Fibromyalgia – Treatment

Transcript

Fibromyalgia can be treated with medication, lifestyle changes and complimentary therapies. However, it isn’t always so straightforward. So make sure you find a doctor who’s really familiar with this condition and how to treat it. This will typically be a rheumatologist or someone called a physiatrist. You may need a team approach with other healthcare providers as well, such as a physical therapist and even a therapist. Firstly, any co-morbidities will want to be assessed and treated such as IBS sleep or mood disorders or PTSD from a prior trauma. There’s a combination of treatment options for patients with fibromyalgia. You are likely to be prescribed different medications to treat various symptoms, which can include taking things such as an antidepressant or even an anti-seizure medicine, such as Gabapentin, which is being used not to treat seizures, but other forms of pain, tingling, or numbness. Your doctor might also recommend some lifestyle changes in order to help you with some of the symptoms you’re experiencing.

For example, making sure you’re getting enough sleep is extremely important. Research has shown that regular exercise can be one of the most useful treatments for fibromyalgia. However, if you have too much pain and fatigue to do exercise, just begin with light walking or something very gentle. So you can build up your strength over time, depending on the severity of your fibromyalgia symptoms. You may need to make some adjustments as well to your work-life. An occupational therapist can advise you on how to make these adjustments. Some of the things that you’ll want to modify are your workstation. So you really want to make it more comfortable and you want to make sure your workstation isn’t causing you any extra pain. Some complimentary therapies for the treatment of fibromyalgia include massage, acupuncture, dietary supplements, and chiropractic therapy. However, if you’re interested in trying any of these therapies, you should speak with your doctor first to see if they are safe for you.