It can be difficult to keep up with all the changes in medicine, but if you have a chronic illness, it is important that you try to keep abreast of changes to medications that could help you.
Even though there are already many medications that can help fibromyalgia patients with the pain they suffer, new advances in medicine are helping to formulate medications that work better at reducing pain. One of these medications is dextromethorphan.
What is Dextromethorphan?
Dextromethorphan is a common ingredient found in about 125 different cough and cold medicines. It can be found in most pharmacies and bought over-the-counter as a tablet or a liquid.
It works to relieve coughs by suppressing the part of the brain that controls the coughing reflex. By blocking the cough response, it allows you to get more rest when you’re sick.
Along with suppressing coughs, it can be used to treat both cold and flu symptoms. Although, it is used to suppress mild and chronic coughs, it does not suppress coughs due to emphysema, bronchitis or smoker’s cough.
If you have any of those conditions, it is necessary to cough in order to break-up mucus in your chest to help you breathe easier.
How does Dextromethorphan Help Fibromyalgia?
Although it may not seem like a cough and cold medicine could help fibromyalgia patients, studies have shown that dextromethorphan can help relieve both widespread pain and muscle stiffness.
There is also some evidence that this ingredient may be able to help pinpoint the true cause of fibromyalgia, which could lead to new and more effective treatments for this chronic disease.
Dextromethorphan works by targeting the central nervous system. Fibromyalgia patients often experience what is known as the “windup,” which intensifies any pain they are having.
Researchers think the windup occurs in the central nervous system and it may be caused when incorrect pain messages are relayed between the brain and the spinal cord.
This windup may be prevented by dextromethorphan because it works on the chemical N-methyl-D-asparate, commonly referred to by the initials NMDA.
This chemical is responsible for sending pain messages from the brain to the spinal cord. In a study done at the University of Florida, patients who were given this drug felt less pain and a dosage of 90 milligrams, along with a heat stimulus, allowed patients to experience the most improvement in the pain they usually felt.
Soaking in a hot tub is recommended because it often provides pain relief and loosens stiff muscles for fibromyalgia patients. The UF study was able to simulate the painful windup that fibromyalgia patients can experience by tapping on the participants hands using either a heated probe or a rubber-tipped peg.
The pressure was adjusted so all of the participants felt the same level of pain before receiving the dextromethorphan or a placebo in order to test the effectiveness of the cold medicine drug.
During the study, there were no guidelines set for taking the drug, although it was determined that the 90 mg dose worked the best in reducing pain in fibromyalgia patients.
This drug is often used in formulas that also contain acetaminophen, which could be another reason that it helps relieve widespread pain. However, the drug is not going to work with all fibromyalgia patients.
Those who take MAOI anti-depressants should not take a medication containing dextromethorphan because the two drugs taken together can cause a bad reaction as they don’t work well together.
Side Effects of Dextromethorphan
The side effects of dextromethorphan are usually mild and they may include drowsiness, fatigue, dry mouth, nausea or vomiting. More severe side effects may occur when someone abuses the drug or has an allergic reaction to it.
Unfortunately, dextromethorphan is used by some people recreationally in order to go into a trance-like state when they take it. It can have strong dissociative effects on the mind when taken in doses well above what is necessary to help suppress coughs or help with fibromyalgia symptoms.
Since it is legal and available over-the-counter, young people wishing to hallucinate or experience other dissociative effects will often abuse cough and cold medicines containing dextromethorphan.
Other Cold Remedies that Work on Fibromyalgia
Dextromethorphan isn’t the only cold drug that seems to help fibromyalgia patients. Guaifenesin has also been found to help relieve pain and muscle stiffness for those suffering from the disease.
Guaifenesin is used in to help break-up mucous, allowing it to be coughed up easier, but it also acts as a muscle relaxer.
The cause of pain experienced by fibromyalgia patients is usually caused by a build-up of calcium phosphate, usually in muscles and muscle tendons.
Since guaifenesin acts a muscle relaxer, it helps dissipate the pain that is experienced by tight muscles by loosening them up.
Although it comes in liquid form, this drug is better for fibromyalgia patients when taken in pill form, starting at 300 mg.
Using Dextromethorphan
Even though it doesn’t require a prescription, fibromyalgia patients should not add a cold or cough medicine containing dextromethorphan to their regimen until consulting their doctor.
The medicine could have drug inaction issues that could make taking it dangerous to do, especially if they are taking MAOI anti-depressants.
Also, the dosage needs to be recommended by your doctor in order to keep you from having unintended consequences when taking it, such as hallucinations or other dissociative issues.
Since treating fibromyalgia can be tricky at times, it is best to let your doctor recommend dosage levels and medications for your treatment.
Self-medicating can result in receiving less benefits from your current medication regimen, which can cause pain and stiffness to get worse instead of better.
In addition, a healthy diet and moderate exercise should be included along with medications to help make your body less stiff to help make it easier to do day-to-day activities.
If you do want to see if dextromethorphan can help you with pain, look for dextromethorphan hydrobromide on the label of cold medications and take as directed by your doctor.
Further reading:
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2005/05/050519141247.htm
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