“Fibromyalgia is a disorder of the central nervous system that causes widespread pain,” often people with this long-term illness are exhausted, have trouble sleeping and are overwhelmed with pain throughout the body, particularly in the neck, shoulders and arms, back, hips and legs.

While the cause of fibromyalgia is not clear, doctors believe that the disease can be hereditary.

It is also about seven times more common in women than in men.

In up to three of every four victims, fibromyalgia is not diagnosed.

Because there are no blood tests or scans to diagnose it effortlessly, many doctors have trouble detecting the disorder.

When it comes to a chronic health condition such as fibromyalgia, the symptoms themselves are difficult enough to treat.

For example, in addition to pain, it may be sleepless nights, cognitive difficulties, numbness and tingling, and sensory sensitivities.

Unfortunately, fibromyalgia also comes with an increased risk of developing different related conditions.

We will look at four of the most common, and then consider a natural way to find some relief.

Here are several common medical conditions faced by people who also have fibromyalgia:

Arthritis

Although both conditions are indicative of generalized pain and constant fatigue, both have their differences.

Many people have a propensity to think that fibromyalgia is a form of arthritis, but that is not the reality.

FM does not cause tissue swelling or damage to the muscles of the body, and it is known that diseases such as arthritis do.

“In the early stages of arthritis, the patient only experiences the unbearable sensations, muscle stiffness and fatigue that are more in line with FM.

Later, when the osteoarthritic symptoms have developed further, only a doctor can exclude fibromyalgia, by means of an x-ray.

 

Hypothyroidism

This is a condition caused by an unusually low amount of activity in the thyroid, the gland in your neck responsible for controlling your body’s metabolism. Due to the decreased production of hormones, the person experiences low energy, weight gain for no reason, increased sensitivity to cold, slow heart rate and melancholy, along with other symptoms.

It can be difficult to distinguish them only by analyzing the symptoms, since innumerable symptoms of hypothyroidism overlap with those of FM.

Your doctor can do a blood test to see if your thyroid hormone levels are healthy.

 

Generalized anxiety disorder

Anxiety is a constant problem for many patients with fibromyalgia.

There are many things about the syndrome that can lead to anxiety. For example, if fibromyalgia costs a person his job, economic stress can generate anxiety.

Even if you can keep your job, you can live constantly in tension thinking if you can wake up, and get to the same tomorrow.

Social anxiety is also common with fibromyalgia. Many fear that they will be judged by their illness.

Some worry about not being able to fulfill the plans.

Even planning a vacation can be stressful because you do not want to miss out on non-refundable airline tickets or hotel rooms. Therefore, what was once fun, now looks like a giant that scares us.

 

Depression

Anyone who has ever fought, even with a temporary attack of this mentally draining disorder, knows that it is serious.

Those who suffer from melancholy constantly, can question if there may be something else in their diagnosis.

“One of the key symptoms of fibromyalgia is depression, so it is not uncommon for a person to believe that they may have FM, after months or years of experiencing the debilitating effects of depression.

Therefore, it is even more disconcerting for patients to know that the two diseases can occur together.

In fact, about 20% of patients who suffer from FM, also suffer from anxiety disorder, or depression, advises the  Anxiety and Depression Association of America .

If you are sure you are suffering from depression, but you are not sure that FM may also be at play, talk to your doctor to control your symptoms.

 

Migraines

Stress and tension are commonly stored in the neck, shoulders and upper back, which causes tension headaches.

On the other hand, depending on the underlying problems that lead to fibromyalgia, some patients have migraines instead of the usual headaches.

What is the difference? Tension headaches involve mild to moderate pain that feels like something that clenches the head.

Migraines, on the other hand, are generally more severe, and produce a throbbing or throbbing sensation.

They are also usually accompanied by nausea and sensitivity to light, sounds and smells.

In addition to the stress of having a chronic illness, analgesics (both prescription and over-the-counter) can cause headaches. These are called rebound headaches, or headaches from medication abuse.

Sometimes, a person must stop taking analgesics for a period of time, and allow it to be removed from the body, to check how many of the headaches were related to the medication.