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Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) Abdominal discomfort or pain along with constipation or diarrhea for more than 3 months in the past year. 

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Temporomandibular disorder (TMD) Frequent facial/jaw pain and/or limitation in jaw opening.

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Chronic fatigue syndrome Unexplained, persistent or on-again, off-again fatigue for more than 6 months. Even though you sleep you are not awaken feeling not rested and exhausted.

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Tension and migraine headache are frequent headaches lasting more than 30 minutes and could last for days. If left untreated it could cause serious problems. 

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Multiple chemical sensitivities Contact with certain chemicals, household chemicals, perfumes, colognes, airborne chemicals can cause consistently unpleasant symptoms such as nauseousness, weakness, headaches, blurred vision, and possibly pain. 

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Interstitial cystitis At least 8 months of bladder pain, urinary urgency, and frequency (urinating more than 8 times during the day and more than 2 times during the night) 

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Restless leg syndrome An often unpleasant urge to move the legs non stop and some patients will experience dull nagging pain that is very discomforting.  

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Numbness is persistent tingling and pins and needles (can occur anywhere on the body, especially the hands and feet)

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Overlapping Conditions can be very board and affect everyone differently and at different times. There is not set reason as to why overlapping conditions will effect one person but not the next. 

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Overlapping (comorbid) conditions are ailments that frequently occur together. FIbromyagia  and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome ME/CFS are generally considered overlapping conditions. FM and ME/CFS also have a host of other overlapping conditions associated with them. These include other pain disorders, sleep problems, major depression, nervous system disorders, digestive problems and menstrual problems.

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PAIN CONDITIONS

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Many people with FM and ME/CFS also have other chronic pain conditions that need to be diagnosed and properly treated. Often, successfully treating other sources of pain can help alleviate FM and ME/CFS symptoms.

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Myofascial pain syndrome

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Myofascial pain syndrome (MPS, sometimes called "chronic myofascial pain") is frequently confused with fibromyalgia, but they are different conditions. In MPS, muscles and connective tissues (which make up the fascia) develop what are called trigger points. A trigger point is often a small, hard knot, about the size of a pencil eraser, that you may be able to feel under your skin. Sometimes the knot itself is painful, especially when you press on it, but it often causes pain in another area.

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Ankylosing spondylitis is the most common type of spondyloarthritis, mainly affecting the back and neck  

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Multiple chemical sensitivity

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Multiple chemical sensitivity (MCS) causes similar symptoms to ME/CFS and FMS, but with the trigger being exposure to certain chemicals, such as those found in perfumes, adhesives, and cleaning products. Because everyone is exposed to a huge variety of chemicals every day, it can be extremely difficult to identify which ones are causing the problem, or even that the problem is, in fact, MCS.

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Gulf War syndrome

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Symptoms of Gulf War syndrome (GWS) are strikingly similar to those of FMS and ME/CFS, including fatigue, musculoskeletal pain, and cognitive problems. Also similar is that symptoms and their severities vary widely from person to person.

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SLEEP DISTURBANCES

Sleep disturbances are considered a key clinical feature of FMS and can include insomnia, sleep apnea, and other sleep disorders. Sometimes, a sleep study reveals impaired stage-4 sleep. People with ME/CFS, however, generally have no diagnose sleep disorders - instead, they have what's called "unrefreshing sleep."

People with FMS can also have sleep-related movement disorders:

 

 

 

 

 

Restless leg syndrome

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Restless leg syndrome (RLS) is a movement disorder that causes discomfort, unease, and weariness that gets worse when you rest and feels better when you move. It can keep you awake because it's hard to get comfortable, and the movements can wake you up as well. RLS is not well understood.

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Periodic limb movement disorder

Periodic limb movement disorder (PLMD) is similar to RLS. People with PLMD involuntarily contract their leg muscles about every 30 seconds while they're asleep. Even if this doesn't wake you up completely, it can disrupt sleep -- both for you and for your sleeping partner.

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MAJOR DEPRESSION

As many as 70% of people with FMS or ME/CFS also have had bouts of depression at some point in their lives, and up to a third are currently suffering from a severe form called major depression. Researchers don't believe depression actually causes fibromyalgia but say it may increase your susceptibility.

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Major depression is much more serious than the normal periods of sadness and despondency that can go along with chronic pain and fatigue. Symptoms of major depression include:

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  • Daily depressed mood

  • Loss of interest in usually pleasurable activities and interests

  • Significant weight changes

  • Insomnia or excessive sleeping

  • Constant low energy

  • Feelings of worthless or inappropriate guilt

  • Inability to make decisions or concentrate

  • Thoughts of suicide

 

t's crucial for people with signs of major depression to get professional help.

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