Effect of gamma-hydroxybutyrate on pain, fatigue, and the alpha sleep anomaly in patients with fibromyalgia. Preliminary report.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effects of using a gamma-hydroxybutyrate (GHB) administered in divided doses at night in 11 patients previously diagnosed with fibromyalgia (FM).

METHODS: Subjects completed daily diaries assessing their pain and fatigue levels and slept in the sleep laboratory before and one month after initiating GHB treatment. Polysomnographic recordings were evaluated for sleep stages, sleep efficiency and the presence of the alpha anomaly in non-REM sleep.

RESULTS: There was a significant improvement in both fatigue and pain, with an increase in slow wave sleep and a decrease in the severity of the alpha anomaly.

CONCLUSION: Further controlled studies are needed to characterize the clinical improvement and the polysomnographic changes we observed.