Skip to content

Top Navigation

Health.com Health.com
  • Health Conditions A-Z
  • News
  • Coronavirus
  • Diet & Nutrition
  • Fitness
  • Beauty
  • Mind & Body
  • Lifestyle
  • Weight Loss
  • Newsletter
  • Promo

Profile Menu

Your Account

Account

  • Join Now
  • Email Preferences this link opens in a new tab
  • Newsletters
  • Manage Your Subscription this link opens in a new tab
  • Help
  • Logout

More

  • Give a Gift Subscription this link opens in a new tab
Login
Subscribe
Pin FB

Explore Health.com

Health.com Health.com
  • Explore

    Explore

    • Is Your Doctor Gaslighting You? Here's What to Do

      How to handle a physician who doubts or dismisses your symptoms. Read More Next
    • 9 Signs It's More Serious Than the Common Cold

      Doctors explain how to tell if you have a head cold or something more serious that requires medical attention, such as the flu, strep throat, meningitis, or mono. Read More Next
    • How Your Period Changes During Your 20s, 30s, and 40s

      From easier cramps to a heavier flow, here's a guide on what to expect decade by decade. Read More Next
  • Health Conditions A-Z

    Health Conditions A-Z

    See All Health Conditions A-Z

    12 Anxiety Symptoms That Might Point to a Disorder

    The symptoms of anxiety can be hard to detect. Here are the ones you need to pay attention to, and how to know if you may have an anxiety disorder.
    • Allergies
    • Anxiety
    • Birth Control
    • Breast Cancer
    • Coronavirus
    • Chronic Pain
    • Cold, Flu, and Sinus
    • Depression
    • Digestive Health
    • Diabetes (Type 2)
    • Eczema
    • Eye Health
    • Fibromyalgia
    • Heart Disease
    • Headaches and Migraines
    • Oral Health
    • Pregnancy
    • Psoriasis
    • Sexual Health
    • Skin Conditions
    • Sleep
    • Thyroid
  • News

    News

    See All News

    Shannen Doherty Reveals Stage 4 Breast Cancer Diagnosis—Here's What It Means

    "I'm petrified," the actress said when she shared the news that her breast cancer came back. Here's why a stage 4 breast cancer diagnosis can be so frightening.
    • Celebrities
  • Coronavirus
  • Diet & Nutrition

    Diet & Nutrition

    The Best (and Worst) Diets of 2020, According to Experts

    FYI: The keto diet isĀ not number one.
    • Food
    • Nutrition
    • Vitamins and Supplements
    • Groceries
    • Restaurants
    • Diets
    • Keto Diet
    • Mediterranean Diet
    • Whole30
    • Recipes
  • Fitness

    Fitness

    See All Fitness

    10 Moves for a Cardio Workout at Home—No Equipment Required

    Stay in your living room and still spike your heart rate.
    • Cardio Workouts
    • Strength Training
    • Yoga
    • Ab Workouts
    • Arm Workouts
    • Leg Workouts
    • Butt Workouts
    • Fitness Gear
  • Beauty

    Beauty

    See All Beauty

    These 13 Women Prove Every Body Is a Bikini Body

    We're loving their inspirational, body-positive messages.
    • Skincare
    • Makeup
    • Hair
    • Nails
  • Mind & Body

    Mind & Body

    See All Mind & Body

    Why Do People Lie? We Asked an Expert

    Here's the truth about lying.
    • Body Positivity
    • Self-Care
    • Misdiagnosed
    • Invisible Illness
    • LGBTQ+ Health
    • Health Diversity and Inclusion
    • Resolution Reboot
  • Lifestyle

    Lifestyle

    20 Things You Should Throw Away for Better Health

    Clean out expired products and clutter to make way for a healthier you.
    • Healthy Home
    • Pets
    • Family
    • Relationships
    • Style
    • Holidays
    • Sex
    • Gifts
    • Money
    • Tech
    • Medicare
    • Best Life Now
  • Weight Loss
  • Newsletter
  • Promo

Profile Menu

Subscribe this link opens in a new tab
Your Account

Account

  • Join Now
  • Email Preferences this link opens in a new tab
  • Newsletters
  • Manage Your Subscription this link opens in a new tab
  • Help
  • Logout

More

  • Give a Gift Subscription this link opens in a new tab
Login
Sweepstakes

Follow Us

  1. Home Chevron Right
  2. Fibromyalgia Chevron Right
  3. 7 Fibromyalgia Symptoms Other Than Pain

7 Fibromyalgia Symptoms Other Than Pain

May 08, 2012
Skip gallery slides
Save Pin
Credit: Getty Images
A gallery of 7 fibromyalgia symptoms including headaches, sleep problems, stiffness, memory problems, fatigues, digestive problems, anxiety, and depression.
Start Slideshow

1 of 8

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Checking the list

Credit: Getty Images
  • Fibromyalgia can feel different for everyone, which is part of the reason it’s so difficult to diagnose.
  • There is no blood test for the condition, and doctors cross off other conditions and check for fibromyalgia symptoms and tender points to reach a diagnosis.
  • While the most common symptom is body pain, there are other symptoms that sometimes fly under the radar. Recognizing these symptoms, and getting treatment, may help.

1 of 8

Advertisement
Advertisement

2 of 8

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Anxiety or depression

Credit: Getty Images

Being in constant pain can lead to anxiety and depression.

However, many people with fibromyalgia continue to thrive, despite the pain. The key to coping is accepting the problem and learning how to minimize the pain—even if it can’t be cured completely, experts say.

"Fibromyalgia seems to be a problem with the brain in the way that it transmits pain," says Daniel J. Clauw, MD, the director of the Chronic Pain and Fatigue Research Center at the University of Michigan. "The neurotransmitters that are involved in pain transmission [are also involved in] mood."

2 of 8

3 of 8

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Digestive problems

Credit: Getty Images

Fibromyalgia patients often report digestive problems that are usually related to irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), which has symptoms that include abdominal pain and constipation or diarrhea.

"Fibromyalgia has come to mean more than just widespread pain," says Dr. Clauw. "It’s the poster child for a constellation [of symptoms] including IBS, interstitial colitis, and chronic fatigue."

Doctors aren’t sure why these two conditions often occur together. One theory is that fibromyalgia medications may be exacerbating constipation, or IBS medications may be causing muscle aches and fatigue.

3 of 8

Advertisement

4 of 8

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Fatigue

Credit: Getty Images

More than 80% of people with fibromyalgia experience fatigue, says Dr. Clauw. Consequently, fibromyalgia is often compared to chronic fatigue syndrome and sometimes diagnosed as such.

Nearly half of fibro patients, if not more, also meet the criteria for CFS, according to Dr. Clauw. In both, patients may experience feelings of tiredness that are so strong they impede school, work, or other daily activities.

4 of 8

5 of 8

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Headaches

Credit: Istockphoto

In addition to body pain, people with fibromyalgia also are prone to chronic headaches.

A 2004 study found that 76% of treatment-seeking fibromyalgia patients reported chronic headaches, and of fibromyalgia patients with headaches, 63% had migraines.

5 of 8

6 of 8

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Memory problems

Credit: Getty Images

Research has shown that fibromyalgia patients lose more than three times as much "gray matter" brain tissue than their healthy peers, resulting in concentration and memory problems often referred to as "fibro fog."

People with fibromyalgia may find themselves frequently confused, losing their train of thought, forgetting details, or mixing up words.

6 of 8

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

7 of 8

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Sleep problems

Credit: Getty Images

Unfortunately, even though fibro patients may feel more tired than their healthy peers, they also often have difficulty sleeping.

The catch-22 is that more sleep is likely to ease some of the pain, but people with fibromyalgia have difficulty falling or staying asleep and often don’t wake up feeling rested or refreshed. Some have trouble sleeping because of their discomfort, while others may be affected by the same neurotransmitters that may be creating the pain.

"In one area, this imbalance might cause pain," says Dr. Clauw, "and in another, it might [affect] sleep. Very similar neurotransmitters control a lot of these functions."

7 of 8

8 of 8

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Stiffness

Credit: Getty Images

A stiff neck or creaky joint first thing in the morning is usually nothing to worry about. But for healthy patients, these morning aches and pains vanish pretty quickly after beginning the day.

In people with fibromyalgia, morning stiffness may linger for an hour or two, or make it extremely difficult to get out of bed.

8 of 8

Replay gallery

Share the Gallery

Pinterest Facebook

Up Next

Share the Gallery

Pinterest Facebook
Trending Videos
Advertisement
Skip slide summaries

Everything in This Slideshow

Advertisement

View All

1 of 8 Checking the list
2 of 8 Anxiety or depression
3 of 8 Digestive problems
4 of 8 Fatigue
5 of 8 Headaches
6 of 8 Memory problems
7 of 8 Sleep problems
8 of 8 Stiffness

Share options

Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Login

Health.com

Magazines & More

Learn More

  • About Us
  • Subscribe this link opens in a new tab
  • Contact us
  • Advertise this link opens in a new tab
  • Content Licensing this link opens in a new tab
  • Sitemap

Connect

Follow Us
Subscribe to Our Newsletter
Other Meredith Sites

Other Meredith Sites

  • 4 Your Health this link opens in a new tab
  • Allrecipes this link opens in a new tab
  • All People Quilt this link opens in a new tab
  • Better Homes & Gardens this link opens in a new tab
  • Bizrate Insights this link opens in a new tab
  • Bizrate Surveys this link opens in a new tab
  • Cooking Light this link opens in a new tab
  • Daily Paws this link opens in a new tab
  • EatingWell this link opens in a new tab
  • Eat This, Not That this link opens in a new tab
  • Entertainment Weekly this link opens in a new tab
  • Food & Wine this link opens in a new tab
  • Hello Giggles this link opens in a new tab
  • Instyle this link opens in a new tab
  • Martha Stewart this link opens in a new tab
  • Midwest Living this link opens in a new tab
  • More this link opens in a new tab
  • MyRecipes this link opens in a new tab
  • MyWedding this link opens in a new tab
  • My Food and Family this link opens in a new tab
  • MyLife this link opens in a new tab
  • Parenting this link opens in a new tab
  • Parents this link opens in a new tab
  • People this link opens in a new tab
  • People en EspaƱol this link opens in a new tab
  • Rachael Ray Magazine this link opens in a new tab
  • Real Simple this link opens in a new tab
  • Ser Padres this link opens in a new tab
  • Shape this link opens in a new tab
  • Siempre Mujer this link opens in a new tab
  • Southern Living this link opens in a new tab
  • SwearBy this link opens in a new tab
  • Travel & Leisure this link opens in a new tab
Health.com is part of the Meredith Health Group. © Copyright 2021 Meredith Corporation. All rights reserved. The material in this site is intended to be of general informational use and is not intended to constitute medical advice, probable diagnosis, or recommended treatments. All products and services featured are selected by our editors. Health.com may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice. Privacy Policythis link opens in a new tab Terms of Servicethis link opens in a new tab Ad Choicesthis link opens in a new tab California Do Not Sellthis link opens a modal window Web Accessibilitythis link opens in a new tab
© Copyright . All rights reserved. Printed from https://www.health.com

View image

7 Fibromyalgia Symptoms Other Than Pain
this link is to an external site that may or may not meet accessibility guidelines.