Medscape recently published a debate posing the below mentioned questions to Dr. Charles Argoff, a neurologist specializing in pain and Dr. Jonathan Kay, a rheumatologist.

–       What is fibromyalgia, aside from being a major frustration to patients and clinicians?

–       And what causes it?

Dr Argoff said that fibromyalgia is itself a distinct condition associated with widespread reduction in a patient’s pain threshold and thus a heightened sensitivity to pain.

Dr Kay held a different view, arguing that fibromyalgia is merely a symptom complex with a number of possible causes.

There are currently 3 US Food and Drug Administration (FDA)- approved treatments for fibromyalgia, which are:

–       duloxetine,

–       milnacipran,

–       and pregabalin

All of which appear to be at least partially effective. Still, managing the condition remains a major challenge to clinicians and disagreement continues as to what exactly fibromyalgia is and how one should approach diagnosis and management.

In response to the debate, readers including physicians, nurses and patients  flooded Medscape’s open discussion forum with their own thoughts, theories and management tips.

Reference: http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/737800?src=mp&spon=17