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kildare56 Posts: 2667
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By Nancy ChristieMedically reviewed by Ed Zimney, MD Chronic, widespread muscular pain and tenderness, sleep problems and fatigue, morning stiffness and headaches, concentration and digestive irregularities: All of these symptoms can make daily functioning very difficult for those with fibromyalgia. But equally challenging are the depression and anxiety that often accompany the disorder. Over a lifetime, as many as 62 percent of fibromyalgia patients may experience symptoms of major depressive disorder, and 56 percent may experience some type of anxiety disorder. According to Jacob Teitelbaum, M.D., medical director of The Fibromyalgia & Fatigue Centers, anxiety in people with fibromyalgia often manifests itself as rapid shallow breathing (hyperventilation), while depression may be expressed as a decrease in normal interests. While it is not unexpected to have an emotional or psychological response to a chronic illness, there may be other physiological reasons that explain why anxiety and depression occur in fibromyalgia patients consistently enough that they are listed as symptoms of the condition. "Biochemically, depression is very different in [people with] fibromyalgia than otherwise," says Dr. Teitelbaum. "In fibromyalgia, it is often associated with an underactive adrenal function [a low cortisol level], whereas depression [in a non-fibromyalgia population] is associated with a high cortisol level." May I be guided to accept others who may differ from me and always separate opinion from fact. I insist that others put the benefit of the group before anything else, regardless of a well meaning agenda. If what you say is a fact, you can back it up. If not, it's opinion and should be called that. The safety of members is paramount.
Only our weaknesses give us real strength.
Only our failures grant us victories.
"When fascism comes to the United States, it will be wrapped in the flag and carrying a cross." Sinclair Lewis 1935
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