Fibromyalgia FAQs: common questions answered

There is no cure for fibromyalgia yet. Individual symptoms — pain, sleep disruption, fatigue, and cognitive problems — can often be eased with a combination of medication, lifestyle adjustments, and pacing. Most people with fibromyalgia manage the condition as a long-term feature of their life, rather than an illness that resolves.

Fibromyalgia and arthritis both cause pain, but in different ways and for different reasons.

Arthritis — whether osteoarthritis or an inflammatory type like rheumatoid arthritis — involves damage or inflammation in the joints. It shows up on scans, on X-rays, and often in blood tests. Fibromyalgia does not damage the joints, muscles, or bones. Instead, it is thought to involve changes in how the nervous system processes pain signals. Standard tests come back normal.

Some people have both conditions. A fibromyalgia diagnosis does not rule out arthritis, or the other way around.

Fibromyalgia and ME/CFS share several features, and some people meet the diagnostic criteria for both.

The defining difference is what sits at the centre of the illness. In fibromyalgia, the defining feature is widespread pain. In ME/CFS, it is post-exertional malaise (PEM) — a delayed, disproportionate worsening of symptoms after physical or mental effort. Fatigue is significant in both, but it behaves differently. Fibromyalgia flares can be triggered by many things, including activity, but they do not follow the specific 12 to 72 hour delayed-crash pattern that defines PEM.

Fibromyalgia is sometimes mistaken for depression, and the two conditions can coexist. They are not the same thing.

Depression involves persistent low mood and loss of interest in things the person used to enjoy. People with fibromyalgia typically retain that interest — their bodies simply do not cooperate with it. Depression is more common among people with fibromyalgia than in the general population, but this reflects the genuine weight of living with constant pain, not a psychological cause of the condition.

No. Fibromyalgia is not contagious. It cannot be passed on through contact, blood, or any other route.

Research suggests that genetics may play some role. Fibromyalgia tends to run in families, and having a close relative with the condition is associated with a higher risk of developing it. But no single gene has been identified as the cause, and many people with fibromyalgia have no family history of it.

Genetics appears to be one of several factors — alongside infections, physical trauma, and stress — that can contribute to the condition developing.

Yes. Fibromyalgia is more commonly diagnosed in women — around 80% of diagnoses — but men can develop the condition, and do.

Some researchers think fibromyalgia is underdiagnosed in men, partly because the diagnostic picture and referral patterns have historically been shaped around female presentation.

It depends on the person and the approach. Some people with fibromyalgia find that gentle, consistent movement — hydrotherapy, walking, yoga — reduces pain over time. Others find that even small amounts of activity trigger flares.

The evidence base on exercise in fibromyalgia is mixed, and recommendations for graded aerobic exercise do not work for everyone. Starting low, going slow, and stopping if things get worse is a more reliable rule than any prescribed programme.

Some people identify specific food triggers and find that certain dietary changes reduce their symptoms. Others find no dietary connection at all.

There is no validated fibromyalgia diet. Claims that a specific eating plan will resolve the condition should be treated with scepticism — particularly when the plan comes with a price tag or a proprietary supplement list.

There is no single answer. Most effective approaches combine several strategies: medication for pain and sleep, pacing to prevent overexertion, heat and movement tools that suit the individual, and emotional support.