About.com: Fibromyalgia and Support Group Locator

Transferred this information from a blog post from 2009 ----------

As you know, we like to share with you good resources we come across.  Lately on facebook, people have really been looking for connecting with support groups in their area, and I thought I'd give you a link to the fibromyalgia area on about.com.  There also are a lot of people looking for information and guidance about medications, so I was trying to find something related to that, in addition to the one I've discussed in a previous blog about Dr. Teitelbaum (From Fatigued to Fantastic) which you might ant to refer to.  The majority of the information is really very good, however I'm not seeing much information on the older medications (which typically are cheaper) -- it's pretty much the new ones that are approved by the FDA for fibromyalgia (which are very few and they are new).  I've emailed them to ask for a response about this and have not yet heard back from them -- I'll update this if and when I do. 

Many of the people I see who are looking for information about medications are on these newer FDA approved drugs and are having side effects or their insurances are declining paying for them so they are looking for other solutions.  Since about.com has a lot of information about these medications, read up on how they work in the body and then look into finding alternatives.  Put in plain terms: Is it a pain killer or a muscle relaxant or a central nervous system 'calmer'?   An example is the newer Lyrica and the older Neurontin -- they are comparable in how they work.  So if one type of medication is not working or is too expensive, is there a different one in the same 'group' that might work. 

One of the symptoms of FMS is being sensitive to medications, which results in a lot of 'try and try again' for people and there are a lot of options: I believe Dr. Tietelbaum has 30 medications listed on his website.  Remember that pharmacists are key people on the 'team' of providers you build around you for your health care (see the home page of our website) and they are a valuable resource for questions, as are websites that are about medications.  For people who are looking for what is the 'state of the art' treatment with pharmaceuticals, this about.com website will give you that!  Progressive things, like low dose naltrexone are mentioned. 

Here's the link to About.com's fibromyalgia area.  They have links for support groups by location and links to other good resources, so this really is a wonderful resource we want you to know about.   

chronicfatigue.about.com/od/whatisfibromyalgia/u/Fibromyalgia.htm

The support group locator is at chronicfatigue.about.com/od/managingyoursymptoms/a/support.htm