While no clinical trial to date has specifically targeted fatigue , r and omized controlled trials , systematic review s , and meta-analyses indicate that treatment modalities studied in the context of other fibromyalgia symptoms could also improve fatigue .
Fatigue is a disabling , multifaceted symptom that is highly prevalent and stubbornly persistent .
Although fatigue is a frequent complaint among patients with fibromyalgia , it has not received the same attention as pain .
Reasons for this include lack of st and ardized nomenclature to communicate about fatigue , lack of evidence -based guidelines for fatigue assessment , and a deficiency in effective treatment strategies .
Fatigue does not occur in isolation ; rather , it is present concurrently in varying severity with other fibromyalgia symptoms such as chronic widespread pain , unrefreshing sleep , anxiety , depression , cognitive difficulties , and so on .
Survey-based and preliminary mechanistic studies indicate that multiple symptoms feed into fatigue and it may be associated with a variety of physiological mechanisms .
Open trial of mirtazapine in patients with fibromyalgia.
BACKGROUND Some positive therapeutic effects in fibromyalgia syndrome ( FS ) were reported with both tricyclic and new antidepressant drugs as well as serotonergic agents ( 5HT2 and 5HT3 receptor blockers ) . METHODS In the present study , a novel antidepressant drug mirtazapine , 15 - 30 mg/day , has been used in 29 patients with FS in an open trial . RESULTS Twenty-six patients completed the six-week study . Ten ( 38 % ) were considered responders on account of the reduction of > or = 40 % on pain , fatigue and sleep disturbances and remission of depressive symptoms at the end of study . Eighteen patients had at least moderate depression before mirtazapine treatment and 8 patients presented mild depressive symptoms .  Reduction on main symptoms of FS after 6 weeks of mirtazapine treatment significantly correlated with the reduction in depression . However , the percentage of responders and patients with > or = 40 % reduction on main symptoms of fibromyalgia was similar in high and low depression groups . CONCLUSIONS The results obtained suggest that mirtazapine may be promising method of FS treatment . Further double-blind placebo-controlled studies are required to confirm these results
While no clinical trial to date has specifically targeted fatigue , r and omized controlled trials , systematic review s , and meta-analyses indicate that treatment modalities studied in the context of other fibromyalgia symptoms could also improve fatigue .
Fatigue is a disabling , multifaceted symptom that is highly prevalent and stubbornly persistent .
Although fatigue is a frequent complaint among patients with fibromyalgia , it has not received the same attention as pain .
Reasons for this include lack of st and ardized nomenclature to communicate about fatigue , lack of evidence -based guidelines for fatigue assessment , and a deficiency in effective treatment strategies .
Fatigue does not occur in isolation ; rather , it is present concurrently in varying severity with other fibromyalgia symptoms such as chronic widespread pain , unrefreshing sleep , anxiety , depression , cognitive difficulties , and so on .
Survey-based and preliminary mechanistic studies indicate that multiple symptoms feed into fatigue and it may be associated with a variety of physiological mechanisms .