Table of Contents
- Overview
- Symptoms
- Treatment
- Prevention
- Images
Fibromyositis; Fibrositis
Treatment
The goal of treatment is to help relieve pain and other symptoms, and to help a person cope with the symptoms.
The first type of treatment may involve:
- Physical therapy
- Exercise and fitness program
- Stress-relief methods, including light massage and relaxation techniques
If these treatments do not work, your doctor may prescribe an antidepressant or muscle relaxant. The goal of medication is to improve sleep and pain tolerance. Medicine should be used along with exercise and behavior therapy. Duloxetine (Cymbalta), pregabalin (Lyrica), and milnacipran (Savella) are medications that are approved specifically for treating fibromyalgia.
However, many other drugs are also used to treat the condition, including:
- Anti-seizure drugs
- Other antidepressants
- Muscle relaxants
- Pain relievers
- Sleeping aids
Cognitive-behavioral therapy is an important part of treatment. This therapy helps you learn how to:
- Deal with negative thoughts
- Keep a diary of pain and symptoms
- Recognize what makes your symptoms worse
- Seek out enjoyable activities
- Set limits
Support groups may also be helpful.
Other recommendations include:
- Eat a well-balanced diet
- Avoid caffeine
- Practice good sleep routines to improve quality of sleep (See:
Sleeping difficulty ) - Acupressure and acunpuncture
Severe cases of fibromyalgia may require a referral to a pain clinic.
Support Groups
Expectations (prognosis)
Fibromyalgia is a long-term disorder. Sometimes, the symptoms improve. Other times, the pain may get worse and continue for months or years.
Calling your health care provider
Call your health-care provider if you have symptoms of fibromyalgia.
Images
Previous Section
Review Date: 02/14/2011
Reviewed By: Michael E. Makover, MD is a professor and attending in rheumatology
at the New York University Medical Center, New York, NY. Review
provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network. Also reviewed by David
Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.
A.D.A.M., Inc. is accredited by URAC, also known as the American Accreditation HealthCare Commission (www.urac.org)
