REVIEW - Duloxetine and other antidepressants in the treatment of patients with fibromyalgia

[Guest guest]

Pain Med. 2007 Sep;8 Suppl 2:S63-74.

Duloxetine and other antidepressants in the treatment of patients with

fibromyalgia.

Arnold LM.

Women's Health Research Program, University of Cincinnati College of

Medicine, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA.

OBJECTIVE: To review the use of duloxetine, a new selective serotonin

and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor (SNRI), and other

antidepressants in the treatment of patients with fibromyalgia.

DESIGN: Two randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind,

parallel-group, 12-week trials of duloxetine in the treatment of

fibromyalgia were reviewed. Other published, randomized,

placebo-controlled, double-blind trials, and meta-analyses of

antidepressant treatment of fibromyalgia were identified by a PubMed

search that was augmented by reference cross-check. RESULTS:

Duloxetine has been shown to be an effective and safe treatment for

many of the symptoms associated with fibromyalgia, particularly for

women. Other selective SNRIs also show promise in the treatment of

fibromyalgia. Until recently, tricyclic agents that have serotonin and

norepinephrine reuptake inhibitory activity had been the most commonly

studied group of antidepressants, and they are effective in treating

pain and other symptoms associated with fibromyalgia, although their

use may be limited by safety and tolerability concerns. There are few

randomized, controlled studies of selective serotonin reuptake

inhibitors in fibromyalgia, and the results have been mixed.

CONCLUSIONS: Antidepressants play an important role in the treatment

of patients with fibromyalgia. Agents with dual effects on serotonin

and norepinephrine appear to have more consistent benefits than

selective serotonin antidepressants for the treatment of persistent

pain associated with fibromyalgia.

PMID: 17714117

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17714117

--

Not an MD