Fibromyalgia (often shortened to Fibro) is a complicated condition. Widespread pain, fatigue and Fibro Fog may be some of its better-known symptoms, but for many of us the experience doesn't stop there.
Over the years, I have experienced a number of other symptoms and conditions alongside Fibromyalgia. Understanding fibromyalgia associated symptoms can be confusing: some are recognised symptoms of Fibro, some are conditions that commonly seem to overlap with it, and others are problems where the relationship is not quite so straightforward.
That distinction matters. Not everything that happens to someone with Fibromyalgia is necessarily caused by Fibro, even though it can sometimes be difficult to work out where one problem ends and another begins.
In this post, I am bringing together some of the associated symptoms and conditions I have experienced, including IBS, excessive sweating, sinus and ear symptoms, painful periods, headaches, depression and itching. Each section gives an introduction to the connection and, where I have written about it separately, links to a more detailed post about my experience.
If you are looking for an introduction to the condition itself, start with What is Fibromyalgia?. For a closer look at the symptoms directly associated with Fibromyalgia, you can also read Fibromyalgia Symptoms.
Fibromyalgia and Irritable Bowel Syndrome
To begin with, Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) is one of my worst associated symptoms that affect me. In my experience the Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) is one of the associated problems that affects me the most. In my case, IBS first appeared in my teenage years, long before I had even heard of Fibromyalgia.
IBS causes symptoms like stomach cramps, bloating, diarrhoea and constipation. These tend to come and go over time.
IBS is also common among people living with Fibromyalgia, although having one condition does not mean you will necessarily develop the other.
For me, IBS tends to affect the Fibromyalgia more than the other way around. Let’s face it, an urgent trip to the bathroom is one thing when you are otherwise well; when you are already juggling pain and exhaustion, even that first hurried trip can use a surprising number of spoons.
I talk much more about what that means in real life in Living With Fibromyalgia and IBS, including why something that once interrupted my day can now sometimes bring the rest of it to a halt.
Hyperhidrosis with Fibromyalgia
Hyperhidrosis, or excessive sweating, is another problem I have experienced alongside Fibromyalgia. Excessive sweating is reported by some people with Fibro, although the relationship between the two is not completely understood. How much sweat is too much?
It’s normal to sweat if you get hot or do exercise, but you may be sweating excessively if you’re sweating when your body does not need to cool down.
When mine began, I thought it was the beginning stages of menopause. I had a blood test which, at that time, suggested this wasn't the case. At the time, it was a relief because I still hoped to have a family, but it also meant I had to look elsewhere for an explanation for why I was suddenly sweating so much.
Research into skin-related symptoms in Fibromyalgia found excessive sweating or hyperhidrosis in almost a third of the people studied. Other research looking specifically at sweating has found differences in the way the sympathetic nervous system regulates sweating in people with Fibromyalgia. The relationship clearly isn't straightforward, though, and this doesn't mean everyone with Fibromyalgia will experience excessive sweating, or that Fibromyalgia is necessarily the cause when they do.
For me, however, excessive sweating became another part of living with Fibro. I talk more about what that has actually been like in Fibromyalgia and Hyperhidrosis.
Sinusitis-Like Symptoms With Fibromyalgia
Sinusitis is one of those areas where Fibromyalgia can make things rather confusing. If you are unfamiliar with sinusitis, the NHS describes it as:
Sinusitis is swelling of the sinuses, usually caused by an infection. It's common and usually clears up on its own within 4 weeks.
Since Fibromyalgia entered my life, I have frequently experienced symptoms that feel very much like sinusitis, and sometimes even an ear infection, without an infection actually being found.
Eventually, an ENT hospital specialist explained it to me by saying Fibro was my “superpower” for creating the symptoms without the infection. It sounded slightly bizarre at the time, but there is research to support what he was describing.
A UK study of people with Fibromyalgia found high levels of facial pain and pressure, along with ear pain, ear pressure and fullness. Interestingly, their nasal symptoms were lower than those normally seen in people with chronic rhinosinusitis. The researchers suggested that facial pain associated with Fibromyalgia could therefore sometimes be mistaken for sinus disease.
That doesn't mean Fibromyalgia causes sinusitis, or that sinus and ear symptoms should automatically be blamed on Fibro. Genuine infections and other ENT problems still need treating appropriately. For me, though, it helped to finally understand why I could feel so much like I had an infection when there wasn't one there.
I talk more about my experience in Fibromyalgia and Sinusitis.
Fibromyalgia and Menstruation
For women with Fibromyalgia, menstruation can add another complication to something that may already involve pain, fatigue and generally feeling less than wonderful.
The NHS lists unusually painful periods among the other symptoms that women with Fibromyalgia may experience.
There is some research behind the connection too. One study looking at Fibromyalgia, premenstrual syndrome and painful periods found both premenstrual syndrome (PMS) and primary dysmenorrhoea, the medical term for painful periods, were more common among the women with Fibromyalgia in the study than among the control group.
My own experience has involved more than painful periods. Since developing Fibromyalgia, my cycle has at times seemed to develop a mind of its own, while the combination of menstrual pain and my usual Fibro pain can make an already difficult day considerably harder.
I go into much more detail, including the less glamorous realities of changing cycles, heavier periods and what happens when menstrual cramps decide to invite IBS along for the ride, in Fibromyalgia & Menstruation.
Headaches and Migraine With Fibromyalgia
WHeadaches sit slightly differently from some of the other problems on this page because they are recognised as a symptom of Fibromyalgia. They can also vary enormously, from an ordinary headache to something much more disabling.
The NHS explains that headaches associated with Fibromyalgia can range from mild headaches to severe migraines, sometimes accompanied by symptoms such as feeling sick.
Research also supports an overlap between Fibromyalgia and migraine, although exactly how the two conditions are connected is still not completely understood.
In my case, I had these horrific, migraine-style headaches long before the majority of my Fibromyalgia symptoms arrived. What Fibro seems to have changed most is the recovery. If you are so ill that all you can do is lie down in a dark room and try to escape into sleep, having Fibro probably isn't going to make that particular moment much better or worse.
It is afterwards that I notice the difference. What once meant being wiped out the following day can now become a much longer recovery, with the pain gradually fading before the cotton-wool feeling and Fibro Fog take over.
I explain much more about that experience in Headaches Cause the Worst Fibro Days, including why one bad headache can affect far more than the day on which it arrives.
Fibromyalgia and Depression
Depression is another condition that can become part of the Fibromyalgia picture. Living with persistent pain, fatigue and the changes Fibro can bring to everyday life can take its toll, although the relationship between the two is not always as simple as saying one directly causes the other.
The NHS explains that, in some cases, having Fibromyalgia can lead to depression.
It raises one of those difficult questions: which came first, and how much does one condition affect the other? That is something I explore in much more detail in Fibromyalgia and Depression: The Undeniable Relationship, alongside what can help when you are dealing with both.
Itching with Fibromyalgia
Itching is a difficult one to describe as a separate condition, yet the sheer scale of the problem for some of us makes it worthy of attention.
It isn't currently listed among the main Fibromyalgia symptoms by the NHS, but research into the relationship between Fibromyalgia and chronic itching has developed since I first wrote about my experience.
Research published in 2024 found an association between Fibromyalgia and pruritus, the medical term for itching. Another study of people with chronic pruritus found Fibromyalgia was considerably more common among them than in the control group. Researchers are still trying to understand exactly why the two can occur together, so I don't think we can simply label itching as another Fibromyalgia symptom.
What I do know is what it feels like. In my experience, Fibro itching can become so intense that there is a fine line between the itching sensation and pain. It is a little like being tickled: at first you laugh, but if somebody keeps going long enough, eventually it starts to hurt.
For me, the itching can feel less like something happening on the surface of my skin and more like something I simply cannot get at. In Fibromyalgia and Itching I talk much more about living with it, including an itch that seems to think it has VIP status and the different things I have tried to manage it.
Living With Fibromyalgia: Associated Symptoms and Conditions
Fibromyalgia is complicated enough on its own, but for many of us it doesn't seem to travel alone. IBS, excessive sweating, painful periods, headaches, itching and even symptoms that feel remarkably like sinus or ear infections have all become part of my own experience.
As this post hopefully shows, though, the relationship isn't always straightforward. Some problems are recognised Fibromyalgia symptoms, some conditions appear more commonly alongside Fibro, and sometimes research is still trying to work out exactly what the connection might be.
One thing I have learned is not to automatically put every new symptom into the Fibro basket. When you are used to your body doing strange things, it is very easy to think, here we go again. But new, changing or worrying symptoms are still worth getting checked rather than simply assuming Fibromyalgia is responsible.
If there is a symptom or condition you have noticed alongside Fibromyalgia and you are wondering whether there might be a connection, I would love to hear about it. I can't promise there will always be a clear answer, but it may be something worth researching and exploring in a future Creative Fibro post.
In the meantime, you can explore more of the conditions and symptoms I live with alongside Fibro in the Co-Conditions section.