Ultramicronized Palmitoylethanolamide (um-PEA) as Add-on Treatment in Fibromyalgia Syndrome (FMS): Retrospective Observational Study on 407 Patients
Observational studyHumans
- Design
- Observational study
- Subjects
- 407 fibromyalgia patients prescribed the tablets between 2013 and 2016 at one Italian pain centre; 359 analysed
- Dose used in the study
- Ultramicronised PEA tablets (Normast) added to whatever other treatment the patient was on; dose not stated in the abstract
- Duration
- Follow-up period not stated in the abstract
- What was measured
- Pain VAS (0 to 100), Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire, adverse events, discontinuation
What the authors reported
This retrospective study found:
- Among those analysed, VAS fell from 75.8 to 52.5 and the impact score from 68.4 to 49.1 (both p < 0.001).
- 36 patients (13.7 percent) reported adverse events, mostly gastrointestinal.
- 151 patients (57.6 percent) stopped treatment because it did not help.
Limits of this study
Retrospective, no control group, no blinding. More than half of patients stopped for lack of effect, and the abstract reports the improvement figures for the 359 analysed patients without saying how those who stopped are counted. The product studied is Normast, made by Epitech Group, as named in the abstract. Funding and conflicts not stated in the abstract.
Source
PubMed 30827269 · doi:10.2174/1871527318666190227205359
Entry checked against the abstract on PubMed on 2026-10-19. The dose shown is the dose the researchers used. It is not a recommendation. How to read this page.