Fibromyalgia is a recurrent condition that involves an abnormal pain response. Although the cause is unknown, possible triggers include emotional distress, sleep disturbances or viral infection. As they often do with other poorly understood, incurable diseases, patients seek relief by looking to both conventional and complementary medicine. Talk to your doctor before taking quercetin. This supplement is not for everyone, particularly because it interacts with other drugs, such as warfarin, clopidogrel and aspirin.
Quercetin
Quercetin is a plant pigment found in apples, buckwheat and other foods. The University of Maryland Medical Center states in vitro studies show that quercetin has strong antioxidant properties. Other in vitro studies suggest that it may limit the release of histamines and even help lower cholesterol. Additional studies in animals are needed to confirm these preliminary results. As of 2011, quercetin is not used in conventional or complementary treatments.
Fibromyalgia
Patients often see a rheumatologist to diagnose and treat fibromyalgia. There are no specific lab tests or biopsy results that indicate fibromyalgia is the cause of the pain. Diagnosis is based upon symptoms and exclusion of other possibilities. For example, patients with inflamed joints are more likely to have rheumatoid arthritis than fibromyalgia. Treatment involves analgesics and drugs, such as duloxetine and milnacipran, that change how the brain perceives pain.
Inflammation
Many alternative medicine practitioners state that quercetin is helpful with fibromyalgia because it has anti-inflammatory properties. This assertion is unlikely; the Mayo Clinic and other credible sources state that fibromyalgia isn't an inflammatory condition. Levels of C-reactive protein, a protein associated with inflammation, are not elevated in patients with this disorder as they are in those with other inflammatory conditions.
Research
As of 2011, there are only two peer-reviewed, evidence-based studies that mention both quercetin and fibromyalgia. The January-March 2006 "International Journal of Immunopathology and Pharmacology" speculated that quercetin might be helpful, but provided no experimental evidence. A second paper in the November 2000 "Toxicology" reported that patients eating a vegan diet, which was incidentally higher in polyphenols such as quercetin, experienced less stiffness and pain from their fibromyalgia. The study does not examine whether it was the quercetin or some other aspect of the diet that produced this effect. Further clinical studies as to the possible benefit of quercetin in patients with fibromyalia are needed.
References
- PubMed Health: Fibromyalgia
- University of Maryland Medicine Center: Quercetin
- "Toxicology"; Antioxidants in Vegan Diet and Rheumatic Disorders: K. Hänninen, et al.; November 2000
- "International Journal of Immunopathology and Pharmacology"; Fibromyalgia--New Concepts of Pathogenesis and Treatment; H.J. Lucas, et al.; January-March 2006
- MayoClinic.com; Fibromyalgia; January 2011
- "Virtual Mentor, American Medical Association Journal of Ethics"; Symptoms, Diagnosis, and Treatment of Fibromyalgia - The Symptoms, Differential Diagnosis Techniques, and the Treatment for Fibromyalgia; Patrick B. Wood, MD; January 2008
