Although there is no cure for Raynaud's, it can be treated. The key to managing Raynaud's symptoms is to try to prevent an attack – planning ahead is vital. Here are some ways you can manage Raynaud's phenomenon symptoms and live as normal a life as possible.

General measures

• Avoidance of repeated trauma to the fingertips and avoidance of vibrating tools.
• Control or limitation of emotional stress – stress plus cold exposure is an especially potent trigger for RP
• Avoidance of vasoconstricting drugs — avoid medications known to worsen vasospasm, when possible.

Several classes of drugs known to be associated with vasospasm include the following:

• Over-the-counter nasal decongestants(eg, phenylephrine, pseudoephedrine)
• Amphetamines, diet pills, and herbs with ephedra
• Agents used to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) (methylphenidate and dextroamphetamine)
• Some medications used for migraine headaches, including serotonin agonists (e.g, sumatriptan) or ergotamine

Keep warm

Do all you can to avoid cold environments, touching cold items or spending time in areas where temperatures fluctuate. Even a slight change in temperature can cause an attack. What you can do to keep warm:

• Wear warm clothes in cold temperatures
• Wear lots of thin layers and loose clothing in order to remain as warm as possible.
• Use hand warmers, feet warmers, gloves and thick socks to keep cold fingers and toes comfortable on chilly days.
• There are some more products to help keep warm in our online shop such as thermal shoe insoles and fleece blanket.

Relax and pace yourself

Try to steer clear of stressful situations as stress and anxiety can trigger an attack. Take rests when you can to avoid getting too fatigued. The Pulmonary Hypertension Association (PHA UK) describes a good way of helping to focus on your breathing, called controlled breathing, (also known as diaphragmatic breathing) which uses your diaphragm and lower chest muscles. To try this technique, follow the steps below:

• Get into a comfortable position where your neck, shoulders and back are well supported, such as in an upright chair with armrests or by leaning against a wall.
• Relax your shoulders, neck and arms.
• Place your hands on your tummy, just above your belly button.
• Give a little cough- the muscle you feel under your hand is your diaphragm.
• As you breathe in, allow your tummy to swell- you'll feel your hands rising and being pushed out by your diaphragm and tummy muscles.
• As you breathe out, relax and let your tummy fall.

Complementary therapies

Complementary therapies can bring relief from symptoms for some. These are listed within our treatments section.

Speak to your doctor about treatments

One drug, Nifedipine, a calcium channel blocker, is licensed for

Raynaud's, and there are drugs that are prescribed commonly for

Raynaud's too. Nifedipine doesn't cure Raynaud's, but can help to relieve symptoms. Other medications have been used to treat Raynaud's, with mixed results, and more can be found on our treatments page.

• Iloprost is available for extreme cases.
• Angiotensin II receptor blocker — Angiotensin II receptor blockers (ARBs) may be used for patients with uncomplicated RP who may benefit from the use of an ARB for other indications (eg, hypertension, heart failure, proteinuric chronic kidney disease).
• Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor — Fluoxetine may be used in patients with uncomplicated RP
• PDE5 inhibitors e.g sildenafil
• Topical GTN

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disease).

Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor — Fluoxetine may be used in patients with uncomplicated RP PDE5 inhibitors e.g sildenafil Topical GTN Endothelin-1 receptor antagonist e.g. Bosentan Botox is an experimental Raynaud's treatment, which may reduce blood vessel spasm and block pain nerves. Increasing amounts of research is emerging for it, but it is only used in selected cases and usually only in specialist centres. Some Raynaud's sufferers have found acupuncture alleviates symptoms.

This English version is a translation; in case of doubt, the Bulgarian version applies.