BellaOnline Forums Health and Fitness Fibromyalgia & Chronic Fatigue Syndrome FDA Approves Lyrica for Fibromyalgia

I know everyone has heard this by now, but the FDA has approved Lyrica for the use of fibromyalgia. Yeah! A step in the right direction. I just got my prescription for it and I will be taking it for a month or two and do a product review. This is not my first time taking Lyrica. It didn't help the nerve pain in my face, so I really didn't pay attention to my fibro when I was taking it, so I'll be interested in seeing if it's going to work for me this time.

I will also chronicle the journey on the Vanish Despair Blog.

And I hope to get some quotes from some physicians that I know regarding this new drug. So keep on the look out, it's coming soon.

Has anyone had any success with Lyrica that they would like to share? Email me at fibcfs@bellaonline.com

How's the Lyrica working for you, kiddo?


Web MD lists these possible side effects - from the product handout.

"Drowsiness, dizziness, confusion, difficulty concentrating, unsteadiness, fatigue, swollen arms/legs, increased appetite, weight gain, nausea, dry mouth or constipation may occur. If any of these effects persist or worsen, notify your doctor or pharmacist promptly.

Remember that your doctor has prescribed this medication because the benefit to you is greater than the risk of side effects. Many people using this medication do not have serious side effects.

Tell your doctor immediately if any of these unlikely but serious side effects occur: change in amount of urine, difficulty speaking, loss of coordination, mental/mood changes, muscle pain/tenderness/weakness (especially if your are tired or have a fever), stomach/abdominal pain, uncontrolled movements (e.g., tremor, twitching), unusual tiredness, vision changes.

Tell your doctor immediately if any of these rare but very serious side effects occur: unusual bleeding/bruising, slow or irregular heartbeat.

A very serious allergic reaction to this drug is unlikely, but seek immediate medical attention if it occurs. Symptoms of a serious allergic reaction may include: rash, itching, swelling, severe dizziness, trouble breathing.

has any one ever tried opc3 its a natural antioxidant

i never heard of lyrica

Hi there!

I just found your site and am so excited! I have recently been diagnosed with fibromyalgia (after suffering for years without a name or doctors to believe me) and was prescribed Lyrica. The side effects were HORRIBLE for the first two weeks - I felt drugged and dizzy and like I had drunk a couple six packs (and I rarely drink). But, I also had the edge of my pain taken away like nothing else had been able to do.

When the side effects subsided, it became even more manageable and I have been taking it regularly - except for one day when I forgot. When I took it again the next day, I went through the side effects all over again for three days (so I am definitely more careful about taking it consistently now).

Another thing to note is that I had half a glass of champagne on Thanksgiging (even though it says not to drink) and discovered that, instead of making me more drowsy which is what I expected, it actually just counteracted the effects of the drug and all my pain came back - so word to the wise. Really don't drink alcohol on this drug!

Is it a miracle? No. Does it take away all the pain? Definitely not. Does it do anything for the rest of the fibro symptoms - not really (although reducing the pain at night has helped me to sleep better). Am I so glad that it exists - YES!

Hi,

I am posting my response to the News4 report on Lyrica (I will include the link to their story and video). I welcome your opinions. Thanks.

I am wondering if Jill Atwood is a spokesperson for the pharmaceutical industry. Under the guise of factual reporting, she summarily dismisses herbal and alternative remedies for fibromyalgia found on the web "if they are for profit" - what may I ask are the drug companies in it for? Charity? She concludes - "Ask your doctor" - who is from the very same community that could not find anything wrong. Suddenly everything is changed because a drug from big business is available? I am not disputing whether this drug helps some people but didn't she offhandedly mention a minor detail a.k.a. "side effects"? Also, she failed to mention that this drug is simply treating the symptoms and does not address the cause of fibro.

Isn't this so typical? Find a drug with lots of side effects that treats the symptoms and forget about the source of the problem? I suggest that we all wonder just why are there millions of people suffering so? I would also ask why is it that so many different remedies get some results? What is the common thing they all address - I have looked into it and they all reduce stress (nutrition, massage, exercise etc.)

I know someone who has great success in eliminating fibro pain for people - but his message will never be heard when reporters brainwash people into believing that the only legitimate way to treat a problem is through the medical community and with drugs.

Unfortunately, the website where the News 4 article and video are shown does not allow any feedback.

BellaOnline ALERT: Raw URLs are not allowed in these forums for security reasons. Please use UBB code. If you don't know how to do UBB code just post here for help - we will help out!

What's worse, is, according to many message board posts I read, it doesn't do much good and most people give up on it.

Here's a Bulletin I posted on our FibroFix MySpace Group (just the place where we communicate - not the FibroFix main site.)


Aug 26, 2007 5:22 AM

Subject: Have you seen this article?

I keep seeing this article (advertisement?) in different versions, all over the internet.

Well - I'm not buying it.

My response follows.

***************
"Controlled studies using functional magnetic resonance imaging and other markers document FMS as a disorder of increased sensitivity of the central nervous system's pain signaling pathways. This shifts the focus for treatment toward drugs that affect neural pathways.

New options include:

*5-hydroxytryptamine serotonin receptor antagonists such as odansetron [Zofran]

*N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor antagonists such as Ketamine

*Growth hormone stimulants such as pyridostigmine [Mestinon]

*Anti-seizure drugs such as gapapentin [Neurontin] or pregabalin [Lyrica]

*Gamma hydroxy butyrate-related agonists such as sodium sodium oxybate [Xyrem]

*New serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors-class antidepressants such as duloxetine [Cymbalta] and milnacipran.

Also recommended is appropriately graded exercise, i.e., conditioning, work on sleep quality, and cognitive behavioral therapy to support coping skills."

***********************************************************************************

How fortunate that the Psychiatrists who did this study and produced this report found that the "focus should be shifted toward drugs for neural pathways!"

Isn't that the kind that they prescribe? And the type of research that they do?

Think of the grant money that will need to be "shifted" to psychiatric and psychological research based on this conclusion.

Sorry Charlie, Fibromyalgia is not in our heads.

Mental health professionals have been saying that for all time, but it's not. It's a physical malfunction.

All this time and all that money and they haven't been able to fix it with mental health treatment. Hello?!

Research focus (and funds) need to go to research on the actual physical problem, not head problems.

The existing Seritonin Reuptake Inhibitors seem to work just fine to me.

Lots of Fibros do have the Seritonin Cluster of Symptoms - Depression, Anxiety/Panic, Obsession/Compulsion, and Procrastination - and it came with the FMS. SSRI meds at night keep our signals moving correctly and those symptoms are aleviated.

Not sure who decided we need the norenephrine reuptake meds added.

Has that provided better relief or relief to more people?

Or is it something that hadn't been patented before and now is "new and improved" so a new patent life can keep the recommended drug at a high price for a long time? And so it can be promoted for Fibro?

Are there added side effects with that added medication?

What about the recommended "cognitive behavioral therapy to support coping skills"???

As in, "You'll have to learn to live with it."?

I cope best without physical pain, brain fog, irritated bowels, when I'm sleeping well and am not exhausted. We have found that other people on treatment that works feel the same way.

As for anti-seizure drugs such as gapapentin [Neurontin] or pregabalin [Lyrica]??? I have not talked with very many Fibros who have seizures.

Someone thinks we need growth hormone stimulants such as pyridostigmine [Mestinon]???

Is height a problem for those with Fibromyalgia?

"Appropriately graded exercise, i.e., conditioning"???
As in, "You need to exercise."?

They'll have to hide this in a big piece of cheese if they want me to swallow it.

Anne Hillebrand
Orlando, FL

Fibromyalgia's Medical Maverick

annehillebrand@bellsouth.net
407-925-4139

www.FibroFix.com

All free site. Complete information that tells how we are living without Fibromyalgia symptoms.

My understanding is that pregablin is actually used for neuropathic pain such as seen in diabetics. It may also be used for seizures, but medication originally used for seizures have been found useful for many things including mood stabilization (eg Lithium). This would make sense if the theory is nerve pathways firing incorrectly.

While I also take offense at the somatization of fibro and the "all in our heads" theory that would prescribe CBT, I think that the statement "this shifts the focus for treatment toward drugs that affect neural pathways" doesn't mean that they are ignoring physical cause. Neural pathways are physical and many of the their recommendationsa are physiologically based.

Do you know what I mean?

I tried Lyrica last Feb. and it didn't work for me. Here's a little something that I found quite exciting at fmsglobal...This has to do with why they are looking into the neural pathways.

Striatal grey matter increase in patients suffering from fibromyalgia - A voxel-based morphometry study.
June 26th, 2007 by FMS Global News
Schmidt-Wilcke T, Luerding R, Weigand T, J�rgens T, Schuierer G, Leinisch E, Bogdahn U.

Department of Neurology, Universit�tsklinik Regensburg, Universit�tsstra�e 84, D-93053 Regensburg, Germany.

Fibromyalgia (FM), among other chronic pain syndromes, such as chronic tension type headache and atypical face pain, is classified as a so-called dysfunctional pain syndrome. Patients with fibromyalgia suffer from widespread, �deep� muscle pain and often report concomitant depressive episodes, fatigue and cognitive deficits. Clear evidence for structural abnormalities within the muscles or soft tissue of fibromyalgia patients is lacking. There is growing evidence that clinical pain in fibromyalgia has to be understood in terms of pathological activity of central structures involved in nociception. We applied MR-imaging and voxel-based morphometry, to determine whether fibromyalgia is associated with altered local brain morphology. We investigated 20 patients with the diagnosis of primary fibromyalgia and 22 healthy controls. VBM revealed a conspicuous pattern of altered brain morphology in the right superior temporal gyrus (decrease in grey matter), the left posterior thalamus (decrease in grey matter), in the left orbitofrontal cortex (increase in grey matter), left cerebellum (increase in grey matter) and in the striatum bilaterally (increase in grey matter). Our data suggest that fibromyalgia is associated with structural changes in the CNS of patients suffering from this chronic pain disorder. They might reflect either a consequence of chronic nociceptive input or they might be causative to the pathogenesis of fibromyalgia. The affected areas are known to be both, part of the somatosensory system and part of the motor system.

PMID: 17587497 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

FMS Global News

Hey! I saw this post in one of the MySpace groups word for word, Anne, you aren't very original at all...
Tammohawk