Fibromyalgia causes widespread pain, fatigue, and often sleep problems and brain fog. It affects about 4 million U.S. adults, mostly women. Current FDA-approved drugs — pregabalin, duloxetine, and milnacicline — help some people but leave many still struggling with daily symptoms.
What's actually going on in research
Trials are testing low-dose naltrexone, cannabis compounds, nerve stimulation devices, drugs that target specific pain pathways, and treatments for the sleep disruption and cognitive symptoms many people experience. Researchers are also studying inflammation markers and small-fiber nerve damage to better understand what drives fibromyalgia pain.
Low-dose naltrexone
This repurposed drug appears to calm inflammatory signals in the brain and spinal cord. Several trials are testing whether it reduces pain and fatigue in fibromyalgia.
Nerve stimulation
Devices that deliver electrical pulses to nerves show promise for pain control without medication side effects. Trials are testing both wearable devices and implanted stimulators.
Sleep-targeted treatments
Poor sleep worsens fibromyalgia pain, and standard sleep drugs often don't help. New trials are testing medications that target the specific sleep-stage disruptions seen in fibromyalgia.
What to know before you search
Eligibility typically requires meeting diagnostic criteria for fibromyalgia, a certain pain severity level, and often a stable medication regimen for several weeks before joining.
What types of trials are currently open
- Pain medication trials — Testing new drugs or drug combinations to reduce widespread pain. Some target specific receptors or pathways not addressed by current medications.
- Device trials — Testing electrical stimulation devices, vibration therapy, and other non-drug approaches to pain relief.
- Sleep trials — Testing medications or behavioral treatments aimed at improving the disrupted sleep patterns common in fibromyalgia.
- Exercise and rehabilitation trials — Testing structured exercise programs, physical therapy approaches, and pacing strategies to improve function and reduce symptoms.
- Cognitive symptom trials — Testing treatments for the brain fog and memory problems many people with fibromyalgia experience.
Recently added Fibromyalgia trials
Track your daily pain and fatigue over one week
Fibromyalgia is a chronic condition that commonly causes widespread pain, fatigue, and difficulty in daily activities. These symptoms may change from day to day, even when their average severity is similar. This study aims to examine whether daily changes in pain and fatigue are related to functional impact in adults with fibromyalgia. Participants will complete clinical questionnaires at the first visit and record their pain and fatigue levels for seven days. Sleep quality and perceived control over symptoms will also be recorded. No treatment or additional medical procedure will be given as part of the study.
Try a 4-week Reiki therapy program for fibromyalgia
The goal of this randomized clinical trial is to evaluate the effects of a 4-week Reiki therapy program in women with fibromyalgia. The main questions it aims to answer are: Does Reiki therapy lead to a greater change in pain intensity compared with a placebo intervention after 4 weeks of treatment? Does Reiki therapy lead to a greater change in the impact of fibromyalgia compared with a placebo intervention after 4 weeks of treatment? Researchers will also evaluate whether Reiki therapy affects depressive symptoms, anxiety symptoms, sleep quality, and acute changes in pain intensity, heart rate, and respiratory rate. Researchers will compare participants receiving Reiki therapy with participants receiving a placebo intervention to determine whether changes in these outcomes differ between groups. Participants will: be randomly assigned to either the Reiki therapy group or the placebo group; receive one 30-minute intervention session per week for 4 weeks; complete assessments of pain intensity, fibromyalgia impact, depressive symptoms, anxiety symptoms, and sleep quality before and after the 4-week intervention period; have pain intensity, heart rate, and respiratory rate assessed immediately before and after each intervention session to evaluate acute responses.
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