Connection between ADHD & Fibromyalgia?!

[iforgot813]

has anyone heard of a connection between ADHD and fibromyalgia?

My mom was just diagnosed with FMS at 51, and I was diagnosed with ADHD when I was 19 (3 years ago )

sometimes, she acts like me and sometimes i feel like her...
and she takes a new medication called Savella that increases dopamine levels like my vyvanse does. she read about FMS and ADHD being similar, but I've never heard of this!

[ADDMagnet]

I have heard that fibromyalgia and ADHD occur together frequently and that there is a suspected link. I know there is a whole chapter devoted to that subject in the book, "Understanding Women with ADHD" by Kathleen Nadeau and Patricial Quinn. I know I also read about the connection in another book on adult ADHD. I think it was "ADHD All Grown-up" by Joel Young. I don't recall much about it since I don't know anyone close to me with fibromyalgia. Therefore, it wasn't as likely to make a lasting impression for me. I remember more when the subject relates to me or someone close to me.

There is a section here on comorbidities that discusses fibromyalgia. You may find more information there.

[sarey]

i dont think there is a connection. FM is a medical condition.

[tinywiney]

I've never heard this, but I do know someone diagnosed with ADHD who was also recently diagnosed with fibromyalgia.

[KMiller]

Originally Posted by sarey

i dont think there is a connection. FM is a medical condition.

ADHD is a medical condition.

However, FM is hardly even established as a medical disorder. A lot of doctors are very skeptical of it, mainly because we haven't found a physical cause yet and it could be a somatization disorder.

A link wouldn't make sense because a link would imply similar mechanisms, and there aren't.

[trishcan]

Originally Posted by iforgot813

has anyone heard of a connection between ADHD and fibromyalgia?

My mom was just diagnosed with FMS at 51, and I was diagnosed with ADHD when I was 19 (3 years ago )

sometimes, she acts like me and sometimes i feel like her...
and she takes a new medication called Savella that increases dopamine levels like my vyvanse does. she read about FMS and ADHD being similar, but I've never heard of this!

savella is an snri (like cymbalta or effexor).. so not quite as stimulating as an amphetamine like vyvanse.

[meadd823]

Umm the OP's mom was diagnosed with fibromyalgia by some one who at least knows what she looks like. Responses are expected to discuss weather or not they have ever heard of a connection between fibromyalgia and ADD.

What we will NOT be doing is doubting another person's diagnosis or the existence thereof. Any questions regarding this request please feel free to PM me.

Thank you

[Driver]

Originally Posted by iforgot813

she takes a new medication called Savella that increases dopamine levels like my vyvanse does.

It doesn't work on Dopamine; it only inhibits the reuptate of Norepinephrine and Serotonin.

As for the FMS <-> ADHD link; I dunno, but my female friend has ADHD, her brother Aspergers, and her mother FMS.

[meadd823]

With a simple run about ADHD style it seems that women with ADD have a higher than average chance of also developing Fibromyalgia Although FB also occurs in men it is less frequent {like 10 women to 1 man} Based on what little I read they are not sure if the two are connected, if they simply share some symptoms or if being ADD increases the chances of one developing Fibromyalgia later on down the line due to the stresses ADD creates .

For example - with Fibromyalgia poor sleep is common this does decrease the ability to concentrate , decrease concentration is an ADD problem However with Fibromyalgia studies found those with this condition typically lacking in phase 4 sleep cycle and many ADDres have problems with sleep patterns.

Here are some hyperlinks I ran across that may be of interest.

Fibromyalgia ( FMS )

Neurotransmitter ( chemicals that communicate between nerve cells ) levels in fibromyalgia patients are often disrupted, causing bodywide imbalances. Any of the following neurotransmitters may be disrupted in fibromyalgia, resulting in a wide range of possible symptoms, and requiring different treatments. All of these substances work together, starting and stopping different reactions to allow us to respond to our environment. If they are out of balance, certain reactions that are helpful in moderation may run out of control. The causes of this disruption are unknown.

Dopamine - This neurotransmitter controls motor activity and concentration. Too much can cause muscle cramps and anxiety, while too little may lead to fatigue and lethargy. ADD and ADHD, more common in fibromyalgia patients, are sometimes associated with low levels of dopamine in certain areas of the brain.



ADD/ADHD and Fibromyalgia (FMS): Where Is the Connection?



Symptoms common to both ADD and FMS

· Low stress tolerance
· Concentration or memory problems
· Mood swings, depression, anxiety
· Poor organizational skills
· Low energy
· Difficulty relaxing
· Sleep disturbances
· Poor regulation of body temperature
· Skin rashes, itching
· Urinary frequency
· Reflux, gastritis, ulcers, constipation or diarrhea
· Aches and pains
· Low or high blood pressure
· Yeast or fungal infections
· Allergies, asthma, bronchitis, sinusitis
· Sexual over- or under-arousal
· Numbness and tingling (carpal tunnel symptoms, legs "going to sleep," etc.)
· Heart-related symptoms (chest tightness, palpitations, etc )
· Poor coordination, other gross motor skills
· Poor handwriting, other fine motor skills
· Impulsive eating or spending

Hope these help





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[Archon]

Originally Posted by meadd823

Responses are expected to discuss weather or not they have ever heard of a connection between fibromyalgia and ADD.

Originally Posted by KMiller

A link wouldn't make sense because a link would imply similar mechanisms, and there aren't. Today 12:00 PM

Righto. Only link I can see is the possible vulnerability opened in the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis of offspring of FM patients.

Prenatal exposure to maternal stress:
A recent systematic review that included four studies addressing ADHD symptoms found a robust association between prenatal maternal stress and aspects of child development including ADHD symptoms (80). These effects were independent of postnatal depression and anxiety. Maternal stress may influence the in utero environment through changes in the level of hormones. Animal and human studies suggest a link between the stress-responsive hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis and its hormonal end-product cortisol, which can affect the serotonergic system and interfere with neurone development (80).

From the National Australian Guidelines on ADHD (draft)

Basically if your mum was stressed during the pregnancy there would likely be higher rates of ADHD. That said, the link between the two is pretty speculative.

[sarey]

FM, like M.E, which I have, ARE real medical conditions. I don't see any connection.

[NoReally]

I have read something about that before, and noticed it because although I do not have a family history that I know of for ADD, I do have a sister with fibromyalgia.

Originally Posted by meadd823

Fibromyalgia ( FMS )

Neurotransmitter ( chemicals that communicate between nerve cells ) levels in fibromyalgia patients are often disrupted, causing bodywide imbalances. Any of the following neurotransmitters may be disrupted in fibromyalgia, resulting in a wide range of possible symptoms, and requiring different treatments. All of these substances work together, starting and stopping different reactions to allow us to respond to our environment. If they are out of balance, certain reactions that are helpful in moderation may run out of control. The causes of this disruption are unknown.

This reminds me of what my sister said she was told by a doctor -- neurologist I think, but it was a specialist -- that the current thinking on fibromyalgia is that it's an exaggerated pain response. Like, if I'm a little tired and run down from being on my feet all day, my nerves appropriately signal my brain that I'm a little tired and maybe my legs especially. But a fibromyalgia sufferer's brain is getting signals of extreme fatige and severe leg pain, not because the body is that worn down, but because the nerves are sending exaggerated messages to the brain. Which to my mind is different than saying it's not real, because the pain is real, and my sister can't control her nervous system any more than I can.

The interesting thing is to me, my sister has had to deal for years with the stigma of people saying fibromyalgia's not real and that she should just get over it and it's only laziness. But she doesn't believe ADHD is real! LOL. She thinks it's just an excuse and that "of course Adderall helps you do better at things...everyone feels like they can do anything when they're on meth." I love my sister and she is a supportive person, but she thinks I'm deluded and doesn't agree with my ADD diagnosis.

[meadd823]

I understand how unsupportive it can be for any one having to deal with a condition that interferes with their lives only to have people deny it's existence - This is why I do not want to do this to the member who wrote the initial post It is not my place nor is it any one else's here to doubt a doctors diagnosis.

The question was not whether or not we think it existed but if we thought there was a connection between ADD and Fibromyalgia. The condition is presumed to exist if for no other reason than the purpose of this discussion.

I am unsure how to make my stance on this any clearer without resorting to blatant rudeness.

[KMiller]

Originally Posted by KMiller

ADHD is a medical condition.

However, FM is hardly even established as a medical disorder. A lot of doctors are very skeptical of it, mainly because we haven't found a physical cause yet and it could be a somatization disorder.

A link wouldn't make sense because a link would imply similar mechanisms, and there aren't.

Since it's pretty clear you're targeting your advice at me: if you reread this, you will see I didn't question anyone's diagnosis or even state what my opinion on the matter is. But I'm not going to derail further.

I don't believe there's significant evidence to indicate a link. I don't believe there are any studies (though I'm open to be corrected) that show a higher prevalence of FM in individuals with ADHD.

Peacin' out of this thread. Good luck OP.

[ditzydreamer]

I really don't see why there can't be a link of some sort. In many mental disorders and illnesses some symptoms are physical (or psychosomatic; whatever you call it, if you can feel it, its real), such as muscle tension, unexplained aches and pains, stomach and digestive ailments, etc.
From what I understand, it's all pointing to our old familiar friend, Dopamine.

Pain Processing:
"...Abnormalities in dopaminergic neurotransmission have also been demonstrated in painful clinical conditions, including burning mouth syndrome, fibromyalgia, and restless legs syndrome... In addition, D1 receptor activation in the insular cortex appears to attenuate subsequent pain-related behavior...

Behavior disorders:
Deficient dopamine neurotransmission is implicated in attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, and stimulant medications used to successfully treat the disorder increase dopamine neurotransmission, leading to decreased symptoms. Consistent with this hypothesis, dopaminergic pathways have a role in inhibitory action control and the inhibition of the tendency to make unwanted actions...<sup>"

(</sup>http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dopamine#Processing_of_pain)


I think what this article is getting at is not necessarily that ADHD and Fibromyalgia are necessarily specifically related, but are among some other disorders that tend to be found together including ADHD, depression, FMS, Chronic Fatigue IBS, etc and referred to the 'cluster' of disorders and symptoms as "Affective Spectrum Disorder". It sure sounds a lot like me I have to say, and Affective Spectrum Disorder sure sounds a lot better than what I had been calling the collection of all my diagnoses (AFUS: All F***ed Up Syndrome)

http://www.webmd.com/mental-health/news/20030212/common-genes-might-link-14-disorders

One obvious link is the reaction from others when you tell them you have either disorder...the "it's all in your head" reaction...lol

I could be completely wrong in what I found, and how I interpreted it, but I thought this was interesting! Open to feedback.