Arthritis struggles

kayza75

I am on a Butec 20mg patch for disc degeneration and Fibromyalgia and Arthriyis in my spine. . I am also prescribed Amitriptyline for fibromyalgia which helps my back pain as I was having falls with chronic pain , the patches take the edge of the chronic back pain to help me walk short distances and reduce my falls .

However the pain in my joints is unreal especially my knees and arms and hands , I can’t straighten my fingers with pain with arthritis , my doctor won’t give me pain relief for the arthritis on my hands and tells me it’s in my head and i am totally crippled with pain .

Is there anything I can suggest to my gp as I am crawling the floors with the pain in my joints .

Naomi33

Morning @kayza75 and welcome to the online community.

Sorry to hear your concerns about pain and pain relief.

Personally I would ask for second opinion regarding your pain and how to control pain and dont believe it is in your head at all.

The following links maybe of interest to you…..

https://www.versusarthritis.org/about-arthritis/conditions/hand-and-wrist-pain/

I am sure others will connect with you soon.

Best wishes @Naomi33

helpline_team

Hi @kayza75,

Thank you for posting on the Helpline Online Community. I'm so sorry to hear you are experiencing so much pain. Do take a look at the useful link posted by @Naomi33 about hand pain, as well as our webpage about knee pain.

Low dose antidepressants such as Amitriptyline are sometimes prescribed for persistent painful conditions such as arthritis and fibromyalgia. It can help to improve the way your body responds to pain, your mood, emotional state, and sleep quality. Opioid pain patches (such as Butec) are sometimes offered for relief from moderate to severe pain when other forms of pain relief haven’t worked. However, opioid based medications are usually only prescribed short term due to potential side effects of addiction.

I'm sharing links below to information on pain medication and other ways of managing pain. As suggested by @Naomi33, your experience of pain is real, and the description of it 'being in your head' is perhaps not the most helpful comment your GP could have made. Chronic pain (lasting 3 months or longer) can be complex, and can certainly take its toll emotionally. There are areas of the brain that process pain signals emotionally, which then contributes to an individual's overall experience of pain. Some people do find taking different approaches to managing pain can be helpful. Therefore, in addition to reading about and discussing with your doctor the medication currently used to treat arthritis pain, perhaps you could also benefit from exploring different approaches to pain management. For example, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), and ways of relieving tension such as deep breathing and mindfulness. Also, other therapies such as physiotherapy to ease pain and stiffness, build muscle strength to improve joint stability and mobility. You could ask your GP to refer you to pain clinic which brings together different types of professionals to help find a pain management approach (or combination of approaches) that works best for you.

I hope you find the information within the links below helpful. You might also find some helpful information on falls prevention on the NHS website.

https://www.versusarthritis.org/about-arthritis/treatments/drugs/painkillers-and-nsaids/

https://www.versusarthritis.org/about-arthritis/managing-symptoms/managing-your-pain/

If you would like to have more replies to your post, you are welcome to repost on our Living with Arthritis forum which is a supportive space where you can ask questions and share experiences with others. 

Whilst we are not medically trained and are unable to advise on medication suitable for you, you are welcome to call our Free Helpline on 0800 5200 520 weekdays 9am - 6pm, if you would like to talk confidentially about arthritis, fibromyalgia and ways of managing pain.

Best wishes,
Helen, Helpline Advisor