Saturday, January 17, 2015

Germans Suggest Only Medication for Depression is for Fibromyalgia by Celeste Cooper


As Suspected


Using the “Preliminary ACR” diagnostic criteria is taking us down the wrong road. As I was perusing Pub Med, I found many papers, some pro and some con, on this supposed unapproved diagnostic criteria developed by Dr. Frederick Wolfe as principle investigator. (See the letter I received from the American College of Rheumatology, here.)

Interestingly, those studying fibromyalgia in cancer patients do not agree. This is a sampling that speaks to my concerns as drafted in my last blog. Hey! American College of Rheumatology, What’s the Deal?


Dreher T, Häuser W, Schiltenwolf M.
 [Fibromyalgiasyndrome - updated s3 guidelines]. Z Orthop Unfall. 2013 Dec;151(6):603-9. doi: 10.1055/s-0033-1350985. Epub 2013 Dec 17. [Article in German]


According to the modified ACR criteria, 2010, chronic widespread pain and accompanying sleep disturbances and a physical as well as mental state of exhaustion lead to the diagnosis of fibromyalgia syndrome. It is not mandatory to check tender points (ACR 1990 criteria). A graduated treatment approach depending on the severity level of the fibromyalgia syndrome in the individual patient is recommended. Active treatment options (aerobic training, meditative movement therapies, strength training) should be preferred to any drug therapy in the long-term treatment of fibromyalgia. If indicated, amitryptiline or duloxetine may be used to treat accompanying depressive or generalised anxiety disorder. Muscle relaxant medication, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and strong opioids should be avoided. The multimodal pain therapy considering all psycho-social aspects is a promising treatment option for fibromyalgia syndrome of moderate to high severity. {So it’s back to all in our head. All these treatment modalities would be recommended to anyone with chronic pain, they are not specific to FM. Interestingly, Hauser and Wolfe have done studies together. And hey! these criteria have NOT BEEN APPROVED BY THE ACR. Cc]



Change Perspectives


You will find the following study very interesting from an entirely different perspective.

Tanriverdi O.
Is a new perspectivefor definition and diagnostic criteria of fibromyalgia in early stage cancerpatients necessary? Med Hypotheses. 2014 Apr;82(4):433-6. doi: 10.1016/j.mehy.2014.01.018. Epub 2014 Jan 27.


Fibromyalgia is a most common pain syndrome characterized by the presence of chronic widespread pain and tenderness with manual palpation. However there is no enough data about frequent of fibromyalgia syndrome in patients with cancer. How often FM is being used in oncological practice and how we are managing this case by medical oncologists. Widespread pain index and symptom severity scale are not clear enough in patients with cancer when ACR-2010 diagnostic criteria for FM are considered. In conclusion, there is it may more prevalence of fibromyalgia in patients with cancer. For the diagnosis of fibromyalgia, be new diagnostic criteria for early-stage cancer patients.


Criteria that Affects the Future of Fibromyalgia



As most of you know, I support the Bennett, et al critieria for obvious reasons and they are given in my my blog “The 2013 Alternative Criteria Dr. Robert Bennett, et al. – Interpretation for patients and providers by Celeste Cooper, here.

I would like to see how it performs in the real world. My suspicions are that it will outperform, there will be fewer gray areas, and answer the questions asked by Dr. Tanriverdi.




A Sampling - Collaboration between Dr. Wolfe and Dr. Häuser


Fibromyalgia prevalence, somatic symptom reporting,and the dimensionality of polysymptomatic distress:results from a survey of the general population.


Arthritis Care Res (Hoboken). 2013 May;65(5):777-85. doi: 10.1002/acr.21931.

See the interview on this paper here. 



Fibromyalgia and physical trauma:the concepts we invent.

 Abstract

CONCLUSIONS:

Despite weak to nonexistent evidence regarding the causal association of trauma and fibromyalgia (FM), literature and court testimony continue to point out the association as if it were a strong and true association. The only data that appear unequivocally to support the notion that trauma causes FM are case reports, cases series, and studies that rely on patients' recall and attribution - very low-quality data that do not constitute scientific evidence. Five research studies have contributed evidence to the FM-trauma association. There is no scientific support for the idea that trauma overall causes FM, and evidence in regard to an effect of motor vehicle accidents on FM is weak or null. In some instances effect may be seen to precede cause. Alternative causal models that propose that trauma causes "stress" that leads to FM are unfalsifiable and unmeasurable.
J Rheumatol. 2014 Sep;41(9):1737-45. doi: 10.3899/jrheum.140268. Epub 2014 Aug 1.


 Abstract

CONCLUSIONS:

All patients with fibromyalgia will satisfy the DSM-5 "A" criterion for distressing somatic symptoms, and most would seem to satisfy DSM-5 "B" criterion because symptom impact is life-disturbing or associated with substantial impairment of function and quality of life. But the "B" designation requires special knowledge that symptoms are "disproportionate" or "excessive," something that is uncertain and controversial. The reliability and validity of DSM-5 criteria in this population is likely to be low.
PLoS One. 2014 Feb 14;9(2):e88740. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0088740. eCollection 2014.


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Update 2015

"Adversity is only an obstacle if we fail to see opportunity."  
Celeste Cooper, RN
Author—Patient—Health Central Chronic Pain Pro Advocate
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Celeste’s Website: http://CelesteCooper.com

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All answers and blogs are based on the author's opinions and writing and are not meant to replace medical advice.  

1 comment:

Unknown said...

The suggestion of treating FM only with depression meds is NUTS! Those suggesting it are the ones needing their heads examined. As someone diagnosed in 1988, I know the prejudice patients have faced. I've fought the battle in my own way. The "all in our heads" suggestion will set us back at least 30 years if it is widely accepted. Keep up the fight Celeste! We just can't allow the uneducated, closed-minded to take us back to the "dark ages"!

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