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Lyrica (Pregabalin) As A Pain-Killer

Lyrica is a brand-name prescription drug that contains pregabalin. It has been authorized by the FDA for use in adults with the following conditions:

  • Neuropathic pain caused by injured nerves as a result of diabetes, shingles, or spinal cord injury
  • Fibromyalgia (pain all over your body) 
  • To treat some forms of seizures 

It is available in three forms: capsule, tablet, and solution. All forms are administered orally.

It is also available in generic form. Generic medications are often less expensive than brand-name alternatives. 

Pregabalin oral capsule may be used in combination with other medications. This means you may need to use it in combination with other drugs.

1. Lyrica (Pregabalin) For Diabetic Nerve Pain:

Lyrica is an FDA-approved medication for the treatment of diabetic nerve pain, often known as diabetic neuropathy. Diabetes can cause diabetic neuropathy, which is a kind of nerve injury. High blood sugar (glucose) levels might damage your nerves all over your body. Diabetic neuropathy mostly affects the nerves in your legs and feet.

Diabetic neuropathy symptoms can range from pain and numbness in your legs and feet to issues with your digestive system, urinary tract, blood vessels, and heart, depending on the damaged nerves. 

Some individuals just have minor symptoms. Diabetic neuropathy, on the other hand, may be incredibly uncomfortable and severe for some people. It affects up to half of all diabetic patients.

All leading global guidelines for the management of painful diabetic neuropathy recommend pregabalin as a first-line treatment.

It may bind to the alpha2-delta protein subunit of voltage-gated calcium channels and inhibit excitatory neurotransmitter release. Pregabalin treatment improves pain scores significantly, provides persistent pain relief, and has an appropriate tolerance level.

2. Lyrica (Pregabalin) For Nerve Pain After Shingles:

Lyrica has been approved by the FDA to treat shingles nerve pain. Shingles is a painful viral illness that develops a rash. Although shingles can form anywhere on your body, it is most commonly seen as a single stripe of blisters wrapping across either the left or right side of your abdomen.

Shingles are not a life-threatening disease, but they may be excruciatingly painful. Early treatment can help to reduce the duration of a shingles infection and reduce the probability of complications.

Shingles are caused by the varicella-zoster virus, which is also responsible for chickenpox.  After developing chickenpox, the virus may become latent in nerve tissue near your spinal cord and brain. The virus may return as shingles years later.

The most frequent effect is postherpetic neuralgia, which causes shingles pain even after the blisters have healed. According to one research, around 20% to 35% of persons who use Lyrica have their pain score lowered by at least 50%. 

Pregabalin alleviates neuropathic pain by decreasing the hyperexcitability of dorsal horn neurons, allowing for less opioid use and opioid-related side effects.  Pregabalin, the gabapentin's successor, is a lipophilic gamma-aminobutyric acid derivative with numerous neurological properties. Pregabalin is more powerful and needs less frequent doses in clinical settings, minimizing dose-related side effects and increasing therapeutic efficacy.

3. Lyrica (Pregabalin) For Nerve Pain From A Spinal Cord Injury:

Lyrica has been approved by the FDA to treat nerve pain caused by a spinal cord injury. A spinal cord injury (SCI) is defined as damage to the spinal cord that causes a loss of function, such as movement and/or sensation. 

The spinal cord transmits impulses between the brain and the rest of your body. It is a large network of cells and nerves that extends from the base of your brain to your lower back.

A functional spinal cord is required for movement and feeling. Any injury to any section of the spinal cord might have a long-term impact on a person's ability to function.

Pregabalin is the only medicine authorized by the US Food and Drug Administration for neuropathic pain in people with spinal cord injuries. Pregabalin is a new GABA analog with a primary mode of action that includes binding to the 2- subunit of voltage-sensitive calcium channels. Efficacy is observed within the first several days of dosing.

4. Lyrica (Pregabalin) For Nerve Pain From Fibromyalgia:

Lyrica is an FDA-approved treatment for fibromyalgia. Fibromyalgia is a disease that causes pain all over the body (also known as widespread pain), sleep difficulties, tiredness, and, in some cases, emotional and mental discomfort.

Fibromyalgia exacerbates painful feelings by altering how your brain and spinal cord receive painful and nonpainful signals. Fibromyalgia patients may feel more pain than those without fibromyalgia. This is referred to as abnormal pain perception processing.

Fibromyalgia has no recognized cause, yet it may be effectively treated and controlled.

Symptoms frequently appear following a traumatic event, such as physical trauma, surgery, disease, or severe psychological stress. In other situations, symptoms develop gradually over time with no specific trigger event.

Women are more likely than males to get fibromyalgia. Fibromyalgia is frequently associated with tension headaches, temporomandibular joint (TMJ) abnormalities, irritable bowel syndrome, anxiety, and depression.

Fibromyalgia pain is thought to be caused by nerve-related abnormalities that cause nerve cells to send out too many impulses. This makes a person extremely sensitive to typically non-painful stimuli.

Scientists aren't sure about its mode of action. It may reduce the number of nerve impulses, which calms down highly sensitive nerve cells. This appears to relieve pain in fibromyalgia patients.

5. Lyrica (Pregabalin) For Partial-Onset Seizures:

Lyrica is an FDA-approved medication for the treatment of partial-onset seizures in adults and children. During a seizure, the brain experiences a spike of electrical activity. Some forms of seizures impact your entire brain or a larger portion of your brain than others. 

Seizures with partial-onset occur in only one area of the brain. These are further subdivided into simple focal seizures and complex partial seizures. 

The key distinction is that someone having a partial seizure stays conscious, and the event usually lasts less than one minute. However, a person loses consciousness with complicated partial seizures. These convulsions might last longer than a minute.

It works by reducing the irregular electrical activity in the brain that happens during a partial-onset seizure.

All medication available on our site should be recommended or directed by your physician. Only your physician can know about other factors related to your health and what medications you can or cannot take for your safety.

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