Fibromyalgia or depression

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dagscot

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I suffer from depression and anxiety. I'm on medication for just this. My wife hears me describe my pain and sometimes suggests fibromyalgia but I've been told depression can cause pains too. It leaves me confused basically. What do you think?
 
Depression might suggest FIBRO, but it doesnot necessarily mean FIBRO. Let me explain.

When you contract a fever, it can be anything in between a regular flu to a more fatal Malaria. All of that determines the other symptoms which you show. If you are so much unsure, the best alternative is to consult a doctor and let him/her know your fears.
 
I believe it's possible but then again, it would be hard for me to say. I know, from research, that pain and depression can mean fibromyalgia but not necessarily. It's tough to call but I would suggest speaking with your physician about the possibility of it.
 
It's very hard to diagnose fibro with only those symptoms.. like it was suggested above, consulting a doctor is your best bet.
Your wife trying to explain your condition with something else might be a hint that she doesn't fully understand what you're going thru.
 
Hey!

If you dont mind me suggesting - if you are genuinely in doubt that this is FIBRO, then go ahead and see either a nerologist/physician. If you are not diagnosed of it., then see a psychiatrist and that might work the trick!
 
There are multiple types of distress disorder. You may be suffering from a related distress disorder. Have you spoken to your current psychiatrist about this? If you are on medication, you can see the prescribing doctor on your regularly scheduled visit. You will need to see them anyway to deal with it so you do take any conflicting medicines or treatment forms.
 
As other have said it's best for you to talk to your doctor about this. Reading stuff on the internet can sometimes do more harm then good. The human brain is an odd organ that can sometimes play games with the rest of our body.

Are the antidepressants helping with the depression?
 
I would recommend getting a diagnosis from the doctor so that you can be sure on what you have.
 
Depression and anxiety can certainly cause pain, so as above posters said, it is best to see a doctor.
Just curious, when you are having a "good" day in terms of the depression and anxiety, is your pain better or the same?
 
It's better to know for sure what you have and be able to deal with it accordingly rather to be spending time on speculating on what you could have and worrying yourself over what possibilities each symptom may be. I would recommend going to a doctor and putting your mind to ease and starting with a name for your problem and then take it from there in terms of what you can do about it
 
This is a hard question for us to answer, having fibro, does not make us able to diagnosis other folks. Depression can cause some symptoms like fibro, like tirdness and weakness, even odd feelings. Medications can sometimes through side affects create these types of symptoms as well. If you think it might be more then see about getting an appointment with your family doctor and ask him about seeing a Rheumatologist. Even though some symptoms are like central nervous system disorders, a Neurologist is usually not helpful in matters of fibromyalgia, in fact some can be rude about our concerns and worries. Ask the family doctor first, he can refer you to the rheumatologist, and both can if needed help you manage your illness. Fibro, takes a team of doctor's to manage it properly. If nothing is found by either doctor then it might just be the depression you need help with. Medications sometimes need changed if they don't relieve the symptoms. Either way you are welcome to stay here and learn how others are dealing with their symptoms and the depression. :)
 
The stress from fibromyalgia's pain and fatigue can cause anxiety and social isolation. The chronic deep muscle and tender point pain can result in less activity. That causes you to become more withdrawn and can also lead to depression. It is also possible that anxiety and depression are part of fibromyalgia, just like the pain.
 
If I were you I would definitely seek professional help by referring to a doctor. There could be several causes of such symptoms, fibromyalgia is only one of them. Unfortunately the symptoms of fibromyalgia may resemble other unrelated diseases. If you have any doubts, it's better to seek help from a qualified doctor.
 
Like others here have said, I agree that it's always better to find out for sure than to guess. I know for a fact that anxiety can and does cause all kinds of physical pain that we generally wouldn't connect with anxiety at all... and I know that depression very often comes in the form of physical pain, too... but if I'm not mistaken, the treatments would be quite different and if it's not diagnosed for what it is, I think the wrong treatment could probably end up making things worse... just be sure that the doctor you choose has enough training in treating and diagnosing Fibro... many don't.
 
Sometimes it can be hard to distinguish between them. If the physical symptoms are only related to depression and/or anxiety, theoretically, they should remit with improvement in those conditions. Even temporarily. Hopefully, you have a doctor that is addressing your concerns and taking into consideration that it could be fibro. Unfortunately, many doctors like to brush off anything as depression, especially if you already have a history of mental health problems.
 
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