Lyrica: A Miracle for Fibromyalgia or a Hoax

The individuals who suffer from Fibromyalgia are well aware of the name ‘Lyrica’. Maybe they are familiar with some other names such as the ‘Gabapentin’, ‘Cymbalta’, ‘Savella’ etc. As you know Lyrica is not a cure. But it can prove as a boon for many of the patients that suffer from the condition of fibromyalgia or nerve as well as muscular pain. By doing several research and trials Lyrica had proven itself a potent drug for treating the symptoms associated with conditions like fibromyalgia. It’s generally used to treat idiopathic scissors. These epileptic scissors are generally associated with Nerve pain and resemble some other diseases which are associated with enough paints, for example, diabetes and shingles. When we dig deeper,

We find that Lyrica is a neuropathic pain reliever there are several names that are popular in the industrial sector such as Maxgalin, Pregalin, Pregabid, Gabawin. The leading manufacturer is Pfizer ltd. Lyrica belongs to the drug class of alpha 2 delta ligands (which are cyclic GABA analogues).

One very interesting study was performed by a Korean company for the purpose of post-marketing surveillance. This study was conducted from July 2006 to April 2011 on Lyrica. They shortlisted 4175 participants which belong to different categories of diseases i.e., some of them suffered from epilepsy some of them suffered from neuropathic pain and rest of them suffered from fibromyalgia all the 3 categories of participants were treated with Lyrica.  From this clinical trial. They have concluded a few conclusions which were: sleep interference, many of the participants were noticed to experience an improvement in seizure frequency. Most of the participants achieved 28 days seizure free experience.

Why Lyrica?

Lyrica is so popular among health specialists because of its dual nature. Lyrica performs 2 major functions simultaneously. It can work as an anticonvulsant as well as it can work as an analgesic. In the first case it prevents seizures and in the second case it can provide relief to chronic nerve pain. Simply speaking Lyrica interferes with the communication channel of cells and alter the functioning of neurotransmitters. The signals which were mainly targeted by Lyrica are those associated with pain.

The pain signals travel through the nervous system which starts from the brain and travel down via the spinal cord from where these nerves differentiate and spread across the body to specified regions like muscles.  Lyrica Blocks The signals from nerve cells that are either damaged or are over excited. This relieves the pain in the patient’s experiencing fibromyalgia.  On the other hand, when Lyrica is used as a treatment for epilepsy it is believed that Lyrica blocks electrical impulses that are randomly generated by the brain which can trigger seizures especially idiopathic scissors.

Major conditions in which it is employed:

As we know Lyrica is an FDA approved drug to treat several conditions including,

• Nerve pain originated due to diabetes
• Shingles associated nerve pain
• Nerve pain in the vicinity of spinal cord injury
• Fibromyalgia
• Idiopathic seizures

let us briefly discuss all the above-mentioned problems,

Neve pain originated due to diabetes

This type of nerve pain is generally known as diabetic neuropathy. Diabetic nerve pain or sensation is experienced by those individuals who suffer from the disease of diabetes. Common symptoms consist of nerve pain or sensations of pain, tingling or numbing sensation in hands and foot. Lyrica block out the sensation of pain between these stimulus receptor organs and the brain which reduces the pain experienced by the individual to a great extent. These impulses are generated as a result of diabetes.

Fibromyalgia

Fibromyalgia can have a great impact on an individual, it can cause tender areas around some portion of the body. It can lead to issues related with cognitive skills of an individual i.e., individual cannot properly concentrate or recall memory. These types of individuals can experience fatigue for no apparent region. It can lead to pain in muscles and bones including amnesia.

Shingles associated nerve pain

As we know shingle is caused by a virus which generally starts as a rash. Then lead to a fluid filled blister which is associated with a constant intense burning sensation. Sometimes the pain is so much that it feels like stabbing. Lyrica has been proven to be very effective in case of nerve pain associated with shingles.

Nerve pain in the vicinity of spinal injury

General studies show that employment of Lyrica from basis of 150 to 600 mg per day effectively reduce the neuropathic pain and help the patient to cope up with the neuropathic pain due to the spinal cord injury.

Idiopathic seizures

As we know idiopathic seizures are those seizures which originate or get their impulse from an unknown source. Such type of seizures are very hard to treat and can lead to traumatic experiences.  Generally, these impulses are electrical in nature and these scissors are fed by these electrical impulses. Lyrica is believed to block these random electrical signals and prevent the seizure.

Are there any side effects to Lyrica?

Are 2 major types of side effects that are associated with lyrics the first set of side effects are mild side effects and the second set of side effects are serious side effects the mild side effects are mostly dealt easily but serious side effects can be life threatening in case of negligence.

mild side effects include, dry mouth, persisting tendency of sleepiness, swollen hands, abrupt weight gain, blurred vision etc.

The major serious side effects include muscle problems such as the extensive breakdown of muscle also known as Rhabdomyolysis, Allergic reactions, negative thoughts cycle which can lead to depression and sometimes its associated with suicidal thoughts.

What Dosage suits me?

A direct answer is that the dosage varies according to age groups and there are similar other factors on which the dosage prescribed will depend. For example, severity of the condition can decide the dosage which is prescribed to you. Dosage can also depend on the variant of Lyrica used, another major factor is that whether you are subjected to other drugs or not and if there is a medical history you are associated with the dosage may vary. Lastly is there any side effects that you are suffering from change the dosage employed.

Generally, your health advisor may employ a smaller dose and gradually increase the dosage overtime to avoid any impulsive reactions that your immune system may take and also it provides sufficient time to your body for adaptive Lyrica. For best result should regularly take their medicine irrespective of the condition and if possible. Maintain a chart consisting of all the times and dates that you have taken the tablet s you are not able to take the tablet at the same time each day try to establish a window of time interval during which you can take the tablets. If You are employed with extended-release tablet. Make sure that you do not chew or break the tablet because the purpose of extended-release tablet is to release the drug after certain amount of time is not required to chew it.

Is Lyrica narcotic in nature?

As we all know narcotic drugs are those drugs that are based on opioids. Generally addictive in nature but on the contrary Lyrica consist of pregabalin which is obviously not an opioid pregabalin belongs to a specified class of medications which are associated with anti-epileptic drugs. But in some cases, it is noticed that Lyrica is responsible 4 defects such as euphoria and it may lead to hallucinations or let you feel high but U.S. government decided not to consider it as an illicit drug. Lyrica has the potential cause physical dependence and psychological aberration.

Lyrica is a boon to several patients suffering from fibromyalgia or neuropathic pain and if you are suffering from these disorders. You may consult your respective health advisor about Lyrica.