Fibromylagia is a widespread arthritis linked problem that occurs after. It is generally wrongly diagnosed. Fibromyalgia is a rheumatic problem that causes severe muscle and joint pain along with fatigue. Fibromyalgia can also cause depression. Most of the patients are women with age ranging from 30 to 60 years. The women are 10 times more prone to this disease.
Fibromyalgia is a syndrome (FMS) with numerous symptoms that normally occur together, including widespread pain, reduced pain threshold or trigger points, debilitating fatigue, and depression.
Symptoms of fibromyalgia
Fibromyalgia causes body pain. The fatigue is crippling and does not go even after adequate rest. Particular trigger points on the body may be agonizing on touching. It can also lead to mood swings and depression.
Some patients with FMS have pain in the region of the neck joints, shoulder and hips which causes problem in sleeping.
Other symptoms are:
Fibromyalgia shows symptoms like that of osteoarthritis, bursitis and tendinitis. The pain of bursitis or tendinitis is restricted to a particular region while the pain with fibromyalgia is widespread.
Fibromyalgia Causes
The cause of fibromyalgia is not known. The patients feel pain in reaction to impulse which is not supposed to be painful. Studies have shown the presence of soaring levels of a nerve chemical signal known as substance P, and nerve growth factor in the spinal fluid of fibromyalgia patients. The brain nerve chemical serotonin is quite low in patients suffering from fibromyalgia. It is seen that brain of patients with this disease is supersensitive. These people appear to have a disseminated interference in exact pain perception.
The patients with fibromyalgia have damaged non-Rapid-Eye-Movement, or non-REM, sleep stage. The start of fibromyalgia is linked with psychological agony, suffering, and infection.
Fibromyalgia Diagnosis and Misdiagnosis
Fibromyalgia is often misinterpreted. In spite of all the newest information about fibromyalgia with its main symptoms of acute muscle pain, insistent fatigue, sleep troubles, and experiencing anxiety and depression, it is misdiagnosed as common pain disorder.
On an average, it takes about five years to get an accurate diagnosis for fibromyalgia. There are no scientific procedures or any laboratory tests or x-rays that can pin point fibromyalgia. Ii is often diagnosed as depression, any inflammatory arthritis like rheumatoid arthritis, persistent myofascial pain, or chronic fatigue syndrome. There are some similarities of symptoms between these ailments butfibromyalgia is quite different.
The doctor diagnose the problem by doing a physical examination and discussing the symptoms. Your doctor will observe trigger points during the physical examination and get some tests done to rule out any other serious medical condition.
The doctor may advise some particular blood tests like complete blood count (CBC). This test measures the hemoglobin, red cells, white cells, and platelets. Certain other tests are kidney and liver tests which test blood chemistries. The doctor will check for cholesterol levels and calcium levels. The doctor will also check your thyroid.
Fibromyalgia Treatments
The treatment to fibromyalgia involves comprehensive treatment method involving medications and lifestyle strategies. The prognosis for people with fibromylagia has improved as the doctor should make correct diagnosis of fibromyalgia.
The doctor prescribes medication, alternative medication, and lifestyle changes to decrease pain and enhance sleep. The doctor prescribes pain medication along with anti-depressants to cope with pain, fatigue and depression. You should also learn to control your symptoms through regular physical therapy, exercise routine, stress management and relaxation techniques. There is no medication to cure fibromyalgia but a lot can be done to manage the symptoms.
Fatigue is a primary symptom of fibromyalgia and it can be devastating. It’ll make you feel worn out and weak. You may feel as if you have not slept at all even after sleeping for 10-12 hours at night.
Initially antidepressants are prescribed as the treatment for fibromyalgia. These medications influence manifold aspects of the fibromylagia symptoms like pain, fatigue, depression and sleep turbulence.
The tricyclic antidepressants can work well by providing symptom relief. The anti-convulsant drug Lyrica is also advised for people with fibromyalgia. It decreases pain and improves other symptoms. The side effects are faintness and drowsiness. It can also cause inflammation and weight gain.
Another antidepressant called Cymbalta is used for the treatment of fibromyalgia. It is an antidepressant of a group of drugs known as serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs). It is quite effective in treating generalized anxiety disorder and nerve pains. The side effects include sleeplessness and giddiness.
Certain medications help to increase the sleep hours and they can treat fibromyalgia symptoms. These medications like amitriptyline should be taken prior to bedtime.
Anti-inflammatory drugs like ibuprofen are not of any use as there is no inflammation with fibromyalgia. The pain relief medication like Tylenol(acetaminophen) is quite useful as it is soothing on the stomach and it will not cause any reactions. As a side effect, it can cause liver problems.
Certain muscle relaxants like Flexeril can relief muscle pain when taken at night.
Steroids have not proved to be useful for people with fibromyalgia. But a steroid injection into a muscle spasm or trigger point is used when other treatments do not seem to work.
Certain other therapies like cognitive-behavioral therapy can aid in developing self-control and offer instructions about your condition.
Fibromyalgia and Medical Marijuana
Fibromyalgia is tough to treat and without a solution. The medical marijuana is the smoked version of the drug. One of the active chemicals in marijuana is available in a medicine known as Marinol. It is used to treat painfulsymptoms of fibromyalgia. In order to use it, a patient must have written prescription from a doctor.