E2 ModeratePreliminaryPEM unclearObservationalPeer-reviewedMachine draft
Efficacy of Eszopiclone Plus Acupuncture Therapy by Dispersing the Stagnated Liver-Qi and Regulating the Spirit for Treating Chronic Fatigue Syndrome-Related Sleep Disorders.
Huang, Bing, Geng, Yining, Liu, Lanlan · Psychiatry and clinical psychopharmacology · 2025 · DOI
Quick Summary
This study looked at whether adding acupuncture to a sleep medication (eszopiclone) could help people with ME/CFS who struggle with sleep. Researchers compared 57 patients who received both the medication and acupuncture to 50 patients who received only the medication. The combined treatment group had better sleep quality, higher levels of chemicals in the blood that support mood and brain health, and fewer side effects.
Why It Matters
Sleep disturbance is a cardinal feature of ME/CFS and significantly impacts quality of life and symptom severity. This study suggests that integrating acupuncture with pharmacotherapy may improve sleep outcomes and reduce medication side effects while potentially modulating neurobiological markers (5-HT and BDNF) relevant to CFS pathophysiology.
Observed Findings
- Patients receiving eszopiclone plus acupuncture had significantly lower PSQI scores after treatment than those receiving eszopiclone alone (P<0.05).
- Post-treatment serum 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) levels were significantly higher in the combined treatment group (P<0.05).
- Post-treatment brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) levels were significantly higher in the combined treatment group (P<0.05).
- Adverse reaction rates were lower in the acupuncture plus eszopiclone group (7.02%) compared to eszopiclone alone (22.00%, P=0.026).
- Overall clinical response rate was numerically higher in the combined group but did not reach statistical significance (P=0.063).
Inferred Conclusions
- Combining acupuncture with eszopiclone enhances treatment efficacy for CFS-related sleep disorders compared to eszopiclone monotherapy.
- Acupuncture therapy may work by modulating serotonergic and neurotrophic pathways, as evidenced by elevated 5-HT and BDNF levels.
- Integrative treatment with acupuncture improves tolerability, reducing medication-related adverse effects.
Remaining Questions
- What is the durability of sleep improvements and biochemical changes after treatment cessation?
- Does acupuncture produce benefits independent of eszopiclone, or is the effect purely additive/synergistic?
What This Study Does Not Prove
This retrospective, non-randomized observational study does not establish causation or prove that acupuncture is the active component responsible for improvements—differences may reflect selection bias, uncontrolled confounders, or non-specific effects. The marginal significance of overall response rate (P=0.063) and lack of sham acupuncture control limits confidence in acupuncture-specific efficacy. The study does not address whether improvements persist long-term or generalize to other ME/CFS populations.
Tags
Symptom:Unrefreshing SleepFatigue
Biomarker:Blood Biomarker
Method Flag:PEM Not DefinedWeak Case DefinitionSmall Sample
Metadata
- DOI
- 10.5152/pcp.2025.251106
- PMID
- 41247165
- Review status
- Machine draft
- Evidence level
- Single-study or moderate support from human research
- Last updated
- 8 April 2026
About the PEM badge: “PEM required” means post-exertional malaise was an explicit required diagnostic criterion for participant inclusion in this study — not that PEM was studied, observed, or discussed. Studies using criteria that do not require PEM (e.g. Fukuda, Oxford) are tagged “PEM not required”. How the atlas works →
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