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Pain relief is probably your biggest priority when it comes to dealing with fibromyalgia. After all, it’s an incredibly painful condition that can make it difficult to live your life. And in spite of all the other terrible symptoms, like mental confusion and chronic fatigue, most people would probably agree that getting rid of the pain of fibromyalgia would probably do the most to improve their general quality of life.
But part of the misery of fibromyalgia is that finding an effective form of pain relief for the condition is very difficult. A lot of the commonly prescribed medications don’t prove effective enough. And the drugs that do work are becoming harder to get. So what can you do to find relief for fibromyalgia?
Pain Relief for Fibromyalgia
Medication
Obviously, medication is the first thing fibromyalgia sufferers look to when it comes to pain relief. With all the medical advances of recent years, we expect medication to offer us relief from painful conditions like fibromyalgia. And there are a number of medications that doctors prescribe to treat fibromyalgia.
The most common ones are usually anti-depressants like Lyrica and Cymbalta, or Savella (which was formulated specifically to treat fibromyalgia). The idea is that the same serotonin imbalance in the brain which leads to depression is behind the pain of fibromyalgia. And thus by treating this imbalance, they hope to offer pain relief.
Unfortunately, while they do work for many, often people with fibromyalgia don’t find effective relief with these kinds of drugs. So, doctors also prescribe opioid painkillers. Opioids are arguably one of the most effective drugs when it comes to pure pain relief. They shut down the receptors in the brain that interpret pain signals, blocking the sensation of pain.
But recently, the willingness of doctors to prescribe opioids has been on the wane due to their role in large numbers of overdose deaths in what has been referred to as the “opioid epidemic.” And that, of course, has made life difficult for all the people who depend on these types of medication for pain relief.
Alternative Treatments
There are a number of different alternative therapies that have been suggested as a way to relieve the pain of fibromyalgia. These tend to be the sorts of things you think of when someone mentions “alternative therapy” like acupuncture or herbal supplements. And while some of these methods are no doubt ineffective, some have shown real promise for pain relief.
Myofascial release massage is one such therapy that many fibromyalgia sufferers find effective. Essentially, it’s a massage for the myofascia that lines the muscles of the body. The idea is that the stimulation helps relieve pain, and studies show that it usually does.
Yoga is another alternative therapy that many doctors believe to be effective for fibromyalgia pain relief. The different poses of yoga help stretch the muscles, and the mental calm that yoga practitioners strive for helps focus the mind away from pain. And the advantage of yoga is that it also functions as a form of exercise.
That’s a serious benefit because exercise is known to be one of the most helpful things you can do to relieve fibromyalgia pain. Numerous studies have shown that getting just a little bit of exercise every day can significantly affect how much fibromyalgia pain you experience. Of course, it’s hard to exercise when you’re dealing with chronic pain.
These kinds of low-risk pain relief options are great for fibromyalgia, and can often provide a great supplement to other forms of pain management.
Medical Marijuana
Medical marijuana could probably be put under the “medication” category, but due to the particular legal and social issues around it, it probably deserves its own section. It’s been a thorny political issue in much of the world, particularly the United States. But what people who are suffering from chronic illness really care about is: will it help me find some pain relief or not?
Well, when it comes to fibromyalgia, there’s a lot of evidence to suggest that it does help. A lot of doctors who treat fibromyalgia patients regularly have noted that their patients often ask for medical marijuana and report positive results. And studies have shown that medical marijuana is an effective treatment for chronic pain disorders.
Of course, marijuana isn’t for everyone. But even if you don’t enjoy the effects of smoking it, there are a number or ways to get the medical benefits of marijuana without the intoxication like CBD oil. Make sure to consult your doctor as they will likely know about the status of medical marijuana where you live and be able to offer advice on how to use it or even if it’s likely to be effective for you.
But no matter which form of pain relief you try, the important thing is to keep trying. You never know what will work for you and your fibromyalgia.
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