The only real effects of Lyrica are its side effects

In the 80’s fibromyalgia was called the “yuppie flu.” And that was being polite.

Mainstream doctors would tell patients that all their symptoms of pain, extreme sensitivity to touch and fatigue were simply all in their head — just figments of their imagination.

That is until Big Pharma discovered something…dollar signs.

And they decided to make a pill for fibromyalgia.

Unfortunately that’s when things really entered the realm of make-believe.

Dancing in the dark

We’ve known Lyrica does little to nothing to help people suffering from fibromyalgia. But the latest news focuses on a study where it was used to treat lumbar spinal stenosis, a common kind of back pain. One for which it’s frequently prescribed off-label.

Researchers at the University of Rochester’s neurosurgery department found it’s not very good for that, either. In fact, there was another treatment that actually beat out Lyrica in that study – and it was called “placebo.”

So what does Lyrica really do then?

And why do doctors keep on dispensing a drug that not only isn’t effective, but comes with a long list of absolutely horrible side effects?

You’ve probably seen it touted for “treating” fibromyalgia. That’s what it’s heavily advertised for on TV.

But even though selling it for fibromyalgia generated billions, it wasn’t enough to satisfy Pfizer.

So the Pharma giant also asked the FDA to give it the green light to promote Lyrica for two other kinds of pain. Of course, the FDA said yes. But the OK didn’t come without protest.

Only this time that opposition was from inside the agency.

The head FDA medical officer, the one responsible for going over Pfizer’s application to add shingles and diabetic nerve pain to the drug’s resume, actually said “No.”

He pointed out some troubling side effects that bothered him. Like the way the drug caused patients to experience blurry and double vision, as well as injuries and unexplained swelling.

But despite these worries, his bosses overruled him, and gave it the big APPROVED stamp.

Vision problems, however, were just the tip of the side-effects iceberg.

After millions started taking Lyrica for nerve pain, older patients with heart issues became sicker on the drug. Many developed irregular heart rhythms.

But those are just two reactions on a very long list. A list that includes life-threatening throat and neck swelling, dizziness and falling asleep during the daytime, weight gain, muscle pain, lowered blood platelet levels and…suicide.

The FDA even considered adding a black box warning to Lyrica about “suicidal thoughts and actions,” but never followed through.

It should get a suicide warning, the FDA decided, but not a big black box one. That warning should go somewhere else on the label. A place that won’t scare patients into not taking it.

But despite all those side effects, suicides and the fact it just doesn’t work, Lyrica made it to the top 20 list of best-selling meds for 2014.

So perhaps the real secret of Lyrica isn’t in how it actually works, but rather how Pfizer pretends it does. And then, how it convinces your doctor to believe the same fable.

But if you are taking Lyrica, for any reason, be careful –stopping suddenly could cause you to experience a seizure. You should only discontinue it under a doctor’s supervision, as the dose needs to be tapered off gradually for at least a week — or more.

Sources:

“Pfizer’s Lyrica doesn’t help most common back pain, study finds” Sonja Elmquist, December 11, 2014, Bloomberg, Bloomberg.com

“Pregabalin (LYRICA): OK for certain seizures, but not pain” Worst Pills Best Pills Newsletter, December 2014, worstpills.org