Cough Medicine (Dextromethorphan) Shows Promise of Treating the Pain of Fibromyalgia

The Arthritis Foundation is reporting that a small study by University of Florida researchers suggests that the common over-the-counter cough medication dextromethorphan may help people with fibromyalgia. The report, which appears in an article in the May issue of the Journal of Pain, is based on a University of Florida study of 14 women with fibromyalgia and 10 women without the disease. The study found that dextromethorphan appears to temporarily reduce the intensity of wind-up, a cascading pain response to physical touch that is a symptom of the syndrome.

Index to t-shirts and gift merchandise featuring the “Fibromyalgia is a Pain” design

The underlying cause of Fibromyalgia is unknown. Current treatments now can include pain medication, stretching, sleep management, and psychological support; some patients are helped by therapeutic exercise, while it exacerbates Fibromyalgia symptoms in others.

Fibromyalgia is an incurable chronic condition that causes disabling stiffness, fatigue, muscle aches, sleep disturbances, and other disruptive symptoms. Fibromyalgia affects about 10 million Americans, most of them women. WebMD reports that “it is now thought that a mechanism known as central sensitization plays a major role in the disease. The theory is that the brain and spinal cord magnify pain signals to abnormally high levels.

“Fibromyalgia patients often experience pain to stimuli that are not normally perceived as painful, such as a pat on the back. The pain can get worse with repeated contact.”

According to MedlinePlus Drug Information, dextromethorphan is “an antitussive, is used to relieve a nonproductive cough caused by a cold, the flu, or other conditions.”

Guidelines have not yet been established for the clinical use of dextromethorphan to treat fibromyalgia and other conditions that cause heightened pain sensitivity, and patients are being warned not to attempt to self-medicate by taking cough syrups that contain dextromethorphan. In a prepared statement, the principal author of the study and rheumatology expert Dr. Roland Staud, an associate professor of medicine, said that dextromethorphan appears to be “one piece of the mosaic. We currently have no single therapy in chronic pain that has a big effect. So what this really means for chronic pain patients is that they need to use a whole host of different interventions to decrease the pain they have. And in this, dextromethorphan may have a role in the future.”

Dr. Roland Staud told WebMD that “[w]e are not telling people to try cough medicine to relieve their fibromyalgia pain.”

For more information, read: What is Fibromyalgia (FM, FMS)?

Who Shouldn’t Use Dextromethorphan?
Dextromethorphan should not be taken by all fibromyalgia patients. Those who are currently taking MAOI antidepressants should not take dextromethorphan as the two react badly together. Pregnant women or those who are breastfeeding should also avoid dextromethorphan.

Related posts:

1. What is Fibromyalgia?

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