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Logo of tcriskmanJournal URL: redirect3.cgi?&&auth=0zm6vvTdCyVTPCDszTu7zjqMX7Ya5j-FRYOit-Qcz&reftype=publisher&article-id=2643113&issue-id=176695&journal-id=370&FROM=Article|Banner&TO=Publisher|Other|N%2FA&rendering-type=normal&&http://dovepress.com/articles.php?journal_id=68
Ther Clin Risk Manag. 2008 December; 4(6): 1331–1342.
Published online 2008 December.
PMCID: PMC2643113
Newer treatments for fibromyalgia syndrome
Richard E Harris and Daniel J Clauw
Department of Anesthesiology, The University of Michigan, Ann, Arbor, MI, USA
Correspondence: Richard E Harris, Chronic Pain and Fatigue Research Center, 24 Frank Lloyd Wright Drive, PO Box 385, Lobby M, Ann Arbor, MI 48106, USA, Tel +1 734 998 6996, Fax +1 734 998 6900, Email reharris/at/med.umich.edu
Abstract
Fibromyalgia syndrome is a common chronic pain disorder of unknown etiology. The lack of understanding of the pathophysiology of fibromyalgia has made this condition frustrating for patients and clinicians alike. The most common symptoms of this disorder are chronic widespread pain, fatigue, sleep disturbances, difficulty with memory, and morning stiffness. Emerging evidence points towards augmented pain processing within the central nervous system (CNS) as having a primary role in the pathophysiology of this disorder. Currently the two drugs that are approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the management of fibromyalgia are pregabalin and duloxetine. Newer data suggests that milnacipran, a dual norepinephrine and serotonin reuptake inhibitor, may be promising for the treatment of fibromyalgia. A double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of milnacipran in 125 fibromyalgia patients showed significant improvements relative to placebo. Milnacipran given either once or twice daily at doses up to 200 mg/day was generally well tolerated and yielded significant improvements relative to placebo on measures of pain, patient’s global impression of change in their disease state, physical function, and fatigue. Future studies are needed to validate the efficacy of milnacipran in fibromyalgia.
Keywords: fibromyalgia, pain, pharmacological, treatment