What Is The Best Way To Treat Pain Associated With Fibromyalgia?

Dr. Carol Warfield answers the question: 'Best Way To Treat Fibromyalgia Pain?'

ByABC News
November 14, 2008, 1:26 PM

— -- Question: What's The Best Way To Treat Pain Associated With Fibromyalgia?

Answer: Over-the-counter pain killers such as ibuprofen can help the pain of fibromyalgia. Pregabalin is a drug which used to be used only to treat seizures, but has recently been approved by the FDA to treat the pain of fibromyalgia. In fact, other seizure medications, and even medications used to treat Parkinson's disease have been very successfully used to treat fibromyalgia pain. Some of the older anti-depressants have been used for quite a long time to treat this disease, and some of the newer anti-depressant drugs hold a lot of promise in this area. Other drugs which may be helpful include muscle-relaxants, and also dextromethorphan which is an active ingredient in many cough syrups. Even the active ingredient in marijuana has been used to treat the pain of fibromyalgia.

There are also some non-drug treatments. Moderate exercise can be very useful. But sufferers of fibromyalgia need to be careful not to increase exercise too soon, because this can actually exacerbate the pain in this type of patient. Some psychological and behavioral therapies such as biofeedback have also been useful in treating fibromyalgia.

Next: How To Distinguish Between Fibromyalgia And Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Pain??

Previous: Is There Anything I Can Do To Prevent Pain Associated With Fibromyalgia?