Fibromyalgia

What is fibromyalgia?

Fibromyalgia is a common condition. It’s thought that as many as 1 person in every 25 may suffer from it. More women than men are affected and the condition varies a great deal from one person to another and from day to day.

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What are the symptoms of fibromyalgia?

Symptoms of fibromyalgia include:

• widespread pain in your muscles
• tiredness (fatigue) or lack of energy
• sleep disorders
• headaches
• irritability, feeling low or weepy
• forgetfulness or poor concentration
• increased sensitivity (to cold, sound, knocks and bumps)

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What causes fibromyalgia?

The exact causes of fibromyalgia aren’t known, but anxiety, physical and/or mental trauma, and sleep disturbance are thought to play a part. If you have fibromyalgia you’ll experience increased sensitivity to pressure or minor knocks which wouldn’t normally be painful – this may be related to chemical changes in your body’s pain pathways. The pain isn’t caused by inflammation or anything that progressively gets worse, and there won’t be any lasting damage to your body.

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What treatments are there for fibromyalgia?

A team of health professionals may be involved in your treatment and will be able to offer:

• paracetamol for pain
• low-dose antidepressants, which can relieve muscle pain and improve sleep
• muscle relaxants
• drugs that act on chemicals in the pain system
• cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT)
• physiotherapy and regular exercise

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Self-help and daily living

Try the following to help ease your symptoms:

• pace your daily activities
• take regular exercise, such as swimming, walking or cycling
• share your experience with other sufferers
• tackle any stress or unhappiness at home or at work
• avoid tea, coffee and alcohol close to bedtime
• eat a balanced diet and keep to a healthy weight

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