(Click on any title to read the study)

• Daily fluctuations of progesterone and testosterone are associated with fibromyalgia pain severity

 

This is a great study that posited (based on previous studies) that increases in female sex hormones (estradial) results in increased pain symptoms; menstrual hormones being the worst.

​

Meredith Schertzinger, Kate Wesson-Sides, BA, Luke Parkitny, PhD, and Jarred Younger, PhD. "Daily fluctuations of progesterone and testosterone are associated with fibromyalgia pain and severity." University of Alabama at Birmingham, Department of Psychology

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6046191/.

​

​

• Facts and myths pertaining to Fibromyalgia
  
  “Despite the participation of neurologists and mental health care specialists and their scientific societies in recent interdisciplinary evidence-based guidelines on FM, the diagnostic label FM remains contested by some mental health care specialists who hold to an obsolete psychiatric or psychosomatic concept of “medically unexplained somatic syndromes” such as masked depression and somatoform pain disorder. These myths are perpetuated even with the impressive progress in the field of FM in the past few decades.”
  
  Häuser, Winfried, and Mary-Ann Fitzcharles. “Facts and Myths Pertaining to Fibromyalgia.” Dialogues in Clinical Neuroscience, Les Laboratoires Servier, Mar. 2018, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6016048/.

​
 

• The Juvenile Fibromyalgia syndrome (JFMS): a poorly defined disorder
  
  “Emerging evidence suggests that JFMS is a condition that frequently continues into adulthood with chronic physical and psychological symptoms, making it important to correctly identify and treat this condition in adolescence. A multidisciplinary approach, combining pharmacological, behavioral and exercise-based modalities is currently the standard of care for JFMS.”
  
  De Sanctis, Vincenzo, et al. “The Juvenile Fibromyalgia Syndrome (JFMS): a Poorly Defined Disorder.” Acta Bio-Medica : Atenei Parmensis, Mattioli 1885, 23 Jan. 2019, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6502146/.

​
 

• Long-Term Outcomes of Adolescents With Juvenile-Onset Fibromyalgia in Early Adulthood
  
  “This prospective study demonstrated that pain and other symptoms persisted into adulthood for .80% of JFM patients, with associated impairments in physical functioning and mood. At follow-up, one-half of the sample met full criteria for adult fibromyalgia.”
  
  Kashikar-Zuck, Susmita, et al. “Long-Term Outcomes of Adolescents with Juvenile-Onset Fibromyalgia in Early Adulthood.” Pediatrics, American Academy of Pediatrics, Mar. 2014, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3934334/. 

​
 

• Stress levels predict substantial improvement in pain intensity after 10 to 12 years in women with Fibromyalgia and chronic widespread pain: a cohort study
  
  “A majority of women with FM and CWP appear to have a positive course of pain over time, which should be communicated to these patients in health care. Reducing stress levels might contribute to better chances of improvement over time.”
  
  Bergenheim, Anna, et al. “Stress Levels Predict Substantial Improvement in Pain Intensity after 10 to 12 Years in Women with Fibromyalgia and Chronic Widespread Pain: a Cohort Study.” BMC Rheumatology, BioMed Central, 24 June 2019, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6589879/.

​
 

• Antiepileptic drugs for neuropathic pain and fibromyalgia ‐ an overview of Cochrane reviews
  
  “The main conclusion of this overview review of antiepileptic drugs is that only for gabapentin and pregabalin is there reasonably good evidence for efficacy in painful diabetic neuropathy and postherpetic neuralgia. In addition, for pregabalin, there is evidence of efficacy in central neuropathic pain and fibromyalgia. These effects were modest, however, with point estimates of NNTs in the range of 4 to 14 for the important outcome of 50% or more pain intensity reduction over baseline.”
  
  Wiffen, Philip J, et al. “Antiepileptic Drugs for Neuropathic Pain and Fibromyalgia - an Overview of Cochrane Reviews.” The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd, 11 Nov. 2013, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6469538/.

​
 

• ​Fibromyalgia: In Depth
  
  ​Fibromyalgia: In Depth offers an interesting take on the effectiveness of complementary health approaches on Fibromyalgia. This includes treatments like acupuncture, tai chi, massage, biofeedback, etc. ​
  
  “Fibromyalgia: In Depth.” National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 27 Mar. 2018, nccih.nih.gov/health/pain/fibromyalgia.htm.