Understanding The Fibromyalgia Syndrome

The fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) is the most frequent cause of chronic, widespread pain. This review, which is targeted at the psychiatry and psychopharmacology communities, summarizes the state-of-the-art as it relates to both the pathophysiology and treatment of FMS. Toward this end, the anatomy and physiology of pain pathways are summarized, followed by a review of the altered biology of pain processing, neurotransmitter function, and neuroendocrine systems in FMS. The categories of current drugs employed to treat the disorder are detailed, along with a critical review of the literature supporting such use.