Drug and Talk Therapy for Fibromyalgia

• Status: Completed
• Trial end date: 2012-09-01
• Target enrollment: 0
• Participant gender: All

Summary

Fibromyalgia Syndrome (FMS) afflicts 2% of the U.S. population and have huge individual and societal costs in terms of quality of life, social and work functioning, health care use, and lost productivity. Although single therapy approaches such as medication, graduated exercise, and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) are well-established treatment approaches, the majority of FMS continue to report significant levels of pain and pain-related disability. Testing the efficacy of using combination therapies such and CBT with medication has considerable potential to maximize treatment response. Also, exploring the biological and psychological mechanisms underlying combination treatment may pave the way for developing new treatments for FMS sufferers.

We chose to study drug and CBT for several reasons: 1) the scarcity of trials that manipulate medications along with CBT in FMS, 2) the prohibitive nature of adding an exercise treatment arm in a study that has both time and budgetary constraints, 3) the complexity in understanding the mechanism of actions of 3 different modes of intervention in one clinical trial, and 4) the desire to explore mechanisms in this program of research, in particular the potential effects of a biological intervention (drug) on what is traditionally considered a psychological outcome (pain-related attributions and cognition) and the potential effects of a psychological intervention (CBT) on what is traditionally considered a physiological outcome (pain sensitivity).

• Phase: Phase 4
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers?: No

Details

• Lead Sponsor: Indiana University
• Collaborator: National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS)
• Treatments: Levomilnacipran; Milnacipran

Criteria

Inclusion Criteria:

1. Must be between the ages of 18 to 65 years of age

2. Must have been diagnosed with fibromyalgia by a rheumatologist

3. Must have an overall body pain average score ≥ 4

4. Must be on stable doses of your current medication for at least past four weeks

5. Must report all medication including herbal supplements and over-the-counter medications that you are currently taking to a member of the research team.

6. Must limit any changes in your medication(s)during the 21-week study time period unless medically necessary

7. Must be willing to maintain a medication diary provided to you during the 21-week study period

8. Must be willing to abstain (not take) any fibromyalgia related medication (including over-the-counter)for at least 6-hours prior to each of the three testing visits. (Otherwise, you may take these medication immediately after pain sensitivity testing has been completed and as prescribed in-between visits)

9. Must experience the symptoms of fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) that decreases (limits) your ability to perform daily activities.

Exclusions Criteria:

1. You have uncontrolled hypertension(high blood pressure) systolic >160 mm Hg or diastolic blood pressure > 100 mm Hg)

2. If you have a history of: heart disease, glaucoma, or hepatitis

3. You have been diagnosed with any type of peripheral neuropathy

4. You have a body mass index (BMI) of more than 34

5. You currently or frequently have thoughts of harming yourself or committing suicide.

6. You are in the process of filing, or plan to file for disability benefits within the study timeline.

7. You plan to undergo an elective surgery within the study timeline.

8. You have been diagnosed with another major rheumatic conditions (i.e. rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, scleroderma and other connective tissue diseases)

9. You are currently pregnant, are planning to become pregnant, or are breastfeeding

10. You have been diagnosed with schizophrenia or manic-depressive.

11. You are currently taking any of the following medications:

1. fluoxetine, Brand Names: Prozac, Prozac Weekly, Rapiflux, Sarafem

2. sertraline, Brand Name: Zoloft

3. paroxetine, Brand Names: Paxil, Paxil CR, Pexeva

4. citalopram, Brand Name: Celexa

5. escitalopram, Brand Names: Lexapro

6. venlafaxine, Brand Names: Effexor, Effexor XR

7. mirtazapine, Brand Names: Remeron, Remeron SolTab

8. duloxetine, Brand Name: Cymbalta NOTE: If you are taking any of the medication(s) listed above and are willing to discontinue its use for the duration of this study, you must first discuss your decision with your primary care physician (or prescribing doctor)regarding the appropriate regimen to wean off your current medication and receive his/her written consent before proceeding with enrollment. We will provide you a "Dear Doctor" letter that explains the study details.

12. If you are currently taking or have ever taken Savella® (milnacipran)

13. You are currently participating in other pain research study or have previously been enrolled in any study or class in which cognitive behavioral therapy or educational formats were used to help control pain or stress related to fibromyalgia

14. You are unwilling or unable to comply with the study guidelines

Note: If you have ever experienced an adverse event while taking any type of antidepressant, please alert the research team, while it may not exclude you from participating in the study, it is important that we are aware of the incident in order to keep you safe.