CHARLOTTE, NC
Fibromyalgia Clinical Trials
No fibromyalgia study is enrolling near Charlotte NC, and we would rather say so plainly. This metro used to be full of them, and every one of those twenty studies has now closed. Payment is provided for eligible participants once one opens here.
0
Open Near Charlotte
20
That Have Closed Here
+/- $100
Per Visit
New here? Read how this page works
First, here is the honest picture. Nothing is open here, and this metro used to be a major site for it. So here is how to use this page.
- Ask for your widespread pain index and symptom score. Because those two numbers are the current criteria and studies gate on them.
- Check which of the three approved drugs you have actually tried. Notably, most people have only ever been offered one of them.
- Ask for a walking target with a number attached. In fact, that is exactly what the study at Columbia is trying to establish.
- Finally, tap the button. Then we keep your details on file and call you when a study opens near you.
Of course, checking never signs you up for anything. You are only seeing where you might fit.
The Nearest Studies to Charlotte
Nothing is open in this metro. However, a walking study runs at Columbia and a short one visit study runs at Chapel Hill.
The two nearest, and they are very different things
One is a six month walking programme with no dummy group. The other is a single session about how the brain processes pain, and it is not a treatment study.
A Walking Study That Names Fibromyalgia
A university team with the CDC / Non drug study
Fibromyalgia is listed by name here, alongside arthritis, lupus and gout. Everyone gets a real six month walking programme, with a Fitbit and a coaching call every month. Only your weekly goal is decided at random, at 45, 90 or 150 minutes. So there is no dummy group and no inactive group anywhere in it. Notably, the lowest goal works out at about six minutes a day.
Payment is not published.
Get on the list →More details
Why researchers are excited: movement is one of the few things with steady evidence in fibromyalgia, and nobody has settled the dose. Meanwhile, being told to exercise without a number is exactly the advice people find useless.
Who this study is looking for
- Fibromyalgia diagnosed by a doctor
- Also, doing under 45 minutes a week of moderate activity now
- Besides that, able to read and write in English
- Finally, aged 18 or over, with no upper limit
Probably not a fit if: being fairly active already rules you out. That is measured with a monitor rather than taken on your word, and people often guess wrong. Also, blood pressure over 160 or over 100, and no phone that pairs with a Fitbit.
- Placebo group: None at all. All three groups walk, and only the weekly goal differs.
- How long: Six months of the programme, then checks at six and twelve months.
- Clinic visits: About 3 or 4 in person, at the start, at six months and at twelve months.
- Phone calls: One coaching call a month for six months, plus extra contact if you fall behind.
- Most invasive part: Nothing invasive at all. So the hardest part is doing a timed walk test and repeated chair stands while sore.
- Setting: Outpatient.
- Where it runs: The university at Columbia SC 29208.
- Drive from Charlotte: Columbia is about 93 miles south, so roughly an hour and a half on I-77.
- Do not rule yourself out on activity. A monitor decides it, not your own estimate, and people who feel busy often measure well under the limit.
- Full study record: View on ClinicalTrials.gov →
A One Visit Study About Light and Pain
UNC with a national institute / Mechanism study
This one is unusual and short. It asks whether coloured light shown to the eye changes how the brain processes pain. You lie in a scanner, look at light, and a cuff on the calf is inflated to create pain. There is no drug and no dummy, because each person is compared against themselves. However, be clear that this is about understanding pain rather than treating it.
Payment is not published.
Get on the list →More details
Why researchers are excited: this condition has almost no objective measures, and this is aimed squarely at that gap. Meanwhile, it is a single session rather than months of commitment.
Who this study is looking for
- Widespread pain scores meeting the current fibromyalgia criteria
- Also, pain for three months or more, in four of five body regions
- Besides that, average pain of 4 or more out of 10 over the last month
- Finally, safe to have a scan, and not claustrophobic
- Also, aged 18 or over
Probably not a fit if: any planned change to your pain treatment in the next three months rules you out. So no surgery, no injections and no medication changes. Also, light sensitivity, cataracts, colour blindness and a seizure history all exclude.
- Placebo group: None. Each person acts as their own comparison, using different light conditions.
- How long: Essentially one session.
- Clinic visits: One visit of about three hours, possibly two if screening is separate.
- Phone calls: None published.
- Most invasive part: A pressure cuff on the calf, a pinprick test, a cold water bath and a scan. So it is uncomfortable by design, because pain is what is being measured.
- Setting: Outpatient.
- Where it runs: UNC at Chapel Hill NC 27599.
- Drive from Charlotte: Chapel Hill is about 145 miles north east, so roughly two hours and twenty minutes.
- Healthy volunteers are accepted too. So a partner or relative can come as a comparison participant, which some people find makes the trip worthwhile.
- Full study record: View on ClinicalTrials.gov →
Not sure which one fits you?
First, answer a few quick health questions. Then we keep them on file. Finally, we call you when a study opens near Charlotte. No account, no paperwork.
See if I may fit one of these studies →What Is Actually Understood About Fibromyalgia Now
The science moved on from tender points years ago, and a lot of the advice people are still given did not move with it.
The Tender Point Exam Is Obsolete
Pressing eighteen spots to decide whether you have this was retired years ago. So if a clinic still does that to judge you, they are using criteria from 1990. Meanwhile, the current approach counts where you hurt and how badly other symptoms affect you. Notably, that change matters, because the old exam failed a lot of people who clearly had this.
Ask for Your Two Numbers
The current criteria use a widespread pain index and a symptom score. So they are two numbers you can be given, and studies gate on them. In fact, the study at Chapel Hill needs a pain index of seven or more with a severity of five or more. Also, either number can be worked out in a few minutes with a questionnaire.
It Is Called Nociplastic Pain Now
There is a formal name for pain that comes from the volume control rather than from damage. So normal scans and normal blood tests are exactly what you would expect here. Meanwhile, that is not the same as saying nothing is wrong. Generally, having the right word makes conversations with clinicians go better.
Two Measures Nobody Mentions
One is wind up, where repeated equal pokes hurt more each time. The other is pain blocking, which is your own built in brake. So in this condition the first is usually turned up and the second is usually weak. In fact, those are among the few objective handles anyone has on this condition.
Three Drugs Are Already Approved
Pregabalin, duloxetine and milnacipran are all licensed for this in this country. So if you have not tried all three, there are options that need no study at all. Meanwhile, milnacipran is approved here for fibromyalgia while not being sold as an antidepressant. Notably, plenty of people have only ever been offered one of the three.
Exercise Advice Without a Dose Is Useless
Being told to exercise is the advice people most resent, and usually for good reason. The question nobody answers is how much. So the study at Columbia is testing 45, 90 and 150 minutes a week directly. However, the lowest of those is about six minutes a day, which is a different conversation entirely.
Know What Counts as Working
In a drug study, a thirty or fifty percent drop in pain is what counts as a response. So ask for the responder rate on the drug and on the dummy, not just the drug number. Meanwhile, this condition has an oddly strong dummy response, which is precisely why those groups exist. Also, that fact is worth knowing before you read any headline about a new treatment.
Sleep and Mood Are Measured Separately
Most studies now track sleep, mood and physical function alongside the pain score. So progress often shows up in one of those before the pain number shifts. In fact, the walking study at Columbia measures depression and physical function directly. Notably, that ordering is normal rather than a sign nothing is working.
Charlotte Used to Be Full of These Studies
Search this metro without a status filter and you find twenty fibromyalgia studies. Every one has finished or been stopped, most of them between 2008 and 2017. So the sites and the staff are still there, and the pipeline is not. Meanwhile, that is a national pattern rather than something about this city.
Fibromyalgia Help Near You
Ask for your widespread pain index and your symptom score, because studies gate on both. Also, ask which of the three approved drugs you have actually tried at a full dose. Finally, ask for a walking target with a number attached rather than general advice. Meanwhile, join the list and we will call you when a study opens here.
Research Sites Near Charlotte
Nothing runs in this metro for fibromyalgia today, though many local sites have run studies before. But sites add new studies all the time.
Atrium Health
Multiple Charlotte locations / 161+ active studies
Crohn’s, Heart Failure, COPD, Dementia, Type 2 Diabetes, Hypertension
Charlotte’s biggest health system. It is tied to Wake Forest University School of Medicine. Also, it runs far more trials than anyone else nearby.
Visit Website →
American Health Research Network
Ballantyne, NC 28277 / 25 to 30+ active studies
Asthma, COPD, Chronic Cough, Type 2 Diabetes
Led by Dr. Selwyn Spangenthal. It is the biggest private lung research group in Charlotte. Specifically, it has 4 offices: Charlotte, Rock Hill, Lake Norman, and Charleston.
Visit Website →
Monroe Biomedical Research
Monroe, NC / 17+ active studies
Asthma, COPD, Hypertension, Obesity, Ulcerative Colitis
Notably, one of the 5 busiest research sites in the country. Its 6,300 sq ft space can host overnight stays. It is also an SCRS Global Impact Partner.
Visit Website →
Clinical Research of Gastonia
Gastonia, NC / 11+ active studies
Asthma, COPD, Chronic Cough, Idiopathic Hypersomnia
Led by Dr. Anup Banerjee. Its 3,500 sq ft space sits next to CaroMont Regional Medical Center. Also, it has been running for over 10 years.
Visit Website →
OnSite Clinical Solutions
Ballantyne, NC 28277 / 10+ active studies
Ulcerative Colitis, Crohn’s, COPD, Heart Failure, Atopic Dermatitis
It works with Charlotte doctors in heart, gut, skin, nerve, and joint care. Besides, it runs studies from Phase I through Phase IV.
Visit Website →
Flourish Research
Matthews, NC 28105 / 4+ active studies
Alzheimer’s Disease, Early Alzheimer’s, Alzheimer’s-Related Psychosis
Led by Dr. M. Reza Bolouri. He has 20+ years in Alzheimer’s research. The site is an Alzheimer’s Center of Excellence. In fact, its network has finished 5,500+ trials.
Visit Website →
New Hope Clinical Research
SouthPark, NC 28211 / 4+ active studies
Major Depression, Schizophrenia, Bipolar Disorder
Led by Dr. Kurian Abraham. It runs Phase I through IV studies and has 30 beds for overnight stays. Its last FDA audit came back clean. Also, it has finished 200+ brain studies.
Visit Website →
Queen City Clinical Research
SouthPark, NC 28211 / 2+ active studies
Chronic Pain, Chronic Migraine, Osteoarthritis
Led by Dr. Leonardo Kapural, a former Cleveland Clinic professor. Notably, he has written 200+ journal articles. On top of that, many call this the biggest pain research site in the country.
Visit Website →
Novant Health
Multiple Charlotte locations / Several active studies
Cardiovascular Disease, Obesity, Hypertension
One of the biggest health systems in the Carolinas. Its Heart and Vascular Institute runs heart studies and sees a lot of patients.
Visit Website →
DLVSC
4 Charlotte-area offices / 1+ active studies
Eczema, Psoriasis, Rosacea
Led by Dr. Gilly Munavalli. This award-winning skin practice owns 50+ FDA-approved lasers and devices. Also, it has its own research team.
Visit Website →
DelRicht Research
South Charlotte, NC 28210 / 1+ active studies
Bipolar Disorder, Bipolar Depression
Part of a national network of mental health research sites. Currently, it runs the azetukalner bipolar depression trial in Charlotte. Previously, it ran other mental health studies.
Visit Website →
TMS of the Carolinas
South Charlotte, NC 28210 / 1+ active studies
Major Depression, Treatment-Resistant Depression
A specialty site for brain stimulation care. It runs the fast TMS study that packs 6 weeks into 2.
Visit Website →What to Expect in a Fibromyalgia Study
New to studies? Here is how one works, step by step.
01
Prescreening
First comes a short phone call or online form. Also, it takes about 10 to 15 minutes. The staff check whether you might fit. Then they tell you what is open.
02
Screening Visit
Next the clinic runs the tests that decide it, which usually means blood work. Also, they go through the consent form line by line, and you can bring somebody with you.
03
Treatment Period
Then the programme begins. So you take the study drug or the placebo on the agreed schedule. Meanwhile, your own doctor keeps managing everything else.
04
Follow-Up
Finally, there is a check in period at the end. Also, your own doctor gets the results, and you can stop at any point without affecting your care.
Fibromyalgia Trial FAQs
Real answers about fibromyalgia studies near Charlotte NC.
Is there a study for this near Charlotte?
No, and we will not pretend otherwise. In fact, a search of this metro returns twenty fibromyalgia studies and every one has finished or been stopped. However, a six month walking programme runs at Columbia about ninety minutes south, and it names fibromyalgia directly with no dummy group. Notably, there is also a single session study at Chapel Hill about how the brain processes pain.
Is the tender point exam still used?
It should not be. Pressing eighteen spots to decide whether you have this was retired years ago. So a clinic still doing that is using criteria from 1990. Meanwhile, the current approach counts where you hurt and how badly other symptoms affect you. Notably, the old exam failed a lot of people who clearly had this.
What numbers should I ask for?
Two. A widespread pain index and a symptom score. So they are the current criteria, and studies gate on them. In fact, the study near Charlotte needs a pain index of seven or more with a symptom score of five or more. Also, both can be worked out in a few minutes with a questionnaire.
Why are all my tests normal?
Because this is now classified as pain that comes from the volume control rather than from damage. There is a formal name for it, which is nociplastic pain. So normal scans and normal blood tests are exactly what you would expect. Meanwhile, that is not remotely the same as saying nothing is wrong.
Are there approved drugs for this?
Yes, three of them, and many people have only ever been offered one. Pregabalin, duloxetine and milnacipran are all licensed for fibromyalgia in this country. So if you have not tried all three at a proper dose, there are options that need no study at all. Notably, milnacipran is approved here for fibromyalgia while not being sold as an antidepressant.
Does exercise actually help?
It has the steadiest evidence in the field, and it is usually delivered as advice rather than a plan. The question nobody answers is how much. So the study at Columbia is testing 45, 90 and 150 minutes a week directly. In fact, the lowest of those works out at about six minutes a day.
What counts as a treatment working?
In a drug study, a thirty or fifty percent drop in pain is the usual standard. So ask for the responder rate on the drug and on the dummy, not just the drug number. Meanwhile, fibromyalgia has an oddly strong dummy response, which is why those groups exist. Also, that fact is worth knowing before you read any headline about a new treatment.
Why do studies measure sleep and mood as well?
Because progress usually shows up there before the pain number moves. So most studies now track sleep, mood and physical function alongside pain. Notably, the walking study at Columbia measures depression and physical function directly. Generally, that ordering is normal rather than a sign that nothing is working.
Does it cost anything to check?
No. There is no cost, and no insurance is needed. Tether is a nonprofit list, so we do not run studies and we are not paid to send you anywhere. Also, checking never enrolls anyone in anything. You would always call the clinic yourself.
Where can I get help near Charlotte?
Atrium Health and Novant Health both run rheumatology and pain services across the metro. Also, ask for your widespread pain index and symptom score by name. Generally, your own doctor can prescribe any of the three approved drugs. Meanwhile, ask for a walking plan with an actual number of minutes attached to it.
Ready to Explore a Study?
Check your eligibility, or just reach out to our Charlotte team. No pressure. Also, no sales pitch.
← Back to All Clinical TrialsSources
- DREAM, a walking dose study at Columbia that names this condition, ClinicalTrials.gov NCT06880653
- A single session study of light and pain, at Chapel Hill, ClinicalTrials.gov NCT07245303
Study details and per-site recruiting status verified against ClinicalTrials.gov on August 17, 2026. A search of the Charlotte metro without a status filter returns twenty fibromyalgia studies with local sites, and every one is completed or terminated, most of them closing between 2008 and 2017. That history is described on this page rather than left out. Adjacent term and drug sweeps, including low dose naltrexone, pregabalin, duloxetine and milnacipran, returned nothing open in either metro, and observational sweeps returned zero in both states. Study availability and criteria change; the research clinic confirms everything before you enroll.