Fibromyalgia: Cause or Effect?

Years ago, when we first began our practice, few doctors had ever heard of this condition and even fewer had any idea how to go about treating it.  Now, there is a new medication, based on, I have to assume, the medical community's research and findings for this diagnosis.

The advertisement, on TV, goes something like this:

     Fibromyalgia is thought  to be caused by overactive nerves.  Lyrica is thought to calm those nerves.

Interesting, isn't it?  The profession that at least 90% (based on only 10% of the population that utilizes alternative medicine) of our population considers to be based on "scientific" methodology, "thinks" that "overactive" nerves are responsible for a very painful and, heretofore, unresponsive to anti-inflammatory medications, condition.  I have to ask myself, "What are overactive nerves?"  And, why are we basing a medication-based treatment on nothing more than an idea?  I had no idea that the FDA approved a medication based upon a guess.  Wow.

The quickly-glossed over side effects are pretty scary, too.....allergic reactions, increased systemic muscle pain (what people are taking this for in the first place) and, my personal favorite...suicidal thoughts!

I can tell you that it has been our experience that fibromyalgia is NOT a cause, but an effect.  The problem for these patients is that by the time they present with their medical doctor's diagnosis of fibromyalgia, so many secondary compensatory mechanisms have developed that have to be nutritionally addressed. Treatment is neither quick nor easy and the patients have to be willing to change their lifestyle and eating habits and also must be willing to undergo both nutritional and bio-mechanical therapy that re-balances their neuromuscular system.  For people who simply want the pain to go away, medication is their treatment of choice and they appear to be willing to chance the side effects.

The primary point that must be considered is, what are the possible long-term ramifications of taking any medication?   In my book, that makes those who are taking any recently "minted" medication, guinea pigs.  

I do have to wonder what other problems and/or possible diseases/dysfunctions are being caused, down the road, for those who choose to treat symptomatically.  The possible unintended consequences of long term usage of any medication must be weighed against the possible benefits.  One must wonder about the benefits of a medication that is, by the medical professions own words, only "thought" to help its users.

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