Many medications that are used for fibromyalgia usually had another use before it was realized that they would be a good alternative for those suffering from the symptoms of the disorder.

What would happen is that some doctors would try some sort of a generic drug to help with a random symptom, and the patient would find relief from the fibro symptoms as well.

One such medication is Pregabalin, which is better known as the name brand drug Lyrica. In this article, we’re going to take a look at Pregabalin, what it’s used for normally, and how it can help fibromyalgia symptoms and flare-ups.

What is Pregabalin and What is it Normally Used For?

Pregabalin, more commonly known as Lyrica, is a medication that focuses on helping the nerves to work correctly. It is most commonly used for people who are dealing with the pain and nerve damage that can come as a result of having shingles.

The medication goes into the system and makes it so that any nerve pain that you have is greatly reduced or, in the best cases, is totally eliminated.

It also has a myriad of other uses, including relieving the pain from the numbness that happens in certain diabetics, and it can also help to relieve the nerve issues that are related to seizure disorders as well.

What exactly does pregabalin do in order to help the body get its nerve endings under control? What it does is that it decreases the number of signals that are going through your nerves.

So, to use arbitrary numbers, you can have 100 signals going through a certain nerve ending, and because of that, you feel sensitivity and/or pain.

The Pregabalin will actually make it so that, instead of 100 signals, you now have 50, or even 25. That makes it so that you feel less pain, and it makes them less sensitive as well.

Because Pregabalin focuses on the body’s nerve endings, it has started to get looked at for a variety of other disorders that affect the nervous system.

That’s actually the reason that it has started to see more use in disorders like fibromyalgia – if it helps with nerve pain and other issues that can happen from other disorders, then it’s completely logical to try it out on other nerve disorders as well.

Clinical studies are still ongoing and results are still being explored at the time of writing this article.

How Can Pregabalin Help with Fibromyalgia Symptoms?

If you’ve been reading about fibromyalgia here on the site, then you likely know about how it affects your nerves and what it does in order to make it so that you are in a lot of pain.

Basically, since your nerve endings are shooting off like crazy, you’re going to notice that you are feeling a lot of pain and sensitivity all over your body.

Your nervous system isn’t working as it should be, thus making it more difficult for you to actually be able to function and move around normally.

So, Pregabalin can actually help you in a few different ways. First off, it can make it so that your signals aren’t shooting off as much, which results in a bit more control over your pain.

It also makes it so that you feel a lot less pain as well, which can make it easier for you to move around and do your daily activities of living.

It also makes it so that you are able to get physical therapy done more readily – if you aren’t hurting as much, it’s not going to hurt as badly when your therapist is trying to move you around.

Another way that Pregabalin can really help patients is by making sure that they are able to sleep better. Insomnia is a rather common symptom of fibromyalgia, so having a medication that can help with your sleep patterns is a huge deal.

Sleeping better at night can cause a number of huge improvements in fibromyalgia patients, including a reduction in anxiety and other mental health disorders, a decrease in the amount of fatigue that they are dealing with, and more.

In some cases, fibromyalgia sufferers started to see a difference in the amount of sleep they got in just a few days after they started taking Pregabalin.

This is not only because of the reduction of pain, but it is also because the medication itself causes drowsiness.

Be aware of this before you start taking it – it’s best to take it when you know you won’t be driving or doing other activities that could potentially put yourself and/or others in danger if you are drowsy.

As with all medications, there is a chance that they won’t work on you or for you. It’s definitely worth a try, but the chance is always there. There’s no miracle drug out there that can automatically fix all of your fibromyalgia symptoms.

But, if Lyrica works, it can definitely help to reduce the number of medications that you will have to take for your symptoms. You also want to be aware of side effects with taking Pregabalin.

These side effects can include dizziness, digestive issues, weight gain, and other related problems.

If you start to notice that any of your fibromyalgia symptoms are getting worse or you start to notice symptoms that did not exist before you started taking the medication, you want to talk to your doctor and get it straightened out.

Pregabalin is just one of many medications that may be used in order to help and treat your fibromyalgia symptoms. It could be used on its own, or it could be used in conjunction with other drugs and treatments.

Your doctor can help you decide if Pregabalin is the right medication for your needs and they can give you advice on how to deal with your fibromyalgia symptoms more effectively. Talk to them today in order to get your questions and concerns answered.

References:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pregabalin

http://www.webmd.com/fibromyalgia/guide/lyrica-for-fibromyalgia-treatment

http://www.lyrica.com/Fibromyalgia/fibromyalgia-introduction