End Fatigue

Intravenous Lidocaine for Fibromyalgia Pain

Here is another new study showing that IV lidocaine is effective and safe in treating fibromyalgia. Studies in the past have shown that a series of these IVs can be helpful for fibro pain and nerve pain, and it is even recommended in the prestigious Cochrane Reviews. This new study showed that giving the IV lidocaine daily for 5 days helped decrease pain even 1 month after the infusions.

I find this works best in those with severe pain, and I often will recommend it in those with severe and persistent pain.

Intravenous Lidocaine for Fibromyalgia Syndrome: An Open Trial

Fibromyalgia is a disorder characterized by chronic widespread pain. In this study, we investigated the effect of intravenous infusions of lidocaine in pain and quality of life of patients with fibromyalgia.

Twenty-three consecutive patients were included in the study, which consisted on five sequential intravenous 2% lidocaine infusions with rising dosages (2-5 mg/kg, days 1-5). Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire (FIQ), Health Assessment Questionnaire, and a visual analog scale (VAS) for pain were applied before the first lidocaine infusion, immediately after the fifth infusion and 30 days after the fifth infusion.

A significant improvement was observed in the FIQ scores after the fifth infusion (73.52 +/- 16.56 vs 63.29 +/- 21.21, p =3D 0.02), which was maintained after 30 days (73.52 +/- 16.56 vs 63.85 +/- 24.59, p = 0.04). Similar results were seen concerning the VAS: 8.19 +/- 1.76 vs 6.84 +/- 2.44, p = 0.01 and 8.19 +/- 1.76 vs 7.17 +/- 2.35, p = 0.05, respectively.

Intravenous lidocaine infusions are safe and effective in the management of fibromyalgia.

References

Clin Rheumatol. 2009 Mar 5. [Epub ahead of print]
Schafranski MD, Malucelli T, Machado F, Takeshi H, Kaiber F, Schmidt C, Harth F.

Department of Rheumatology, Santa Casa de Misericrdia, Rua Carlos Osternack, 111, 84010-120, Ponta Grossa, PR, Brazil

PMID: 19263182