Discover the best supplements for Fibromyalgia, including vitamins, minerals, and natural remedies that can help manage symptoms and improve overall well-being.
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.
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)
Did you have a gynecologic surgery, such as a hysterectomy, in the few years before you developed fibromyalgia?
It’s a trend some people have noticed, and a study published in 2015 shores up the link between these types of surgeries and fibromyalgia onset. It also provides further evidence for an association between fibromyalgia and common overlapping conditions that are gynecologic, endocrine, or autoimmune.
Findings
In the study, researchers reviewed charts of 219 women with fibromyalgia and 116 women with non-fibromyalgia chronic pain. Specifically, they examined the time between illness onset and gynecologic surgery as well as the number of overlapping conditions in each group.
They also found that each of the three diagnosis types they were looking at was independently associated with fibromyalgia. Thyroid disease and gynecologic surgery were significantly more common in women with fibromyalgia than those with other types of chronic pain.
The timing of the gynecologic surgeries in relation to pain onset was especially interesting. They found more surgeries in the years just before fibromyalgia pain began, or in the year after pain onset. That pattern was unique to the fibromyalgia group.
At first glance, it may seem odd that gynecologic surgeries in the year after pain onset would be considered related to the development of fibromyalgia.
However, an association like that may be due to several pertinent factors.
For example, consider that many women have gynecologic problems well before they opt for surgery as the preferred treatment. It may be that hormonal changes or gynecologic disease are risk factors for fibromyalgia because of some underlying relationship that we don’t yet understand.
According to the study, hysterectomies and oophorectomies (removal of the ovaries) were most likely within the four years before or after the onset of fibromyalgia pain.
This is certainly an area that calls for more research. In the end, it could help us understand why 90 percent of fibromyalgia patients are women. Beyond that, it may reveal physiological changes that can trigger the development of the illness, which could lead to better treatments and possibly even prevention.
For the women who develop fibromyalgia after gynecologic surgery, we also need to know what role, if any, the surgery itself plays, as well as the possible roles of hormonal changes caused by the surgery. Post-surgical hormone replacement therapy deserves a look, too.
Doctors have long suspected that fibromyalgia has strong hormonal ties and triggers. A 2013 study found links between early menopause and increased pain sensitivity in fibromyalgia patients, which may relate to dropping estrogen levels.
Women with fibromyalgia are especially prone to painful menstrual periods (dysmenorrhea) and certain pregnancy complications.
My Experience
This study really speaks to my own experience. I was 34 when my youngest child was born via c-section, and 35 when I stopped breastfeeding. The hormonal changes from that, according to my gynecologist, launched me into premature perimenopause.
My menstrual cycle became erratic and periods were extremely heavy and painful, whereas they’d always been regular and fairly mild. Fibromyagia symptoms soon followed.
Six months later, I had a diagnosis and had identified a pattern—my flares came regularly between ovulation and the start of my period. My gynecologist recommended an endometrial ablation to get rid of hormones put off by the thickening uterus.
I hadn’t had a hysterectomy, but between two pregnancies and two c-sections, plus breastfeeding, my body had clearly been put through a hormonal ringer.
I suspect that research will continue to bear out the links between fibromyalgia and hormonal changes and hope that someday, we’ll be a lot better equipped to recognize, treat, and prevent hormone-related fibromyalgia.
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.
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.
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.
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.
-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.
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.”
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:
“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.”
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.
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.
“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.”
Whether it is you or a loved one, we all know people who just plain ache. They hurt all the time and are simply worn out by pain.
This is what it is like to have fibromyalgia. Your muscles hurt and ache, they feel worse with touch or pressure, and being in pain all the time leads to chronic fatigue.
Fortunately, a recent study shows that taking magnesium for fibromyalgia can help reduce both the number of tender points and the overall intensity.
The most common symptom of fibromyalgia (or ‘FM’ or ‘Fibro’ as sufferers call it) is widespread muscle pain. Other common symptoms include fatigue and cognitive dysfunction (‘fibrofog’).
The cause of the ache and fatigue remains unclear, though some research shows that people with fibromyalgia may have developed a greater sensitivity to pain.
Trauma, repetitive motion, and surgery have all been linked to initial fibromyalgia symptoms in some people. Genetics may also play a part.
Psychological stress can be a factor as well. Fibromyalgia is often associated with stress, anxiety, and depression.
Fibromyalgia affects women 7-9 times more often than men.
A number of medications may be helpful, specifically Lyrica, Cymbalta, and Savella. How successful they are can depend on the level of pain, depression, muscle activity, or sleep-related problems.
In particular, the pain-reducing properties of these medications may be due to the release of neurotransmitters in the brain.
Unfortunately, as with any medication, there may be side effects. Lyrica may induce sleepiness, weight gain, and swelling of the extremities. Cymbalta may bring depression and have suicidal risks. Savella may have similar side effects but is specifically associated with nausea, insomnia, heart rate anomalies, and BP problems.
Physical and mental stress are associated with many instances of fibromyalgia. Working to reduce the overall stress in your environment can have a positive impact on symptoms. So can reduce your body’s response to stress.
It is important to take care of yourself by eliminating what stress you can. You can’t say no to everything, but you can often temporarily set some things aside so that you can focus on healing.
Some stressors you can’t eliminate, though. Good ways to cope with these include relaxation, exercise, meditation, and getting more sleep. In particular, cardiovascular exercise has been shown to reduce symptom severity.
What about nutrition as a method for managing symptoms?
One recent study showed that people with fibromyalgia tend to have low levels of various minerals, including magnesium.
Even more interesting, another study showed that supplementing with magnesium citrate actually reduced the number of tender points as well as their severity. It also helped reduce the depression that is often associated with fibromyalgia.
There’s also an infographic at Cure Together that shows a range of fibromyalgia treatments and how well each has helped people who responded to a poll. Magnesium is in the upper right quadrant of treatments which puts it in the ‘effective and popular’ group.
Personally, I picked up some magnesium for my mom shortly after I realized just how much it was helping me with migraines, anxiety, and dizziness. She reported it helped greatly with her fibromyalgia. In particular, my mom said magnesium malate helped her the most.
What Helps You?
If you have fibromyalgia and have found a way to cope that helps you, please let us know in the comments below.
As always, you are strongly encouraged to consult with your physician or another qualified medical professional to help determine your own optimal level of magnesium and to see whether magnesium supplementation is right for you.
Treatment For Fibromyalgia is much like treatments for any and all diseases. often starts with the management of symptoms. With this disorder, the symptoms create a string of tender points along the body. Coupling this with extreme fatigue and an inability to sleep and you have a concoction for the drastically poor quality of life riddled with pain and discomfort.
The prevalence of Treatment For Fibromyalgia goes up as a person ages, yet 80-90% of all cases are women. The symptoms are known to worsen with persistence as it progresses and it is worsened by the weather, illness, and stress. One cannabinoid profile that is well suited for this disorder patients has been identified as CBD. It is suggested patients obtain CBD-rich medicine. Synergistically coupling a CBD-rich oil with one that contains Low THC, there is additional relief provided to patients.
According to a report conducted by the National Pain Foundation and National Pain Report, medical cannabis has been rated as one of the most effective treatments in reducing pain from Fibromyalgia. Many of the 1,300 fibromyalgia patients who responded to the survey said they had tried all 3 of the FDA-approved drugs. One patient explained there were far more negative side effects to the FDA-approved drugs than there were positive attributes.
When asked about the effectiveness of Cymbalta (Duloxetine), 60% of those who tried the medication stated that it did not work for them, whilst 8% reported it to be very effective. 32% reported Cymbalta helped slightly. Of those in the study who tried Pfizer’s Lyrica (Pregabalin) a whopping 61% reported that there was no relief. 10% reported Lyrica to be very effective whilst 29% said it helped slightly.
Rating Forest Laboratories’ Savella (Milnacipran), 68% of those trailing the drug stated that it didn’t work. 10% reported that it was very effective and 22% reported slight relief.
Comparing the study findings against those who had tried medical cannabis for their this disorder symptoms 62% said it was very effective. Another 33% said it helped slightly whilst only 5% reported no relief.
When asked about the effectiveness of Cymbalta (Duloxetine), 60% of those who tried the medication stated that it did not work for them, whilst 8% reported it to be very effective. 32% reported Cymbalta helped slightly. Of those in the study who tried Pfizer’s Lyrica (Pregabalin) a whopping 61% reported that there was no relief. 10% reported Lyrica to be very effective whilst 29% said it helped slightly.
Rating Forest Laboratories’ Savella (Milnacipran), 68% of those trailing the drug stated that it didn’t work. 10% reported that it was very effective and 22% reported slight relief.
Comparing the study findings against those who had tried medical cannabis for their this disorder symptoms 62% said it was very effective. Another 33% said it helped slightly whilst only 5% reported no relief.
The company cites the unique properties of the gum for Fibromyalgia Pain Relief, allowing equal parts CBD and THC to be digested directly in the mouth. According to Dr. George E. Anastassoy, MD, DDS, MBA, chief executive officer of AXIM Biotechnology, by bypassing the liver, MedChewRx gives: The gum for Fibromyalgia Pain Relief contains 5mg of CBD and 5mg of THC, both of which deliver potent therapeutic capabilities.
Professor John Zajicek notes that by chewing, rather than breathing or ingesting, some side effects are reported, and the medicine displays a lack of the “peak” associated with more traditional cannabis medicine. Professor Zajicek runs the trials for AXIM testing the Fibromyalgia Pain Relief gum for spasticity of MS. He also states that chewing gum is more socially acceptable than smoking or ingestion.
Benefits of chewing by itself: According to the company, the act of chewing delivers benefits of its own, compounded by cannabinoids. Chewing itself provides “neuroprotective and neurostimulator benefits” on the mind. Chewing relieves stress, stimulates the cardiovascular system, and helps with loss of cognition due to aging.
The benefits they ascribe to the act of chewing are all benefits of cannabis itself on a greater scale. But by attributing them to mastication, they gain more validity. Why? Because everyday people who don’t understand cannabis simply can’t wrap their heads around the fact that it is a unique medicine with many benefits.
A reality check: Apparently, AXIM owns the patent on chewing gum for Fibromyalgia Pain Relief as a delivery method for cannabinoids and already have one CBD-only product, Can chew gum, marketed as a dietary supplement and sold everywhere CBD products can sit on shelves. AXIM also started trials for a patent-pending CBG topical for eczema and psoriasis.
In addition, there are even oral care and cosmetics in their arsenal. Medical Marijuana, Inc. owns about 46% of AXIM and plans on many more cannabis-related products. They are the Swiss Army knife of cannabis companies, with their hands in everything from international markets to security services. If only it were so simple for the little guys.
