Hello everyone, I have been diagnosed with fibromyalgia in October I have started a course of tablets namely Cymbalta and Lyric I experience all over chronic pain mainly in my feet, back, knees and hips also numbness as if I want to stand up I feel their is no ground to stand on, I have overall weakness and am extremely fatigued, I have recently started to get blurred vision and light headness and my husband says I jerk when I am asleep, my body itches and its an itch that even if I sctatch won’t go away, some days I feel almost normal and other days it all comes back again, I am tempted to get a second opinion on my condition but would like to hear your views first what is different between the two conditions thank you for your help
I think one of the main differences (and I could be wrong) is the level of pain. Also with MS multiple lesions (another name for sclerosis ) are found on brain and spine on an MRI scan. My sis in law has fibromyalgia and I have have ms. We have very similar symptoms and are both on gabapentin for pain relief but her level of pain at present is far higher than mine. The pain in her feet (and whole body) is so severe she has to use a wheelchair to travel any distance. I think that could be the case with ms too. MS and fibro can both cause pain, twitching, brain fog, fatigue, burning or stabbing sensations, stiffness, etc Have you had an MRI scan? I think if you are not happy with diagnosis take it further but if you have had MRI’s and they have come back clear then it may well be fibro. Hope this helps a bit. Mish x
Ooh sorry just read that back, didn’t mean that to sound like a diagnosis. The symptoms are very similar that’s all I wanted to say really and I think the main difference is the absence of lesions. Again I am no expert and am going on personal experience of both. Sorry to hear about your diagnosis, neither is much fun but life still goes on you just have to make adaptions to still make it as fun as it can be…and it can be : ) Mish x
I’m afraid I don’t really know anything about fibromyalgia, but I was curious about who diagnosed you with it and what investigations were done? If you saw a neuro and had an MRI scan which came back clear, then I would recommend trying the meds and seeing how things go before seeking a second opinion. If you have only seen a GP, then I would ask for a referral to a neuro if I were you. I would also get that blurred vision checked out - if an optician can’t find a cause, ask for a referral to an ophthalmologist.
Btw, Cymbalta and Lyrica can be really effective for neuropathic pain, but they can cause side effects in the short term (a few weeks or so) which can be difficult to distinguish from real symptoms. I hope they work really well for you.
Karen x
Thank you everyone who has wrote back to me In June 2012 I began having mild symptoms of pain in my knees which and xray found mild osteo arthritis but stated that would not give me the amount of pain I seemed to be having. In July the pain started to affect other parts of my body my feet, hands, back and hips as well as my knees. I went to my gp and they give me iboprofen and naproxen to try neither worked, I felt the pain was coming from my joints so the gp ran a number of bloods and the results showed high count of white blood cells which was my body fighting an infection of some sort. She referred me to a rheumatologist who examined me and said I had fibromyalgia and give my gp advice on which medication for me to try so this is why i am now currently taking Cymbalta and Lyrica, cymbalta dosage 60mg at night along with trazadone and Lyrica 300 mg per day rising to 600mg per day i have never had an mri scan or seen a neuro surgeon, my symptoms are getting worse today I cannot even move due to pain in my hips and spine along with weakness in my legs and hands. In the past 2 days my husband has noticed I am jerking in my sleep it does not wake me but he is worried as it is happening several times throughout the night, has this ever happened to anyone here? does anyone suffer dizzy spells? I mean it is just a strange spin then stops in seconds. I really do appreciate all your feedback just trying to come to terms with this as it is very hard to deal with at the moment. At the beginning of 2012 I was healthy and enjoying my life but now it seems as if I have no life dealing with the pain everyday. i think it is time for me to be referred to have a mri scan just to be sure doctors appointment booked for Friday xxx
Thank you everyone who has wrote back to me In June 2012 I began having mild symptoms of pain in my knees which and xray found mild osteo arthritis but stated that would not give me the amount of pain I seemed to be having. In July the pain started to affect other parts of my body my feet, hands, back and hips as well as my knees. I went to my gp and they give me iboprofen and naproxen to try neither worked, I felt the pain was coming from my joints so the gp ran a number of bloods and the results showed high count of white blood cells which was my body fighting an infection of some sort. She referred me to a rheumatologist who examined me and said I had fibromyalgia and give my gp advice on which medication for me to try so this is why i am now currently taking Cymbalta and Lyrica, cymbalta dosage 60mg at night along with trazadone and Lyrica 300 mg per day rising to 600mg per day i have never had an mri scan or seen a neuro surgeon, my symptoms are getting worse today I cannot even move due to pain in my hips and spine along with weakness in my legs and hands. In the past 2 days my husband has noticed I am jerking in my sleep it does not wake me but he is worried as it is happening several times throughout the night, has this ever happened to anyone here? does anyone suffer dizzy spells? I mean it is just a strange spin then stops in seconds. I really do appreciate all your feedback just trying to come to terms with this as it is very hard to deal with at the moment. At the beginning of 2012 I was healthy and enjoying my life but now it seems as if I have no life dealing with the pain everyday. i think it is time for me to be referred to have a mri scan just to be sure doctors appointment booked for Friday xxx
Joint pain isn’t something that is typically associated with MS to my knowledge. It does happen quite a lot, but it tends to be a secondary symptom, i.e. not directly caused by MS, but instead due to awkward walking or falls (for example).
Weakness is associated with MS, but it’s also associated with lots of other conditions so that doesn’t help to narrow things down 
Jerking during sleep could be restless legs perhaps or something completely different. People with MS certainly experience jerky limbs, i.e. spasms and myoclonic jerks, but these would normally happen during the day too (mine certainly do).
Dizzy spells are very common in MS, however they are also a common side effect of both anti-depressants and pregabalin/Lyrica. Depending on when you started your meds, I would be tempted to reduce the dose and see what happens if I were you. If you are in the process of building up your dose, then I would hold on the same level for at least a couple of weeks to see if the vertigo is related to the meds and isn’t actually a real symptom.
Ultimately, you need to see your GP if you aren’t happy with your diagnosis. They should be able to either reassure you or refer you for further investigations.
Kx
Thank you Kx for your reply I am just going to wait and see what the gp says on Friday as for the pain coming from my joints it just feels that way I have been reassured that it is not the pain I feel is in my muscles and tendons.
As my symptoms are worsening and the medication seems to give me no relief it makes me think it is more than just Fibro, I am going to ask the gp if he will send me for an mri scan just to settle my mind as a lot of symtoms are the same for both ms and fibro.
I hope the new year brings you everything you can hope for and once again thank you for your kind reply.
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Was diagnosed with fibromyalgia about 10 years ago. Recently had an MRI showing multifocal foci (whitespots) bilaterally on corona radiata. Have had recent issues with garbled speech, balance, gait, and long term excrutiating pain around ribcage with activity. Also, pain isn’t limited to joints. My thigh muscles hurt and are extremely tight. In fact, my legs look better than they have in years. (yea, upside) I had a positive Babinski reflex test. Should I insist on testing for MS? Or maybe another MRI with contrast of brain for changes?
why did you the MRI was it asked for by GP or neuro and if there is stuff why are you not going to discuss the findings. contrast doesnt make much difference you can have 3 MRI with contrast and not show anything then take a 4th and something may show it isnt exact science, i was told that by my neuro.
i think your first port of call is to talk to whoever asked for the MRI?
i was diagnosed with fibromyalgia in may but i am not sure. i don’t really suffer too much from pain which seems to be the main symptom of fibromyalgia. i am losing my balance quite a lot and have started to use crutches to stop me falling over. i am also suffering from shaking and body jerks that can sometimes be severe but the weirdest thing is paralysis. i have started to go into paralysis first of all it was just my right arm but now it is affecting my whole body it doesn’t last long but is so strange. I have spoken to a couple of people i know who have fibromyalia and they says this is strange and that i need to see the doctor but he will probably tell me it is just another symptom of fibromyalgia.