Difference between fibromyalgia and MS

Note: I am not a medical professional nor do I intend to provide any medical advice to anyone. Please see your physician or neurologist if you have any health care concerns. My intention is to provide accurate information from the perspective of an informed patient.

Sometimes it’s hard to pin down which illness you have, as symptoms can look and feel alike. This is the case with MS and fibromyalgia. However, they are very different illnesses.

Despite the overlap in symptoms, diagnostic methods and profile risks, having one doesn’t put you at a higher risk of having the other illness.

If you suspect you have MS or fibromyalgia, please seek medical advice. A rheumatologist will be able to tell you if you have fibromyalgia, and a neurologist if indeed you have MS.

Fibromyalgia SymptomsMain MS Symptoms

Overview Fibro versus MS

Note: As an MS patient you can experience several or very few of the symptoms listed below, they can also vary in severity, duration and recurrence. 

Note: Different people are likely to experience very different symptoms. Since no two people have exactly the same experience of MS, the disease course may look very different from one person to another.

Note: The majority of people with MS do not become severely disabled. Most people with MS learn to cope with the disease and continue to lead satisfying productive lives.


© Willeke Van Eeckhoutte and Ireland, Multiple Sclerosis & Me, 2011-2016. Unauthorised use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner are strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Willeke Van Eeckhoutte and Ireland, Multiple Sclerosis & Me with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

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