Sometimes the pain is so severe it limits the patient s ability to do daily tasks or minor activities. About 90 percent of patients experience fatigue and sleep problems. Other symptoms include depression, anxiety, problems with concentration, headaches, and digestive problems. Even once a diagnosis is made, doctors don t have very effective treatments. Traditional pain medications often aren t very helpful, but low-dose antidepressants may relieve depression and sleep problems.
Exercise is important and often helps improve symptoms.
Other techniques, such as biofeedback, heat, massage, acupuncture, and gentle stretching are beneficial for some patients. New Fibromyalgia Research Researchers at the University of Florida believe the pain associated with fibromyalgia may originate deeper inside the body from the pain receptors in the nerves and spinal cord. This type of injury can t be seen with traditional imaging techniques. So, the investigators used a heat probe and some specific medical tests to document physiological processing of pain information. The patients with fibromyalgia had stronger, more sustained responses to the pain stimulus and clear evidence of neurologic abnormalities in pain receptors.