Posts Tagged ‘fibromyalgia’
Fibromyalgia: Drugs Approved by the FDA to Manage Pain
From the FDA
Dr. Mike brings you the latest information from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration including consumer drug updates, new drug approvals, new drug indications, and first time generic drug approvals.
In a recent consumer health update, Living with Fibromyalgia, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) describes fibromyalgia, how the condition is diagnosed, and a discussion of the first two medications approved to treat the pain associated with the condition.
People with fibromyalgia – which affects two percent to four percent of the population – have often turned to pain medicines, antidepressants, muscle relaxants, and sleep medicines for relief.
The medications previously approved by the FDA to specifically treat pain associated with fibromyalgia are Lyrica (pregabalin) and Cymbalta (duloxetine). Last week, the FDA approved a third drug – Savella (milnacipran) – for the treatment of fibromyalgia. Savella is expected to be available starting sometime in March 2009.
Although the mechanism by which these drugs produce their effects is unknown, the three FDA-approved medications reduce pain and improve function in people with fibromyalgia. While those with fibromyalgia have been shown to experience pain differently from other people, the mechanism by which these drugs produce their effects is unknown.
More Information About Fibromyalgia
What do you think? Leave a comment below or in the Medication Forum.
To ask me a question about medication, email me at drugs.guide@about.com.
Fibromyalgia: Drugs Approved by the FDA to Manage Pain originally appeared on About.com Drugs on Wednesday, January 21st, 2009 at 07:56:57.
Permalink | Comment | Email this
Early Treatment Of Fibromyalgia More Effective, Research Suggests
People suffering from fibromyalgia have reduced activity in the parts of the brain that inhibit the experience of pain. Drugs that affect the CNS can be effective against the disease, and are thought to be even more so if administered early in its course, according to a Swedish researcher.
Fibromyalgia Patients Show Decreases In Gray Matter Intensity
Previous studies have shown that fibromyalgia is associated with reductions in gray matter in parts of the brain, but the exact cause is not known. Using sophisticated brain imaging techniques, researchers from Louisiana State University, writing in The Journal of Pain, found that alterations in levels of the neurotransmitter dopamine might be responsible for gray matter reductions.
Data Suggest Sodium Oxybate Significantly Improves Pain And The Core Symptoms Of Fibromyalgia
Jazz Pharmaceuticals’ (Nasdaq: JAZZ) sodium oxybate (JZP-6) demonstrated statistically significant and clinically meaningful improvement in pain and the core symptoms associated with fibromyalgia, according to Phase III data presented last week at the 2009 Associated Professional Sleep Societies meeting in Seattle, WA. These data have not been evaluated by the FDA or other regulatory authorities for use of sodium oxybate in the treatment of fibromyalgia.
Fibromyalgia: Doctor Offers Unbiased Overview In New Book
As many as fifteen million American women suffer from a disabling medical condition known as fibromyalgia. In the medical community, sides have been drawn over whether fibromyalgia is a genuine syndrome or a catchall diagnosis based on vague clinical criteria. In The Fibromyalgia Controversy, M. Clement Hall, MD presents an unbiased overview of the fibromyalgia situation today and reviews the most up-to-date opinions and studies on this condition and its surrounding controversy.
Jazz Pharmaceuticals To Present Data From First Phase III Study Of Sodium Oxybate In Patients With Fibromyalgia
Jazz Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: JAZZ) announced that data from the company’s first Phase III clinical trial of sodium oxybate (JZP-6) for the treatment of fibromyalgia will be presented this week during the Associated Professional Sleep Societies (APSS) 2009 Annual Meeting in Seattle, Washington and also during the European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR) Congress in Copenhagen, Denmark. Following are the details on each of these data presentations.
What Is Fibromyalgia? What Causes Fibromyalgia?
The word fibromyalgia comes from the Greek myos meaning “muscle”, Greek algos meaning “pain”, and New Latin fibro meaning “fibrous tissue”. According to MediLexicon’s medical dictionary, fibromyalgia is “A common syndrome of chronic widespread soft-tissue pain accompanied by weakness, fatigue, and sleep disturbances; the cause is unknown.” Fibromyalgia is a common and chronic disorder.
Pilot Study Finds Inexpensive Drug Appears To Relieve Fibromyalgia Pain
For Tara Campbell, the onset of her fibromyalgia began slowly with repeated sore throats, fevers and fatigue. By the time she was diagnosed, a year later, she had become so debilitated by flulike symptoms and exhaustion that she often couldn’t get off the couch all day. “Fall, a year ago, I hit my very, very worst,” said Campbell, 39, of Walnut Creek, Calif. “I felt overall pain to the point that even when my children or husband just touched me it hurt.
Inexpensive Drug Appears To Relieve Fibromyalgia Pain
A small pilot study was conducted over a 14-week period to test the new use of a low dose of a drug called naltrexone for the treatment of chronic pain. The drug, which has been used clinically for more than 30 years to treat opioid addiction, was found to reduce symptoms of pain and fatigue an average of 30 percent over placebo.
New Fibromyalgia Channel On Medical News Today
Medical News Today is pleased to announce the launch of a new Fibromyalgia channel. The section will include news on the chronic condition characterized by widespread muscle, tendon and ligament pain, extreme sensitivity to touch and fatigue. The condition is most prevalent amongst women between 35 and 60 years of age although it also affects men and other age groups.
Rx Drug Compare
Translator
By N2H