- With Mayo Clinic internal medicine specialist
Ann Vincent, M.D.
Causes (1)
- Is fibromyalgia hereditary?
Complications (1)
- Fibromyalgia: Can it cause elevated ESR and CRP levels?
Treatments and drugs (3)
- Fibromyalgia treatment: Does gabapentin relieve symptoms?
- TENS therapy: An option for fibromyalgia treatment?
- Milnacipran (Savella) for fibromyalgia: What makes it different?
Alternative medicine (1)
- Cupping therapy: Can it relieve fibromyalgia pain?
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Question
Fibromyalgia treatment: Does gabapentin relieve symptoms?
Is gabapentin (Neurontin, Gabarone) an effective fibromyalgia treatment?
Answer
from Ann Vincent, M.D.
Only one high-quality clinical trial has looked at gabapentin (Neurontin, Gabarone) as a fibromyalgia treatment. In that study, the drug reduced participants' reported pain, fatigue and sleep disruption more effectively than did a placebo.
Gabapentin has not been approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of fibromyalgia, although some doctors may prescribe it off-label for such use. The FDA has, however, approved a similar drug — pregabalin (Lyrica) — for fibromyalgia treatment.
Gabapentin and pregabalin were originally approved to treat certain types of epilepsy and nerve pain. Both drugs work by limiting the release of pain-communicating chemicals by nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord.
Because gabapentin is available in generic form, it may be less expensive than pregabalin. But you have to take gabapentin three or four times a day, which makes it less convenient than pregabalin, taken in two daily doses. The most common side effects of both drugs are dizziness and drowsiness.
Next questionTENS therapy: An option for fibromyalgia treatment?
- Arnold LM, et al. Gabapentin in the treatment of fibromyalgia: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multicenter trial. Arthritis and Rheumatism. 2007;56:1336.
- Hauser W, et al. Treatment of fibromyalgia syndrome with gabapentin and pregabalin — A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Pain. In Press. Accessed June 30, 2009.
- Gabapentin (prescribing information). New York, New York: Pfizer Inc; 2009. http://www.pfizer.com/files/products/uspi_neurontin.pdf. Accessed July 13, 2009.
- Pregabalin (prescribing information). New York, New York: Pfizer Inc; 2009. http://www.pfizer.com/files/products/uspi_lyrica.pdf. Accessed June 30, 2009.
- Kroenke K, et al. Pharmacotherapy of chronic pain: A synthesis of recommendations from systematic reviews. General Hospital Psychiatry. 2009;31:206.
