Differential efficacy of a cognitive-behavioral intervention versus pharmacological treatment in the management of fibromyalgic syndrome

Abstract

Given that studies about the differential efficacy of existing treatments in fibromyalgia syndrome are scarce, the aim of this study was to compare the differential efficacy of a cognitive-behavioral and a pharmacological therapy on fibromyalgia. Using a randomized controlled clinical trial, 28 fibromyalgic patients were assigned to one of following experimental conditions: (a) pharmacological treatment (i.e., cyclobenzaprine), (b) cognitive-behavioral intervention (i.e., stress inoculation training), (c) combined pharmacological and cognitive-behavioral treatment and (d) no treatment. The results show the superiority of cognitive-behavioral intervention to reduce the severity of fibromyalgia both at the end of the treatment and at follow-up. We conclude that cognitive-behavioral interventions must be considered a primary treatment of fibromyalgia syndrome.