SearchExclusive.com

Know about Some Effective Medications for Fibromyalgia

After osteoarthritis, fibromyalgia is the most common musculoskeletal condition. However, it is a commonly misdiagnosed and misunderstood condition. It includes widespread pain and fatigue in the muscles and joints. There are several ways you can treat fibromyalgia. Read further to know about treatments and medications for fibromyalgia that can tackle this condition best.

Initial treatment for fibromyalgia – antidepressants
The very first medication that doctors try when treating fibromyalgia is antidepressants. This helps in relieving pain, fatigue, and helps induce sleep. In addition to this, it can also help with depression, which is seen amongst patients with fibromyalgia.
Tricyclic antidepressants
For many years Tricyclic Antidepressants have been used to treat fibromyalgia. They include nortriptyline (Pamelor) and amitriptyline and work by increasing the levels of neurotransmitters in your brain. These neurotransmitters are serotonin and norepinephrine. Most people suffering from fibromyalgia have lower levels of these calming neurotransmitters. The tricyclics can also help relax muscles in pain and increase the effects of endorphins, which are the body’s natural painkillers. However, this medication for fibromyalgia sometimes comes with a set of side effects like dry mouth, drowsiness, dizziness, dry eyes, and also constipation.
Other antidepressants for fibromyalgia
Other than tricyclic antidepressants, there are also other antidepressants which show a positive result in treating fibromyalgia. Some of them are duloxetine, milnacipran, and venlafaxine. Savella and Cymbalta have been specifically approved by FDA to treat fibromyalgia. Different types of antidepressant medications for fibromyalgia work differently in the body. Along with that, some patients also react differently for each of these. They may or may not show results, which is why different types of antidepressants are tried on patients.
Pain relievers for fibromyalgia
There are different types of pain relievers that are recommended to patients to help in easing the deep muscle ache. But pain relievers work in a variety of ways for different people with fibromyalgia.
Over-the-counter pain medications for fibromyalgia
Doctors recommend some pain relievers like acetaminophen for some patients. This elevates the pain threshold in your body, enabling you to perceive less pain.
Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDs)
These medications for fibromyalgia are painkillers, but they don’t work as well when they’re given alone. Instead, NSAIDs can produce great results when taken along with other fibromyalgia medications. They can even be over-the-counter medications like aspirin and ibuprofen. Taking this medication for an extended period, however, must be done with the doctor’s consultation. They can have serious side effects and are not recommended if you have stomach problems. Acetaminophen has relatively lesser side effects, but it is best to avoid it if you have a liver disease. Exceeding the dosage may also adversely affect your liver.
Muscle relaxants
Cyclobenzaprine has been proven to be useful for the treatment of fibromyalgia. It can ease the tension in your muscles and also improve the quality of your sleep. With muscle relaxants, you may experience dry mouth, drowsiness, dizziness, unsteadiness, color change in your urine, etc. Older people sometimes also experience hallucinations and confusion.
Anticonvulsants
Anticonvulsants were initially meant to treat seizures, but are now used in treating fibromyalgia. Lyrica is a type of anticonvulsant which affects the chemicals that transmit pain across the nervous system. It can help reduce pain, fatigue, and also improve your sleep. Neurontin is a medication for seizures, but research has shown that it helps improve symptoms of fibromyalgia.
Other medications for fibromyalgia
Along with the medications for fibromyalgia listed above, the doctor can also prescribe benzodiazepines to help relax muscles, improve sleep, and reduce symptoms of restless legs syndrome (sensations in the legs that force you to keep moving your legs constantly). Ultram is an opioid (narcotic medication) which acts on the sensation of pain in the brain. Some other narcotic medications are hydrocodone, oxycodone, oxycodone/acetaminophen, and hydrocodone/acetaminophen. You should go for these medications only when the all the other drugs prove to be ineffective.
Massages for fibromyalgia
Fibromyalgia can cause pain across the entire body. Massages are a great way to help handle this condition and improve the symptoms. There are several types of massages that used for patients suffering from fibromyalgia. Some are myofascial release, shiatsu, and Swedish massages. Massages for fibromyalgia carry several benefits, some of which are,
– Improves Sleep
Sleeplessness is the main reason why people with fibromyalgia get stressed and depressed. This helps your body to repair and rejuvenate overnight.
– Improved Muscle Tone
Including more petrissage (kneading) helps lethargic muscles to regain strength and vitality.
– Mental Clarity
Fibromyalgia can increase stress and also cause cognitive issues. A relaxing massage can help you clear your mind by relieving stress and also helps reduce cognitive issues.

Fibromyalgia affects about 3 to 6% of the entire world’s population and is most common in women (80 to 90% of fibromyalgia patients are women). But it is easy to help relieve yourself from the stress and pain with some medication for fibromyalgia. Make sure to consult with your doctor before you try any of the medications mentioned above.

Related Reading

Tips for Buying the Best Dog Food

Most of the dogs do not have a food fuss and may eat almost anything that you feed them. Dogs are not choosy at all when it comes to food and nutrition. Hence, it is important to make sure that the food that you are purchasing for your dog is healthy. The landscape of dog food has been developing by leaps and bounds in recent times. There is a wide variety of options to choose from in the online and offline market. Given the wide range of options that are available today, buying the best dog food might seem to be a confusing task indeed. All the commercial pet food that is available in the market today is regulated by the FDA. Therefore, most of the products do contain nutritious, healthy, and safe ingredients. But it does help to know certain basic factors you should look for while buying food for your dog. Prioritize on the nutritional guarantee The best dog food, which meets the dog’s needs adequately has a statement written on the label of the product, from the Association of American Feed Control Officials. Buy from some of the best dog food brands, such as Fromm Family Foods, Earthborn Holistic, Nature’s Variety Instinct, and The Honest Kitchen.

Different Types of Kitchen Cabinets Available for Your Home

The most important aspect when designing your kitchen is deciding on the type of cabinets. In addition to functionality, kitchen cabinets score on aesthetics as well. Once the layout is planned, you can go ahead with choosing the cabinets. If you’re remodeling your home or just the kitchen, what you need to consider are the types of cabinets that furnish your kitchen. Here are a few types of kitchen cabinets that you can choose from. Base cabinets These kitchen cabinets are mounted on the floor and they are placed after checking out the floor plan. A major part of your job in the kitchen is on these base cabinets, which hold and support the countertops. These base cabinets are combined to carve out kitchen islands. A number of base cabinets are fused/set against one another and installed on site. The base cabinets, in addition to supporting the countertops, serve as drawers to hold your cutlery and appliances. Wall cabinets Mounted on the walls, these cabinets can store everything, right from your cookware to cookbooks. In terms of design, they offer utmost flexibility. Wall cabinet kitchen is available in varying heights, multiple widths, and custom depth options. This customization helps you to fit in your stuff of varying shapes and sizes into the wall cabinets.

How to Pick the Right Dog Food for a Sensitive Stomach

In today’s world, where you are presented with over a dozen choices for every item you would purchase for your own kitchen, it is not surprising that you have an equal number of options for your dog’s food. However, choosing the perfect brand and formula for your dog out of a range of options in the market is not an easy job. Your pet depends on you and trusts you to make the right choice for them. Therefore, it is imperative that you do your research about the products available in the market, understand what your dog needs, know what might be your pet’s problems, and then make a sound decision. What is a sensitive stomach? Dogs are known to have voracious and large appetites. Keeping that in mind, it is normal to assume that they have strong stomachs. They can eat close to anything be it sweets, bakes, chewy gum, hard leather or even woolen socks for that matter! It always so happens that the strongest of them are prone to allergies and can develop a disorder which is medically translated as a sensitive stomach. This might be due to a sudden change in the food habits or even due an infection picked up from somewhere.

All You Need to Know about Cat Food

For cat owners, cat food is a hot topic. You need to think about it in different aspects. The best thing is to know which ingredients are good for cat food and which are harmful. If you are aware of this, you can get an idea about the quality of the cat food just by going through the label. It is always sensible to stick to one brand of cat food. However, you may also want to try and prepare cat food yourself. There are also various options for wet cat food as well. Cat’s love for fish is universal, so you can do without going for expensive cat food. Nevertheless, whether you buy it or prepare cat food at home, you need to ensure that the food contains enough nutrition and calories. You would need to have some idea about the ingredients that must be present in cat food and make a worthy selection for your cat. Basic ingredients present in good cat foods Cats need a variety of nutrients to stay healthy and active; they need various vitamins, minerals, fats, proteins, and oils. The following is a brief explanation of the basic ingredients that should be present in cat foods.