Seeing Some Fibro Pain Improvement from Nortriptyline

A bit of good news after two attempts to find a medication to help with the nerve pain in my hands and feet, I'm actually responded to the latest one - nortriptyline. I've been on a low dose for about a month now and in the last week or so I've noticed some improvement. I still get the pain when I'm on my feet or do any cleaning or whatever with my hands. By the end of the day I'm still in pretty bad shape but the aggravation of the day usually resolves overnight. I'm also able to do a little more with my hands before the pain takes over.

I had a follow up appointment with the neurologist this week and he is going to have me slowly increase the dose in hopes of seeing even more improvement. The thought of actually getting some relief, well, it's thrilling! I spent so many years trying medications for my chronic migraines and never seeing any benefit. The constant ups and downs of hope in a med and disappointment when it wasn't effective conditioned me to NOT expect relief. Especially considering the fact that all of these meds are ones I've tried as migraine prevention.

As always, the downside is in the side effects. The big one with this medication is the dry mouth. It wasn't bad at 10mg but it was more noticeable at 20mg. I just increased to 30mg and it has already become a bigger issue. Also my doc noticed I've developed a small tremor in my hands. It was minor enough that I hadn't noticed it. He said this can be a side effect so it is something we will keep an eye on.

When it comes down to it, the benefits far outweigh these side effects. I might actually be able to resume using my hands and feet in a more normal fashion. Even retaining the small benefit I've already seen would be priceless to me. The chronic migraines and other effects of the fibromyalgia are hard enough to cope with.