Lyrica Helps with Fibromyalgia Pain

Although Motrin family medications are near useless for most people with Fibromyalgia, Lyrica, Ultram and Skelaxin (and a number of other medications) can be very effective.

The best way to eliminate Fibromyalgia pain is by eliminating the pain's underlying causes with the "SHINE Protocol." While doing this, eliminating the pain with medications is also helpful. Below is another study showing that Lyrica can be very helpful in a significant number of Fibromyalgia patients. I find it also helps sleep (if it's sedating, start by taking it at night). Most pain meds (except Skelaxin, and natural herbals such as an herbal supplement that provides relief for muscle pain [with boswellia and white willow bark; or Curcumin, boswellia, nattokinase, and DLPA]) can be sedating. Because of this, it is best to start with a low dose (even if not effective at the low dose) and increase the dose as your body adapts to the meds. In time, it will usually no longer be sedating, and you'll reach a dose that is effective for pain—without having the side effects.

A Randomized, Double-blind, Placebo-Controlled, Phase III Trial of Pregabalin in the Treatment of Patients with Fibromyalgia

J Rheumatol. 2008 Feb 15 [Epub ahead of print]

Mease PJ, Russell IJ, Arnold LM, Florian H, Young JP Jr, Martin SA, Sharma U.

From Seattle Rheumatology Associates and Swedish Medical Center,
Seattle, Washington, USA.

PMID: 18278830

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of pregabalin [Brand Name: Lyrica] for symptomatic relief of pain associated with fibromyalgia (FM) and for management of FM.

METHODS: This multicenter, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial randomly assigned 748 patients with FM to receive placebo or pregabalin 300, 450, or 600 mg/day (dosed twice daily) for 13 weeks. The primary outcome variable for study objective 1, symptomatic relief of pain associated with FM, was comparison of endpoint mean pain scores between each pregabalin group and placebo. The outcome variable for study objective 2, management of FM, included endpoint mean pain scores, Patient Global Impression of Change (PGIC), and Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire (FIQ)—Total Score. Secondary outcomes included assessments of sleep, fatigue, and mood disturbance.

RESULTS: Patients in all pregabalin groups showed statistically significant improvement in endpoint mean pain score and in PGIC response compared with placebo. Improvements in FIQ—Total Score for the pregabalin groups were numerically but not significantly greater than those for the placebo group. Compared with placebo, all pregabalin treatment groups showed statistically significant improvement in assessments of sleep and in patients' impressions of their global improvement. Dizziness and somnolence were the most frequently reported adverse events.

CONCLUSION: Pregabalin at 300, 450, and 600 mg/day was efficacious and safe for treatment of pain associated with FM. Pregabalin monotherapy provides clinically meaningful benefit to patients with FM.