I was going to put this under kelliwantsanswers thread, but I didn't

want it to get lost in there.

I hope people respond & tell me if they believe they are the same:

Title: Is Fibromyalgia a Generalized Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy?

Source: Clinical and Experimental Rheumatology. 2001; 19:1-3.

If I can get the web address to come up I'll repost that.
Hope

ok I'll try the site again ---

Is Fibromyalgia a Generalized Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy?

http://www.rsds.org/2/library/articl...alized_rsd.pdf

Source: Clinical and Experimental Rheumatology. 2001; 19:1-3.
Hope

Well, after reading the article. (Too many big words for 4:30 in the morning by the way. ) I can honestly say I am not really sure. There are so many illnesses that sound similar nowadays that I am sure some are actually the same thing under different names. I know that depending on the discipline of certain docs, FM can be called different things. A Rheumy can call it FM, a pain doc calls it something else, a neuro calls it neuralgia, etc., etc., etc. You get the point.
So while I am not sue if FM is RSD or a version of it...I can't say. You may want to talk to the gals (and guys if there are any) at the RSD forum here and see what they have to say!

That was a very interesting article - thank you for posting it Hope.

I personally feel that there are several features of Fibro and RSD that are similar, and I wouldn't be suprised if there is more conclusive research done at some point that links them together. I personally think that both have autoimmune roots.

At the same time, there are several differences between fibro and RSD, so while they may be in the same family, and while they may be similar, and maybe someday there will be a conclusive link found between the 2 --- in the end I do believe that fibro and RSD are different illnesses that have many similarities.

Thanks Liz for coming by and taking a look at the article for us.

I don't believe fibro is rsd -- I was diagnosed with fibro in 1991. Eleven years later I was diagnosed with RSD. It was RSI injury from 8-10 hrs on computer all day that caused the RSD. Now fibro never caused any of the RSD symptoms. I am not sure you can call it fibro when you only have trigger points in the neck...that's it. I was in no way disabled from the fibro, just had a neck ache, headaches, and never spent a day in bed from it. RSD has put me in bed many many days. I think this author is sold out to Ins Co's. trying to say it is pre-existing. I know lots of ppl with fibro and they don't have the swelling, color changes, sweating, and horrific burning. I wonder what this author is out to prove, altho it is not worth my time to think of it anymore as I have better things to do!! Just wondered what others with fibro thought about the subject. Looks like not too many others are thinking about it either. Thanks Wittsea, you have so much knowledge and experience. My thoughts are the same as yours. I've been on the RSD forum for years. A lot of them also have fibro but not all of them. Same with TOS, I go there too and some have fibro and tos, but not rsd. It fascinates me but since I disagree, I'm moving on. Thanks y'all....Hope

Hi, I'm new here and there's a pain Doc in Georgia said when patients who has RSD should get test for Fibromyalgia,because he said it's common for RSD patients to get Fibromyalgia when they already have RSD.

Bob

From what I have found I believe that Parkinson's Restless Leg Syndrome and Fibro may be related disorders.

Many of the same drugs work on all three disorders.
You get to many people that have two of these disorders. And some that get all three.

It looks like it depends on where in the nervous system that the damage is done which disorder you get If it is in the brain you get parkinson's. If in the brain stem or spinal cord you get fibro. And in the peripheral nervous system you get restless leg syndrome.

DOPAMINE seams to play a large role in all three disorders and dopamine is the main chemical that controls the levels of many of the other neuro chemicals.

If it could be proven that there is a link between RSD and fibro, it would certainly validate fibro in the minds of doctors, primarily neurologists, who pooh pooh fibro for lack of solid testing. Maybe. Just a thought

NancyH

I was diagnosed with RSD in 2005 and just now was diagnosed with fibro just last week.. I was also tested 6 months ago and 6 months before that for it too, and I did not have it then. does RSD cause fibro?