Treat Your Fibromyalgia with Lyrica Lyrica is an FDA-approved drug treatment for fibromyalgia. Fibromyalgia is a chronic disorder that causes long-term, widespread muscle pain and tenderness, trouble sleeping, and overwhelming tiredness. Lyrica is not an antidepressant, but a drug that targets nerve signals. The drug has long been used to relieve nerve pain in patients with shingles and diabetic neuropathy. It is also used to treat partial seizures. Before taking Lyrica Always make sure your healthcare professional knows about the drugs you are taking. This includes over-the-counter drugs, as well as herbs and supplements. Some prescription medicines may interact with Lyrica and may lead to dangerous side effects. Such drugs include: Blood pressure medicines called ACE inhibitors; taking Lyrica with these medicines increases your chance for swelling and hives. ● Diabetes medicines Avandia (rosiglitazone) or Actos (pioglitazone); if you take these drugs with Lyrica, you may have a higher risk for swelling or weight gain. ● Narcotic pain medicines (such as oxycodone), anxiety medicines (such as lorazepam), and tranquilizers; combining these drugs with Lyrica increases your chances for dizziness and sleepiness. ● Sleep medicines make you nod off, and Lyrica can cause drowsiness. Combining the two can be dangerous. Do not drink alcohol when taking Lyrica. Doing so can increase Lyrica's side effects and make you dangerously sleepy. ●
Inform your healthcare professional if you have any other medical conditions such as bleeding disorders or low platelet counts, heart or kidney problems, or if you have received kidney dialysis. Women who are breastfeeding, pregnant, or planning to become pregnant, should talk to their healthcare professional about whether Lyrica is right for them. Researchers do not know if Lyrica is safe to take during pregnancy, or if it passes into breast milk. How Lyrica Works Fibromyalgia pain is believed to be brought on by nerve-related changes, which cause nerve cells to fire too many signals. This renders a person overly sensitive to stimuli that are normally not painful. Scientists are not certain how Lyrica improves fibromyalgia symptoms, but laboratory research suggests Lyrica helps decrease the number of nerve signals, and as a result calms down overly sensitive nerve cells. This appears to alleviate pain in patients with fibromyalgia.
How to Take Lyrica When used for fibromyalgia, Lyrica is a capsule that is usually taken in divided doses twice a day. Doses range from 150 milligrams to 450 milligrams a day. Your healthcare professional will determine the best dose for you. If you miss taking one capsule, you should take it as soon as possible unless it is close to the time when you are supposed to take the next one. Never take two or more at the same time. You should not suddenly stop taking this drug. Doing so can give you a headache, upset stomach, diarrhea, and sleeping difficulties. If you wish or need to stop taking the medicine, your healthcare professional will tell you how to slowly reduce your dose over time. The Benefits of Lyrica Lyrica can quickly reduce pain, improve sleep, and help some people with fibromyalgia function better, and get them back to their daily routines. In studies, some patients reported significantly less pain after taking Lyrica for only one week. Lyrica however, may not help everyone with fibromyalgia. Please follow us on Facebook, Linkedin and Twitter