Update on fibromyalgia therapy.
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.
Abeles
Micha
M
Division of Rheumatology, Department of Medicine, The University of Connecticut School of Medicine, Farmington, USA. aabeles@uchc.edu
Solitar
Bruce M
BM
Pillinger
Michael H
MH
Abeles
Aryeh M
AM
D000588:Amines / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000894:Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000927:Anticonvulsants / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000928:Antidepressive Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000529:Complementary Therapies; D003509:Cyclohexanecarboxylic Acids / Q000627:therapeutic use; D019317:Evidence-Based Medicine; D005081:Exercise Therapy; D005356:Fibromyalgia / Q000628:therapy*; D000077206:Gabapentin; D006801:Humans; D000069583:Pregabalin; D005680:gamma-Aminobutyric Acid / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000627:therapeutic use
D000588:Amines; D000894:Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal; D000927:Anticonvulsants; D000928:Antidepressive Agents; D003509:Cyclohexanecarboxylic Acids; D000069583:Pregabalin; D005680:gamma-Aminobutyric Acid; D000077206:Gabapentin