Effect of gamma-hydroxybutyrate on pain, fatigue, and the alpha sleep anomaly in patients with fibromyalgia. Preliminary report.
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the effects of using a gamma-hydroxybutyrate (GHB) administered in divided doses at night in 11 patients previously diagnosed with fibromyalgia (FM).


METHODS
Subjects completed daily diaries assessing their pain and fatigue levels and slept in the sleep laboratory before and one month after initiating GHB treatment. Polysomnographic recordings were evaluated for sleep stages, sleep efficiency and the presence of the alpha anomaly in non-REM sleep.


RESULTS
There was a significant improvement in both fatigue and pain, with an increase in slow wave sleep and a decrease in the severity of the alpha anomaly.


CONCLUSIONS
Further controlled studies are needed to characterize the clinical improvement and the polysomnographic changes we observed.
Scharf
M B
MB
Center for Research in Sleep Disorders, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA.
Hauck
M
M
Stover
R
R
McDannold
M
M
Berkowitz
D
D
D000328:Adult; D005221:Fatigue / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy*; D005260:Female; D005356:Fibromyalgia / Q000150:complications* / Q000188:drug therapy; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010146:Pain / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy*; D010865:Pilot Projects; D017286:Polysomnography; D012893:Sleep Wake Disorders / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy*; D012978:Sodium Oxybate / Q000627:therapeutic use*
D012978:Sodium Oxybate