antidepressants, which, in a nutshell, only block the pain sensors in your body and do nothing to treat the actual problem), I had to try something. I made an appointment with a doctor's office a friend had recommended, intending to ask about Lyrica (pregablin) En route, my car engine died, which has nothing to with Fibromyalgia, but serves to set the scene for the day.

My doctor was an excellent listener (which is often a problem Fibro patients run up against in healthcare professionals), taking into account the long list of my symptoms and suggested that I try Savella. Desperate enough to try anything, but very concerned about some of the negative side effects Fibro patients experience with Lyrica (worsened fatigue, drowsiness, etc.), I agreed to try Savella. My doctor gave me several triation sample packs of Savella and I slowly worked my way to 100mg/day (50 in the morning, 50 at night). Initially my only side effect was lack of appetite, but now that I've been on Savella for almost four months, I'm having more issues with insomnia.

I've listed my most prominent symptoms and a full list of my personal treatment regime below:

Symptoms/Issues:
Fibro Fog
Insomnia
Constant feeling of exhaustion
Physical fatigue after basic tasks (like climbing stairs)
All-over tenderness
Sciatica (most likely unrelated)
Muscle Twitches
IBS
RLS (Restless Leg Syndrome)
Inexplicable pain in deep tissue, joints and pretty much everywhere
Headaches

Treatment Regime*:
Rx Savella: 100 mg/day (50 in AM and 50 in PM)
Rx Nabumetone: 1500 mg/day (750 in AM and 750 in PM)- to reduce inflammation caused by sciatica and muscle spasms in my back
Rx Soma: 350mg at bedtime as needed- muscle relaxer to help with sciatica

Women's Daily Multivitamin
Fish Oil with omega-3 fatty acids: 1000 mg (in the AM)
Acidophilus Probiotic: 1 capsule (in the AM)
Vitamin C: 1000 mg (AM)
Calcium Citrate: 1 tablet (AM)
Magnesium: 250 mg (AM)
High-Potency Vitamin D (D3): 2000 IU (AM)
D-Ribose: 850 mg (1-3x/day for three weeks and then 1-2x/day I just started this)
Melatonin: 1 mg (before bedtime, to counteract insomnia)

*I've noted the prescription medications I take so as to avoid confusion between the supplements I take and the restricted, prescription-only medicines.