Fibromyalgia - Irritable Bowel Syndrome

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is one of the most distressing symptoms of fibromyalgia. What can be so frustrating to a person with IBS is that just as in fibromyalgia, the medical evaluation results in a "good news, everything is normal" comment after a medical evaluation because there is no structural, biochemical or infectious cause uncovered. Yet again, just as in fibromyalgia, the person with IBS knows that even though the studies may be normal, their symptoms are very abnormal. These symptoms include abdominal pain and altered bowel habits, including diarrhea, constipation or alternating diarrhea and constipation. In addition, there may be symptoms referable to the upper gastrointestinal tract such as non-cardiac chest pain, heartburn, dysphagia (difficulty in swallowing) and a feeling of fullness in the throat. One person with fibromyalgia and IBS has called it "the cry of the wild gut!"

The incidence of IBS in fibromyalgia is very high. Studies have shown that there is up to a 70% association. Some clinicians even call IBS "fibrogut" due to the strong correlation. The sequence of events in producing IBS symptoms is felt to begin with the inability of the cells in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract to form enough energy. The GI tract has three layers of muscles that when functioning normally churn and mix nutritive elements with digestive juices. This allows a breakdown of ingested fats, proteins and carbohydrates into components that are small enough to be absorbed into the body. The GI musculature is also designed again when functioning normally to propel the foodstuff throughout the GI tract. The decreased GI cell energy level and the consequent decrease in the churning and propelling function create the setting in which IBS symptoms begin - the buildup of gas, the sieges of diarrhea, the constipation, the bloating, the pain, the uncertainty of going out socially because of the concern about an "attack".