#7. Relief from Fibromyalgia: Lyrica
People who suffer from the chronic fatigue, muscle pain, and stiffness of
fibromyalgia finally have a drug to call their own. This year the FDA
approved the antiseizure drug Lyrica (pregabalin), made by Pfizer, as a
treatment for fibromyalgia. The news was a long time coming for the 3 to 6
million Americans, most of them women, who suffer from the frustratingly
elusive and complex condition; the pain of fibromyalgia is unique and,
therefore, unresponsive to conventional painkillers. In studies, Lyrica not
only soothed the aches of fibromyalgia but also significantly improved
patients' quality of life. Lyrica already had the FDA's okay as a treatment
for epilepsy, discomfort from shingles, and neuropathy, or nerve pain, often caused by diabetes.