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