Fibromyalgia treatment

According to a Chicago Tribune report, there have been studies that suggested fibromyalgia patients have decreased levels of creatine in their brain and muscle tissues. One previous study suggested that creatine supplements improved fibromyalgia symptoms, but the quality of the study was questioned.

A research team conducted a 16-week double-blind, randomized, controlled trial to evaluate the effect of taking creatine supplements versus placebo. In the study, published online April 1, 2013 in Arthritis Care & Research, creatine supplementation was found to improve muscle strength modestly. But, it had no impact on pain, cognitive function, quality of sleep, or overall quality of life. While the study concluded that creatine supplementation is a "useful dietary intervention" to improve muscle function in fibromyalgia patients, it is important that fibromyalgia patients realize creatine is no panacea.