is there a cure for fibromyalgia?

Question

what are the most effective rx meds?

Answer 1

There isn't a cure. Fibromyalgia (FMS) is a neurological disorder of hypersensitivity - the nervous system, for some reason, is cranked up and reacts more strongly to everything, especially pain.

The most effective medications vary from person to person, depending on the degree of severity and which symptoms are causing the most problems for that person. Some people don't take any medications at all. Some just take antidepressants of various sorts, from old ones like Elavil to improve their sleep to new drugs like Cymbalta that might reduce pain levels. Precisely how any antidepressant might help FMS patients isn't understand, since FMS isn't caused by depression. Of course, we don't fully understand how antidepressants work for depression or other disorders, either, so I suppose that isn't terribly important :-)

Lyrica, an anti-seizure medication also approved to treat neuropathic pain caused by diabetic and herpetic viruses, is getting a lot of attention lately because Pfizer is putting a lot of money into promoting it to doctors. The FDA hasn't approved it as a treatment for fibromyalgia (they haven't approved ANYTHING as a treatment for FMS, as far as I know), but I believe Pfizer has applied to have Lyrica approved for it, and quite a few doctors are prescribing Lyrica for it.

Far too many doctors refuse to prescribe anything stronger than Ultram (if they'll go that far) to treat the pain of FMS. Some of us are fortunate enough to have access to pain management specialists, so we know that extended release morphine does a good job of controlling the chronic pain of FMS when combined with fast-acting narcotics for breakthrough pain. Muscle relaxants are often used, too, since many of us have muscle spasms and tension along with the pain - Flexeril, Skelaxin, Zanaflex, etc.

Most FMS patients benefit from some kind of sleep aid. That may be as simple as an herbal tea or an occasional dose of Benadryl. Standard sleeping pills (benzodiazepines) don't usually work well, as the sleeping problem associated with fibromyalgia (the alpha-delta anomaly) isn't just a matter of getting to or staying asleep, but getting enough of the right stage of sleep. Sinemet helps some patients with that.

No number or dosage of medications is effective without appropriate lifestyle changes, though. Stress reduction is the single most important factor in fibromyalgia treatment, as stress exacerbates FMS symptoms in every patient.

Answer 2

Is there a cure? Not exactly sure. There are many treatments and meds out there to help with Fibromyalgia. After suffering with Fibromyalgia for close to 20 years (I am in my mid 40's) being officially diagnosed for 6 years by a Rheumatologist.After flailing around looking for some medical professional to help me get my life back and doing everything from anti-depressants, Cyclobenzaprine, Cymbalta, Tizanidine, biofeedback, EEG, MRI's, hypnosis, exercises, pain killers and spending over $10,000 in uncovered medical bills, I finally found something that really works. Mind you I was on the verge of accepting my condition and thought I was going to end up in a wheelchair. The answer I found was not prescription meds but supplements produced by 4Life Research called Transfer Factor Advance and FibroAMJ Day and Night Formulas. The migraines are gone, the burning in my feet disappeared, I actually sleep through the night and I can get out of bed instead of having to roll out and practically crawl. This stuff has changed my life!

Answer 3

I have this, although mine consists of back pain and fatigue. I have physio and am about to start Tai Chi as I've heard it helps. I take paracetamol (full daily dose) and coedine phosphate (this is addictive) pain meds don't really help but they take the edge off. I've taken souble coedine aswell that helps but can cause headaches if you take too much too often. There is no cure I'm not sure what other pain meds there are, I'm not allowed any others due to dodgy kidneys and liver. Physio dept. have help groups and the hydro pool is supposed to be good too, aslo tackaling your causes of stress can reduce it Hope you feel better

Answer 4

My mother has had it for about 25 years, and my neighbor does too, for 15 years. They give my mother Ultram for pain and they tell her to do stretching exercises every morning to keep muscles from shrinking and causing more tightening. I have bought her books on the subject and they all say that taking magnesium before bed works. She suffered from alot of insomnia and Ambien has helped a bit but she doesnt like taking sleep aids! So many claim to be able to cure it by detoxifying the body. Toxics in the cells supposedly cause the body to attack itself creating all that pain. So far no other cure has been heard of. They say it comes from what we eat and put in our bodies that cause bad buildup. good luck

Answer 5

Aside from taking medications, physiotherapy can also help. See a Rehab Med doctor.

Answer 6

Cymbalta helps me.