What is Substance P ?

Substance P is a small protein hormone called a neurotransmitter, which plays a role in mediating pain from the muscle to the spinal chord and ultimately to the brain. Patients with fibromyalgia may have higher than normal levels of substance P in the spinal cord, which can cause pain signals to be transmitted to the brain from levels that were never injured, and increase overall pain sensitivity in all parts of the body. Heightened pain signals are able to travel freely up and down the spinal chord, and cause the patient to experience a feeling of pain throughout the body, rather than remaining at the point of injury. This leads many patients to feel that their condition is progressive, although the actual condition of fibromyalgia is not truly progressive, in that symptoms can be eased or even halted with proper treatment.

Return to: Fibromyalgia Definitions or view one of the following: Who gets fibromyalgia syndrome (fms) ? Are frequent headaches associated with Fibromyalgia ? Why might fibromyalgia patients feel worse before feeling better with guaifenesin ? What factors may aggravate or worsen fibromyalgia symptoms or cause a flare-up ? How is guaifenesin used to treat fibromyalgia ? Can emotional trauma or physical or sexual abuse cause fibromyalgia ? Are fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome the same disease ? Will HMOs pay for medical treatment for fibromyalgia ? What is the autonomic (sympathetic) nervous system ? What fibromyalgia symptoms may develop as a result of irregular sleep patterns ? In post-traumatic fibromyalgia, how long after an injury does it take for symptoms to develop ?