1. Don't Overdo It
On a good day, it's tempting to go crazy catching up on everything you've let go while you were feeling bad. However, if you overdo it on your good days, you'll only feel worse for it. Your energy levels are tenuous when you have fibromyalgia. Overexerting yourself will make it harder for you to recover the next time, will make your pain levels worse and will keep you in bed longer than if you'd paced yourself.
2. Take the Correct Types of Medication
Muscle relaxants are very effective in controlling pain in people with fibromyalgia. The relaxants don't actually reduce muscle spasming very much, since spasms can still be detected in most people after they've taken a muscle relaxer. However, muscle relaxers seem to affect the transmission of pain signals from the muscles to the brain in people with fibromyalgia, which reduces the overall levels of pain. Taking muscle relaxers will make you sleepy, though, so don't drive or operate machinery when you take this kind of medication.
Anti-anxiety and anti-depressant medications make you feel better on an emotional level. This improvement in mood, in turn, improves your levels of pain and reduces muscle tension. These medications also improve sleep quality, which is usually pretty poor in people with fibromyalgia. Anxiety and depression are also fairly common in people with fibromyalgia, since the condition's prognosis is uncertain and it keeps you from doing the things you like to do. Taking medications to improve your mood can give you a little bit of your life back, even if it's just a small part.
3. Use Bodywork to Feel Better
Getting a massage is an effective way of relieving the pain of fibromyalgia, and there are several different massage techniques that can be used. Massage relaxes muscles and increases blood flow to painful areas, which promotes healing. Energy work, such as reiki, has also been reported by many fibromyalgia patients as having a powerful ability to reduce pain and induce relaxation, even though it doesn't involve touching.
Physical therapy helps you strengthen your muscles and keeps them in optimum flexible condition, which naturally reduces pain. Acupuncture is also good at relieving pain, as it releases endorphins into your system that cause you to feel euphoric and relaxed.
