Is There a New Medicine for Fibromyalgia Pain?

The makers of Cymbalta have been working on getting it approved by the Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of fibromyalgia. That would make it the second medication approved for that use. The first, the anti-convulsant Lyrica, was approved fairly recently and is in wide use. Cymbalta is already FDA approved for depression, anxiety, and neuropathic pain.

There were some early research studies using Cymbalta with fibromyalgia that showed some promise. Cymbalta is an anti-depressant. While most anti-depressants work on either the serotonin neurotransmitter system or the norepinephrine neurotransmitter system, Cymbalta works on both systems.

The Most Recent Clinical Trial

Earlier this month, at the meeting of the American College of Rheumatology, a report of a new study on Cymbalta was released. This study was a Phase III Clinical Trial, signifying where the medication is at in the process of being studied for possible FDA approval.

This study lasted 27 weeks and compared people with fibromyalgia who took Cymbalta versus those who were given a placebo.

The participants were compared using measures of the following:

*Pain Severity as measured by the Brief Pain Inventory; and
*Global Improvement as reported by the patient.

The patients taking Cymbalta, as compared to those taking the placebo, did not report significantly more improvement on either of those measures.

While the results were disappointing overall, Cymbalta did perform better on some secondary measures, including:

*Overall Mental Functioning; and
*Mental Fatigue

While these results were disappointing in some ways, I believe Cymbalta will continue to be one of many possible important components of good fibromyalgia management. It will be especially helpful for peope with fibromyalgia who have significant depressive symptoms.

There have been other Phase III Trial studies on Cymbalta for fibromyalgia pain, and we awaiting reports of those results.

Barry Hughes, Ph.D. is a psychologist and publisher of Chronic Pain Alternatives which provides "Resources and Information for People with Chronic Pain." He has built this site using Site Build It! the easiest way to translate your passion onto the Web.

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