As many as 13 percent of women in America have a neurological condition called Fibromyalgia and for the first time, the FDA has approved a drug that can help. It's called Lyrica.
Pamela Kennedy struggles everyday to take care of her toddler son.
"With Fibromyalgia, I've had pain for 15 years in all my joints," she said.
For many of those years, she's gotten relief from mind-altering pain pills that ease the muscular discomfort that she wakes up and goes to bed with everyday.
"If they could think of something I could take and be lucid all day and be a mom, that would be good."
The drug company Pfizer thinks it has. In clinical trials Lyrica was found to reduce pain, without the dangers of pain medication.
Lyrica decreased the release of neurotransmitters in the brain linked to the pain, fatigue and cognitive problems associated with Fibromyalgia. The disorder typically causes muscle pain, insomnia and stiffness.
Dr. John Harney already sees improvement in his patients.
he said.
"In about 200 of my patients over the last year and a half, I've found they have more energy, get into their exercise program more and pain drops about 50 percent. It's great news,"
Lyrica was already approved for treatment of tremors, migraines, muscular sclerosis and other neurological disorders.
Lyrica website
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