Addiction Drug May Help Ease Fibromyalgia

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Naltrexone also seemed to ease certain symptoms more than others. "The drug helped daily pain -- the higher levels of pain, fatigue and stress," Younger said.

One symptom that did not typically improve was "fibro fog," the foggy thinking associated with the disorder, sleep quality, headaches, gastrointestinal problems and sadness.

Exactly how the drug works is not known for sure, Younger said. One possibility is that naltrexone quiets down a hyperactive immune system, he said.

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Younger is continuing the research, and if the good results seen here bear out, naltrexone may be a good alternative for some patients. "It's a small dose, and we saw very few side effects," he said. The most typical was vivid dreaming.

Naltrexone has another point in its favor: cost. Doses of the drug, which must be gotten from special "compounding" pharmacies, total about $40 a month, Younger said.

Another expert called the study "fascinating."

"I was pleased to see that they had such a nice response to the therapy," said Dr. Patrick Wood, a family medicine physician with a specialty practice in fibromyalgia in Renton, Wash. He serves as medical adviser for the National Fibromyalgia Association.

The study was small, he said, but scientifically sound. If more research is promising, naltrexone may eventually be a competitor to higher-priced fibromyalgia drugs now on the market, Wood said.

More information

To learn more about fibromyalgia, visit the National Fibromyalgia Association.

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