Last year, the FDA approved the use of Lyrica (pregabalin) to manage pain associated with fibromyalgia. Lyrica was originally approved to treat nerve pain for people with diabetes (diabetic neuropathy) or post-herpetic neuropathy, a condition that can follow shingles (herpes zoster). It was also approved for use with other medications to treat partial seizures.
Now that Lyrica has been approved for the management of fibromyalgia, the debate regarding if fibromyalgia is a “true” illness has flared up again. On January 14th, the New York Times published this article, Drug Approved. Is Disease Real?
The issue can be on-going, but I think, the most important issue is the pain experienced by people who have been diagnosed with fibromyalgia. Whatever the cause, pain is real and it must be treated, whether the disease is proven to be real or not. In fact, these letters to the editor, Disease or Not, the Pain is Very Real, make that exact point.
If you would like to learn more about fibromyalgia, here are a few links for you:
MayoClinic.com
National Fibromyalgia Association
FM-CFS Canada
UK Fibromyalgia.com
Technorati Tags: fibromyalgia,lyrica,pregbalin,national fibromyalgia association,FM-CFS Canada,UKFibromyalgia.com,Is this disease real,pain is very real
Share This
