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I've been after my Mom to quit smoking since I was five. She has fibromyalgia and says it helps her pain. Isn't there something else that would work better?
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Smoking (tobacco use) has been shown to increase pain intensity among patients with chronic pain. Fibromyalgia is a condition with chronic musculoskeletal pain. A recent study from a well-known clinic (Mayo Clinic Fibromyalgia Treatment Program) clearly showed that tobacco users (smokers) did have much higher pain levels compared with nonsmokers.
They did not find a greater number of tender points in smokers with fibromyalgia compared with nonsmokers. But the pain intensity was greater in fibromyalgia patients who were smokers compared with the nonsmokers.
How and why does tobacco use increase pain intensity? Scientists think that tobacco increases substance P in the cerebral spinal fluid. Substance P helps transmit pain signals. At the same time, smokers have lower endorphin levels (natural pain killers).
The results of the Mayo fibromyalgia study were consistent with other studies linking smoking with pain (e.g., low back pain), more severe symptoms from other musculoskeletal disorders, and loss of function. The smokers with fibromyalgia were also more likely to miss days of work.
It is always advised that patients should quit smoking. Patients with fibromyalgia should be encouraged to enter a tobacco-cessation program not only to reduce pain but also for their overall better health.
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