The evaluation of the effectiveness of amitriptyline versus venlafaxine in female patients diagnosed with fibromyalgia syndrome

Objectives: The aim of this study is to investigate the effectiveness of amitriptyline versus venlafaxine before and after treatment in female patients diagnosed with Fibromyalgia Syndrome (FMS). We also examined drop out due to adverse events. Methods: The study was carried out with 56 FMS patients who applied to Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation outpatient clinics of Karadeniz Technical University Medical School. All consecutive patients gave written informed consent. The subjects had been randomized into amitriptyline (25-75 mg/day) and venlafaxine (75 mg/day) groups with 28 patients each. Visual Analog Scale (VAS), Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) and Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire (FIQ) were completed at the start and at the eighth week of the study. FIQ scores changes were used to determine the efficacy. Adverse event tolerability was based on dropout rates. Results: Both amitriptyline and venlafaxine were associated with significantly improves scores on the VAS, BAI, BDI and FIQ at the end of study. Treatment with amitriptyline was associated with significantly more drop out than treatment with venlafaxine. Conclusion: Both amitriptyline and venlafaxine found were to be effective treatments for FMS. While no efficacy differences were found, safety profile favored venlafaxine.