There is constant pain all over your body with stiffness and tenderness in your muscles, tendons, and joints. The muscles in your neck, butt, shoulder, arms, upper back, and chest continually hurt but massaging those areas does not seem to work. Could it be arthritis in your muscles? You may be aware that arthritis is not the problem. If the problem is your fibromyalgia pain, it is as common to you as brushing your teeth after every meal and putting socks on your feet. It is the kind of pain that you will be constantly reminded of because it is always with you.
Fibromyalgia pain is pain that has no cause. Your body just hurts all the time. The most common victims of fibromyalgia are women between the ages of 35 to 55. Researchers have discovered that individuals with fibromyalgia pain have high levels of substance P, which is a nerve signal chemical in the body. There is also more nerve growth in the spinal fluid. It has also been discovered that serotonin, a brain chemical, is in low levels in fibromyalgia sufferers. These findings have researchers believing that individuals suffering from fibromyalgia pain have a more sensitive central nervous system than normal.
Lyrica, Cymbalta, and Savella are three drugs that have been approved for treating fibromyalgia. Only 40% of the patients who take one of these three drugs have found them effective in removing the pain that comes with this chronic condition. However, none of them have the same result as a medication newly being tested to treat fibromyalgia symptoms. Xyrem, a powerful sleeping pill, has given some patients some relief from fibromyalgia that they so desperately desire.
A recent study found that more than half the people who took Xyrem found relief of fibromyalgia symptoms. These patients reported an improvement of at least 30% more relief from the pain than their other prescriptions can give. It helped with muscle pain, fatigue, and stiffness. With estimates of nearly 10 million American women suffering from fibromyalgia pain, discovering a cure for this condition is important. Although the FDA hasn’t yet approved Xyrem in treating fibromyalgia pain, it has helped many narcolepsy patients. Individuals with this condition also display fatigue, which is common in 90% of the patients who are treated for fibromyalgia. Those with the illness are in essence in pain and tired.
344 patients were recently involved in a test of the effectiveness of Xyrem for treatment of fibromyalgia pain. They took a dose of Xyrem at bedtime for 14 weeks so that researchers could see the effects the drug would have on their pain. The patients were split in three groups, those receiving Xyrem in lower dose, those receiving Xyrem in a higher dose, and those receiving a placebo.
By the end of the 14 weeks, patients taking the drug saw a significant drop in pain. The average pain score at the start of the study was 72 points on a 100-point scale. More than half of the patients on both the lower and higher doses of Xyrem had more than 50% reduction in pain. Many of the patients involved in the study had a reduction in their normal level of pain in the very first week of the test. These results provide hope for the millions of people who are suffering with the symptoms of fibromyalgia every day.
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