A Comparison of Reboxetine and Amitryptilline in the Treatment of Fibromyalgia Syndrome with Co-morbid Depressive Symptoms: An Open-label Preliminary Study

Abstract

Objective: Fibromyalgia (FM) is a chronic debilitating disorder that results in millions of dollars of heathcare costs and lost wages each year worldwide. It is a significant public health concern and new treatments are needed. In this study, we aimed to compare the effectiveness of a widely used tricyclic antidepressant for FM (amitryptylline) and one that has not yet been widely used (reboxetine) for FM in a within-subject pre-posttreatment design. Additionally, since noradrenaline (NA) is thought to play a relevant role in the antinociceptive mechanisms, we also aimed to examine the effectiveness of reboxetine as a selective NA reuptake inhibitor (NARI) in patients with fibromialgia.