Fibromyalgia is a chronic condition that causes widespread pain and tenderness throughout the body, sleep problems, fatigue, and depression.
Foods that can trigger fibromyalgia pain tend to be foods that can cause inflammation, irritate the muscles, and affect the immune system.
Foods that may trigger fibromyalgia pain include:
- Refined sugar
- Caffeine
- Chocolate
- Alcohol
- Fried foods
- Red meat
- Processed foods
- Foods high in fat
- Foods high in salt
- Refined foods such as white bread and pasta
- Trans fats, found in commercial baked goods such as cookies, crackers, cakes, French fries, onion rings, donuts, and margarine
- Foods that may provoke allergic reactions, such as:
- Grains that contain gluten (wheat, rye, oats)
- Dairy products
- Eggs
- Corn
- Soy and tofu
- Peanuts
- Citrus fruits
- Yeast
- Chemical additives
- Preservatives
- Artificial colorings and flavorings
Patients may be advised to keep a food diary to track which foods they eat so they can learn which foods trigger symptoms. An elimination diet may be recommended to assess whether a certain food causes or worsens symptoms.
What Are Symptoms of Fibromyalgia?
Symptoms of fibromyalgia include:
- Pain and stiffness all over the body
- Increased sensitivity to pain (compared to people without fibromyalgia), called abnormal pain perception processing
- Morning stiffness
- Fatigue/tiredness
- Sleep problems
- Headaches, including migraines
- Depression
- Anxiety
- Problems with thinking, memory, and concentration (sometimes called “fibro fog”)
- Tingling or numbness in hands and feet
- Pain in the face or jaw, including temporomandibular joint syndrome (TMJ)
- Digestive problems
- Painful menstrual periods
When symptoms of fibromyalgia temporarily increase in frequency or intensity, it is called a fibromyalgia attack or flare-up.
What Causes Fibromyalgia?
It is unknown what causes fibromyalgia.
Risk factors for fibromyalgia include:
- Illness (such as viral infections)
- Being female: women are twice as likely to develop fibromyalgia as men
- Obesity
- Genetics: fibromyalgia tends to run in families
- Stressful or traumatic events, such as car accidents or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
- Mood problems such as anxiety, panic disorder, and depression
- Age: most people are diagnosed during middle age
- Repetitive injuries
- Certain diseases
- Lupus or rheumatoid arthritis
- Sleep disorders, such as sleep apnea
How Is Fibromyalgia Diagnosed?
Fibromyalgia is diagnosed with a patient history and physical examination, along with tests such as:
- Blood tests
- X-rays
Criteria used to help diagnose fibromyalgia may include:
- A history of widespread pain and symptoms lasting more than 3 months
- The number of areas throughout the body in which pain has occurred in the past week, based on the total of number of painful areas out of 19 parts of the body, plus the level of severity of these symptoms:
- Fatigue
- Waking unrefreshed
- Cognitive (memory or thought) problems
- No other health problems that explain the pain and other symptoms
What Is the Treatment for Fibromyalgia?
Treatment for fibromyalgia may include:
- Self-management/lifestyle changes
- Exercise
- Research shows this may be the most effective treatment
- Aerobic exercise
- Muscle strengthening
- Eating a healthy, balanced diet
- Getting adequate sleep
- Adjusting work demands
- Dietary supplements
- Talk to your doctor to see if they recommend any supplements
- Exercise
- Medications
- Over-the-counter (OTC) pain medications such as aspirin, acetaminophen (Tylenol), and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin) or naproxen (Aleve)
- Tramadol (Ultram) for severe pain (short-term use only)
- Narcotic medicines are generally not recommended for pain due to fibromyalgia because they may cause greater pain sensitivity
- Pregabalin (Lyrica) to help treat nerve pain
- Duloxetine (Cymbalta) and minacipran (Savella) to treat pain and fatigue
- Older drugs that affect the same brain chemicals such as amitriptyline (Elavil) and cyclobenzaprine (Flexeril)
- Cyclobenzaprine (Flexeril), amitriptyline (Elavil), gabapentin (Neurontin) or pregabalin (Lyrica) for sleep problems
- Patient education classes, usually in primary care or community settings
- Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) to treat depression
- Stress management techniques
- Massage
- Meditation
- Yoga
- Complementary therapies
- Acupuncture
- Chiropractic therapy
- Movement therapy
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https://www.niams.nih.gov/health-topics/fibromyalgia#tab-overview
https://www.rheumatology.org/I-Am-A/Patient-Caregiver/Diseases-Conditions/Fibromyalgia
http://nutritionmedicine.org/what-is/what-is-fibromyalgia/natural-treatments-for-fibromyalgia/