(Ivanhoe Newswire) -- Research shows that the use of antidepressants on patients with fibromyalgia, a disease defined by chronic pain, tenderness, fatigue, and sleep difficulties, can reduce pain, sleep disturbances, and improve the depressed mood.

According to the American College of Rheumatology, fibromyalgia affects between 2 and 4 percent of the population, mostly women; but the disease has high direct and indirect related costs. In order to improve the lifestyle of those suffering from the disease, 1,427 patients were tested to see the effects of antidepressants.

Researchers found that monoamine oxidase inhibitors, serotonin reuptake inhibitors, and tricyclic antidepressants were helpful in reducing pain and fatigue. The antidepressants helped in lifting the mood of patients and allowing a better nights rest.

Because the long-term effects of the use of antidepressants are still unknown, doctors are waiting to initiate treatment. Individual patient characteristics must still be studied to determine the positive and negative therapeutic outcomes. Researchers must still determine whether the benefits outweigh the negative effects, but there is hope for the future.

SOURCE: JAMA, January 13, 2009