How do I know for sure that I have fibromyalgia?

Fibromyalgia can be a frustrating condition to diagnose. It has symptoms that overlap with other conditions, and there are no definitive blood or laboratory tests to confirm it. Instead, doctors familiar with fibromyalgia make a diagnosis based on criteria established by the American College of Rheumatology (ACR). According to the ACR, someone is living with fibromyalgia if he or she:

• experiences pain in several specific areas of the body that has lasted longer than three months
• is bothered by symptoms like fatigue, trouble sleeping and difficulty thinking clearly

There are other symptoms that are associated with the condition, such as tenderness and headaches, but a diagnosis of fibromyalgia is usually based on meeting the ACR's guidelines. If you suspect that you may be living with fibromyalgia, the road to an accurate diagnosis can be a long one. The best thing you can do is to find a physician who is familiar with diagnosing and treating the condition, and have him or her rule out other conditions and evaluate your pain to see if it meets those criteria.

There’s only one way to know if your pain is from fibromyalgia: ask a doctor. 

There are guidelines that can be very helpful in the diagnosis of fibromyalgia. In 1990, the American College of Rheumatology published the following criteria: 

• Widespread pain above and below the waist, on both the right and left sides of your body, and in the axial skeleton (your skull, spine, rib cage, and the bones in your throat and ears) for at least 3 months
• Tenderness or pain in 11 of the 18 “tender points” on your body

Based on these guidelines, your doctor may perform a tender point exam. Your doctor will ask how long you have been having pain. Then he or she will apply pressure to these 18 points and count how many you find tender. Finding pain when pressure is applied to these tender points is how many doctors diagnose fibromyalgia.
 
In 2010, the American College of Rheumatology published a new set of preliminary guidelines. These guidelines include a widespread pain index that assesses the number of painful body regions, and a scale that assesses the severity of symptoms such as fatigue, sleep problems, comprehension problems, and others in the body. 

By using one or both of these sets of guidelines, along with tests to rule out other conditions, it is possible for your doctor to make a fibromyalgia diagnosis. So if you think you may have fibromyalgia, talk to your doctor about what steps you can take toward an accurate diagnosis. 

If you are experiencing chronic widespread pain and tenderness and are diagnosed with fibromyalgia, talk to your doctor about your treatment options. Prescription treatment, such as LYRICA, is one option you and your doctor may consider to help relieve fibromyalgia pain. In clinical studies, LYRICA was proven to provide significant relief from fibromyalgia pain compared with a placebo, so patients felt better and could do more.* 

*Individual results may vary.