| Over 6 million people suffer from | | | | example, has been used for pain and sleep |
| fibromialgia today. It's an invisible, but | | | | problems. |
| very real condition. There are several | | | | |
| symptoms of fibromialgia (fibro for short). | | | | Some fibro patients have seen good pain |
| | | | relief with anticonvulsant medications. Two |
| One of the main symptoms of fibromialgia is | | | | common ones are Lyrica and Neurontin. |
| tender points. People with fibromialgia will | | | | |
| have certain points, where, when pushed on | | | | Reuptake Inhibitors are a different form of |
| gently, cause severe pain. | | | | antidepressants. They haven't been used very |
| | | | long for treating fibromialgia, but the |
| Another main symptom of fibromialgia is | | | | results have been good. A couple examples are |
| chronic pain. Sufferers describe this pain as | | | | Cymbalta and Ixel. |
| anywhere from mild to bone crushing. Many | | | | |
| can't pinpoint exactly where their pain is, | | | | Certain types of injections have helped fibro |
| but it can be very debilitating. | | | | patients as well. Here are a few: |
| | | | |
| Many fibromialgia sufferers have some form of | | | | B-12 |
| chronic fatigue. This is more than just being | | | | |
| tired, but being exhausted most or all of the | | | | Botox |
| time. This fatigue is sometimes described as | | | | |
| "brain fatigue," in which people feel | | | | Nerve blockers |
| completely drained of energy. | | | | |
| | | | Some over the counter medications have been |
| Depression and or anxiety are common in | | | | successful at alleviating fibro pain. Some of |
| people with fibromialgia. They can be mild or | | | | these include: |
| severe, and many doctors feel that they are | | | | |
| brought on by the other symptoms of fibro. | | | | - Ibuprofin |
| | | | |
| Many Fibro patients have sleep disorders. The | | | | - Tylenol |
| most common is what is called the alpha-EEG | | | | |
| anomaly. This is basically when patients wake | | | | - Asprin |
| up after sleeping and feel like they've been | | | | |
| run over by a bus. Doctors also refer to this | | | | There are many other treatments that are |
| as unrefreshing sleep. | | | | helping fibro patients. Here are a few: |
| | | | |
| Irritable Bowel Syndrome, or IBS, is another | | | | Many people find relief from fibro pain from |
| common symptom of fibromialgia. IBS consists | | | | a good chiropractor. Make sure that you do |
| of constipation, diarrhea, frequent abdominal | | | | your research though. Make sure the |
| pain, abdominal gas, and nausea. | | | | chiropractor that you choose has experience |
| | | | with fibromialgia. |
| TMJ, or Temporomandibular Joint Dysfunction | | | | |
| Syndrome, effects many people with fibro. It | | | | Physical therapy is another treatment that is |
| causes jaw-related face and head pain in one | | | | used for fibromialgia. Talk to your doctor |
| quarter of fibro patients. | | | | about finding a good physical therapist that |
| | | | will sit down with you and discuss your |
| There are many other symptoms of fibromialgia | | | | options. |
| that haven't been mentioned. Here's just a | | | | |
| small list of some of the other symptoms: | | | | Many fibromialgia sufferers find relief in |
| | | | daily, low impact exercise. It's important to |
| - Chronic headaches | | | | start slow; 2-3 minutes a day, building up |
| | | | until you can do a steady 20 minutes per day. |
| - Numbness and tingling sensation | | | | Be sure to keep your doctor informed with how |
| | | | you're doing. |
| - Skin sensitivities | | | | |
| | | | Acupuncture is another way that some |
| - Dizziness | | | | fibromialgia patients find relief. It reduces |
| | | | pain through body chemicals that have calming |
| - Panic attacks | | | | effects, and is achieved by putting pins in |
| | | | certain parts of the body, just under the |
| - Irritable bladder | | | | skin. |
| | | | |
| - Lightheadedness | | | | Some fibromialgia patients have had success |
| | | | with simply increasing their water intake in |
| - Severe muscle weakness | | | | their daily diet. This is probably the |
| | | | simplest thing that you can do, and it can |
| - Weight change | | | | only improve your health. |
| | | | |
| - Night sweats | | | | There are many vitamins that help relieve |
| | | | symptoms of fibromialgia (though laws |
| - Muscle spasms | | | | prohibit vitamin companies from claiming |
| | | | this). Do your research and you'll find the |
| - Heartburn | | | | best ones for you. |
| | | | |
| - Difficulty swallowing | | | | Like vitamins, there are so many herbal |
| | | | supplements available that have helped many |
| - Interstitial cystitis | | | | people with fibromialgia. Again, do your |
| | | | research, and keep trying different |
| There are lots of medications that help with | | | | supplements, to see which ones help you. |
| fibromialgia. This next set of tips will | | | | |
| cover some of the common ones. | | | | Many newly diagnosed fibromialgia patients |
| | | | try to live their lives the same as before |
| Antidepressants are often used to treat | | | | they were diagnosed. What they don't realize |
| symptoms of fibromyalgia. They help by | | | | is that they need more sleep than the average |
| improving sleep, mood, or by blocking pain | | | | person. Simply getting in an extra 3-4 hours |
| signals. Here's a list of a few that are | | | | sleep every night can really help. |
| used: | | | | |
| | | | Yoga is a combination of breathing exercises, |
| - Prozac | | | | physical postures, and meditation. Many |
| | | | fibromialgia patients have found help and |
| - Zoloft | | | | relief from doing yoga. |
| | | | |
| - Paxil | | | | Many people with fibromialgia find that |
| | | | simply eating better can relieve some of |
| - Trazadone | | | | their symptoms. Talk to a nutritionist to |
| | | | find out some things that you can do to make |
| Certain muscle relaxants have been shown to | | | | your diet better. |
| help fibromialgia patients. Flexeril, for | | | | |