Lyrica: A New Treatment for Fibromyalgia Symptoms

What is fibromyalgia? It's an arthritis like condition that causes diffuse muscle pains and excessive fatigue in the sufferer. Surprisingly enough, it affects as many as 2-3% of the general population, primarily middle aged women, and is an important cause of missed days from work and loss of productivity. Previously, there hasn't been an FDA approved fibromyalgia medication available to treat this condition. Prior treatments for fibromyalgia, focusing on reducing levels of pain through pain management, have been relatively ineffective in most patients. Plus, new treatments have been difficult to develop as the cause of this perplexing disease is still unknown.

Fortunately, the FDA just announced the approval of a new fibromyalgia medication called Lyrica to treat the symptoms of this condition.. Interestingly enough, this is not a new drug to the medical community.It's been used to treat a variety of other conditions unrelated to fibromyalgia including pain associated with diabetic neuropathy, pain associated with shingles and treatment of partial seizures. This would be the drug's first approval specifically for the treatment of fibromyalgia symptoms.

Before approving this drug, the FDA looked at the results of randomized, controlled, double-blind studies on over 1800 people before giving their support and approval for the use of Lyrica in fibromyalgia patients. This fibromyalgia medication was shown to decrease pain levels in patients affected with the condition as well as improve their ability to carry out their daily activities. Reduction in pain levels were seen as early as the first week of treatment and were associated with significant improvement in sleep patterns as well as improvement in levels of fatigue experienced during the daytime hours. Adverse effects included difficulty concentrating, dizziness, and daytime sleepiness. There were also some reports of visual changes, weight gain, and dry mouth in patients enrolled in the studies. The side effects experienced by the patients in the studies appeared to be dose dependent.

Could this be the answer that fibromyalgia sufferers have been looking for? It's too early to tell, but the preliminary test results look optimistic. If you or someone you know suffers from this condition, you may want to ask your family doctor to tell you more about this newly approved fibromyalgia medication and ask him or her if it would be right for you.