Multidimensional Approach Recommended for Fibromyalgia Treatment

July 26, 2007 — Management of fibromyalgia requires a multidimensional approach including patient education, cognitive behavioral therapy, exercise, and other treatment, according to a review published in the July 15 issue of American Family Physician.
"Fibromyalgia is an idiopathic, chronic, nonarticular pain syndrome with generalized tender points," write Sangita Chakrabarty, MD, MSPH, and Roger Zoorob, MD, MPH, from Meharry Medical College in Nashville, Tennessee. "It is a multisystem disease characterized by sleep disturbance, fatigue, headache, morning stiffness, paresthesias, and anxiety. Nearly 2 percent of the general population in the United States suffers from fibromyalgia, with females of middle age being at increased risk."
Criteria for diagnosis of fibromyalgia are those issued by the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) in 1990. These include widespread pain with a minimum duration of 3 months and the presence of 11 or more tender points at 18 specific anatomic sites.
Conditions that should be considered in the differential diagnosis of fibromyalgia include myofascial pain syndrome, chronic fatigue syndrome, and hypothyroidism. Furthermore, these conditions may also be present in patients with fibromyalgia, which renders the diagnosis more difficult.
In recent years, recognition, understanding, and diagnosis of fibromyalgia have improved. Despite the absence of well-established treatment recommendations, the authors suggest that a multidimensional approach can be effective.
Specific treatment recommendations are as follows:
Suggested treatment modalities include patient education, cognitive behavior therapy, exercise, physical therapy, and pharmacotherapy (level of recommendation, A, based on 5 randomized controlled trials).
Antidepressant medications may alleviate pain and improve sleep quality and global well-being in patients with fibromyalgia (level of recommendation, B, based on few randomized controlled trials).
Cyclobenzaprine, 10 to 30 mg at bedtime, may decrease pain and improve sleep quality in patients with fibromyalgia (level of recommendation, A, based on systematic review of randomized controlled trials).
Aerobic exercise training may ameliorate fibromyalgia symptoms (level of recommendation, A, based on systematic review of randomized controlled trials).
Fibromyalgia treatments for which there is strong evidence of effectiveness include amitriptyline, 25 to 50 mg at bedtime; cyclobenzaprine, 10 to 30 mg at bedtime; cardiovascular aerobic conditioning exercise; cognitive behavioral therapy; multidisciplinary therapy as discussed earlier; and patient education, which may take place in a group format using lectures, written materials, and demonstrations.
Fibromyalgia treatments for which there is moderate evidence of effectiveness include the dual-reuptake inhibitors duloxetine, venlafaxine, and fluoxetine, at doses of 20 to 80 mg at bedtime, either alone or in combination with a tricyclic antidepressant. Other pharmacotherapies backed by moderate evidence of effectiveness include pregabalin and tramadol, 200 to 300 mg daily, either alone or in combination with acetaminophen.
Nonpharmacologic therapies with moderate evidence of effectiveness in fibromyalgia are acupuncture, balneotherapy, biofeedback, hypnotherapy, and strength training.
Evidence to support the use of chiropractic therapy, electrotherapy, manual and massage therapy, or ultrasonography in patients with fibromyalgia is weak. Evidence to justify the use of corticosteroids, melatonin, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, opioids, thyroid hormone, flexibility exercises, and injections of tender or trigger points is altogether lacking.
"The effectiveness of acupuncture and biofeedback has been supported by some studies," the authors conclude. "Serum levels of substance P and serotonin were significantly elevated after acupuncture treatment, suggesting possible mechanisms in pain relief. Although their effectiveness has not been proven by controlled trials, other treatment modalities employed include chiropractic therapy, yoga, tai chi, massage therapy, magnetic therapy, and tender-point injections."
The authors have disclosed no relevant financial relationships.
In an accompanying editorial, Christine N. Huynh, MD, from Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine in Richmond, and colleagues note that clinicians have often felt frustrated when faced with a patient with fibromyalgia because of the dearth of evidence and consensus.
However, this review, an earlier systematic review in 2004 of treatment options, and the 2005 consensus guidelines from the American Pain Society assist in the definition and management of fibromyalgia. The 1990 ACR diagnostic criteria are also clinically useful, with the caveat that fibromyalgia can be diagnosed even if the ACR's tender point criteria are not met, provided the history is highly suggestive.
"Now that there is an evidence- and consensus-based practical approach to the diagnosis and management of fibromyalgia, a higher quality of care can be provided to patients with this syndrome," Dr. Huynh and colleagues write. "Screening for disorders that may initiate or exacerbate symptoms of fibromyalgia is critical. If comorbid disorders are not identified early and treated appropriately, therapies that target fibromyalgia only as a primary disorder may be ineffective."
The editorial also highlights the controversy regarding the usefulness of opioids in fibromyalgia management, as well as the paucity of evidence supporting their use and the potential for opioid-induced hyperalgesia.
"As with any chronic pain syndrome, patients should be carefully selected for opioid therapy, and a plan should be in place for appropriate follow-up and monitoring for pain reduction, outcome improvement, side effects, and misuse," Dr. Huynh and colleagues conclude. "Physician awareness of effective nonpharmacologic and pharmacologic therapies can minimize ineffective prescribing and patient frustration associated with failure of therapy. As growing evidence from well-designed studies becomes available, physicians can confidently employ a practical and evidence-based approach to this once ill-defined syndrome."
Am Fam Physician. 2007;76:247-254.