I had the same problem quite awhile back -- ulcer from anti-inflammatories (I don't think mine was bleeding, but, it sure hurt).

Make sure to get yourself tested for Helicobacter pylori. The current wisdom is that that's responsible for a lot more ulcers than ever thought possible.

Now -- the drugs. I was on anti-inflammatories (ibuprofen -- 800 mg 3 times per day for over ten years). What they don't tell you is this class of drugs will leach calcium out of your bones.

Every time I took an ibuprofen, I also took an omeprazole. Come to find out that also leaches calcium out of the bones. The omeprazole kept me from EVER getting an ulcer again from an anti-inflammatory.

An anti-inflammatory is not going to do a bloody thing for fibro. I've had fibromyalgia since early 1990.

Initially, I took Prozac. That took the 'sharpness' off the fibro and kept me sane and able to work full-time.

Then came a different class of drugs -- SNRIs -- Cymbalta, Effexor XR. These (for me) knock the pain out totally.

SSRIs (Prozac and Paxil) and SNRIs (Cymbalta, Effexor XR) are VERY-VERY addictive. You can go into withdrawals just from skipping a few doses of a few days' worth of pills -- for me this has happened due to weather problems and actually being able to get to the pharmacy in the winter.

Stopping these drugs has to be an EXTREMELY SLOW taper or you will end up with MONTHS worth of brain zaps.

That said, the drugs are useful tools, because the alternative is intolerable.

Now, as to the arthritis. I have osteoarthritis in my spine in addition to some crumbling architecture and some flawed design work by the original creator ( ). If you take long-term anti-inflammatories, you risk ending up with osteopenia or osteoporosis. Speaking from my own experience-- I'm not a doctor -- I would try not to take these drugs very often.

I ***** (to myself) all the time that I haven't been given *BETTER* drugs for pain control. But, I am seeing over-time the logic and the wisdom behind this.

There's a lot to be said for actually having to LIVE WITH the pain. I never in a million years ever thought that I would say that. I am a person that has an extremely hard time coping with chronic pain when combined with problems in the psyche. For me to actually say "learn to live with it" is unbelievable. I'm actually aghast that I'm saying it

Somebody a long long time ago (from Mass. General, I think) said that if you take a drug for a headache, it doesn't just work on the headache, it affects your entire body. True-true.

These drugs -- Prozac, Paxil, Cymbal, Effexor XR, yah-dah, yah-dah actually change the wiring and the chemistry of your brain PERMANENTLY.

Looking back at my life, I had no other choice than to take these drugs because I would not have survived without them. But, if I were younger and had the knowledge that I have now, I would take a second and a third look before starting any long-term drug.

There are a lot of things to ease chronic pain -- biofeedback, relaxation techniques, Reikki, Therapeutic Touch, swimming, heat, ice, exercise, getting your weight down to normal, religion, strength-of-will.

We, as consumers of medical services, need to keep ourselves really smart and educated and up-to-date about what's available to help us, how that 'thing' (whether a drug or a technique) is going to affect us long-term.

Welcome to NeuroTalk. Very BIG, soft, gentle hugs. You're gonna like it here. Fantastic people. We tend here at NeuroTalk not to stay confined in our own little home forum, we tend to wander and to support someone who needs it, but also to find out what's going on around us and to just feel part of a huge Cyber family. You're gonna like it here.

Oh, finally -- fibromyalgia -- you're gonna have to learn how to live an entirely different life with this disease. The most important thing in your life is YOU. You HAVE TO sleep enough and well or you will not be able to function. When I was still working, I took "mental health days" just so I could sleep -- you HAVE TO. Take good care of that body of yours.

Barb

PS: I like to do medical. I've got a bunch of bookmarks about fibro: http://public.murl.com/moose53/HEALT...TIGUE_SYNDROME (press the [page-down] key once to get to the appropriate section.