Treatment for Fibromyalgia

What Is the Very Best Treatment for Fibromyalgia?

There is no cure for this syndrome and it cannot be prevented either. The treatment administered to patients suffering from Fibromyalgia relates to their symptoms. Since one patient’s symptoms can differ drastically from the other one’s symptoms, the treatment can be different as well. Following are some types of medication and treatment administered and recommended for people suffering from this syndrome:

1- Pain medication. Sometimes, doctors will prescribe pain medication to patients to help them control their main symptom. However, there should be a lot of attention on how this is done because pain medication can develop addiction and it can make the body become more resistant to it.

2- FDA-approved Fibromyalgia treatment. Although the drugs described under this category have been shown to be effective in treating pain and other Fibromyalgia symptoms, there is still no clear explanation on why it is that they work.

There are 3 drugs that have been approved by the Food and Drug Administration of the United States for treating Fibromyalgia:

• This drug was originally developed to treat the rashes caused by shingles, to treat nerve pain related to diabetes and to treat seizures too. However, it was later on (June 2007) approved to treat Fibromyalgia as well. Lyrica can show side effects such as sleepiness, weight gain, dizziness, problems concentrating and so on.
• This drug was initially created to treat diabetic nerve pain, depression and anxiety. Since in its very nature it is an antidepressant, it can show the same adverse effects: sleepiness, increase in thinking about death, excessive sweating, nausea, and so on.
• This particular drug has been marketed from the very beginning for the treatment of Fibromyalgia. It too can have typically antidepressant side effects such as insomnia, vomiting, constipation, excessive sweating, increased blood pressure and more.

3- Naltrexone. This type of medicine was administered for those who were addicted to alcohol and drugs in order to minimize the withdrawal symptoms they experienced. Recent studies have shown that naltrexone works with the immune function of the body and with the neurotransmitters responsible with pain and feeling good – endorphins.

The same studies show that people who tried this treatment showed improved levels of pain, fatigue and stress. Although it is not officially approved for the treatment of Fibromyalgia, further research in this particular drug will show whether it could be a better way to treat the symptoms shown by this syndrome.