Fibromyalgia patients often report that they are not helped by painkillers, the same pain medications that relieve pain for people without fibromyalgia. Research from the University of Michigan Health System, published in the September 12, 2007 Journal of Neuroscience, explained that fibromyalgia patients were found to have reduced binding ability of a type of receptor in the brain that serves as the target of opioid painkiller drugs.

The study participants with fibromyalgia had PET (positron emission tomography) scans of their brains, as did a control group of people who did not have fibromyalgia. It was found that fibromyalgia patients had reduced mu-opioid receptor availability within 3 regions of the brain. When pain medications cannot bind to receptors, they cannot relieve pain as effectively. The PET scans also showed that fibromyalgia patients with more depressive symptoms had reductions of mu-opioid receptor binding potential in the region of the brain thought to control the emotional aspects of pain.

Related Resources:

• The Facts of Painkillers
• Preventing Abuse of Pain Medications
• Do Patients Vary in Pain Tolerance or Pain Perception?
• 10 Things You Should Know About Analgesics
• Opioid Painkillers - Sleep Apnea May Be Side Effect

~ By Carol & Richard Eustice, About.com Guides to Arthritis / Osteoarthritis

_{Photo by Steve Knight (stock.xchng)}