Abstract

To evaluate the efficacy of Memantine as a therapeutic intervention for fibromyalgia. Methods: This clinical trial was conducted between October 2014 and December 2014. A total of 30 subjects with diagnosed fibromyalgia presenting to a private neurology clinic in Karachi, Pakistan were selected through purposive sampling technique. Adult patients belonging to both genders were included in the study. Patients were treated with incremental doses of Memantine. Data was analyzed using SPSS version 20 and associations were made using Chi square test with p-value of less than 0.05 taken as significant. Results: Out of 30 patients, 2 (6.7%) were males and 28 (93.3%) were females which shows a very high occurrence of fibromyalgia in females. The mean age of the subjects was found to be 38 years. Efficacy of the drug in patients with fibromyalgia was observed to be 93.3% which is significantly high. The baseline FIQ score when compared with the score at 3-month follow-up by applying Wilcoxon signed rank test showed mean ± S.D (67.18±13.23 vs. 34.17±15.18) where p=0.000. This shows a highly significant result (≤0.05). All of the patients with fibromyalgia reported improvement in their physical functioning and majority of the patients felt less anxious and less depressed on their final follow-up visit. By the end of the 3rd month, the level of stiffness and intensity of pain decreased significantly and patients reported less difficulty in performing work. Conclusion: Memantine has shown significant beneficial effects in reducing the intensity of pain and disability in patients with fibromyalgia.