Women's Health Week: Fibromyalgia Awareness amongst women

"Fibromyalgia (fi·bro·my·al·gi·a) is a condition that causes pain all over the body (also referred to as widespread pain), sleep problems, fatigue, and often emotional and mental distress." - CDC.gov
Fibromyalgia affects more than 12 million Americans in the United States. Amid the 5-10 millions of adults affected, it is to be found more common among middle-aged women, within the 75%–90% of those who are diagnosed with the disorder. Though it is not a life threatening condition, it can be very debilitating depending on the severity of the persons symptoms.

Symptoms
Women with fibromyalgia may experience different and more extreme chronic pain symptoms compared to men. For example, women are reported to experience higher intensities of pain and in addition to, a heavier and more painful menstruation called "dysmenorrhea".

Other specific symptoms women are more likely to experience include:
- chronic, dull or sharp pains throughout certain areas of the body, such as the hips, thighs, neck, and back
- anxiety & depression
- migraines/chronic headaches
- irritable bowel syndrome
- abdominal pain known as "dysmenorrhea"
- insomnia
- hypersensitivity to cold/hot or skin sensitivities known as "allodynia"
- numbness and tingling to hands, feet or limb(s) known as "paresthesia"
- cognitive and memory impairment
- decreased energy and extreme fatigue
- noise, light and odor sensitivity
- hair loss
- muscle spasms

When to talk to a doctor
It is advised to see a doctor when your chronic pain lasts longer than 12 days to a few weeks. Record a list of your symptoms and discuss with your doctor what type of treatment would be best for you.

Medication and Treatment
Medications can help reduce the pain of fibromyalgia as well as treat other symptoms.

Pain relievers
OTC pain relievers such as acetaminophen (Tylenol), ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin IB, others) or naproxen sodium (Aleve, others) can help at times.
*Opioid medications are not recommended, as they can lead to devastating side effects if misused and long term use/dependence worsens a persons pain over time.

Antidepressants
Duloxetine (Cymbalta) and milnacipran (Savella) can help ease pain and assist with chronic fatigue symptoms as well as amitriptyline and cyclobenzaprine which may also be prescribed to assist in promoting sleep.

Anti-seizure drugs
Medications used to treat epilepsy are often helpful in reducing certain types of pain. Gabapentin (Neurontin) is sometimes prescribed to help reducing fibromyalgia symptoms, alongside pregabalin (Lyrica) which was  the first drug approved by the Food and Drug Administration to treat fibromyalgia. Both drugs work by limiting the release of pain-communicating chemicals by nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord.

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