Ketamine For Fibromyalgia

What is Fibromyalgia? Is it a serious illness? How do you know if you suffer from it? And is it possible for ketamine to be a treatment option?
A chronic (long-lasting) condition called Fibromyalgia leaves the body delicate and painful throughout and tired and sleep-deprived. Although the disorder’s exact source is unknown, those who suffer from it have heightened pain thresholds.
Combining self-care, exercise, and cognitive-behavioral therapy is the most effective treatment strategy for Fibromyalgia. But you might also require medication. Many fibromyalgia medications, including ketamine, reduce the ” pain volume” in the central nervous system (CNS).
This article will cover an overview of Fibromyalgia and discuss if ketamine might be a possible treatment.

Table of Contents:

• What is Fibromyalgia
• Symptoms of Fibromyalgia
• What are the causes of Fibromyalgia?
• What are the risk factors of Fibromyalgia?
• Treatments for Fibromyalgia
  • Exercise
  • Therapy
  • Medication
• ketamine for Fibromyalgia treatment
• Take Professional Advice (ketamine for Fibromyalgia)

What is Fibromyalgia

Widespread musculoskeletal pain and problems with sleep, memory, and mood characterize Fibromyalgia. According to researchers, Fibromyalgia alters how your brain and spinal cord receive painful and non-painful impulses, amplifying painful sensations. This case is known as abnormal pain perception processing. Those with Fibromyalgia are likely to be more sensitive to pain than those without it.

Symptoms of Fibromyalgia

The most frequent fibromyalgia signs and symptoms are:

• body aches and stiffness throughout (a widespread pain)
• fatigue and exhaustion
• both anxiety and depression
• difficulties with sleep
• cognitive, memory, attentional, and focus issues (fibro frog)
• migraines, among other headaches
• the feeling of numbness in feet and hands

After an incident, such as a physical injury, surgery, infection, or intense psychological stress, symptoms frequently start to appear. In other situations, symptoms develop gradually over time without a particular cause.
Fibromyalgia is more common in women than in men. Most patients with Fibromyalgia also experience tension headaches, TMJ (temporomandibular joint) syndrome, painful bladder syndrome, chronic fatigue, and irritable bowel syndrome.

What are the causes of Fibromyalgia?

There is no recognized cause for Fibromyalgia, but various studies suggest that fibromyalgia patients’ brains and spinal cords change due to frequent nerve stimulation. This alteration
entails an unusual elevation of specific pain-signaling molecules in the brain.
Additionally, the pain receptors in the brain become oversensitive to both painful and non-painful impulses and form a kind of pain memory.

Moreover, A variety of reasons cause these variations, including:

• Genetics: given that Fibromyalgia frequently runs in families, specific genetic alterations might increase your risk of getting the condition.
• Infections: some diseases seem to cause or worsen Fibromyalgia.
• Emotional or physical occurrences: a physical occurrence, such as a vehicle accident, may occasionally cause Fibromyalgia to develop. Persistent psychological stress may also bring the disorder.

What are the risk factors of Fibromyalgia?

Fibromyalgia risk factors include:
• Your biological sex: Scientists diagnosed women with Fibromyalgia more frequently than males.
• Age: Fibromyalgia can affect children as can adults of all ages. However, Scientists discovered most cases in the middle east, your chances of developing fibromyalgia increase as you age.
• Family background: if your parent or sibling has Fibromyalgia, you might be more likely to get it yourself.
• Other illnesses: you may have a higher risk of developing Fibromyalgia if you have lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, or osteoarthritis.

More research is required to determine whether these other elements, which have only been weakly linked to the development of Fibromyalgia, exist. These potential risk elements consist of the following:

• Traumatic or stressful occurrences, including vehicle accidents and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
• Persistent wounds: injury caused by a joint experiencing repetitive stress, like repetitive knee bends.
• Obesity.

Treatments for Fibromyalgia

Treatments for Fibromyalgia typically combine medicine with self-care techniques. The focus is on reducing symptoms and enhancing overall health. While there isn’t a single cure for all
signs, using several approaches can help in the long run.

Exercise:

If you have Fibromyalgia, staying physically active is crucial. Although it may be challenging if you’re in pain, Doctors demonstrated regular exercise to help with pain management and
quality of life enhancement.
Depending on the offerings in your area, your doctor can recommend a fitness program for you. You could participate in a group workout program or an individual under supervision. Therefore, Choose an activity that you prefer and can keep up with over time. Your lifestyle, health requirements, physical capabilities, and personal preferences will determine the type of exercise.

Therapy:

Numerous therapies are available to lessen Fibromyalgia’s impact on your body and your life. Examples comprise:

• Counseling: speaking with a counselor can boost your self-confidence and offer coping mechanisms for complex circumstances.
• Occupational therapy: you can reduce the stress on your body by changing your workspace or how you carry out specific jobs with the aid of an occupational therapist.
• Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) teaches you to accept things beyond your control and commit to making life-improving adjustments.
• Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is a talking treatment that might assist you in managing your issues by modifying your thoughts and behaviors.

Medication: (ketamine for Fibromyalgia)

Medication can help you sleep better and lessen fibromyalgia pain. Typical options include:

• Medications that relieve pain: acetaminophen (Tylenol, among others), ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin IB, among others…), or naproxen sodium (Aleve, among others) are all over-the-counter painkillers that may be beneficial.
• Antidepressants: milnacipran (Savella) and duloxetine (Cymbalta) may reduce fibromyalgia-related fatigue and pain. Your doctor may recommend amitriptyline or the muscle relaxant cyclobenzaprine to aid in the promotion of sleep.
• Medications for seizures: We can frequently reduce certain types of pain with medications used to treat epilepsy. Pregabalin (Lyrica) was the first medication licensed by the Food and Drug Administration to treat fibromyalgia symptoms, while gabapentin
• (Neurontin) is occasionally effective in easing the condition’s symptoms.
• Ketamine: provides fibromyalgia patients with better pain management.

Ketamine for Fibromyalgia treatment

Ketamine has a decisive anesthetic action and is an NMDA receptor antagonist. It was created in 1963 by Calvin Stevens at Parke Davis Laboratories to replace phencyclidine (PCP).  Ketamine was first used for veterinary purposes in Belgium and was established in 1964. it had less potent psychotomimetic effects and less pronounced hallucinogenic effects than PCP. Since the FDA approved it in 1970, it has primarily been utilized in veterinary medicine and as an anesthetic for youngsters or people having minor procedures.
The blocking of NMDA receptors is the primary immediate mechanism of action of ketamine. It is the most potent NMDA receptor antagonist currently clinically available. Furthermore, Ketamine appears to reset the altered pain receptors in patients with Fibromyalgia by blocking the NMDA receptor’s activation.

In the long run, Scientists demonstrated ketamine in the rat and mouse models of pain to change the expression of NMDA receptors and decrease neuro-inflammation, which has been
connected with decreases in neuropathic pain. The central nervous system experiences alterations in synapses and neurogenesis as a result of ketamine’s rise in brain-derived
neurotrophic factor (BDNF), both of which are essential for neuroplasticity.
The default mode network (DMN), which is active when the mind is thought to be at rest and is responsible for activities like daydreaming and mind-wandering, has also been found to be
inhibited by ketamine. It’s interesting to note that rumination in conditions like Fibromyalgia and depression is associated with DMN hyperconnectivity.

Patients will receive a 1-hour low dose of ketamine infusion during their first therapy session.
Usually starting at 0.5 mg/kg/hr, ketamine dosage can be changed according to how the patient reacts to the medication. Similar first treatments will be given 4-6 times over weeks, with follow-up visits scheduled every 3-5 weeks.

In a crossover design, 11 female fibromyalgia patients were given a single dose of ketamine infusion (0.3 mg/kg) or a placebo (saline) in double-blind, placebo-controlled research by
Sörensen et al. When compared to placebo, ketamine-treated individuals saw a substantial decrease (> 50%) in pain intensity scores after the infusion (P0.05) and after 20 to 80 minutes (P0.01 and P0.001, respectively). Most ketamine-exposed individuals had pain relief for 2 to 7 days. Patients receiving ketamine also reported significantly lower tenderness.
(P=0.02), more muscular endurance (P=0.02), lower pain threshold (P=0.02), and significantly higher pain tolerance (P=0.02 and P=0.03, respectively) at tender and control points.
Furthermore, in a randomized, double-blind, crossover research, Sörensen et al. examined the pain response in 18 fibromyalgia patients by administering ketamine (0.3 mg/kg), lidocaine,
morphine, and saline intravenously. In comparison to the placebo, patients who reacted to ketamine demonstrated sustained improvements in pain threshold and pain tolerance for up to 120 minutes, and their Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire (FIQ) scores dramatically improved.

Take Professional Advice (ketamine for Fibromyalgia)

Ketamine infusions may be the appropriate choice for you if your Fibromyalgia has not responded to conventional treatments, if you are sick of taking daily pills, or if you are looking for alternative medicine. Finding a licensed physician who specializes in and fully comprehends the technique is crucial because ketamine infusions are a relatively new form of treatment. And our specialists are always ready to help!
Finally, Schedule your appointment to have a call with a professional and discuss your options at your earliest convenience!