Fibromyalgia symptoms are real! Millions of people world-wide have been diagnosed with fibromyalgia, and new cases are being reported daily. Fibromyalgia is a painful condition that affects the musculoskeletal system. Patients living with this debilitating disease also report fatigue and insomnia. Symptoms from fibromyalgia disrupt the lives of all who have it, leading to the inability to work and perform certain tasks affecting their quality of life.
Diagnosing fibromyalgia can be a challenging experience for the medical community, with symptoms similar to other conditions that include: multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, angina, and sciatica and involve the following:
– Sciatica causes lower back pain, with pain that radiates down one leg. Continuous pain can be felt in the buttock down either the right or the left leg. Some people complain with a tingling sensation along with numbness and weakness.
– Sclerosis causes fatigue, weakness, balance disorders, muscle spasms, numbness, vision disturbances, and depression.
– Lupus causes joint pain and inflammation, muscle pain and weakness, extreme fatigue, weight loss or weight gain.
– Rheumatoid arthritis causes fatigue and weakness, joint pain and inflammation, joint stiffening in one or more joints, and a warming sensation in the joints.
-Angina causes pain in the breastbone, as well as in the arms shoulders, neck, jaw and back.
Patients with fibromyalgia can be misdiagnosed easily due to the similarity of symptoms related to other conditions. Many fibromyalgia patients also suffer from secondary medical issues that include: depression, stress disorders, irritable bowel syndrome known as (IBS), and migraine headaches as well as a condition called polymyalgia rheumatic which causes pain and stiffness in muscles and joints, and like fibromyalgia, polymyalgia causes wide spread pain.
Testing to Diagnose Fibromyalgia
When patients seek treatment for fibromyalgia, it is important for them to see concrete evidence of their condition. Physicians use a variety of tests to determine whether a patient has fibromyalgia verses another condition with similar symptoms and include: a complete blood count, antinuclear antibody, erythrocyte sedimentation rate, thyroid stimulating hormone, and a rheumatoid factor test, all of these tests are performed by a simple blood test. Imaging testing may involve both an MRI also known as magnetic resonance imaging, as well as standard x-rays.
What these tests determine include the following:
– Rheumatoid factor determines whether a patient has rheumatoid arthritis causing wide spread pain.
– Antinuclear antibody determines whether a patient has an autoimmune disease, one such disease is Lupus which reveals the same symptoms as fibromyalgia.
– Erythrocyte sedimentation rate also known as (ESR) determines whether a patient has inflammation and is an effective test in determining the presence of autoimmune disorders such as arthritis.
– Thyroid stimulating hormone or (TSH) determines whether a patient has an over active or under active thyroid gland. Hypothyroidism is an underactive thyroid and hyperthyroidism is an overactive thyroid.
– Magnetic resonance imaging known as an (MRI) is used to determine whether a patient has multiple sclerosis, spine disorders such as herniated disks, and sciatica. The MRI is an effective tool used to rule out other conditions before making a diagnosis of fibromyalgia.
– Traditional x-rays are used to determine whether a patient has scoliosis, kyphosis, osteoporosis, and ankylosing spondylitis, all of these conditions will show up in a traditional x-ray.
Treating Fibromyalgia Pain
Treating fibromyalgia symptoms is just as challenging to the medical professional as diagnosing the condition. Patients may need a combination of drugs in order to relieve symptoms, and include: antidepressants, anticonvulsants, pain relievers, insomnia aids, muscle relaxers, and cortico steroids. Patients may not respond as well to one drug as they do on another making follow-up care with a qualified physician extremely important.
Some patients experience unwanted side effects that compromise their treatment and include the following:
– Antidepressants cause nausea, weight gain, fatigue, dry mouth, sleep disorders, and vision problems such as blurred vision.
– Anticonvulsants cause ovarian cysts, liver damage, weight loss, weight gain, concentration disturbances, impaired vision, and kidney stones. Anticonvulsant medication can cause a drop in blood platelets which help the blood to clot.
– Insomnia aids cause constipation, coordination difficulty, diarrhea, gas, weakness, heartburn, abdominal pain, strange dreams or nightmares, and tingling in the hands and feet.
– Pain relievers cause nausea, dizziness, rash, dry mouth, constipation, head ache, and confusion. Narcotic pain relievers may lead to a physical dependence if taken for long periods of time.
– Cortico Steroids used to treat fibromyalgia pain are usually administered in pill form, side effects include: weight gain, skin changes, mood disorders, muscle weakness, high blood pressure, and weakening bones. Side effects from cortico steroid injections include: cortisone flare, whitening of the skin at the injection site, and infection.
– Muscle relaxers cause nausea, vomiting, dry mouth, and abdominal pain. Muscle relaxers also carry a risk of dependence or addiction.
Pain medication and muscle relaxers should be used with caution. Patients taking these drugs in combination will experience more unpleasant side effects than patients who are only taking one of these drugs. The risk of becoming dependant on this medication increases with a combination of both pain medications and muscle relaxers.
There are alternatives for patients looking for a natural approach to managing their fibromyalgia symptoms that include: physical therapy, and an exercise regimen. Supplements are often used as an alternative treatment and include: 5- Hydroxytryptophan, SAMe (S-Adenosyl-L-Methionine), Magnesium, St. John’s wort, and Melatonin. Patients looking for a natural approach will still experience some unwanted side effects from the supplements that include:
- 5-Hydroxytryptophan causes, abdominal pain, gas, bloating, nausea, vomiting, heartburn, and loss of appetite.
- SAMe or (S-Adenosyl-L-Methionine causes, constipation, gas, nausea, vomiting, insomnia, sweating, and headache.
- Magnesium causes, high doses of magnesium can lead to dangerous side effects including irregular heartbeat, confusion, low blood pressure, and coma.
- John’s wort causes, sleep disorders, strange dreams, anxiety, irritability, fatigue, dry mouth, and headache.
- Melatonin causes, depression, sleepiness, headache, abdominal pain, irritability, and anxiety.
Supplements like prescription drugs can come with unwanted side effects. Patients should inform medical personnel of any supplements they take, as some can interfere with prescription medications.
Comments