[MalcolmBliss]

Hello,
I have suffered from migraine headaches for about 4 years and was seeing a neurologist but have not had much success with him. I currently take neurontin, elavil, ambien and fiorcet for the headaches. I seem to not be getting better and stress makes them worse. The bad thing is that my job is full of stress. It's a very physically demanding job and sometimes I'm not sure if the headaches make me hurt all over or if it's just nerves. My job is in the printing industry and for those of you who don't know, it's become very cut-throat in recent years. So my job has gotten harder. I have 2 little boys here with my wife and it's getting so hard just to function sometimes.
I have given up on my neurologist, he doesn't really seem to listen and I feel like I'm wasting my money. So I'm going back to my primary tomorrow for other options. I'm just here for some support and advice before I continue. It is very hard to live like this and be quiet about it. Being a man, it's not seen as the best thing to talk about your pain all the time, rather to just "take it".
Anyway, is it possible for males to have fibro? I've heard it was but I'm really not sure. Right now, my shoulders are burning and I have pains in both arms and jaw. It never seems to end.
Thanks in advance,
Malcolm

[(JD)]

Welcome to PC. Yes, men can and do suffer with fibromyalgia...and yes, stress makes it worse.

http://www.fibromyalgia-symptoms.org...a_relieve.html

[Perna]

One of my workmates could only find relief from her migraines with a shot of Imitrex. I would maybe try the oral form first (if you haven't already) and then take it from there.

I'm sorry your job is so stressful. I would try to figure out a way to switch fields rather than continue if the stress is affecting your health to that extent. Like you yourself say, you are having a hard time functioning with your family and that can't go on and does them no good if you are that ill at this job. I don't know that you can find relief from the migraines if the stress continues unabated?

[(JD)]

... imitrex worked for me, but I found Zomig zmt (tongue dissolve tablet) works really FAST! I just assumed you had tried ALL the migraine relief meds? If not... do so there are some good ones out there.

(And another thought, how long have you been taking the other meds for the pain? Could be they are causing the pain now... weird stuff they fail to tell you about. grrrr)

[feddy]

That is a LOT of medication for migraines! I also have chronic migraines and have found that my experience with neurologists has also been unsatisfactory at best. They are busy and hard to get appointments with and are more focused on what to prescribe than how they actually work once you are taking them.

I have been working with a pain specialist who specializes in migraine pain for about 1 1/2 years and have been extremely successful. (Her brother is a pain specialist treating fibromyalgia.) I went from 4 - 5/week to 3 - 4/month! Her approach is very different than a neurologist and she seems to take a lot more time and has a lot of different options to recommend because she is so specialized. I have tried a number of different treatment options but what has been a miracle cure for me is 200mg/day of Topamax as a preventative and Fiorinal as a pain killer (I can't take imitrex, frova, etc.) and when the pain is really bad, I get nerve blocks (needles) in my head to help the pain. For me, this really works. But, it took us almost 9 months to figure it out and then several more months to get me to the right dose.

I don't know where you live, but it may help you to research other pain specialists in your area. I actually found mine by networking with people I knew at work. I find that migraineurs are a tight community and very willing to help each other. When you find people who suffer to the extent that it sounds like you suffer (and I do as well) or if you find someone with fibro and they have someone they are working with that really helps them, ask for a referral. That's how I found my doctor and I love her.

I am in Toronto, Canada. If you are nearby, PM me and I will give you my doctor's info. Otherwise, good luck.

To answer your other question re: fibro - my partner's best friend suffers from fibro and he has been taking Cymbalta for about 5 months now with fairly good success to treat his symptoms. He also sees a pain specialist and recently left his neurologist.

Feddy