If you are a sufferer, finding fibromyalgia treatments may be difficult due to the lack of understanding and common misdiagnosis of the disease. Treatment often requires a team approach for effectiveness. The team may include your doctor, a physical therapist, and possibly other health care providers. A pain or rheumatology clinic can be a good place to get treatment as well as there are many similar symptoms between Fibromyalgia and Rheumatoid Arthritis.
Testimonies from patients showed the following as helpful in aiding Fibromyalgia pain relief:
- exercise
- relaxation techniques
- stretching
- deeper sleep
- massage therapy
- physiotherapy
- osteopathy
- baths with Epsom salts
- acupuncture
- acupressure
- Botox injections
- Lidocaine injections
Traditional treatment of fibromyalgia is usually geared toward improving the quality of sleep and reducing pain, which means that a sleep study may aid with individualizing your therapy. Deep level (stage 4) sleep is crucial for many body functions (such as tissue repair, antibody production, and the regulation of various neurotransmitters, hormones and immune system chemicals). Therefore, treatment of the sleep disorders that frequently occur in fibromyalgia patients are usually addressed first because disturbed sleep may be a strong contributing factor to your symptoms.
- Common sleep-aid medications may include Ambien, Lunesta, clonazepam, and trazodone.
- Medications that boost your body’s level of serotonin and norepinephrine (neurotransmitters that modulate sleep, pain, and immune system function) are commonly prescribed in low doses for the treatment of fibromyalgia. Examples include amitriptyline, cyclobenzaprine, Cymbalta, and Savella. The latter two can disrupt sleep and may work best if taken in the morning.
- Ultram may help with the treatment of fibromyalgia pain, although stronger opioids may be needed for addressing moderate to severe pain.
- Muscle relaxants, anti-epileptics (such as Neurontin and Lyrica) and other drug categories may be prescribed as well. Each issue of the Fibromyalgia Network Journal contains information about new treatment options, as well as advice about how to make use of existing medications to minimize fibromyalgia symptoms.
