Have you heard about some of the alternatives to expensive, high-priced prescription drugs to relieve Fibromyalgia pain symptoms? To help with some of the other awful symptoms of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome? Well, I say don’t be blinded or stick your fingers in your ears any longer because today we’re discussing two great choices, plus the second choice will be discussed in detail during the audio/ podcast version of today’s Health Matters Show. It includes specific information about products to help you feel better and help to improve the quality of your health.

LET’S GET STARTED.

ANSWER #1, of course, is not the brand new prescription drugs that get all the media hype, press attention and advertising dollars. Certainly those new drugs are out there and may be worth investigating if what you’re doing isn’t working, but you’ll pay a lot of money out of pocket if you make this choice. For those people who are absolutely determined to find less expensive answers that are highly effective, you’re in the right place today.

Note: When you completely finish reading the post and listening to the audio podcast for the Health Matters Show, come back here and click on this link at About.com, but don’t do it yet. Hang in here with me for a few minutes. This is important and you don’t want to miss anything or get side-tracked.

The older drugs are often offered and classed as generic drugs, which means these particular prescription drugs have been around in the marketplace long enough to lose their original patent and are now marketed and sold as cheaper generic drugs. That means a lot less money could be going out of your pocket each month to buy them instead of the high-priced, newer versions.

*Because the cost to create a new drug and bring it to market is so exorbitantly expensive, your practice of only buying the “newest” drugs each month can translate into extremely high drug bills. And, in this economy, many people simply cannot afford to do that any longer!)

If you still want a drug, ask your doctor about prescribing one of the older ones for off label use. I’m talking about the drugs that were never approved specifically by the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) for first line treatment of Fibromyalgia or Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, but they’re allowed for such use. They can be an effective, viable remedy for some people. You’ll have to test an be patient to find one that might work for you. The key here is try.

The drugs Flexeril, Elavil, Pamelor, Neurontin, Ultram, tricyclic antidepressants and more have been around for years. The FDA allows their use for Fibromyalgia, plus there is history that you can look up and is accessible to your doctor concerning their effectiveness, side effects or chance at causing potential problems. That equates to your doctor feeling more comfortable about what these older drugs will or won’t do to you, the patient. They may be worth considering, if you feel you have no other choice that to take drugs. (Hint… there may be another choice.)

NOTE: Today I’m not covering the new-er drugs on the market at length, specifically the ones used to treat Fibromyalgia patients: Lyrica, Cymbalta and now Savella. I’ve blogged about them before. To research the data, put one of the terms in the search engine of this website. You’ll find the search engine box located on the right-hand side of the website. There is lots of data. However, here are a couple of really important things about Savella.)

The first thing to know about Savella is what kind of drug it is:
Savella is classed as an SNRI drug, meaning that, like Cymbalta, it belongs to the class of drugs called serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors.

The second thing to be aware of about Savella are the tough side effects. Many people within the Fibromyalgia community are taking this drug and gradually adjusting to the side effects, meaning their side effects are lessening or going away over time. Other people are not doing as well and are choosing to come off the drug entirely. Be wary and work closely with your doctor, if you decide to take Savella.

That leads me into ANSWER #2…

On earlier Health Matters Shows, we’ve discussed the benefits of using natural substances like essential oils to relieve pain. You’ll be pleasantly surprised to find out how well they work. I really benefit from using them and that makes me happy because I know they’re working with my body, instead of against it. Young Living Essential Oils and some of their other health-related products supply the good stuff that my body needs and readily uses. I guess, now that I’m thinking about it, I use quality oils from Young Living everyday, sometimes several different ones per day possibly for several different purposes! I’ve come to rely on and count on using them to support my new, improved health. For me, they’re a lot better than drugs (and less expensive, less toxic, etc.) Plus, when I need other types of relief, I often can find that, too.

So, let me encourage you to listen to today’s audio podcast. It doesn’t cost you anything to listen. It’s free! You’ll discover some of the best alternatiave infomation about how to relieve pain from my favorite massage therapist and aromatherapist, Kimball Egge. He and I make it personal by discussing exactly how you can begin to relieve your pain and feel better.

When you’re finished with the audio, come back here and do more research on the specific oils that sound interesting to you. Do that by going straight to my special Young Living webpage. Remember this if you don’t remember anything else… Young Living Essential Oils are pure, therapeautic grade oils. That makes them strong, safe and effective for almost everyone. (*Note any warning on an oil. Usually a warning applies only to small children and pregnant women.)

Dear One, if you are like I used to be and you’re tired of combating so many drug side effects that you could scream, using YL essential oils is a fantastic answer. I am here to help you make the best decisions that you possibly make. The ones that will be good for your health!

If you’re tired of living with the cross reactions from taking more than one drug at the time, this is important.

But most of all, if you’re fed up with being so sick… well, you decide for yourself, if this sounds like something you want to explore further.

Much of the Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome population of people don’t know that other alternatives readily exist. No one has ever told them that they can do something besides take drugs.

And, yes, using essential oils is one of those great alternatives that can aid in promoting your healing, that is if you use the right, high-quality oils. (I personally have used inferior-grade oils and they did not work.)

One day when you’re feeling better I hope you remember this day fondly… the day you learned about a whole different aspect of healing with essential oils here at the Health Matters Show!

“Promoting a kinder, gentler world for your best health…
and talking about remedies which support the healing of your mind, your body, and your spirit.”

Thanks for stopping by.

PS…. Here’s a copy of the document about the Young Living oils that are best for pain. Enjoy and use this information at your discretion. Just be sure to purchase your high quality, pharmaceutical-grade oils from me, if you can. I blogged about this topic in June and when I went to construct a document for you today, I realized I’d already put together a great resource! You can even print it out on the referenced site. Some information is just so darned good, that it’s worth repeating from me and worth having in your arsenal of How to Get Well information.

Cinda Crawford, your host of the Health Matters Show