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Fibromyalgia is a condition that affects more women than men. As such, it is often overlooked or misdiagnosed.
Masking itself as other conditions, it can be a slippery one to catch and may take longer than would be otherwise acceptable to diagnose. In the meantime, you suffer from chronic exhuastion, experience pain in your muslces, ligaments and tendons and have multiple tender points, or places that react as if you were being touched in a violent or forceful manner even at the slightest, gentle touch.
Fibromyalgia can also be tricky because it tends to morph; rearing its ugly head and causing more intense discomfort during times of extreme stress than at other times.
Some of the most common areas to experience tender points in the body are:
Back of the head
Between shoulder blades
Top of shoulders
Front sides of neck
Upper chest
Outer elbows
Upper hips
Sides of hips
Inner knees
Fatigue and sleep disturbance
At times people with fibromyalgia can't achieve as deeply nourishing a sleep as those without it, often waking exhausted and drained.
Many people who have fibromyalgia also may have:
Chronic fatigue syndrome
Depression
Endometriosis
Headaches
Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)
Lupus
Osteoarthritis
Post-traumatic stress disorder
Restless legs syndrome
Rheumatoid arthritis
Doctors don't know what causes fibromyalgia, but it most likely involves a variety of factors working together. These may include:
Current thinking centers around a theory called central sensitization. This theory states that people with fibromyalgia have a lower threshold for pain because of increased sensitivity in the brain to pain signals.
Researchers believe repeated nerve stimulation causes the brains of people with fibromyalgia to change. This change involves an abnormal increase in levels of certain chemicals in the brain that signal pain (neurotransmitters). In addition, the brain's pain receptors seem to develop a sort of memory of the pain and become more sensitive, meaning they can overreact to pain signals.
Risk factors for fibromyalgia include:
Medications can help reduce the pain of fibromyalgia and improve sleep. Common choices include:
Analgesics. Acetaminophen (Tylenol, others) may ease the pain and stiffness caused by fibromyalgia. However, its effectiveness varies. Tramadol (Ultram) is a prescription pain reliever that may be taken with or without acetaminophen. Your doctor may recommend nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) — such as aspirin, ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin, others) or naproxen sodium (Aleve, others) — in conjunction with other medications. NSAIDs haven't proved to be as effective in managing the pain in fibromyalgia when taken by themselves.
Antidepressants. Your doctor may prescribe amitriptyline to help promote sleep. Fluoxetine (Prozac) in combination with amitriptyline is effective in some people. Duloxetine (Cymbalta) may help ease the pain and fatigue associated with fibromyalgia. And milnacipran (Savella) was recently approved by the Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of fibromyalgia symptoms.
Anti-seizure drugs. Medications designed to treat epilepsy are often useful in reducing certain types of pain. Gabapentin (Neurontin) is sometimes helpful in reducing fibromyalgia symptoms, while pregabalin (Lyrica) is the first drug approved by the Food and Drug Administration to treat fibromyalgia.
Therapy
Physical therapy. Specific exercises can help restore muscle balance and may reduce pain. Stretching techniques and the application of hot or cold also may help.
Counseling. Cognitive behavioral therapy seeks to strengthen your belief in your abilities and teaches you methods for dealing with stressful situations. Therapy is provided through individual counseling, classes, and with tapes, CDs or DVDs, and may help you manage your fibromyalgia.
The Mayo Clinic Online (http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/fibromyalgia/DS00079/DSECTION=treatments%2Dand%2Ddrugs)
Aimee Boyle is a regular contributor to EmpowHer in sexual health and Muscles. She also writes for eHow, Helium and HubPages. She lives on the beautiful Connecticut Shoreline with her family.
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