Researchers are looking into it now as a possible source of MS as well.
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After reading this, I googled as well. I’ve had Hodgkin’s twice…,
I am probably not your best resource for this, but I’ll give it a shot. Fibromyalgia comes with significant muscle pain and cramping, and the muscle relaxers do what their name says. What I find interesting is that they help a bit to tame the neuropathy in my feet. I guess that makes sense because the neuropathy causes cramping, along with a burning and electric shock sensation.
I used to take them only when I felt it was really needed. But when I realized they were helping my feet, I starting taking generic Flexeril before bed. With that on board, I can generally sleep many nights without my feet waking me enough that I notice it.
Of course, there are the days in which absolutely nothing helps. Hate that.
Rebecca
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I also have RA like RMJacobs and about the only thing that works for my pain is opioids. The doctors around here won’t prescribe them. I even go to a pain specialist and although I have not asked outright, he let me know it is not an option. My RA is so bad in my feet, other doctors have said after seeing x-rays that they don’t know how I am able to walk. So I do hurt. It’s discouraging.
I do take a muscle relaxant, Tizanidine, and it helps my body from tensing up which makes the pain worse. It helps to break the pain cycle where you hurt, then get muscle tension, which causes more hurt and around you go. Tizanidine helps some but for me it’s quite sedating.
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Hi Rebecca! We were writing at the same time! Hope you are well.
The muscle relaxers help my feet too!
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Hi, Cayuse! Hope you are doing well.
We’ve had days and days of rain, which is causing a lot of pain. I swear, this is not what I signed up for when I moved back to Colorado. We desperately need the water, but I’d be happy if it only rained at night.
Rebecca
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That’s a great answer.
Rebecca
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I’m hanging in there!
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I hate that too. I’m sorry you have times like that. They’re horrid.
Thank you for telling me about Flexeril. I will research it and talk to my NP and pharmacist.
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Thank you for telling me about Tizanidine. I will check it out.
Doctors who refuse to prescribe any pain meds should be struck off IMO. I have a neighbor who has had to find a new pain doc because the last one cut her dosage and her PCP won’t prescribe any controlled substances to anyone.
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Have you tried botulinum toxin? I get botulinum injections from my neurologist q3m for my jaw dystonia and so far its the only thing that makes a difference.
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Oh my gosh, it feel like we must go to the same PCP. (Which I realize we do not so it is scary that so many are like this.)
I am currently without a PCP. My most recent one moved away. I wasn’t impressed with her anyway.
The best one I had was an old-style, no-nonsense doctor who I could talk to about just anything (such as, I have this mole / skin tag that’s bothering me - Oh ok, let’s remove it right there and then! No biggie) He was great. He retired years ago, and I’ve been hopping around ever since.
I am lucky that my sister is a MD and when I go see her, she and her office of specialists are a great help. She’s the one who told me to have a little pimple I had in the corner of my eye checked out by a dermatologist - it turned out to be basal skin cancer.
Too bad she lives an ocean away…!
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My PCP cant even refer well! Last visit I had to repeatedly tell him about an issue I was having. Finally he took a look and said he would refer me to a neurologist. After a few days with nothing happening I ask who he referred me to and get a number to call. The person there said that they were booked until August but they would put me on the list if they got a cancellation. I called my PCP back to see if they could refer to someone else. No reply.
So I googled and found a neurologist who could see me the next week. And now I am having an EEG and MRI this week!
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@Feathered_Feet, thank you so much for the suggestion. I did…and it made my choking problem significantly worse. I’m sorry this is happening to you. I don’t know anyone else w dystonia, so am most appreciative of your help and empathetic to your discomfort.
Well if you haven’t totally ruled it out, you might try a different practitioner. I’ve had injections from two different practitioners and they were totally different. The neurologist did bolus injections in one place, that one time caused some pretty noticeable asymmetry in my smile and speech. The other - an ENT/plastic surgeon - did three small injections that worked perfectly. The ENT does them all the time for cosmetic purposes and was comfortable doing multiple small, careful injections, while the neurologist had a much different approach. Perhaps a different practitioner with a slightly different approach might result in better injections for you?
(Unfortunately the ENT didn’t have a diagnosis beyond TMJ and didn’t want to deal with insurance so it was all cash (and pricey!), but the neurologist was able to diagnose it as dystonia, so billable through insurance. So I go to the neurologist 
)
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This is very interesting. Thank you. I will think about a different approach.
This is a common comment made by the voiceover speed-talker at the end of one of those slow, dreamy medication commercials. The medication is usually new, and high dollar.
I believe the instructions to “talk to your doctor” mean to call them if you experience any weird side effects relating to the medication they’ve newly prescribed for you. Since they saw you and prescribed it, the expectation is that you should contact them if you run into issues with it. Not just call and ask random health-related questions.
The point is that is almost impossible for most of us to get any doctor on the phone, including one we consider ours.
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It’s a sad state of affairs
