Fibromyalgia is the most common arthritis-related illness after osteoarthritis . Still, it is often misdiagnosed and misunderstood . Muscle and joint pains and tiredness are the main symptoms .  Women are more affected than men . Fibromyalgia can often cause people to become depressed and socially isolated .

Fibromyalgia suffers often can’t work a steady job and often have to apply for disability .

What Are Fibromyalgia Symptoms?

Fibromyalgia causes you to ache all over. You may have symptoms of crippling fatigue — even on arising. Specific tender points on the body may be painful to touch. You may experience swelling, disturbances in deep-level or restful sleep and mood disturbances or depression.

Your muscles may feel like they have been overworked or pulled. They’ll feel that way even without exercise or another cause. Sometimes, your muscles twitch, burn, or have deep stabbing pain.

Some patients with fibromyalgia have pain and achiness around the joints in the neck, shoulder, back, and hips. This makes it difficult for them to sleep or exercise.  Other symptoms of fibromyalgia include:

• abdominal pain
• anxiety and depression
• chronic headaches
• difficulty maintaining sleep or light sleep
• dryness in mouth, nose, and eyes
• fatigue upon arising
• hypersensitivity to cold and/or heat
• inability to concentrate (called “fibro fog”)
• incontinence
• irritable bowel syndrome
• numbness or tingling in the fingers and feet
• painful menstrual cramps
• stiffness

Fibromyalgia is basically widespread pain over the entire body. 

Relief and treatment for fibromyalgia is available. There are many different medications used to treat fibromyalgia symptoms, including sleeping pills and antidepressants.  Some fibromyalgia medicines help ease pain. Others boost mood and improve sleep.

The selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are one of the newer classes of antidepressants. These fibromyalgia drugs include Prozac, Zoloft, Effexor and other antidepressants. They block the reuptake of serotonin and allow more serotonin to travel from neuron to neuron. That results in improved mood.

The over-the-counter pain reliever acetaminophen (Tylenol) elevates the pain threshold so you perceive less pain.

Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), when taken alone, haven’t been shown to relieve pain in fibromyalgia. However, when combined with other fibro medicines such as Flexeril, or an SSRI, NSAIDs often do help. NSAIDs  and include drugs such as aspirin, ibuprofen (Advil), and naproxen.

Stronger pain relief medications like Ultram, Tramadol and Fioricet are often used as well for stronger pains. These narcotic-like medications act centrally in the brain to modulate the sensation of pain. They have no anti-inflammatory effect, however, and is not as addictive as narcotics.

The muscle relaxant Flexeril has proved useful for the treatment of fibromyalgia . It aids in easing muscle tightness and improving sleep . Muscle relaxants work in the central nervous system to relax skeletal muscles. They are also used to ease pain problems associated with fibromyalgia, including TMJ, headache, muscle pain, and other aches and pain.

To become educated on medications available for treating and relieving fibromyalgia visit MedicineNoPrescription.org and get relief today so you can start living pain free .

Tags: fibromyalgia, medications
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