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Medications for Fibromyalgia
Prescribed medications are an important part of fibromyalgia treatment. Presently there are no FDA approved medicines for the treatment of fibromyalgia.
Pain relief, improved sleep, more energy, and better mood are examples of goals that prescription medicines can help you reach. People with fibromyalgia tend to be more sensitive to medications and often experience side effects such as nausea, drowsiness, or lightheadedness.
Categories of drugs used in the treatment of fibromyalgia include:
- Anti-inflammatory medicines
- Antidepressant medicines
- Muscle relaxants
- Sleep modifiers
- Anti-anxiety medicines
- Anticonvulsant Medicines
Analgesics are pain killers and can include over-the-counter medicines such as aspirin and acetaminophen, or prescription-strength pain pills like narcotics (opioids) such as codeine, hydrocodone, oxycodone, morphine and fentanyl. Tramadol (Ultram) is a pain reliever that differs from narcotics in its action on the central nervous system.
These medications do not alter the fibromyalgia, but they can help take the edge off of pain by blocking the central pain pathways.
Narcotic medications have potential for adverse side effects including drowsiness, difficulty with concentrating, and addiction, so they should be used carefully.
Anti-inflammatory medicines include aspirin, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatories (NSAIDs) such as ibuprofen, naproxyn, etodolac, nabumatone, and the Cox-II inhibitors (Celebrex), and corticosteroids such as prednisone or dexamethasone.
These medications are both anti-inflammatory and analgesic.
Some of these medicines, such as ibuprofen, are available both over the counter and by prescription. Because fibromyalgia is not a true inflammation, these drugs may be less effective in reducing pain. However, these drugs can be helpful in reducing pain that flares up with excessive physical activity, tendinitis, or bursitis, and should be used only as needed.
The antidepressant medicines include tricyclics (amitriptyline, nortriptyline, doxepin, and trazodone), selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (Prozac, Zoloft, Paxil, Effexor, and Celexa), and the selective serotonin and norepinephrine dual reuptake inhibitor (Cymbalta).
These medicines can treat pain and improve sleep and mood disturbances seen in fibromyalgia.
The selective reuptake inhibitors work well in treating depression. They also block the breakdown of serotonin, the brain hormone that is low in persons with fibromyalgia and depression. Serotonin is important in the brain's regulation of pain and sleep.
Muscle relaxants can decrease pain in people with fibromyalgia. Medicines in this family include Flexeril, Soma, Skelaxin, and Robaxin. The most common side effect is drowsiness, although Soma and Skelaxin cause less of it.
Medicines in the antispasticity category can be used to treat muscle spasms. Two of these medicines, Zanaflex and Baclofen, have been shown to help reduce back muscle spasms and pain.
Antispasticity medicines are primarily intended for people who have neurologic conditions causing involuntary muscle spasms (such as spinal cord injuries, multiple sclerosis, or strokes). However, they can help patients with fibromyalgia too.
Various medicines can treat insomnia. Analgesics can help sleep by decreasing the pain that interferes with sleep. Some antidepressants and muscle relaxants can help sleep by causing drowsiness and deeper sleep. Anti-anxiety medicines such as Ativan or Klonopin can relax the mind and allow better sleep.
True sleep modifiers include benzodiazepines like Restoril and the hypnotic non-benzodiazepines such as Ambien. The most common reported concern about using sleep modifiers, especially benzodiazepams, is the habit-forming potential.
Ambien is reported to be less habit-forming but can cause rebound insomnia when it's stopped. Lunesta is a newer sleep modifier that is not habit forming and doesn't cause rebound insomnia. It can cause a metallic taste in the mouth or headaches, but is usually helpful in those patients who tolerate it.
Anxiety is a common problem in fibromyalgia and contributes to pain, muscle tension, and irritability.
It can make depression and insomnia worse. Various medicines including antidepressants and muscle relaxants treat anxiety. Benzodiazepines such as Klonopin, Ativan, and XanaxTM, are commonly used medicines.
These medicines also cause sedation and thus can improve sleep. Possible side effects include depression and decreased memory. Sometimes it is hard to determine whether symptoms are due to fibromyalgia or are side effects of medication.
Most fibromyalgia patients have too much activity in the excitatory receptors (NMDA receptors), and Klonopin can increase the pain inhibitors' activity to achieve a more normal balance, improving sleep and reducing pain.
This class of medicine includes Neurontin (gabapentin) and Lyrica (pregabalin).
Neurontin is an example of a medicine originally used to treat seizure disorders (an anticonvulsant or antiseizure medicine).
It was later found to be helpful in treating pain, particularly neuropathic pain. Many people with fibromyalgia who have a lot of burning or electric shock feelings in their hands and feet have improved with a trial of Neurontin.
Natural Supplements for Fibromyalgia - Anatrin
For persons experiencing fatigue accompanied by muscle soreness and tender points, nutritional strategies are critical for lessening the severity of Fibromyalgia.
With ingredients backed by science and supported by top physicians and experts, Anatrin has been designed to provide the nutritional support needed to address symptoms associated with fibromyalgia.
Anatrin has been developed for such a purpose - to lend you self-support, both emotionally and physically, through nutritional supplementation.
When included as part of your dietary modifications, Anatrin can be extremely useful for controlling the symptoms of fatigue accompanied by muscle soreness and tender points.
A few ingredients in Anatrin include:
- Magnesium - Is for the resolution of common symptoms of Fibromyalgia.
- Ginger root Extract - Is used for minor pain relief.
- Melatonin - A naturally produced biochemical that is secreted from the pineal gland at the base of the brain, which controls circadian rhythms and plays a major role in sleep cycles.
- Malic acid - A naturally occurring chemical found most notably in apple juice. It helps improve absorption of some nutrients like magnesium, as well working to reduce minor pain and tenderness of pressure points.
For a complete list of ingredients Click Here.