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Current Treatment
At the present time treatment for fibromyalgia aims at reducing pain
and improving sleep. In other words, some of the symptoms are being
treated, rather than the condition itself. Medications most often
prescribed for fibromyalgia are tricyclic drugs also used to treat
depression although doses for fibromyalgia are much lower than for
depression.
In some cases these drugs will help both sleep and pain.
Over-the-counter medications may help relieve the pain of fibromyalgia
but severe pain may require the expertise of a pain clinic. It is best
to discuss any form of pain relief with your specialist or GP. It is
most important to note that medications work for some people and not
others.
Support from family, friends and other people who have
fibromyalgia is extremely valuable to those who have fibromyalgia.
Professional counselling may help some people to cope with this illness
and to take an active part in their own treatment. Learning to manage
the condition seems, so far, to be the most successful way of dealing
with fibromyalgia. A combination of heat, rest, exercise and reducing
stress can enable some people with fibromyalgia to maintain a
productive life.
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What is FM?