title: Milnacipran for fibromyalgia: a useful addition to the treatment armamentarium.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Antidepressants are used to treat a variety of chronic pain conditions including peripheral neuropathy, headache, and more recently, fibromyalgia. The antidepressant milnacipran blocks the reuptake of norepinephrine and serotonin and is used for the management of fibromyalgia.
  
  
  METHODS
  The article contains data primarily obtained from the MEDLINE database using a PubMed search of the keywords including milnacipran, fibromyalgia and depression. Of the available serotonin norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors, milnacipran has greater potency in inhibiting reuptake of norepinephrine relative to serotonin and is proposed to work by attenuating pain signals. Milnacipran is well tolerated and effective for fibromyalgia pain when given in divided doses of 100 - 200 mg daily. Studies show that milnacipran may be effective for fibromyalgia-associated symptoms including depression and fatigue.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Milnacipran provides modest fibromyalgia pain relief and is best used as part of a multidisciplinary treatment approach. While milnacipran was not studied in fibromyalgia patients with major depression, it may be a wise choice for fibromyalgia patients with depressive symptoms and patients for whom sedation, dizziness, edema or weight gain with gabapentin and pregabalin is a problem. Milnacipran has been found to be beneficial for treating some troublesome fibromyalgia-associated symptoms, including fatigue and cognitive dysfunction.
authors.affiliation: University of Pittsburgh, Department of Anesthesiology, Suite 400, Pain Medicine, Centre Commons Building, 5750 Centre Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15206, USA. berncd@anes.upmc.edu
authors.forename: Cheryl D
authors.initials: CD
authors.lastname: Bernstein
authors.forename: Kara L
authors.initials: KL
authors.lastname: Albrecht
authors.forename: Dawn A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Marcus
mesh_terms: D018759:Adrenergic Uptake Inhibitors / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000928:Antidepressive Agents / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002908:Chronic Disease; D003521:Cyclopropanes / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D003863:Depression / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000209:etiology; D005221:Fatigue / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000209:etiology; D005356:Fibromyalgia / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy*; D006801:Humans; D000078764:Milnacipran; D059408:Pain Management / Q000379:methods*; D017367:Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors / Q000627:therapeutic use; D015431:Weight Loss
chemical_list: D018759:Adrenergic Uptake Inhibitors; D000928:Antidepressive Agents; D003521:Cyclopropanes; D000078764:Milnacipran; D017367:Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors