Parkinson's Drug May Help Fibromyalgia Patients
July 29, 2005
(Ivanhoe Newswire) -- Fibromyalgia is a widespread musculoskeletal pain and fatigue disorder. While the cause for the condition is unknown and medications used to treat it have had limited success, a new drug commonly used to treat Parkinson’s disease may provide relief for patients with fibromyalgia.
Recently, researchers from Pacific Rheumatology Associates in Renton, Washington set out to investigate whether a drug called dopamine receptor agoinist pramipexole was safe and effective in treating fibromyalgia.
The study was a single-center, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial involving 60 patients with fibromyalgia. The pramipexole group noted a significant decrease in pain compared to the placebo group. At the end of the study, at least a 50 percent decrease in pain was achieved by 42 percent of the pramipexole group compared with 14 percent of the placebo group. Overall, 82 percent of patients taking pramipexole noted some improvement in pain, compared with 57 percent of the placebo group.
The researchers recommended further investigation of the drug to determine its long-term risks and benefits.
SOURCE: Arthritis and Rheumatism, 2005;52:2495-2505
This article was reported by Ivanhoe.com, who offers Medical Alerts by e-mail every day. To subscribe, go to http://www.ivanhoe.com/newsalert/.