Fibromyalgia: What is Fibromyalgia?, Symptoms, Signs, Causes, Diagnosis and Treatment

Medications

Medications – Thelifetoday.com

Even though they are the last resort in fibromyalgia, medications remain critical in controlling the disease in some patients. Medications are never used alone in fibromyalgia and the above-mentioned measures are always done in all patients. Patients are also weaned off medications as soon as they improve, and they are typically started on the lowest dose possible. Several medications have been prescribed in the past and have shown little effect -except for their placebo effect- in controlling fibromyalgia symptoms. Nowadays, only two classes of drugs are approved for fibromyalgia which are:

Learn More:

  • Analgesics: A special type of analgesics called Pregabalin is used in cases of fibromyalgia. Unlike other analgesics like aspirin or narcotics like morphine, pregabalin works on the nerves specifically, blocking pain signals and improving sleep. It has no psychological effect and does little to improve the psychological effects of fibromyalgia.
  • Antidepressants: Regardless of their name, antidepressants have many other uses than treating depression disorders. They act on a special chemical substance known as serotonin which also modulates pain. The commonly used antidepressants used in fibromyalgia are Duloxetine and Milnacipran. Both medications can improve mood, sleep, and pain. They are used in lower doses than in cases of depression to limit their side effects.