Newer Fibromyalgia Drugs

Many people with fibromyalgia turn to alternative medicine in their frustration with ‘regular’ treatments that don’t work. Recently, however, there have been some clinical studies with results that provide some hope for people with this distressing condition. The available information has been summarized by a UK publisher, Bandolier.

Newer antidepressants: Cyclobenzaprine (Flexeril®), although classified as a muscle relaxant, is, according to its pharmacological profile, an antidepressant. It seems that 5 patients with fibromyalgia must be treated for one to show a beneficial effect on symptoms (i.e. the number-needed-to-treat, or NNT, is 5).

Duloxetine (Cymbalta®) improves pain and quality-of-life scores. The NNT is 5.8. It has been given a special warming box concerning the risk of increased suicide in young people prescribed the drug.

Pregabalin (Lyrica®) is an anti-convulsant that, at relatively high doses, reduces pain in fibromyalgia patients. The NNT is 6.3.

It must be stated that the actual evidence of effectiveness is not robust. Much better, larger, well-controlled studies are needed to determine which of these (and other) drugs is truly effective, without intolerable side effects. While waiting for these, many fibromyalgia sufferers will continue to make use of a range of alternative medicines. Who can blame them?