Why did my doctor prescribe Lyrica?

Your doctor is the best person to tell you why he or she prescribed Lyrica for you. Lyrica is the brand name for pregabalin. It is an oral medication, which means you take it by mouth. It is one of three medications approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to treat fibromyalgia. It is also prescribed for treating pain from diabetic neuropathy or from the viral infection shingles. In adults who have epilepsy, Lyrica is sometimes prescribed with other medications to help control seizures. For more information about Lyrica, talk to your doctor or pharmacist.

There are several possible reasons that your doctor prescribed Lyrica for you. Lyrica, also known by its generic name of pregabalin, is a medication taken by mouth that can help people with certain conditions manage their pain, or it can help prevent partial onset seizures.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Lyrica for treating pain in people who have nerve damage due to diabetes and discomfort following a flare-up of shingles (a painful rash caused by the varicella-zoster virus, which also causes chickenpox). It can improve function and relieve pain in people with fibromyalgia. Lyrica is also an anticonvulsant medication and is sometimes prescribed in combination with other drugs to help people control their seizures.

The best way to find out why Lyrica is recommended for you is to ask your doctor.

LYRICA can help relieve the chronic widespread pain and tenderness of fibromyalgia. In clinical studies, LYRICA was proven to provide significant relief from fibromyalgia pain compared with a placebo, so patients felt better and could do more.* 

In fibromyalgia clinical studies, some patients felt less pain in as soon as 1 week. For others it took longer.* 

LYRICA may provide long-lasting relief from the chronic widespread pain of fibromyalgia. In a 6-month trial, most patients who were treated with LYRICA continued to feel fibromyalgia pain relief at the end of the trial.

*Individual results may vary.