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Category: Fibromyalgia Medication

Explore the medications commonly used to treat Fibromyalgia, including pain relievers, antidepressants, and other options to manage symptoms effectively.

  • Controlling pain with nerve block injections

    The most common way to control pain is with oral medications, such as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (nsaids) or opioids. Some people don’t respond to these medications, though, while others are unable to tolerate oral pain medications. Nerve blocks are another way of treating pain with medication, but nerve blocks are injected, which increases efficacy and reduces the likelihood of other side effects.

    Nerve block injections allow the delivery of pain-relieving medication directly to the location where the medication will have the most impact.

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    When a nerve block is performed, it usually begins with the application of a topical anesthetic to numb the skin before the injection. Then imaging equipment, such as fluoroscopy or X-ray, is used to ensure the correct placement of the nerve block needle. Often, contrast dye is injected before the medication, to make doubly sure that the needle is placed correctly.

    The primary medication in a nerve block can vary. Usually it includes a numbing medication to deaden the nerves, such as lidocaine. Sometimes a steroid is also included to reduce inflammation. If the nerves or surrounding tissues are painfully irritated or inflamed, a steroid can help reduce pain, too.

    Individuals undergoing a nerve block can experience pain relief immediately, although for some people it may take a few days to experience pain relief. The length of the nerve block’s efficacy can vary from a month or two, up to several months in some cases. Often, the nearness of the injection to the nerves influences how long the effects last. The closer the injection is to the nerves, the longer the medication works.

    Because of their versatility, nerve block injections are able to provide relief from a wide variety of conditions.

    Conditions that might respond well to nerve blocks include:

    A physician will discuss pain symptoms and conduct tests and examinations. This will help him or her determine which nerves are being affected, and it’s why it’s so important to discuss pain symptoms as openly and fully as possible with the physician. For example, a complaint of leg pain is very general. However, shooting pain from the buttocks down the leg suggests a very different condition than aches in the knee joint. More specific knowledge about the type of pain being experienced will allow a more specific diagnosis, which will increase the likelihood that a nerve block will be successful.

    Nerve block injections can be applied to almost any painful area of the body.

    When a physician has determined which nerves are involved in a painful sensation, he or she will decide which type of nerve block will work best. For face pain, an occipital or sphenopalatine ganglion nerve block can provide relief. Back pain may respond to a facet joint, medial branch, or superior hypogastric plexus block. Celiac plexus or splanchnic nerve blocks may relieve abdominal pain. Pain in the chest may be lessened by intercostal or stellate ganglion blocks. Low back pain can potentially be relieved by a variety of nerve blocks, including cluneal, coccygeal, ganglion impar, lumbar facet, or lumbar medial branch blocks. Interscalene or sciatic nerve blocks may relieve limb pain.

    Another type of nerve block is sympathetic, meaning it’s delivered directly to the sympathetic nervous system via the spine. Because all the body’s nerves eventually lead to the spine, a sympathetic nerve block has the potential to relieve several different kinds of pain, as explained by the Pain Doctor article on sympathetic nerve blocks:

    “Reports show that sympathetic blocks are effective at treating pain in different body parts including the neck, head, back, tailbone, and limbs.”

    The placement of a sympathetic nerve block will determine which areas of the body experience pain relief. For example, a lumbar sympathetic block treats pain that originates in the nerves of the lumbar area, or lower back.

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    Nerve blocks can also help people who experience pain after the installation of spinal hardware. This type of hardware may be surgically implanted to treat spinal stenosis, injuries, trauma, degeneration, or deformities. Clamps, screws, and bone grafts can all be used, but they can also cause pain. A hardware block is a nerve block injected near the hardware to relieve the pain it may be causing.

    Sometimes, rather than the traditional injected nerve block, a continuous catheter nerve block is used. It involves a catheter inserted below the skin near the nerves. A small container of pain medication is attached to the catheter, which allows the medication to be delivered continuously to provide long-lasting pain relief.

    In addition to providing pain relief, a nerve block injection can be used as a diagnostic tool.

    The source of pain, especially chronic pain, can be difficult to diagnose. By extension, it can be difficult to successfully treat pain when the underlying condition isn’t clear. For this reason, nerve block injections are often utilized as diagnostic tools.

    A nerve block injection is relatively low risk. As with any injection, there’s always a risk of infection, irritation, or bruising at the site. Additionally, there’s an extremely low risk that the nerve block injection will miss the nerve and instead hit an artery. However, as compared to other interventional pain management techniques, nerve blocks are very low-risk.

    This makes nerve blocks a good choice to test a physician’s diagnosis. For example, if a person is experiencing acute headaches, the cause could be one of several underlying conditions, as noted in the Pain Doctor article on acute headaches:

    “In fact, there are over 150 different classifications of headaches. Given this wide range of symptomatology, determining the cause of a headache can be somewhat difficult at times. Indeed, in some instances physicians are not able to clearly identify the precise cause of acute headache pain at all.”

    However, if a nerve block injected into the occipital nerve relieves the headaches, it can confirm a diagnosis of occipital neuralgia. Then, if the pain returns after the nerve block has worn off, another nerve block injection can be applied. Alternatively, other treatment methods, such as radiofrequency ablation, can be utilized after the nerve block has worn off, with confidence that the correct nerves are being targeted.

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  • Physicians Recommend Cannabis As An Effective Treatment of Chronic Pain

    What Is Chronic Pain?

    Pain is a complex phenomenon made up of physical, mental, and social components. At a basic level, the ability to perceive pain has helped people survive throughout the ages. Without feeling the uncomfortable sensation when you touch a stove, which causes you to remove your hand, the heat from the stove would end up causing far more damage to the cells in your hand, than it did before you felt the pain.

    In essence, pain is the body’s way of letting you know something is wrong. However, it is when pain fails to subside, despite removing the initial cause, that it becomes pathologic, and known as chronic pain.

    “The origins of chronic pain can be categorized into visceral (internal organs), somatic (skin and deep tissue), and neurogenic (nerves).”

    Chronic pain can have a wide range of causes and can be associated with a number of different disease processes, thus the ability to diagnose chronic pain syndromes has been a widely debated topic within the medical community for many years.

    Earlier this year, the American Pain Society, released a framework that attempts to account for all of the various factors that encompass chronic pain syndromes: physical, pathological, neurobiological, psychological, and social. Broadly speaking, however, the origins of chronic pain can be categorized into visceral (internal organs), somatic (skin and deep tissue), and neurogenic (nerves).

    The Institute of Medicine reports that common chronic pain affects approximately 100 million American adults at a cost of $560-635 billion in direct medical treatment cost and lost productivity. However, while the impact of chronic pain is wide-reaching across the population, its effect on the individual person is unique; there is variation in the source(s), severity, duration, response to treatment, and psychological impact from person to person.

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    Conventional Therapies For Chronic Pain

    Given the variety in the spectrum of chronic pain, it is no wonder why clinicians at times find difficulty in helping patients manage their chronic pain. This difficulty in management has contributed in part to the wide range of therapies that are used to treat chronic pain, such as aspirin, ibuprofen, and other drugs which are classified broadly as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and can be purchased over over the counter.

    These medications may work well for short-term relief of mild to moderate pain, but they can create side effects such as ulcers and potentially damage the liver when used continuously, such as in a chronic pain scenario. It is for these reasons that most clinicians avoid relying on this type of medication for long-term pain relief.

    A more powerful alternative to NSAIDs is the opiates, such as morphine, oxycodone, codeine, and hydromorphone. The drugs have been well described in the scientific literature, and work by affecting the body’s natural opioid receptors to prevent the nerves responsible for sending pain signals from firing.

    These medications have the ability to provide tremendous pain relief and provide clinicians the opportunity to perform life-saving therapies which would otherwise be impossible (e.g. surgery). However, in the treatment of chronic pain, opioid therapy by itself can become problematic for patients – the body begins to develop a tolerance to these medications, thus the dose required in order to get symptomatic relief continues to increase over time.

    Additionally, the side effects of taking opioids (sedation, nausea, constipation, and potential respiratory depression and death) make physicians reluctant to continue to raise dosages for patients out of fear of causing dependence. This fear is not ill-conceived either; in 2007, the US Substance and Mental Health Services Administration declared that the dependence on and abuse of pharmaceutical medications is the fastest growing form of problematic substance use in America.

    Recently, the argument has been made that the growing rate of prescription drug abuse in the first decade of the 21 century, has been the foundation for the emerging heroin epidemic which characterizes this decade. Due to the issue of tolerance and dependence on opioids, many physicians, supplement the therapy with anti-depressants, muscle relaxants, and additional interventions when treating patients with chronic pain in an attempt to provide relief.

    Cannabis And Chronic Pain

    The use of cannabis to treat chronic pain has had a long history, with written references of its use dating back to around 2700 B.C.E. The first records in the nineteenth century were recorded by the Irish doctor William B. O’Shaughnessy, who described the use of cannabis in the treatment of cholera, rabies, tetanus, menstrual cramps, and delirium tremens.

    In modern times, significant research has been done around cannabis therapy in the treatment of chronic pain with very promising results.

    “Medical cannabis is a very effective therapy for chronic pain patients because it affects people’s perception of pain, has the ability to mitigate the inflammatory process, and has been shown to affect voltage-gated sodium channels in nerves in a way similar to lidocaine.” – Dr. Mark Rabe

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    “Medical cannabis is a very effective therapy for chronic pain patients because it affects people’s perception of pain, has the ability to mitigate the inflammatory process, and has been shown to affect voltage-gated sodium channels in nerves in a way similar to lidocaine,” reports Dr. Mark Rabe, Medical Director of Centric Wellness, am integrative holistic healthcare practice in San Diego CA and Chairman of the Scientific Advisory Board at Medical Marijuana Sciences, Inc.

    The ability of cannabis therapy to help relieve chronic pain on multiple fronts rests squarely in the cannabinoid receptors – cannabinoid receptor type-1 (CB1) and type-2 (CB2). Studies have shown that CB1 receptors are located all over the body, however, they have a particularly high concentration in the central nervous system in areas that control pain perception. CB2 receptors, on the other hand, are primarily located in areas of the body that control immune function, such as the spleen, white blood cells, and tonsils.

    The fact that these receptors are found in the two major body systems responsible for producing the sensation of pain, the immune system and the nervous system is what gives cannabis its therapeutic relevance in the chronic pain space. Additionally, and importantly, there is a lack of cannabinoid receptors in the brainstem region, the area of the brain responsible for controlling breathing, thus the dangerous side effect of respiratory depression found with high dose opioid use is not a factor in cannabis therapy.

    In practical application, cannabis therapy can be used in conjunction with other chronic pain therapies. In his clinical practice, Dr. Rabe reports, “We have many patients who come in on higher doses of opioid medications. Through using cannabis, in conjunction with other therapies, they are able to lower their daily opioid requirement.”

    Numerous studies support these findings, including a 2011 study published in the Journal of Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics which showed that vaporizing cannabis increased the patient-reported analgesic effect of opioids, without altering plasma opioid levels. Moreover, there is an emerging body of research whose findings suggest cannabis can be used as an effective substitution therapy for patients with opiate abuse issues.

    Overall, we are just at the beginning of our understanding of the possible therapeutic benefits associated with cannabis in the treatment of chronic pain. In addition to the wide range of possibilities in targeting CB1 and CB2 receptors, scientists are beginning to look at targets within the body’s endocannabinoid metabolic life cycle for potential opportunities for therapeutic intervention. Given the growing need for clinicians to transition away from an opiate–dependent treatment protocol for chronic pain, hopefully, these breakthroughs happen sooner rather than later. Naturally, the relaxation of government prohibition would go a long way towards supporting these efforts.

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  • Fibromyalgia Supplements | How Nigella Sativa Can Helpful for Fibromyalgia Patients

    People with fibromyalgia have chronic pain that results from inflamed muscle and tissue.  Fibromyalgia causes painful and achy spots in the muscle and can prevent people from being active.  Pain can range from mild to severe, and some people who have fibromyalgia have a hard time getting out of bed.

    Aside from chronic muscle pain, fibromyalgia can also lead to anxiety, depression, isolation, and others due to the pain endured by sufferers.

    As a treatment, people try various different methods including massage, acupuncture, drug treatments, homeopathy, stress relief exercises, meditation, exercise, and others.  There are many lifestyle changes that people with fibromyalgia pain must make.

    People with fibromyalgia often suffer from fatigue and have a hard time sleeping.  Even when they first wake up, they may feel tired and not rested. Therefore, it is important for people to manage their stress levels, and to work to try to avoid depression and isolation.

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    There are different drug treatments used to ease the pain of fibromyalgia.  Corticosteroids and NSAIDS are treatments that can ease pain, but they can also have adverse side effects.

    Many people are seeking alternative methods of healing, including homeopathic and natural/alternative medicine.  These methods use natural substances to treat conditions and diseases.

    One natural method to ease fibromyalgia is taking colloidal silver (2-4 ounces per day).  Proteolytic and digestive enzymes can be taken to help dissolve fibrin.

    Other natural supplements that may help include curcumin, magnesium, Nigella sativa (black seed oil), and herbal oleander.  All of these work with the immune system.  Nigella sativa may help fibromyalgia.

    It has been estimated that 80-95% of people with fibromyalgia are magnesium deficient. Magnesium is a necessary nutrient for over 300 biochemical functions in the body.

    Colloidal silver has been very effective in helping to treat fibromyalgia symptoms.  Herbal oleander is a powerful immune booster and can be helpful in relieving fibromyalgia.  This should be taken in a proven supplement form, as it can be toxic in high doses.

    Vitamin D3 is an immune modulator and D3 deficiency has been linked to immune disorders. Curcumin is the active ingredient in turmeric and is an immune modulator that relieves pain and inflammation.

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  • Double Up These Two Medicine to Fight Fibromyalgia Pain | Fibromyalgia Medication

    Is there a more effective way to treat fibromyalgia?

    A Canadian researcher think he has uncovered one. Ian Gilron is the Director of Clinical Pain Research, Professor of Anesthesiology, and Biomedical Sciences, and Faculty in the Centre for Neuroscience Studies at Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario, Canada

    The results of a trial suggest that combining pregabalin (Lyrica), an anti-seizure drug, with duloxetine (Cymbalta), an antidepressant, can safely improve outcomes in fibromyalgia, including not only pain relief, but also physical function and overall quality of life. Until now, these drugs have been proven, individually, to treat fibromyalgia pain.

    “Previous evidence supports added benefits with some drug combinations in fibromyalgia,” says, Dr. Gilron. “We are very excited to present the first evidence demonstrating superiority of a duloxetine-pregabalin combination over either drug alone.”

    Fibromyalgia was initially thought to be a musculoskeletal disorder. Research now suggests it’s a disorder of the central nervous system – the brain and spinal cord. Researchers believe that fibromyalgia amplifies painful sensations by affecting the level and activity of brain chemicals responsible for processing pain signals.

    “The condition affects about 1.5 to 5 per cent of Canadians – more than twice as many women as men. It can have a devastating on the lives of patients and their families,” explains Dr. Gilron. “Current treatments for fibromyalgia are either ineffective or intolerable for many patients.”

    This study is the latest in a series of clinical trials – funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) – that Dr. Gilron and his colleagues have conducted on combination therapies for chronic pain conditions. By identifying and studying promising drug combinations, their research is showing how physicians can make the best use of current treatments available to patients.

    “The value of such combination approaches is they typically involve drugs that have been extensively studied and are well known to health-care providers,” says Dr. Gilron.

    This new research was published in the journal Pain.

    Dr. Gilron and his research team at Queen’s are members of the SPOR Network on Chronic Pain. The national network, funded under Canada’s Strategy for Patient-Oriented Research, directs new research, trains researchers and clinicians, increases access to care for chronic pain sufferers, and speeds up the translation of the most recent research into practice.

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    Official Fibromyalgia Blogs

    Click here to Get the latest Chronic illness Updates

    Fibromyalgia Stores

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  • Fibromyalgia Medication | Lyrica For Fibromyalgia Pain Relief Approved By FDA

    Medication For Fibromyalgia Pain Relief

    Lyrica (pregabalin) is an FDA-approved drug For Fibromyalgia Pain Relief. Fibromyalgia is a chronic disorder thatcauses long-term, worldwide muscle pain and tenderness, trouble sleeping, and overwhelming tiredness. this drug is not an antidepressant.The medicine has long been used to reduce nerve pain in patients with shingles and diabetic neuropathy. It is also used to treat partial seizures.

    How Does Lyrica Work for Fibromyalgia Pain Relief? Fibromyalgia pain is consider to be brought on by nerve related changes which cause nerve cells to fire off too many signals. This renders a person overly sensitive to stimuli that are normally not painful.Scientists aren’t exactly sure how Lyrica improves symptoms and For Fibromyalgia Pain Relief. but laboratory research suggests Lyrica helps decrease the number of nerve signal and as a result calms down overly sensitive nerve cells. This appears to alleviate pain in patients with Fibromyalgia.

    How Do You Take Lyrica for Fibromyalgia Pain Relief?When used for fibromyalgia, Lyrica is a capsule that is usually taken in divided doses twice a day. Doses range from 150 milligrams to 450 milligrams a day. Your doctor will determine the best dose for you. If you miss taking one capsule, you should take it as soon as possible — unless it is close to the time when you are supposed to take the next one. Never take two or more at the same time.You should not suddenly stop taking this medicine. Doing so can give you a headache, upset stomach, diarrhea, and sleeping difficulties. If you wish or need to stop taking the medicine, your doctor will tell you how to slowly reduce your dose over time.

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    The Benefits of Lyrica: Lyrica can quickly reduce pain and for Fibromyalgia Pain Relief, improve sleep, and help some people with fibromyalgia function better and get back to their daily routines. In studies, some patients reported significantly less pain after taking Lyrica for only one week. Lyrica, however, may not help everyone with fibromyalgia.

    Before You Take Lyrica for Fibromyalgia Pain Relief: Always make sure your doctor knows about all the other medications you are taking. This includes over-the-counter drugs, as well as herbs and supplements. Some prescription medicines may interact with Lyrica and may lead to dangerous side effects. Such drugs include:

    1. Blood pressure medicines called ACE inhibitors; taking Lyrica with these medicines increases your chance for swelling and hives.

    2. Diabetes medicines Avandia (rosiglitazone) or Actos (pioglitazone); if you take these drugs with this drug, you may have a higher risk for swelling or weight gain.

    3. Narcotic pain medicines (such as oxycodone), anxiety medicines (such as lorazepam), and tranquilizers; combining these drugs with this drug increases your chances for dizziness and sleepiness.

    4. Sleep medicines make you nod off, and Lyrica can cause drowsiness. Combining the two can be dangerous.

    Do not drink alcohol when on Lyrica. Doing so can increase Lyrica’s side effects and make you dangerously sleepy.

    Also tell your doctor if you have any other medical conditions, including:

    1. Bleeding disorders or low platelet counts

    2. Heart problems

    3. Kidney problems or if you receive kidney dialysis (a lower dose of Lyrica is needed if you have kidney problems)

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    Fibromyalgia Contact Us Directly

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    Official Fibromyalgia Blogs

    Click here to Get the latest Chronic illness Updates

    Fibromyalgia Stores

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  • Fibromyalgia Medication | EXCELLENT COMBINATION OF THESE TWO MEDICATION TO FIGHT FIBROMYALGIA PAIN

    A Canadian researcher thinks he has uncovered one. Ian Gilron is the Director of Clinical Pain Research, Professor of Anesthesiology, and Biomedical Sciences, and Faculty in the Centre for Neuroscience Studies at Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario, Canada

    The results of a trial suggest that combining pregabalin (Lyrica), an anti-seizure drug, with duloxetine (Cymbalta), an antidepressant, can safely improve outcomes in fibromyalgia, including not only pain relief, but also physical function and overall quality of life. Until now, these drugs have been proven, individually, to treat fibromyalgia pain.
    “Previous evidence supports added benefits with some drug combinations in fibromyalgia,” says, Dr. Gilron. “We are very excited to present the first evidence demonstrating the superiority of a duloxetine-pregabalin combination over either drug alone.”

    Fibromyalgia was initially thought to be a musculoskeletal disorder. Research now suggests it’s a disorder of the central nervous system – the brain and spinal cord. Researchers believe that fibromyalgia amplifies painful sensations by affecting the level and activity of brain chemicals responsible for processing pain signals.

    “The condition affects about 1.5 to 5 percent of Canadians – more than twice as many women as men. It can have a devastating on the lives of patients and their families,” explains Dr. Gilron. “Current treatments for fibromyalgia are either ineffective or intolerable for many patients.”

    This study is the latest in a series of clinical trials – funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) – that Dr. Gilron and his colleagues have conducted on combination therapies for chronic pain conditions. By identifying and studying promising drug combinations, their research is showing how physicians can make the best use of current treatments available to patients.

    “The value of such combination approaches is they typically involve drugs that have been extensively studied and are well known to healthcare providers,” says Dr. Gilron.

    This new research was published in the journal Pain.

    Dr. Gilron and his research team at Queen’s are members of the SPOR Network on Chronic Pain. The national network, funded under Canada’s Strategy for Patient-Oriented Research, directs new research, trains researchers and clinicians, increases access to care for chronic pain sufferers and speeds up the translation of the most recent research into practice.

    https://fibromyalgia-6.creator-spring.com/
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    Click Here to Visit the Store and find Much More….

    For More Information Related to Fibromyalgia Visit below sites:

    References:

    Fibromyalgia Contact Us Directly

    Click here to Contact us Directly on Inbox

    Official Fibromyalgia Blogs

    Click here to Get the latest Chronic illness Updates

    Fibromyalgia Stores

    Click here to Visit Fibromyalgia Store

  • Fibromyalgia Medications | Lyrica a Better Choice Than Opioids for Harnessing Fibromyalgia Pain and its Consequences

    Lyrica (pregabalin), when used on its own for fibromyalgia, is superior to opioids in reducing pain and improving pain interference in daily life, finds a study sponsored by Pfizer.

    The analysis, which included 1,421 fibromyalgia patients, showed that those using Lyrica doses recommended for fibromyalgia treatment had the best outcomes, suggesting that many patients should increase their doses to reach recommended levels.

    Pfizer and ProCare Systems conducted the study, “Interpreting the Effectiveness of Opioids and Pregabalin for Pain Severity, Pain Interference, and Fatigue in Fibromyalgia Patients,” which took aim at the notion that — despite little evidence of their effectivity — opioids are the most commonly prescribed drugs for fibromyalgia. To examine how different treatments affect pain and related outcomes in fibromyalgia patients, the research team turned to information from the ProCare Systems network of chronic pain clinics in Michigan.

    All patients received Lyrica or opioids alone or in combination, and had been through several pain health assessments, including pain characteristics, physical function, and psychosocial function.

    The team divided the patients into different groups based on their average morphine equivalent dose or average Lyrica dose. Patients were followed between 56 and 365 days. Nearly 78 percent of them were women — typical of fibromyalgia in the real world.

    Findings, published in the journal Pain Practice, showed that only 3.4 percent of patients took the recommended Lyrica dose of 300-450 mg. Most patients took less than 150 mg of Lyrica, either alone or combined with high-dose opioids.

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    The team assessed the number of patients in the different medication groups and noted that more of those who took Lyrica without opioids achieved at least 30 percent improvement across all pain measurements.

    Lyrica treatment was also superior to opioids or opioid-Lyrica combinations in improving pain-related aspects, such as “ability to enjoy life, activity in general, mood and sleep.” The only pain-related aspect that was better in the group combining Lyrica and moderate doses of opioids was “relationships with others.”

    When increasing the threshold to at least 50 percent improvement in pain and pain-related aspects of daily living, Lyrica was again superior to opioids or combinations.

    While Lyrica did score low on how well it affected fatigue, it did better when combined with moderate opioid doses.

    “Pregabalin without opioids provided the most favorable outcomes overall based on ≥30% and ≥50% improvement thresholds … with support for moderate … opioids+pregabalin in patients suffering from fatigue” researchers wrote.

    Researchers also noted that patients taking higher Lyrica doses, reaching the recommended dose range, had better outcomes than those taking low doses.

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    Fibromyalgia Contact Us Directly

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    Official Fibromyalgia Blogs

    Click here to Get the latest Chronic illness Updates

    Fibromyalgia Stores

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  • Fibromyalgia Supplements | A Miracle Thyme Tea Reliefs Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigues

    Thyme is an herb from the mint family. This is a truly ancient herb, used by the Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans for ceremonial and ritualistic purposes. Through the Middle Ages where it was also used for religious and medicinal reasons. It is an incredibly potent yet simple herb affecting multiple systems in the body and capable of treating dozens of diseases. It contains one of the strongest antioxidants known and is proven to kill 98% of breast cancer cells.

    Thyme contains thymol which is a natural antiseptic, antibacterial, and an expectorant, making this tea with honey and lemon a delicious remedy for all of you suffering from sore throats and coughs.

    Wild thyme tea is recommended for cough, hangover, flu, and sore throat. Thyme has primarily been used for respiratory ailments for its infection-fighting and cough suppressive qualities. Thyme honey is ideal for sweetening herb teas. Blend thyme with nettle for allergies and mints for colds and congestion. It is also help’s if you have fibromyalgia, rheumatoid arthritis, lupus & multiple sclerosis.

    Thyme Tea Recipe

    Ingredients:

    -1c Boiling Water
    -1tbs dry or 1T fresh Thyme
    -1tbs dry or 1T fresh sage
    -1-1 Ginger slices
    -Honey to taste

    Directions:
    -Warm your teacup with hot water.
    -Pour away the water.
    -Put herbs in the cup. Add fresh boiling water and cover.
    -Leave to steep 3 to 5 minutes. Add more herbs for a stronger flavor.
    -Steeping too long will make the tea bitter. Use Honey or a natural herbal sweetener like Stevia.
    -Add ginger slices and/or lemon slices if desired.

    Other Health Benefits Of Thyme

    -Lower Blood Pressure
    -Boost your Immunity
    -Boost your Mood
    -Improves bone health
    -Antioxidant Capacity
    -Immune System
    -Anti-fungal Ability

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    Fibromyalgia Contact Us Directly

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    Official Fibromyalgia Blogs

    Click here to Get the latest Chronic illness Updates

    Fibromyalgia Stores

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  • Medications | Why Doctors Over prescribing Gabapentin and Pregabalin (Lyrica) for Pain?

    Let’s be perfectly honest. Most doctors have a difficult time with chronic pain patients. One physician described it to us many years ago: “When I see a patient suffering severe chronic pain come in the front door I want to go out the back door.” That’s because there are few good options. Drugs like hydrocodone or oxycodone used to be prescribed in huge quantities. Now gabapentin (Neurontin) and pregabalin (Lyrica) are on the ascendency and opioids are shunned.
    The Opioid Epidemic:
    Doctors are dismayed by the opioid epidemic sweeping the nation. Over the last year, the drumbeat of headlines about opioid overdoses and deaths has scared a lot of physicians into cutting back on prescribing drugs like hydrocodone or oxycodone.

    Many of the overdose deaths are caused by illicit fentanyl. People OD because they have no idea how potent the narcotics are that they are snorting, swallowing, or injecting. According to the CDC (Nov. 3, 2017):

    “Preliminary estimates of U.S. drug overdose deaths exceeded 60,000 in 2016 and were partially driven by a fivefold increase in overdose deaths involving synthetic opioids (excluding methadone), from 3,105 in 2013 to approximately 20,000 in 2016. Illicitly manufactured fentanyl, a synthetic opioid 50–100 times more potent than morphine, is primarily responsible for this rapid increase. In addition, fentanyl analogs such as acetylfentanyl, furanylfentanyl, and carfentanil are being detected increasingly in overdose deaths and the illicit opioid drug supply.”

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    Fentanyl powder does not come from your local pharmacy. Most of it is illicit and is coming from foreign countries (CBS News; New York Times, Aug. 10, 2017). China and Mexico are major suppliers. It is being added to heroin or even counterfeit opioid pills that look like Percocet (CNN June 8, 2017) or Oxycontin. The government does not seem to know how to stem the flow of illicit fentanyl that is flooding the country.
    Doctors and Opioids:
    It is hardly any wonder that doctors have cut back on prescriptions for hydrocodone and oxycodone. Like the rest of us, they read horrifying reports about opioid deaths. The evening news often leads with graphic accounts of accidental overdoses. Federal guidelines and restrictions have made it harder for physicians to prescribe opioids.
    Gabapentinoids: What Are They?

    As a result of the negative publicity and constraints about opioids, many people who are in severe pain have been left without relief. Consequently, physicians are searching for other drugs they can prescribe instead of narcotics. They may turn to gabapentinoids (gabapentin and pregabalin).

    Gabapentin (Neurontin) and pregabalin (Lyrica) are both used to treat nerve pain. Doctors prescribed these medications three times more often in 2015 than they did in 2002, despite no radical change in the number of patients with neuropathic pain (JAMA Internal Medicine, online Jan. 2, 2018).
    The author advises his colleagues to use these drugs cautiously:

    “The combination of a dearth of long-term safety data, small effect sizes, concern for increased risk of overdose in combination with opioid use, and high rates of off-label prescribing, which are associated with high rates of adverse effects, raises concern about the levels of gabapentinoid use. While individual clinical scenarios can be challenging, caution should be advised in the use of gabapentinoids, particularly for those individuals who are longterm opioid users, given the lack of proven long-term efficacy and the known and unknown risks of gabapentinoid use.”

    A perspective published in the New England Journal of Medicine goes even further (Aug. 3, 2017).

    The authors note that guidelines from the CDC recommend acetaminophen and NSAIDs as first-line options for osteoarthritis and low back pain. The physicians point out that “acetaminophen is often ineffective, and NSAIDs are associated with adverse effects that limit their use…”
    They go on to say:

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    “The CDC guidelines also recommend gabapentinoids (gabapentin or pregabalin) as first-line agents for neuropathic pain. We believe, however, that gabapentinoids are being prescribed excessively — partly in response to the opioid epidemic”

    They conclude:

    “Patients who are in pain deserve empathy, understanding, time, and attention. We believe some of them may benefit from a therapeutic trial of gabapentin or pregabalin for off-label indications, and we support robust efforts to limit opioid prescribing. Nevertheless, clinicians shouldn’t assume that gabapentinoids are an effective approach for most pain syndromes or a routinely appropriate substitute for opioids.”

    Gabapentin Side Effects:
    The history of gabapentin (Neurontin) is fascinating. It was originally approved by the FDA for treating epilepsy in 1993. There is a tale of woe and intrigue about how the company that marketed Neurontin got into trouble with the FDA for illegal off-label marketing practices. We won’t go into that here, but you can read all about it in this article:
    Surprising Gabapentin Side Effects
    Gabapentin has become a go-to drug for doctors who are trying to control chronic pain problems. At last count, dispensed prescriptions have gone from 39 million in 2012 to 51 million in 2014 to 64 million in 2016 (Quintiles IMS, May 2017, now IQVIA Institute).

    Gabapentin can cause depression, dizziness, fatigue, drowsiness, digestive tract upset, trouble with balance, cognitive difficulties, and visual problems. The official prescribing information warns:

    “Antiepileptic drugs (AEDs), including gabapentin, increase the risk of suicidal thoughts or behavior in patients taking these drugs for any indication. Patients treated with any AED for any indication should be monitored for the emergence or worsening of depression, suicidal thoughts or behavior, and/or any unusual changes in mood or behavior.”

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  • Fibromyalgia Researches | Endocannabinoid Deficiency Leads to Fibromyalgia. National Pain Foundation Survey

    In 2014, a survey of more than 1,300 fibromyalgia patients by the National Pain Foundation and National Pain Report found medical marijuana is more effective than Lyrica, Cymbalta, or Savella, the three drugs approved by the Food and Drug Administration to treat the disorder. (If you’re curious about the effectiveness of Lyrica, Cymbalta, and Savella, then you might be interested in my post, “Why your fibro meds aren’t working.”)

    There’s growing anecdotal evidence that marijuana relieves fibromyalgia pain, but actual research is still scant. Cannabis remains a Schedule I controlled substance in the United States, making it difficult for researchers to study the plant’s pain-relieving properties. To date, there have been less than a handful of small studies using cannabis or its derivatives to treat fibromyalgia. Most of those have shown it to be beneficial, especially for pain relief.

    But why does cannabis seem to work so well? Dr. Ethan Russo, medical director of PHYTECS, believes fibromyalgia’s multifaceted symptoms may be caused by a deficiency in the body’s endocannabinoid system (ECS), a condition he calls Clinical Endocannabinoid Deficiency (CED). Maybe the reason cannabis is so effective is that it’s simply supplementing what the body needs – similar to how people take a supplement to treat vitamin D or B12 deficiency.

    Russo explores the evidence behind his hypothesis in a soon-to-be-published review entitled, “Clinical Endocannabinoid Deficiency Reconsidered: Current Research Supports the Theory in Migraine, Fibromyalgia, Irritable Bowel, and Other Treatment-Resistant Syndromes.” While his idea is still theoretical, there is some early research indicating he may be onto something.

    The ECS is made up of cannabinoid receptors within the brain, spinal cord, nerves, gut, organs, and other locations in the body. It helps the body maintain homeostasis and is involved in a number of physiological processes, including pain sensation, mood, memory, and appetite, among others. The body naturally makes endocannabinoids – the same kinds of endocannabinoids found in cannabis – that feed the ECS and keep it functioning.

    Fibromyalgia causes symptoms throughout the body, with the primary ones being a pain, fatigue, cognitive and sleep difficulties. Certain conditions, like irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and migraine, are extremely common among those with fibromyalgia – so much so that Russo believes they may all be connected to an ECS deficiency.

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    His theory makes sense. The ECS plays a role in so many of the body’s major systems, so if it was indeed malfunctioning, that would account for why fibro sufferers have such varied symptoms. Supplementing the ECS with cannabinoids from the cannabis plant would, in theory, relieve symptoms because the deficiency is being treated.

    Russo first posited that fibromyalgia, IBS, and migraine may be caused by an ECS deficiency back in 2001. (Click here to read his first review on the subject.) His latest review gives an update on new research that supports ECS deficiency as a possible culprit for fibromyalgia, IBS, and migraine.

    “Additional studies have provided a firmer foundation for the theory,” he writes in the review, “while clinical data have also produced evidence for decreased pain, improved sleep, and other benefits to cannabinoid treatment and adjunctive lifestyle approaches affecting the endocannabinoid system.”

    CED is based on the premise that many brain disorders have been linked to neurotransmitter deficiencies. For example, dopamine has been implicated in Parkinson’s disease, and serotonin and norepinephrine have been associated with depression.

    “If endocannabinoid function were decreased, it follows that a lowered pain threshold would be operative, along with derangements of digestion, mood and sleep among the almost universal physiological systems sub-served by the ECS,” Russo writes.

    That’s a mouthful, but essentially it means if the ECS isn’t properly working, then it could account for the pain, sleep, digestive and other issues so common among fibromyalgia patients. Adding cannabinoids to the body through the use of cannabis may help to bring the ECS back into balance.

    “It’s a key in a lock in your body that exists for a reason,” explains Dr. Jahan Marcu, chief scientist with Americans for Safe Access. “We send in cannabinoids to activate this system that’s supposed to be working. It’s a sort of care and feeding of the ECS so it can do its job.”

    The best evidence for CED comes from an Italian migraine study, which found reduced levels of an endocannabinoid known as anandamide in patients with chronic migraines versus healthy controls.

    “Reduced [anandamide] levels in the cerebrospinal fluid of chronic migraine patients support the hypothesis of the failure of this endogenous cannabinoid system in chronic migraine,” read the study.

    Unfortunately, the Italian study will probably never be repeated in the United States because it required risky and invasive lumbar punctures.

    In the gut, the ECS modulates the movement of food along the digestive tract, the release of digestive juices to break down food, and inflammation.

    Cannabis has long been used to treat digestive issues and was one of the first effective treatments for diarrhea caused by cholera in the 19th century.

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    “Unfortunately while many patient surveys have touted the benefit of cannabinoid treatment of IBS symptoms, and abundant anecdotal support is evident on the Internet, little actual clinical work has been accomplished,” Russo writes.

    A few studies using marijuana for fibromyalgia have had positive results. Overall, marijuana has been found to decrease pain and anxiety, and improve sleep and general well-being.

    “There is actually some evidence that the levels of at least one endocannabinoid (anandamide) increase in the circulation of patients with fibromyalgia,” says Prof. Roger G. Pertwee from the University of Aberdeen in Scotland. “There is also considerable evidence that anandamide is often released in a manner that reduces unwanted symptoms such as pain and spasticity in certain disorders. … It is generally accepted that THC, the main psychoactive constituent of cannabis, can relieve pain, including neuropathic pain for example, by directly activating cannabinoid receptors. … Some non-psychoactive constituents of cannabis have also been found to relieve signs of pain, at least in animal models.”

    For anecdotal evidence, Russo cites the National Pain Foundation/National Pain Report survey in his review, saying, “The results of the survey strongly favor cannabis over the poorly effective prescription medicines. These results certainly support an urgent need for more definitive randomized controlled trials of a well-formulated and standardized cannabis-based medicine in fibromyalgia inasmuch as existing medicines with regulatory approval seem to fall quite short of the mark.”

    More research needs to be done to either prove or disprove CED’s existence.

    “What we really need is randomized controlled trials to look at this more carefully, and that’s the only kind of evidence that the [Food and Drug Administration] and most doctors are going to find acceptable in the end,” Russo says.

    MRI and PET scans are not yet able to detect endocannabinoid levels in living patients, but as technology advances, that may become a possibility. The ability to actually test endocannabinoid levels in fibromyalgia patients and compare those against healthy controls would help to confirm Russo’s theory.

    “We’re on the edge of having that capability,” Russo says. “It’s in my plans to look at this type of thing in the future.”

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