There’s no cure-all tablet for your fibromyalgia, but you have actually got great deals of medicines to choose from to treat your symptoms.
Some drugs relieve the aches and pains, while others might increase your energy or improve your sleep. You may need to take more than one fibromyalgia medication to find relief.
Pain Medication for Fibromyalgia
These medications can reduce fibromyalgia’s pains and pains:
Over-the-counter medications. These include acetaminophen and NSAIDs like aspirin, ibuprofen, and naproxen.
Talk to your doctor prior to taking NSAIDs frequently. Over an extended period of time, they might raise your possibilities of getting a cardiovascular disease or stroke. They might likewise cause ulcers and bleeding in the stomach or intestines.
Acetaminophen has fewer side effects, however it’s important to stay with the dosage your doctor recommends. Taking excessive of the drug can lead to liver damage.
Prescription drugs. In most cases, opioid painkillers aren’t recommended for fibromyalgia. They don’t work, and they may even make the pain even worse. However for major cases, your doctor might recommend tramadol (Ultram). Since tramadol can be addicting, you’ll usually only take it for a short time period. It can likewise cause stomach pain, constipation, nausea, and problem concentrating.
What Pain Medication Are Best for Fibromyalgia?
Due to the fact that you have good days and bad days with fibromyalgia, begin each early morning assessing how you feel. If you didn’t sleep well the night prior to, plan your day appropriately and organize to do less. If you feel well rested and your pain is tolerable, do more – but keep in mind that moderation is essential. Constantly be versatile. You never ever understand when you’ll have a flare, so pay attention to your body and take breaks when you need them.
When you’ve been diagnosed with fibromyalgia, your doctor will speak to you about treatment options. Several types of medications are used to assist manage fibromyalgia symptoms such as pain and fatigue.
3 medications are FDA-approved to treat fibromyalgia:
- Cymbalta (duloxetine): Cymbalta is atype of antidepressant called a serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor (SNRI). Researchers aren’t sure how Cymbalta works in fibromyalgia, but they think that increasing levels of serotonin and norepinephrine aid control and decrease sensations of pain.
- Lyrica (pregabalin): Lyrica is a nerve pain and epilepsy drug. In people with fibromyalgia, it might assist relax overly sensitive nerve cells that send out pain signals throughout the body. It has actually worked in dealing with fibro pain.
- Savella (milnacipran): Savella is also an SNRI. While scientists aren’t precisely sure how it works, studies have actually shown that it helps relieve pain and decrease tiredness in people with fibromyalgia.
Antidepressants are likewise often recommended to help people manage fibromyalgia symptoms:
- Tricyclic antidepressants. By helping increase levels of the brain chemicals serotonin and norepinephrine, these medications might help relax painful muscles and enhance the body’s natural painkillers.
- Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs). Your doctor may recommend one of these types of antidepressants by itself or in combination with a tricyclic antidepressant. SSRIs prevent serotonin from being reabsorbed in the brain. This may help reduce pain and tiredness.
These medications are also in some cases recommended for fibromyalgia:
- Anesthetics that are injected into particularly tender areas can provide temporary relief, normally for not than three months.
- Anticonvulsants or seizure medications such as Neurontin are effective for decreasing pain and anxiety. It is unclear how these medications work to relieve the symptoms in fibromyalgia.
- Muscle relaxants are sometimes recommended to help relieve pain associated with muscle strain in those with fibromyalgia.
Your Fibromyalgia Treatment Plan
Exercise is an important part of managing fibromyalgia symptoms. Staying physically active can alleviate pain, stress, and anxiety.
The secret is to begin gradually. Begin with extending and low-impact activities, such as walking, swimming or other water exercises, or bicycling. Low-impact aerobic exercises such as yoga, tai chi, or Pilates can also be useful. If you wish to increase the strength of your workout, talk with your doctor.
Whatever exercise you select, focus on 3 areas: variety of movement, aerobic, and strength training.
1) Physical Therapy for Fibromyalgia
Physical therapy can assist you get control of your health problem by concentrating on what you can do to improve your situation instead of on your chronic symptoms.
A physical therapist can reveal you how to get temporary relief from fibromyalgia pain and tightness, get more powerful, and improve your range of motion. And she can help you make little changes, such as practicing good posture, that assist prevent painful flare-ups.
2) Alternative Treatments for Fibromyalgia
A number of popular fibromyalgia treatments fall outside the world of mainstream medicine. In general, there hasn’t been extensive research on complementary and alternative medicine (CAM), however anecdotal evidence recommends that some might work. Constantly talk with your doctor before starting any alternative treatment.
Popular alternative treatments consist of:
- Acupuncture. This ancient recovery practice intends to increase blood flow and production of natural painkillers with thin needles placed into the skin at strategic points on the body. Some research studies report that acupuncture might help alleviate pain, anxiety, and fatigue.
- Massage therapy. This might help reduce muscle tension, ease pain in both muscles and soft tissue, enhance range of motion, and increase production of natural painkillers.
- Chiropractic treatment. Based on back modifications to reduce pain, this popular therapy may help eliminate fibromyalgia symptoms.
- Supplements. A number of dietary and other supplements are touted as treatments targeted at relieving fibromyalgia symptoms. A few of the most popular for fibromyalgia include magnesium, melatonin, 5-HTP, and SAMe, which may impact serotonin levels. Nevertheless, results of studies on these supplements are mixed. Make certain to talk with your doctor before taking any supplements. Some may have side effects and might respond severely with medication you are taking.
- Herbs. Similar to supplements, scientific evidence for the efficiency of herbs is mixed.
