| The experience of fibromyalgia pain can be so | | | | treatment to reduce fibromyalgia pain will vary |
| severe that many patients find they are unable to | | | | considerably from patient to patient. Clinicians often |
| perform normal daily activities and in extreme cases | | | | find that a treatment that works well for one patient |
| can be near debilitating. Therefore it is critical to find | | | | may not work at all for another fibromyalgia patient. |
| the type of therapy that will work for your particular | | | | Your doctor will focus on your most severe |
| fibromyalgia pain to allow you to resume as close to | | | | symptoms and use a combination of drug and |
| normal life as soon as possible. | | | | nondrug therapy (such as exercise and education). |
| Fibromyalgia Diagnosis | | | | Exercise and reducing stress are a couple of nondrug |
| Because the treatment of fibromyalgia pain is often | | | | first steps that can have some real benefit. The level |
| different than the treatment of other types of pain, | | | | of stress you face directly impacts on how much |
| it is very important to get an accurate diagnosis of | | | | pain you experience and how well you are able to |
| your condition. There are not any simple tests that | | | | deal with that pain. The level of stress you face also |
| can be done to give a definitive diagnosis of | | | | affects the other fibromyalgia symptoms you have. |
| fibromyalgia. Your doctor will still do some testing, in | | | | The drug treatments used will also vary greatly from |
| part to exclude other medical conditions that have | | | | patient to patient and include: antidepressants, pain |
| overlapping symptoms. The diagnosis is then made | | | | modifiers, pain controllers, muscle relaxants, sleep aids |
| based on what your doctor knows you do not have | | | | and other medications as needed for your specific |
| and the symptoms you present with. This process | | | | condition. A problem with many of the drugs used to |
| may take awhile but it is important to get an | | | | treat fibromyalgia is that they cause drowsiness |
| accurate diagnosis so that appropriat5e fibromyalgia | | | | which can complicate your overall treatment. |
| treatment can be started. | | | | Therefore your doctor will try to use drugs that do |
| Treating Fibromyalgia | | | | not cause you excessive daytime sedation yet can |
| Once the diagnosis of fibromyalgia has been made a | | | | give you the relief needed to get on with living your |
| customized treatment plan can be started. The | | | | life. |