After meeting on the Internet in 1997, Lynne Matallana and Karen Lee Richards discovered they had a lot in common. They both had seen numerous doctors before being diagnosed with fibromyalgia, a chronic condition characterized by fatigue and widespread pain in muscles and joints. They both had trouble finding medical information and support for coping with the illness. Seven months after meeting, they started gathering with five other people with fibromyalgia who also wanted to bring awareness to the issue.
"We called ourselves 'the pillow posse' because we would meet and have our pillows to support our aching bodies," Matallana says. Those gatherings grew into the National Fibromyalgia Association (NFA), an organization that now provides support, research information, medical education, and messages of hope to millions.
Fibromyalgia affects 2 to 4 percent of the population, according to the American College of Rheumatology (ACR). It mostly affects women, and tends to develop in early to middle adulthood. But men and children also can have it.
"One of the challenges is that fibromyalgia hasn't always been recognized as a specific illness," says Jeffrey Siegel, M.D., clinical team leader in FDA's Division of Anesthesia, Analgesia, and Rheumatology Products. "In 1990, the American College of Rheumatology developed criteria for diagnosing it, and this marked a major step forward in helping more people understand how to recognize the symptoms and how to treat them."
People with fibromyalgia have typically turned to pain medicines, antidepressants, muscle relaxants, and sleep medicines. On June 21, 2007, Lyrica (pregabalin) became the first FDA-approved drug for specifically treating fibromyalgia. Marketed by Pfizer Inc., Lyrica reduces pain and improves function in patients with fibromyalgia. While patients with fibromyalgia have been shown to experience pain differently from other people, the mechanism by which Lyrica produces its effects is unknown. The drug was already approved to treat seizures, as well as pain from damaged nerves that can happen in people with diabetes and in those who develop pain following the rash of shingles.
"People who take Lyrica should be aware of important side effects, including sleepiness and dizziness," Siegel says. Other side effects seen in patients taking Lyrica include swelling of the hands and feet, and allergic reactions.
"Studies showed that a substantial number of patients with fibromyalgia received good pain relief with Lyrica, but there are other patients who didn't benefit," Siegel says. "This new approval marks an important advance, and we think it's reason for optimism. But we still have much more progress to make."
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