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 .
The Effect of Melatonin in Patients with Fibromyalgia: A Pilot Study
Abstract : The aim of the study was to determine the possible effect of melatonin treatment on disturbed sleep , fatigue and pain symptoms observed in fibromyalgia ( FM ) patients . Twenty-one consecutive patients with FM were included in an open 4-week- duration pilot study . Before and after treatment with melatonin 3 mg at bedtime , patients were evaluated using tender point count by palpation of 18 classic anatomical regions , pain score in four pre design ated areas , pain severity on a 10 cm visual analogue scale ( VAS ) , sleep disturbances , fatigue , depression , anxiety , and patient and physician global assessment s , also by a VAS . Urine 6-sulphatoxymelatonin levels ( aMT-6S ) were measured in the patients and 20 age- and sex-matched controls . Nineteen patients completed the study . One patient withdrew because of migraine and another was lost to follow-up . At day 30 , median values for the tender point count and severity of pain at selected points , patient and physician global assessment s and VAS for sleep significantly improved with melatonin treatment . Other variables improved but did not reach statistical significance . Adverse events were mild and transient . Lower levels of aMT-6S were found in FM patients compared with normal median controls ( ±SD , 9.16 ± 7.9 μg/24 h vs 16.8 ± 12.8 μg/24 h ) ( p= 0.06 ) . Although this is an open study , our preliminary results suggest that melatonin can be an alternative and safe treatment for patients with FM . Double-blind placebo controlled studies are needed
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 .