Mood swings are quite common among individuals fibromyalgia and the main reason being that the condition causes pains in the muscles and soft tissues.

Mood swings can also be aggravated with disruption to sleep, caused by the effect of fibromyalgia.

Since the condition remains persistently chronic, the pain will trigger some detrimental effects on emotional stability.

In addition to mood disturbances, stress and anxiety disorders may also be common among individuals suffering from fibromyalgia.

The pain areas of this disorder will tend to amplify the slightest change in mood, causing the victim to become irritable easily.

Depression is also common among individual sufferers of fibromyalgia as they tend to withdraw from their social cycles in order to avoid hurting anyone.

Symptoms of fibromyalgia that can trigger mood disorders

There are quite a number of fibromyalgia symptoms that can aggravate or trigger mood disorders in the patient, the commonest ones include the following:

• Abdominal pains
• Chronic headaches
• Dryness in some parts of the body, especially the mouth, nose, and eyes
• Extreme sensitivity to hot and cold conditions
• Lack of concentration
• Irritable bowel disorders
• Incontinences
• Numbing sensations in the feet or fingers
• Poor blood circulations in several parts of the body (most especially the feet and hand)
• Painful trigger points
• Stiffness in the legs or hand
• Restless syndrome in the legs
• Painful cramps, associated with menstruation

Fibromyalgia may cause numerous sensations that are similar to what people suffering from osteoporosis, arthritis, and tendinitis, experience, but, unlike the pains experienced in arthritis, the ones felt in fibromyalgia are widespread.

Even though fibromyalgia can cause mood swings from time to time, it can still be controlled to avoid the condition from driving you crazy.

The manifestation of mood disorder caused by fibromyalgia

Fibromyalgia can cause rapid fluctuations in the mood of its sufferer, and this can trigger emotional problems when the fluctuations in mood become more rampant.

It should be noted that the same natural chemicals that trigger mood swings in the brain are the same neurotransmitters that are directly linked to fibromyalgia, which means, there is a direct link between the two.

One of the manifestations of fibromyalgia is that when you are continuously subjected to stress, you will become twitchy and little things such as misplacing the TV remote control, can easily drive you nuts.

Most fibromyalgia can hardly get quality deep sleep because any sleep position they take may become agonizing.

Sleep deprivation itself can make mood disorders aggravated. The use of symptomatic relief providers seems to be one of the best possible ways of handling the situation.

Dealing with fibromyalgia and mood disorders

Aside from the use of pain relievers and some other fibromyalgia medications, certain lifestyle changes can help ease off the symptoms of the condition and reduce its tendencies to affect mood negatively.

Taking day-time naps, for instance, has been found to be very helpful for individuals suffering from fibromyalgia.

Symptoms such as fatigue, lack of concentration, painful trigger points, and restless leg syndrome, which can cause mood swings, can actually be treated temporarily with daytime naps.

Symptoms such as chronic aches may not be handled with multiple naps and rest in the day.

Making dietary changes can also help to ease off the effect of fibromyalgia on mood swings.

Controlling your blood sugar, for instance, can help a lot. High blood sugar can trigger certain inflammatory disorders that can worsen fibromyalgia.

When you learn to avoid or drastically reduce your consumption of sugary foods, candy, dessert, alcohol, and caffeine, you will notice that the number of fibromyalgia flare-ups in your body will dramatically reduce.

You should replace processed foods with healthier ones such as fruits and vegetables.

The use of anti-depressant medications are also recommended by physicians, however, such must be used with caution to avoid possible side effects.

The stabilization of the mood as well as pain relief they provide is quite significant.

The use of anti-depressants has been streamlined and regulated in order to reduce the instances of side effects, therefore, only the FDA approved medications work properly to treat the symptoms of fibromyalgia.

Sometimes, the low supply of certain hormones such as Serotonin, which tells neurotransmitters, what to do, can be the main trigger of fibromyalgia.

Serotonin hormones help in the control of brain activities, they help protect the neurons from hyperactivity, thus reducing the risks of depression and anxiety.

Anti-depressants help in restoring neurotransmitters back to levels where they can become more effective in controlling anxiety, depression and other conditions emanating from the brain, causing mood swings.

Secondly, you should learn to cope with the condition positively. For instance, you should learn to forgive yourself and give yourself more space to understand who you are exactly.

There is no need to allow shame to take complete control of your life. When you learn to handle the situation calmly, instead of becoming aggressive, you will eventually master the condition effectively.

There are other physical and mental ways to handle mood swings brought about by fibromyalgia, these include the following;

• Speak to your boss about your condition, especially on the need to take occasional breaks when the symptoms of the fibromyalgia flare-up.
• Try as much as possible to extend the time to complete certain tasks during the day.
• Avoid procrastination because it can increase your stress level especially when you fail to meet deadlines. An increase in stress levels may also trigger certain mood disorders associated with fibromyalgia.
• Limit your outside commitments, especially on workdays, and create a reminder for your “To Do” lists.
• When your fibromyalgia pains and fatigue are becoming overwhelming, do not hesitate to ask your co-workers for help.
• Consider listening to your favorite soothing music when you are at home and do not hesitate to talk to your doctor about the ideal fibromyalgia medications.
• In general, developing a positive mind is the best possible way of controlling Fibromyalgia symptoms, even when such symptoms are spiraling out of control.

References

1. http://www.psychiatrictimes.com/articles/chronic-pain-and-mood-disorders%E2%80%94identifying-and-understanding-shared-neurophysiological-mechanisms
2. http://www.bodyinmind.org/anxiety-and-mood-in-people-with-fibromyalgia-or-neuropathic-pain-different-mechanisms-2/