Update on fibromyalgia therapy

Am J Med. 2008 Jul;121(7):555-61. doi: 10.1016/j.amjmed.2008.02.036.

Abstract

Primary fibromyalgia, a poorly-understood chronic pain syndrome, is characterized by widespread musculoskeletal pain, nonrestorative sleep, fatigue, psychological distress, and specific regions of localized tenderness, all in the absence of otherwise apparent organic disease. While the etiology of fibromyalgia is unclear, accumulating data suggest that disordered central pain processing likely plays a role in the pathogenesis of symptoms. Although various pharmacological treatments have been studied and espoused for treating fibromyalgia, no single drug or group of drugs has proved to be particularly useful in treating fibromyalgia patients as a whole, and only one drug to date has earned U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval for treating the syndrome in the United States. This review critically and systematically evaluates clinical investigations of medicinal and nonmedicinal treatments for fibromyalgia dating from 1970 to 2007.

Publication types

  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Amines / therapeutic use
  • Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal / therapeutic use
  • Anticonvulsants / therapeutic use
  • Antidepressive Agents / therapeutic use
  • Complementary Therapies
  • Cyclohexanecarboxylic Acids / therapeutic use
  • Evidence-Based Medicine
  • Exercise Therapy
  • Fibromyalgia / therapy*
  • Gabapentin
  • Humans
  • Pregabalin
  • gamma-Aminobutyric Acid / analogs & derivatives
  • gamma-Aminobutyric Acid / therapeutic use

Substances

  • Amines
  • Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal
  • Anticonvulsants
  • Antidepressive Agents
  • Cyclohexanecarboxylic Acids
  • Pregabalin
  • gamma-Aminobutyric Acid
  • Gabapentin