PAIN DISORDERS & DEPRESSION

Somatization disorder is when depression manifests with bodily pain. This is quite common when treating depression and another comorbid illness. Antidepressants such as the SNRIs do a very good job of treating depression and the associated pain because the SNRIs, unlike the  SSRIs, increase norepinephrine levels in the brain which fight pain. Norepinephrine is a chemical produced by the brain that blocks pain. Many of the psychotropic medicines used in treating depression have a mechanism of action that causes the body to stabilize its own chemistry. The medications allow the body to produce its own chemical in balance. These are not happy-pills. Other somatic symptoms include hypochondriasis, body dysmorphic disorder, exhaustion, weakness, and shortness of breath. These symptoms mimic generalized anxiety disorder and usually augmented medications are used in treatment.

Treatment for Somatization Disorder

Duloxetine is a great antidepressant because it is approved by the FDA to treat many different conditions including fibromyalgia, diabetic peripheral neuropathy, along with major depressive disorder and generalized anxiety disorder. Because of its multiple uses, it has many benefits because we can use one medication to treat many conditions at once as a monotherapy. Therapy can also be used in conjunction with psychotherapy or acupuncture.

Acupuncture For Pain Disorders

The National Institutes of Health estimates that between 3% and 6% of all Americans suffer from fibromyalgia. The DSM-IV states that up to 2% of women and less than .2% of men suffer from somatization disorder in the US. This imbalance is typical of depression in that women seem to suffer from depression at rates two times that of men.

Acupuncture has been known to increase the pain fighting endorphins in the body. The goal is to increase the norepinephrine and endorphins in the body. Many medical doctors are now opening pain management centers and including medical acupuncture as one of their primary forms of therapy. Acupuncture has been effective in many cases in treating fibromyalgia and somatization disorder. Acupuncture treatment studies for Fibromyalgia FMS (National Institutes of Health, 1997) states: Acupuncture may activate the hypothalamus and the pituitary gland, resulting in a broad spectrum of systemic effects. Alteration in the secretion of neurotransmitters and neuro-hormones and changes in the regulation of blood flow, both centrally and peripherally, have been documented.

These responses can occur locally, or close to the site of application, or at a distance, mediated mainly by sensory neurons to many structures within the central nervous system. This can lead to activation of pathways affecting various physiological systems in the brain as well as in the periphery. A focus of attention has been the role of endogenous opioids in acupuncture analgesia. Considerable evidence supports the claim that opioid peptides are released during acupuncture and that the analgesic effects of acupuncture are at least partially explained by their actions. That opioid antagonists such as naloxone reverse the analgesic effects of acupuncture further strengthens this hypothesis. Regarding stimulation by acupuncture.

The needles only penetrate about 1/3 of an inch. After insertion, the acupuncturist will gently twist them to position the needle in the acupuncture point. Usually, you might feel a mild pinch, or you might feel nothing at all. Once all the needles are in, it takes about 20 minutes or longer depending on your specific treatment plan. You’ll probably feel relaxed and sometimes patients fall asleep. Afterward, the acupuncturist will remove the needles, which shouldn’t hurt at all. Sometimes after your first treatment, you may feel some mild aches around your body or you may just feel very relaxed. It’s common to sleep more deeply than usual that night, which is a definite bonus for anyone with fibromyalgia. Read more about depression

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