Fibromyalgia Research - Could Cough Medicine Help?
According to fibromyalgia research at the University of Florida a common component of cough medicine might help treat the symptoms of this painful condition. So does this mean you should go out and stock up on cough medicine? No. Dextromethorphan is an antitussive and helps to relieve a nonproductive cough usually associated with colds and flu. It shows show some promise in treating pain but further study needs to be carried out before it is reccommended as a treatment option.
The fibromyalgia research indicated that Dextromethorphan might help to relieve pain in fibromyalgia patients. The results of the study appeared in an article in the May issue of the Journal of Pain and show that fourteen women with fibromyalgia and ten women without the disease were studied. It seems that dextromethorphan can minimize the intensity of 'wind-up'. This is a specific pain response to physical touch and is a symptom of fibromyalgia.
Fibromyalgia is incurable and causes much discomfort due to stiffness, fatigue, muscle aches, sleep disturbances and anxiety and depression. There there is increasing interest in finding help for the syndrome. Fibromyalgia research is centered on finding out what underlies the illness and methods for its treatment. Current theories suggest that 'central sensitization' in which the brain and spinal cord magnify pain signals to abnormally high levels may be involved.
There are currently no guidelines for the clinical use of dextromethorphan to treat fibromyalgia. If you have fibromyalgia you should NOT attempt to use cough medicine to relieve pain symptoms. This fibromyalgia research is only in its infancy and it is not yet known exactly how the drug works or what side-effects may be caused by long-term use.
Presently patients must make use of an integrated approach consisting of a variety of drug and other interventions of which cough medicine may eventually be a part. It is not a cure for the condition by any means and should not be viewed as such according to Dr. Roland Staud (on WebMD). It is hoped that future fibromyalgia research will provide answers to help treat the syndrome more effectively.
