GLP-1s May Ease Symptom Burden in Patients With Fibromyalgia

TOPLINE:

The use of GLP-1 receptor agonists was linked to lower pain and fatigue in patients with fibromyalgia, according to a large-scale health records analysis.

METHODOLOGY:

• Researchers used the TriNetX database to identify patients with a diagnosis of fibromyalgia, with or without documented use of GLP-1s.
• Used propensity score matching to form two patient cohorts (GLP-1 users vs nonusers), each consisting of 38,439 patients.
• Assessed for documented opioid use and International Classification of Diseases, 10th Revision (ICD-10) codes for chronic pain, fatigue, and malaise.
• Followed patients for 5 years, starting 1 year after their fibromyalgia diagnosis and initiation of GLP-1 medication.

TAKEAWAY:

• Patients with fibromyalgia who were taking GLP-1s were less likely to use opioids than the comparison group (47.3% vs 59.9%).
• The GLP-1 group also had lower rates of reported fatigue, malaise, and pain.
• Ongoing fibromyalgia care (defined by the presence of the ICD-10 code for fibromyalgia) was lower in the GLP-1 group (39.1%) than in the nonuser group (55.7%).
• Additional research is needed using validated outcome measures like the Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire and Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System.

IN PRACTICE:

“The way that I use it in my practice these days is that if I have a patient with chronic pain or with fibromyalgia who has comorbidities that already have an FDA approval for GLP-1 use, such as obesity, diabetes, or obstructive sleep apnea, I would encourage them to go to their primary care physician and maybe consider getting started on a GLP-1,” said presenter Nouran Eshak, MB ChB, of the Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale, Arizona.

SOURCE:

This abstract was presented at the European Alliance of Associations for Rheumatology (EULAR) 2025 Annual Meeting in Barcelona, Spain.

LIMITATIONS:

This study had a retrospective design and relied on ICD-10 coding. Validated fibromyalgia-specific symptom scales or outcome measures were not available. Researchers were unable to account for confounders such as duration of illness, symptom severity, GLP-1 dosage, or access to healthcare.

DISCLOSURES:

The study authors disclosed having no relevant financial relationships.