Cathey Ma

A Double-blind Placebo Controlled Trial of Fluoxetine in Fibromyalgia

42 women were randomized to receive either placebo or fluoxetine at 20 mgs per day. Inter and intra group differences in clinical variables were evaluated after 3 and 6 weeks of treatment. Except for self rated anxiety which improved in the placebo treated group at 3 weeks, no differences between groups were noted. For those receiving fluoxetine both AIMS Anxiety (4.0 baseline vs. 3.3, p = 0.04) and Depression scores (2.6 baseline vs. 1.9, p = 0.03) improved at 3 weeks; however, improvement in the Beck Depression Scale did not reach significance (11.8 vs. 9.4, p = 0.34). At 6 weeks, both AIMS Depression (2.6 at baseline and 1.5 at 6 weeks, p = 0.03) and Beck Depression Scales (11.8 at baseline vs. 8.3 at 6 weeks, p = 0.04) showed improvement, as did sleep quality (9.6 vs. 7.6, p = 0.03). But no other variable had a significant change from baseline at either the 3 or 6 week point. Our data do not suggest that fluoxetine improves the signs and symptoms of fibromyalgia.

Socioeconomic impact of fibrositis: A study of 81 patients with primary fibrositis

Demographics and health service utilization were studied for 81 patients with fibrositis during 1985. Patients reported high levels of pain, mild disability, and moderate impairment of global health. Work disability was limited and only 6.3 percent described themselves as disabled. Employed patients were able to work full work weeks. Utilization of outpatient medical services was increased compared with that of control subjects and national averages during the study year, but was consistent with other rheumatic disorders such as osteoarthritis and low back pain. Medication usage was limited and seemed appropriate. Very high hospitalization rates were noted prior to diagnosis of fibrositis, both for musculoskeletal and non-musculoskeletal hospitalizations, but these rates dropped during the post-diagnosis study year.