CINCINNATI, June 13 -- For treating the chronic pain and other symptoms of fibromyalgia, the anticonvulsant gabapentin(Drug information on gabapentin) (Neurontin) proved safe and effective, researchers here reported.
In a 12-week randomized, double-blind clinical trial, patients taking gabapentin displayed significantly less pain, better sleep, and less fatigue than placebo controls, Lesley M. Arnold, M.D., of the University of Cincinnati, and colleagues reported in the April issue of Arthritis and Rheumatism.
However, the drug had no effect on acute pain points or depression, the researchers reported.
Although gabapentin, which was used off-label for fibromyalgia, has little, if any, effect on acute pain, it has shown a robust effect on pain caused by a heightened response to stimuli related to inflammation or nerve injury in animal models of chronic pain syndromes, Dr. Arnold said.
