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Fibromyalgia is caused by too little thyroid hormone in the system (hypothyroidism). Have you had a Thyroid Function Test (TFT) done and, if so, what are the results with reference ranges? You need to get a your TSH, free T4 (thyroxine) and free T3 (triiodothyronine) done (the last one is important so push for it as they will not do it otherwise).

Untreated or mismanaged thyroid disease has developed a host of 'new' conditions such as Fibromyalgia, clinical depression, CFS/ME and the list is endless. The pharmaceutical companies receive huge revenues from prescribing new drugs for these conditions and the clinicians are rewarded for prescribing these drugs to treat these symptoms. The organisations that run Guidelines on the Treatment and Management of Hypothyroidism are sponsored by the pharmaceutical companies that manufacture these drugs so they receive huge incentive to push for certain drugs to be prescribed.

Here is a minefield of info of the corruption going on behind closed doors... http://www.fibromyalgiaresearch.org/ and here is the EVIDENCE http://www.thyroidscience.com/reviews/l ... .17.08.pdf

Another factor is low Vitamin D3. This is incredibly important as it is now winter so your D3 stores may be depleted. Deficiency will make your fibro feel 10x worse. You can buy this on Amazon but first get a blood test done to see where your levels are. If they are low in the reference range then you should be supplementing 5,000- 10,000iu p/d. I take 10,000iu and will stop or go to a maintenance level of 1 or 2,000iu p/d in the Summer depending on how much time I spend out doors. If you sunbathe, you shouldn't take any D3.

I suggest you print the last link and show it to your doctor when requesting your TFTs and Vit D3. You should also get a printout of all your TFTs taken or write them down WITH THE REFERENCE RANGE to get an idea how your thyroid has been functioning in the past, then post them on here. Any questions, feel free to ask.

Hope this will be of help!

I agree with the lat post. I was diagnosed with Fibromyalgia over 11 years ago and so I can sympathise with your present state. I was diagnosed with Hashimotos - auto-immune disease of the thyroid in 2005 and once treatment started the Fibro instantly became comfortable and calm enabling me to enjoy life once again. Ensure you do not have just TSH tested as this is only part of the story. FT4 and FT3 and the anti-bodies that attack the thyroid must also be tested. I think there is a reluctance to test fully due to costs.....and of course the perennial problem of there being a lack of understanding of the illness. Maybe take a look at the Thyroid Forum which is open as I type and you will begin to understand the complexities of the illness. Take a look at website http://www.drlowe.com

I wish you a speedy recovery.

Mirreille sorry but i have to question where you have your information from .I have had Fibro since I was 12 and am now 55.

I have followed all research into Fibro and there is still no conclusive answer .

I also have Primary hypothyroidism and there is a definite link between Fibro and Thyroid but Fibro isnt caused by a lack of

Thyroid hormones it's more to do with the pain gate in our brains . I'm not being argumentative with you as I certainly believe

all Fibro and Thyroid patients should support one another . I hope you don't mind me questioning you .

motherelle .

Hi,

I have just found out that one of my closest friends has fibromyalgia and i am gutted. She has two young children and was in the middle of doing a masters degree. She now cannot work and has carers in to bath her etc everyday.

She was for a while wheelchair bound and has been told she may lose her sight (is this normal?)

What can i do to help her?

All of us know about depression is a mental health related disorder. But there is also an other disorder called Fibromyalgia. Fibromyalgia is a painful for anyone who effected. Because it's create pain in skin elbow and every muscles of body where it's effected.

Hi,

I'm pleased you mentioned pain with fibro. When i saw my friend who is a fibro sufferer she said the pain is sometime so excruciating she is crying or screaming uncontrollably. She said the pain sometimes feels like having cigarettes stubbed out all over you with an intense burning feeling that she can't describe completely. She said she had at times spent hours on her elbows and knees as these were the least painful points on her body. Even wearing clothes can sometimes leave her in tears.

This is a terrible condition that not enough people know about or understand. I am guilty of this but hope to learn as much as possible from now on.

The doctors are correct but the wording is off. Fibromyalgia is a condition where you have all these symptoms but they don't know either the cause or a treatment for it. I doubt whether the doctor meant to mean that the condition isn't real. I'm sure that those that suffer from it can tell them how real it is. I have talked to a physical therapist that has it and she keeps herself moving with certain exercises. This and hoping that it'll go into remission for awhile for just even a days worth of relief. I'm sorry that there's not allot of info on it. The best website where I could find the best description was at wikipedia. I really think that this was better then webmd.com where they also have the medical info on it. Good luck and God Bless