Fibromyalgia is a disease that primarily involves the musculoskeletal system. The main symptoms include pain (generalised), sleep disorders and disturbances in mood and memory. The main problem has been identified to be an abnormally lowered pain threshold. Pain stimuli are greatly amplified by the brain. Precipitating factors include surgery, psychological stress, infections and physical trauma. Fibromyalgia treatment seeks to alleviate these symptoms.
The exact cause of the condition is yet to be identified. Several risk factors have been found. One of them is genetics. A number of genetic mutations have been found in related individuals with the conditions and this has supported the fact that the condition has a familial component. Infections and emotional trauma are both important triggering factors. Thirdly, gender also appears to be a risk factor with most diagnoses being made among women.
Patients with mild symptoms are usually treated with NSAIDS. Paracetamol, which is available as an over-the-counter drug, helps relive muscle pain. Other NSAIDS that may be used are ibuprofen, naproxen and diclofenac. In the event that the NSAIDS are ineffective, stronger analgesic agents such as opioids are used. These include drugs such as codeine and tramadol. Tramadol is highly effective for pain relief but may lead to side effects such as fatigue, diarrhoea and withdrawal symptoms.
Several antidepressants have been demonstrated to have a positive effect. Their major mechanism of action is to increase the levels of neurotransmitters in circulation. This is because low levels of neurotransmitters are often associated with altered sensations. The commonly affected neurotransmitters include noradrenaline, dopamine and serotonin. Drugs used to restore their levels include duloxetine, fluoxetine and amitriptyline.
Another group of drugs that acts on the brain to relive symptoms includes the anticonvulsants. These drugs lower the amount of neurotransmitters but have a similar clinical effect to that of antidepressants in spite of opposing mechanisms of action. Pregabalin is one of such drugs. It decreases the amount of glutamate and therefore effectively reduces pain perception. Some of its side effects are weight gain, nausea, vomiting, weight gain, dizziness, blurred vision and constipation.
Research strongly suggests that there could be a psychological component to fibromyalgia. Depression may worsen the associated symptoms, particularly the pain. For this reason, some practitioners have recommended some psychological treatments to augment pharmacological treatment. Given alongside drugs, cognitive-behaviour therapy helps relieve a number of the symptoms. It also helps patients to identify the precipitating factors.
During treatment, it is important to remember that the other symptoms need to be controlled as well and not just the pain. Most patients struggle with symptoms such as depression, fatigue, anxiety, irritable bowel syndrome, IBS, and sleep disturbance among others. Patients should choose a mode of treatment that treats as many of these symptoms as possible. Consulting with various consultants for each symptom is also a good idea.
Patients should be aware that the condition lasts for a long time. They need to learn to cope with the associated challenges. Visiting a counsellor often helps one to get a different perspective of the situation and may even aid in recovery. Effective fibromyalgia treatment, therefore, has to take into account all the aspects of health including mental physical and social well-being.
The exact cause of the condition is yet to be identified. Several risk factors have been found. One of them is genetics. A number of genetic mutations have been found in related individuals with the conditions and this has supported the fact that the condition has a familial component. Infections and emotional trauma are both important triggering factors. Thirdly, gender also appears to be a risk factor with most diagnoses being made among women.
Patients with mild symptoms are usually treated with NSAIDS. Paracetamol, which is available as an over-the-counter drug, helps relive muscle pain. Other NSAIDS that may be used are ibuprofen, naproxen and diclofenac. In the event that the NSAIDS are ineffective, stronger analgesic agents such as opioids are used. These include drugs such as codeine and tramadol. Tramadol is highly effective for pain relief but may lead to side effects such as fatigue, diarrhoea and withdrawal symptoms.
Several antidepressants have been demonstrated to have a positive effect. Their major mechanism of action is to increase the levels of neurotransmitters in circulation. This is because low levels of neurotransmitters are often associated with altered sensations. The commonly affected neurotransmitters include noradrenaline, dopamine and serotonin. Drugs used to restore their levels include duloxetine, fluoxetine and amitriptyline.
Another group of drugs that acts on the brain to relive symptoms includes the anticonvulsants. These drugs lower the amount of neurotransmitters but have a similar clinical effect to that of antidepressants in spite of opposing mechanisms of action. Pregabalin is one of such drugs. It decreases the amount of glutamate and therefore effectively reduces pain perception. Some of its side effects are weight gain, nausea, vomiting, weight gain, dizziness, blurred vision and constipation.
Research strongly suggests that there could be a psychological component to fibromyalgia. Depression may worsen the associated symptoms, particularly the pain. For this reason, some practitioners have recommended some psychological treatments to augment pharmacological treatment. Given alongside drugs, cognitive-behaviour therapy helps relieve a number of the symptoms. It also helps patients to identify the precipitating factors.
During treatment, it is important to remember that the other symptoms need to be controlled as well and not just the pain. Most patients struggle with symptoms such as depression, fatigue, anxiety, irritable bowel syndrome, IBS, and sleep disturbance among others. Patients should choose a mode of treatment that treats as many of these symptoms as possible. Consulting with various consultants for each symptom is also a good idea.
Patients should be aware that the condition lasts for a long time. They need to learn to cope with the associated challenges. Visiting a counsellor often helps one to get a different perspective of the situation and may even aid in recovery. Effective fibromyalgia treatment, therefore, has to take into account all the aspects of health including mental physical and social well-being.
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