Milnacipran in the Treatment of Widespread, Non-Joint Pain in Rheumatoid Arthritis

Summary

The purpose of this study is to determine whether milnacipran reduces widespread, non-joint pain in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). The investigators will conduct a double-blind randomized crossover trial in subjects with RA to test the hypothesis that milnacipran improves widespread, non-joint pain. The investigators will also use data from the trial to determine whether response to milnacipran is associated with pain-modulating mechanisms from the central nervous system. The investigators hypothesize that response to milnacipran will be greater among patients with impaired central pain mechanisms than among patients with intact central pain modulating mechanisms.

Timeline

Start

2011-01

Primary completion

2013-11

Completion

2013-11

Publications

• Background Lee YC, Chibnik LB, Lu B, Wasan AD, Edwards RR, Fossel AH, Helfgott SM, Solomon DH, Clauw DJ, Karlson EW. The relationship between disease activity, sleep, psychiatric distress and pain sensitivity in rheumatoid arthritis: a cross-sectional study. Arthritis Res Ther. 2009;11(5):R160. doi: 10.1186/ar2842. Epub 2009 Oct 29.
• Lee YC, Massarotti E, Edwards RR, Lu B, Liu C, Lo Y, Wohlfahrt A, Kim ND, Clauw DJ, Solomon DH. Effect of Milnacipran on Pain in Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis with Widespread Pain: A Randomized Blinded Crossover Trial. J Rheumatol. 2016 Jan;43(1):38-45. doi: 10.3899/jrheum.150550. Epub 2015 Dec 1.

Drugs

Indications