Lithium for Fibromyalgia

Fontrier, Toinette H.

doi:10.1213/01.ane.0000114584.16029.0d

Cited by 2 publications

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“…Lithium could be a promising strategy for subjects suffering from BD reporting pain and could also be tested in subjects with chronic pain, independently of mood disorders. Case reports and animal studies suggest that lithium is efficient for different painful pathologies, such as fibromyalgia and neuropathic pain [12,13,20]. The current analgesic medications have limited efficiency [45][46][47][48] and opioids have serious side effects [7,8,11].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Subjects suffering from bipolar disorder taking lithium are less likely to report physical pain: a FACE-BD study

Risch,

Dubois,

Etain

et al. 2023

Eur. Psychiatr.

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Background. Physical pain is a common issue in people with bipolar disorder (BD). It worsens mental health and quality of life, negatively impacts treatment response, and increases the risk of suicide. Lithium, which is prescribed in BD as a mood stabilizer, has shown promising effects on pain. Methods. This naturalistic study included 760 subjects with BD ( FACE-BD cohort) divided in two groups: with and without self-reported pain (evaluated with the EQ-5D-5L questionnaire). In this sample, 176 subjects were treated with lithium salts. The objectives of the study were to determine whether patients receiving lithium reported less pain, and whether this effect was associated with the recommended mood-stabilizing blood concentration of lithium. Results. Subjects with lithium intake were less likely to report pain (odds ratio [OR] = 0.59, 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.35-0.95; p = 0.036) after controlling for sociodemographic variables, BD type, lifetime history of psychiatric disorders, suicide attempt, personality traits, current depression and anxiety levels, sleep quality, and psychomotor activity. Subjects taking lithium were even less likely to report pain when lithium concentration in blood was ≥0.5 mmol/l (OR = 0.45, 95% CI, 0.24-0.79; p = 0.008). Conclusions. This is the first naturalistic study to show lithium's promising effect on pain in subjects suffering from BD after controlling for many confounding variables. This analgesic effect seems independent of BD severity and comorbid conditions. Randomized controlled trials are needed to confirm the analgesic effect of lithium salts and to determine whether lithium decreases pain in other vulnerable populations.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Lithium is recommended and widely used in BD as a mood stabilizer. Some case reports show a promising effect of lithium on pain [12][13][14]. A randomized controlled trial (RCT) demonstrated that lithium reduces pain in subjects with spinal cord injury compared to placebo [15].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%