Fw: Fibromyalgia Is Common, Painful Problem for Millions of Women

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From: ilena rose <ilena@...>

Sent: Monday, January 29, 2001 11:36 PM

Subject: Fibromyalgia Is Common, Painful Problem for Millions of Women

> Fibromyalgia Is Common, Painful Problem for Millions of Women

>

> http://my.webmd.com/condition_center_content/fms/article/1728.53224

>

> Many Treatments Are Available, but No Single Therapy Is 100% Effective

>

> By L.A. McKeown

> WebMD Medical News

>

> Dec. 6, 1999 (New York) -- Fibromyalgia is a chronic, painful condition

that

> affects an estimated 3.7 million people in the U.S., most of whom are

women.

> However, no single treatment has been established, leaving doctors and

their

> patients with little choice but to mix and match a variety of drug and

> nondrug approaches. In an article in the December issue of the journal

> Archives of Internal Medicine, a Pennsylvania researcher concludes that

> physicians must empower patients to look to alternative treatments to

> achieve the best pain relief.

>

> Doctors do not know the exact causes of fibromyalgia. However, there is a

> common pattern of symptoms that occur in about 75% of all fibromyalgia

> sufferers. These symptoms include fatigue, disrupted sleep, stiffness on

> waking in the morning, and the presence of multiple tender spots in the

> neck, lower back, arms and legs. Many patients with fibromyalgia also have

> other medical conditions such as irritable bowel syndrome, Lyme disease,

> arthritis, and tension headaches. Muscle abnormalities also have been

> observed, but some research has concluded that rather than being a feature

> of fibromyalgia, these abnormalities may be the result of not using

certain

> muscles because of chronic pain.

>

> " The diagnosis of fibromyalgia is based on a constellation of signs and

> symptoms, and there is really no one laboratory or radiographic test that

> tells you that someone does or does not have fibromyalgia, " Lawrence J.

> Leventhal, MD, author of the article, tells WebMD. " It's a diagnosis of

> exclusion, so physicians have to rule out other conditions that can mimic

> fibromyalgia. As a result, it is an underdiagnosed entity. " Leventhal is a

> rheumatologist at Graduate Hospital in Philadelphia.

>

> Fibromyalgia is also difficult to treat, with only about 50% of patients

who

> are treated reporting adequate relief of their symptoms. Contributing

> greatly to the difficulty of treatment is the lack of a specific drug or

> treatment that works best. Drugs that have been studied include pain

> killers, antidepressants, and anti-inflammatories. The most widely

> prescribed drug for fibromyalgia is Elavil (amitriptyline), an

> antidepressant taken at night that has consistently been found to relieve

> symptoms in 25-30% of patients. Another antidepressant, Effexor

> (venlafaxine), also has shown some success in improving symptoms. Less

> effective is the newer antidepressant Prozac (fluoxetine), which initially

> showed some success but was ineffective in larger studies. The

anti-anxiety

> drug Xanax (alprazolam) is also used in some fibromyalgia patients, as is

> lidocaine (medication applied to the skin to kill sensation), growth

> hormone, and other drugs.

>

> Nearly all of the medications used to treat fibromyalgia have side effects

> and none are 100% effective. " Unfortunately at this point in time there is

> no one drug available or on the horizon that by itself is a panacea for

> fibromyalgia, " Leventhal says.

>

> Not surprisingly, alternative therapies play a big role in fibromyalgia

> treatment, with approximately 90% of patients in one survey reporting that

> they use some type of alternative therapy, particularly dietary

> modification, chiropractic, or massage therapy. In studies, exercise has

> been shown to decrease overall pain in some patients. Also, biofeedback

> (controlling unconscious or involuntary bodily functions through thought

> processes) has been shown to decrease the number of tender spots as well

as

> the intensity of the pain. Some patients also have reported success with

> hypnosis and acupuncture, all of which seem to have some role in helping

> patients deal with chronic pain.

>

> " Relaxation, massage, biofeedback, yoga -- alot of things tried

sequentially

> and in combination with medicinal therapies are very helpful to people, "

> Leventhal tells WebMD. " It also gives the patient some control over the

> management of their care. " He encourages patients to learn all they can

> about fibromyalgia because the more they know, the better equipped they

are

> to deal with the ups and downs of living with a chronic condition.

However,

> he also stresses that despite having chronic pain, most patients with

> fibromyalgia do not end up disabled or in wheelchairs.

>

>