Oral S-adenosylmethionine in primary fibromyalgia. Double-blind clinical evaluation

Abstract

S-adenosylmethionine is a relatively new anti-inflammatory drug with analgesic and anti-depressant effects. Efficacy of 800 mg orally administered s-adenosylmethionine daily versus placebo for six weeks was investigated in 44 patients with primary fibromyalgia in double-blind settings. Tender point score, isokinetic muscle strength, disease activity, subjective symptoms (visual analog scale), mood parameters and side effects were evaluated. Improvements were seen for clinical disease activity (P = 0.04), pain experienced during the last week (P = 0.002), fatigue (P = 0.02), morning stiffness (P = 0.03) and mood evaluated by Face Scale (P = 0.006) in the actively treated group compared to placebo. The tender point score, isokinetic muscle strength, mood evaluated by Beck Depression Inventory and side effects did not differ in the two treatment groups. S-adenosylmethionine has some beneficial effects on primary fibromyalgia and could be an important option in the treatment hereof.