03-26-2009, 11:25 AM
Lyrica is the brand name of pregabalin. It was designed as a more potent successor to gabapentin (Neurontin). There is some understanding of what the drug does in the body, but it is not clearly understood how it works. However, it has been found to be very effective in many disorders, and is approved for use in fibromyalgia, seizures, diabetic neuropathy and anxiety/panic disorders. However, many people have found it successful as treatment for Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (also known as RSD) and other neurologically mediated pain syndromes.I have prescribed this medication for patients, and have taken the medication myself, and find few complaints of side effects, good response in most patients, and the only issue I have had is patient compliance with the usual three times per day dosing schedule.Overall, it is a good medication, and a great help to those patients with nerve related pain.EDIT: Maris has staed that CFS and Fibromyalgia are not the same, and speaking specifically, she is correct. However, there is frequently, a significant overlap of patients with these syndromes, both have no known cause, and the treatments for both, until recently have been largely symptomatic. In persons who report multiple syndromes with unknown causes, it is assumed that the probable cause is related. Thus persons with both CFS and FMS probably have a root cause with multiple symptoms. The more symptomatic a person becomes, the less likely any therapies will be effective. In those persons with multiple overlapping pain syndromes, while antiepileptic drugs can provide a 50% relief of symptoms it is often the expectation of the patient of complete relief that makes them find the medication useless. Also, frequently, these same patients do not reach the optimal dose of 150 mg three times a day, as they notice no benefit at the starting doses and stop the medication early.Most practitioners find that patients with significant overlapping pain syndromes, while needing medication support for the symptomatic relief, find the greatest benefit from cognitive-behavioral therapies and counseling about reasonable expectations and lifestyle changes.I wish you the best with your condition. Give the medication three full months, any less will not show you the full benefit.
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