Many women report being 'dismissed' by doctors, survey says

ABC7 Bay Area
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Speaking of being ignored and dismissed, there's a new survey saying more women are not being taken seriously enough when it comes to talking to or just plain mentioning symptoms to a health care provider.

I know how exhausting the pain and spasms can become, so I thought I would share a few things that have helped me.

These aren't recommendations or claims that they will work for everyone. They are simply things I came across while reading about MS, pain and spasms that seemed promising enough for me to try. I researched each one before trying it, and I added them **one at a time, usually a week or two apart**, so I could tell what helped and whether anything caused side effects.

| What I've tried | My experience |
| ---------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Arnica gel** | Available OTC. I find the cooling gel soothing for pain and spasms, and it can also be useful for bruising. |
| **Cyclobenzaprine (Flexeril)** | This is prescription-only. It helps me when my spasms are particularly troublesome, but it can cause sleepiness, so I try to use as little as I need. |
| **GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid)** | An OTC supplement. I've found that it helps calm my spasms. |
| **L-theanine** | Another supplement I've found helpful and calming. |
| **Saffron** | This has also been helpful for me as part of what I use when my spasms are acting up. |

One thing I would strongly suggest when experimenting with supplements is **don't start several things at once**. If you have a good or bad reaction, you want to know which one caused it.

I also choose supplements with **as few additional ingredients as possible**. That reduces the chance that I'm reacting to a filler or some other ingredient rather than the supplement itself.

Again, this is just **my personal experience with things I read about and decided to try**, not a claim that any of them will work for someone else. Check possible interactions and whether they're appropriate for you, especially if you take other medications.

If anyone wants to know the particular brands I use, I'm happy to share them.

YI’m wore out the moment I wake up. I keep trudging and I hope you will too!

btw Brenda, sometimes I sing Maroon 5's "This Love," Foreigner's "Head Games".