Low serotonin and fibromyalgia, ferritin and other testing

Misdiagnoses of fibromyalgia is rampant–upwards of two-thirds of patients could be misdiagnosed! Tens of millions diagnosed with fibromyalgia may actually have other problems accounting for their symptoms, which leads to improper treatment. Are you one of them?

We invite you to attend this event if you are suffering from:

• Body-wide pain
• Persistent fatigue
• Unrefreshed sleep and insomnia
• Irritable Bowel Syndrome
• Thyroid and/or adrenal dysfunction
• Depression and/or anxiety

Naturally I discussed the fibromyalgia-anxiety connection and the use of both 5-HTP and/or tryptophan to ease the pain and the anxiety.

Here are some excerpts from one of the papers we discussed: Fibromyalgia and the serotonin pathway

Fibromyalgia syndrome is a musculoskeletal pain and fatigue disorder manifested by diffuse myalgia, localized areas of tenderness, fatigue, lowered pain thresholds, and nonrestorative sleep.

Low serotonin is often a contributing factor with fibromyalgia and we find that tryptophan and/or 5-HTP can be very beneficial for the anxiety, depression, pain and insomnia we often see in those with classic fibromyalgia:

Serotonin substrate supplementation, via L-tryptophan or 5-hydroxytryptophan (5-HTP), has been shown to improve symptoms of depression, anxiety, insomnia and somatic pains in a variety of patient cohorts.

Here is a recent blog on the topic: Fibromyalgia: tryptophan or 5-HTP for anxiety, depression, pain and insomnia

We also cover how the other aminos GABA and DPA (d-phenylalanine) can help with pain reduction too, and how to do a trial of the amino acids in order to find the optimal dose.

I also discuss how the other amino acids GABA and DPA (d-phenylalanine) can help with pain reduction too, and how to do a trial of the amino acids in order to find the optimal dose (so if you need a recap on how to do this do join us).

Other topics in our interview include:

• Benzodiazepines
• Joint hyperflexibility (or Ehlers–Danlos syndrome)

Dr. David M. Brady, ND is the host of the summit and is one of my favorite doctors. I learned so much from him when I first became a nutritionist!  He is an internationally recognized expert in fibromyalgia and a staunch patient advocate for those who have been struggling because of a medical system that is ill-equipped to deal with the problem.

Here is a snippet of his interview with Kara Fitzgerald on testing and ferritin:

The Fibro-fix Summit runs through June 27. You can register here.

Enjoy! And feel free to ask questions here.