Article:
Duloxetine and Pregabalin for Pain Management in Multiple Rheumatic Diseases Associated with Fibromyalgia
– Source: Pain Practice, Nov 5, 2012 By Chiara Angeletti, MD, et al.
[Note: Duloxetine (Cymbalta) is a serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor ('new generation' antidepressant). Pregabalin (Lyrica) is an anticonvulsant. Both are drugs that may be prescribed for fibromyalgia symptoms in the US. Their modes of action are not entirely understood but generally it is thought that duloxetine works on the nerve pathway that inhibits pain, and pregabalin acts on the parts of the nerve that conduct pain signals.]
Abstract: The fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) is characterized by chronic and widespread musculoskeletal pain and soreness accompanied by sleep disorders, chronic fatigue and affective disorders. FMS is often associated with other forms of immuno-rheumatic diseases.
Although FMS pathophysiology is still not fully understood, a number of neuroendocrine, neurotransmission and neurosensitive disorders might generate a mechanism for the elicitation of pain by "central sensitization," which is common to many other painful conditions.
The present case describes the success of a therapeutic scheme, which associates two different pharmacological classes, anticonvulsants and new-generation antidepressants, when FMS complicates a rare pathology called Cogan's syndrome [rheumatic disease involving eye and ear inflammation].
The association of two drugs might noticeably affect the molecular mechanisms of difficult pain, thus solving painful conditions of multifactorial origin.
Source: Pain Practice (Publication of the World Institute of Pain), Nov 5, 2012. PMID:23126475. Angeletti C, Guetti C, Piroli A, Angeletti PM, Paladini A, Ciccozzi A, Marinangeli F, Varrassi G. Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, Department of Health Sciences, University of L'Aquila, Italy. [Email: chiara.angeletti@gmail.com]
