Question:
I have been diagnosed as having fibromyalgia about five years ago but I
have always doubted the diagnosis because some of my symptoms seem
unusual and are not usually listed as symptoms of fibromyalgia. First,
my symptoms slowly get worst and I read that fibromyalgia usually
doesn't get worse with time. Second, my joints snap and crack a lot:
five years ago only my ankles snapped but now, it is also in my wrists
and elbows, and my knees and shoulders have also begun to snap in the
last six months. Third, I have a lot of muscle twitching all over my
body. Do any of you have these symptoms as well? Is this really part
of fibro? I am looking forward to hear from other people about that.
Answer:
Where did you read that fibromyalgia symptoms don't get worse over time? I'd
be interested in that article...
Once it has fully developed, it probably won't get worse. But it often
takes years for it to fully develop. My fatigue started developing in the
early 1990's but I didn't get significant pain until 1998.
Many people with fms have magnesium deficiency which can cause muscle
twitching. Mangesium is doubly useful, in that it can offset the side effect
of constipation, which many antidepressants and pain relivers cause.
Unfortunately, the least assimilatable forms are also the most common. I.e.,
magnesium oxide and citrate are not very easy for the body to assimilate.
Some of the best are chelated magnesium, magnesium glycinate and magnesium
aspartate. I personally take aspartate, this in addition to my normal
calcium with magnesium supplement (btw, even males like myself should be
taking a calcium with mangesium supplement, if you aren't getting your rda
through food, which basically means most people.) Find a magnesium supplement
(without calcium) that comes in small pills, i.e. my magnesium pills are 1/4
RDA, and thus it allows me to space out the magnesium between different meals
(to make it better to assimilate), and it also makes it easy to slowly
increase the amount that you take, before you start seeing the side effect of
taking too much, which is laxative effect which I mentioned ealier.
Personally, I see a difference if I don't take my magnesium for a couple of
days, so hopefully you would see a difference after taking it for a couple of
weeks. I used to have muscle twitches, and especially facial twitches (eyelid
being the most common). Taking mangesium totally cleared up that problem .
Btw, I've read that it can take up to 6 months to refill the body's depleted
store of magnesium, so it might be possible that you could decrease the amount
of magnesium you are taking after long period of time (that was my experience
also). Also, here is decent article on magnesium:
Virtually, all chemical reactions in the body require an enzyme system to
help the biochemical reaction take place. An enzyme system generally
consists of three parts. They are a specific protein molecule, another
smaller organic compound, which is often a vitamin, such as pyridoxine or
vitamin B6, and finally a charged mineral, such as zinc, copper, manganese
or magnesium. Magnesium is a critical co-factor in more than 300 enzymatic
reactions in the human body. Each mineral when dissolved in fluids has a
characteristic electrical charge, called its valance. Minerals with a charge
of plus 1, or univalent cations, include sodium and potassium. Minerals with
a charge of plus 2, or divalent cations, include copper, zinc, manganese and
magnesium. Potassium and magnesium are the most abundant cations found
within the cells of the body with magnesium being the most abundant divalent
cation.
In the USA, magnesium supplementation is dramatically under utilized by
conventional physicians and is more important in patient therapy than most
physicians realize. There are over 200 published clinical studies
documenting the need for magnesium. In fact, at the 1992 American College of
Cardiology annual meeting, a limited biography on magnesium was the most
often requested item at the National Council on Magnesium and Cardiovascular
booth.
Up until recently, conventional medicine's interest in magnesium has been
only by obstetricians, who have used injectable magnesium sulfate
extensively in the treatment of high blood pressure and pre-eclampsia and
eclampsia of pregnancy. But, recently conventional physicians have become
interested in treating patients with acute heart attacks, chronic
cardiovascular disease, heart arrhythmias, diabetes, asthma, chronic fatigue
syndrome and many other disorders.
Symptoms of Magnesium Deficiency?
What are some of the symptoms of magnesium deficiency? They are outlined
beautifully in a recent article by Dr. Sidney Baker. Magnesium deficiency
can affect virtually every organ system of the body. With regard to skeletal
muscle, one may experience twitches, cramps, muscle tension, muscle
soreness, including back aches, neck pain, tension headaches and jaw joint
(or TMJ) dysfunction. Also, one may experience chest tightness or a peculiar
sensation that he can't take a deep breath. Sometimes a person may sigh a
lot.
Symptoms involving impaired contraction of smooth muscles include
constipation; urinary spasms; menstrual cramps; difficulty swallowing or a
lump in the throat-especially provoked by eating sugar; photophobia,
especially difficulty adjusting to oncoming bright headlights in the absence
of eye disease; and loud noise sensitivity from stapedius muscle tension in
the ear.
Other symptoms and signs of magnesium deficiency and discuss laboratory
testing for this common condition. Continuing with the symptoms of magnesium
deficiency, the central nervous system is markedly affected. Symptoms
include insomnia, anxiety, hyperactivity and restlessness with constant
movement, panic attacks, agoraphobia, and premenstrual irritability.
Magnesium deficiency symptoms involving the peripheral nervous system
include numbness, tingling, and other abnormal sensations, such as zips,
zaps and vibratory sensations.
Symptoms or signs of the cardiovascular system include palpitations, heart
arrhythmias, angina due to spasms of the coronary arteries, high blood
pressure and mitral valve prolapse. Be aware that not all of the symptoms
need to be present to presume magnesium deficiency; but, many of them often
occur together. For example, people with mitral valve prolapse frequently
have palpitations, anxiety, panic attacks and premenstrual symptoms. People
with magnesium deficiency often seem to be "uptight." Other general symptoms
include a salt craving, both carbohydrate craving and carbohydrate
intolerance, especially of chocolate, and breast tenderness.
