Fibromyalgia, fibrositis

Many people experience mild muscle stiffness or soreness in the morning or at night from middle age onwards. However, the terms fibrositis or fibromyalgia are used to describe a condition in which muscle pain becomes acute or chronic, and may be associated with other symptoms such as skin sensitivity and even hypersensitivity to noise or light. The acute form can strike at any time in adult life and may be closely related to ‘chronic fatique syndrome’ (CFS) which is characterised by general weakness and lassitude with no obvious cause.

Acute fibromyalgia is not presently understood, although a number of possible causes have been put forward, particularly some unrecognised form of viral infection. In many cases the condition appears to include a neurological component in addition to muscular problems.

If you have acute fibromyalgia you may find that you are prescribed Lyrica (pregabalinthe), one of the latest drugs for treating the extreme pain associated with the condition. This drug was originally used for treating the nerve pain suffered by some diabetics, and acts to mask the pain, without of course addressing the root causes. You may occasionally be prescribed steroids if your doctor thinks there is some possibility that you have the rare autoimmune condition known as polymyalgia rheumatica.

Alternative treatments

A number of people with more severe fibromyalgia report significant reductions in pain following supplementation with a combination of magnesium (300-600 mg/day) and malic acid (1,200-1,400 mg/day). Pain levels are often reported to decline within 48 hours and symptoms of fatigue reportedly improve within two weeks.

Magnesium and malic acid both play important roles in the production of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) - the energy source of muscles - and are also important for tissue oxygenation. In general, this combination increases energy production and reduces lactic acid build-up, which may aggravate the muscular tenderness and pain that sufferers experience. Caution should be used in those individuals with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) because magnesium malate may contribute to GI distress.

The metabolic supplement NADH may also be potentially useful, but there is little firm evidence for its usefulness at present.

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