Causes of Fibromyalgia

What does the term Fibromyalgia mean?

For those who do not know, or for those who have heard of fibromyalgia but have been sadly misinformed, fibromyalgia is an illness which causes chronic pain to your muscles and ligaments. It has many names such as fibromyositis, fibrositis, myofibrositis, and fibromyalgia syndrome. And just like its different names, there are also many causes of fibromyalgia.

It is characterized by a widespread musculoskeletal pain; widespread since, when it does attack you, you would not initially realize where the pain is coming from. It also causes fatigue and pain in other tender points. Aside from these physiological disturbances, it also causes you to feel insomniac and tired almost all the time, thus, fatigue.

Age does matter

Age has been considered to be a precipitating factor of almost every disease in the book. Well, this does not exempt fibromyalgia in the list. With fibromyalgia, there have been reports stating that more than eighty percent of those who have developed this awful disease are women who are aged thirty to sixty years old.

Causes of fibromyalgia

There are many causes of fibromyalgia. However, exact etiologic factor is actually not known. Actually, reports have said that a disturbed sleeping pattern may actually turn out more to be a cause instead of a symptom. Another cause is your family history. If your parent, either your mom or your dad, or one of your siblings, or any other relative in that matter, has fibromyalgia, then, of course, you are also at high risk for developing that very same disease.

If you are not sure whether a member of your family tree has fibromyalgia or has acquired of this disease and you just do not know it, then you better start tracing your family tree to make sure. Though this could be physically tiring for you and could make you spend an awful lot of time, the results you will get will also be very rewarding. It is better to be sure than sorry.

What happens in fibromyalgia?

Symptoms, as unwanted as they are, arise between the ages of twenty and fifty-five years. However this may be the case, it can also be diagnosed since your childhood days. Actually, these symptoms may also suddenly come and then suddenly go.

Those who experience fibromyalgia also suffer from depression, thus, they will tend to become more irritable. Now, if they are already irritable even before the disease process, then expect a war of the worlds. Another is tension, which will then lead to your migraine episodes. Bowel movement changes will also be a result, as well as bladder problems.

Treating fibromyalgia

If you really want to treat fibromyalgia, which is most probably the case if you finally realize that you do have it, then you can make use of antidepressants known as tricyclics. These medications are majorly prescribed for treating fibromyalgia to reduce sleeplessness and muscle pain. Thus, those eye bags of yours, after those sleepless nights suffering from pain related to your fibromyalgia, will be reduced.

You can also make use of cognitive-behavioral therapy or other more common forms of counseling, such as hypnotherapy. This is a fine experience since not everyone can actually get to experience being intentionally hypnotized to relieve symptoms of a specific disease.

Another effective way of treatment for fibromyalgia is the use of muscle relaxants like Flexeril. It greatly relaxes muscle spasms in certain locations, and guess what? It does not even affect your overall muscle function! This medication certainly is a go-go for fibromyalgia treatment.

When it comes to pain, of course, you can easily go to your nearest drugstore and purchase your favorite brand of pain relievers. However, the most common, or the ones that are believed to be the most effective are acetaminophen, ibuprofen and naproxen.

-- by NessDr.

Understanding Causes of Fibromyalgia Recommended Resources:

Health Link - Medical College of Wisconsin

UW Medicine