Substance P, Fibromyalgia and chronic pain how are they linked?
© Barb Briley
Most recently I was presented with 2 articles, the first of which is from the winter/fall of the ABS Newsletter, and the article written by David Sudderth, MD. (You will see a review of what the second article was in another article later in our column.)
Dr. Sudderth discusses in length the function of not only Serotonin but also the mystery Substance P. This substance is found only in the spinal column. Doctors believe it is an excess of Substance P enhancing our pain levels. Substance P has been shown to exist in higher levels in Fibros. The theory is that when found in higher levels Substance P as a neurotransmitter increases how we perceive pain. The higher the level of Substance P the more efficient our system is at pain transmission, it is that transmission which makes little pains feel horrible to Fibros. Perhaps then it would be advisable for the medical professionals to seek out a way to control substance P and reduce its presence in our system?
The answer is simple yet chemically complicated it is Serotonin. Some of us already know that Serotonin is vital to the chemical process of our brain and how it functions. Serotonin is involved in sleep, mood, and appetite. While some of us are on medications called Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors or “SRI’S” we do not understand everything that can mean to our bodies. Recently with more research medical professionals are now talking about the influence of Serotonin when it comes to the control of Substance P. It seems that Serotonin is directly related to the control of the levels of Substance P.
Fibros as a group are asking what seems to be a simple question, why not change the Serotonin levels? It is not as simple as that, Serotonin, Substance P and the rest of the body’s chemistry is a complex chain and Serotonin production requires more than a simple pill to fix it.
Doctors begin to treat us by addressing the worst symptoms first. Pain, sleeplessness and chronic depression are at the top of this list. In their efforts they are placing us on the Paxil or other similar drugs which are “SRI’s”. While addressing our depression they are also addressing the problem with Serotonin. Medically we can actually influence the level of Serotonin, however we are far from completely controlling those levels. While taking “SRI’s” we will see some small to moderate improvement in many of the symptoms we are suffering from. Sadly it seems the treatment is just a little shy of being a complete answer. Our recovery is further complicated by the fact that medications seem to stop helping to often and too quickly. The Serotonin is being controlled but not to the point that seems to be needed to cause us to go into a remission. This does not mean that some Fibros have not had wonderful results and some do. Personally I am still dealing with a group of people who are not seeing satisfactory relief from their medications
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