If you are suffering from the unbearable aches and pains of fibromyalgia syndrome, you may soon have a new drug treatment to turn to for help. Mirapex, a medication commonly used to treat the symptoms of Parkinson’s Disease, is now being tested for use with fibromyalgia patients. Preliminary studies have shown that Mirapex appears to dramatically reduce the symptoms of muscle pains and spasms in fibromyalgia patients. So, if you have been suffering but are unable to find a useful medical treatment, Mirapex may soon be able to offer you some fibromyalgia relief.

What is Mirapex?
Mirapex (pramipexole) belongs to a class of drugs known as dopamine receptor agonists. It works on dopamine receptors in the brain, helping to control the movement of your body’s muscles. Dopamine is a chemical found inside of your brain. It helps with sensory processing by sending messages to different parts of your brain. In particular, dopamine plays a large role in sending messages that govern movement control. Mirapex works to increase the amount of dopamine in your brain, thereby aiding in movement control.

Uses of Mirapex
Mirapex was approved in 1997 for the treatment of Parkinson’s Disease. Parkinson’s Disease is an illness that affects the brain’s ability to control muscle movements. People with Parkinson’s Disease often suffer from tremors, muscle spasms, and eventually may have trouble walking or speaking. Parkinson’s Disease patients have a severe deficit when it comes to dopamine, contributing to the severe degeneration of muscle control. Mirapex addresses this problem by increasing dopamine levels in the brain.

Recently, Mirapex has been used in studies to help fight fibromyalgia symptoms, and Mirapex or a Mirapex-related drug may soon become one of the first medications ever to be indicated specifically for fibromyalgia.

Why Use Mirapex for Fibromyalgia?
Researchers became interested in using Mirapex for fibromyalgia symptoms because fibromyalgia also appears to be related to sensory processing. Though the cause of fibromyalgia is still debated, many believe that the illness is caused by a problem with the central nervous system. Disturbances in brain chemicals may be affecting the way in which pain and movement signals are sent and perceived by the body. Because Mirapex works on this premise, researchers believe that it may also be able to benefit fibromyalgia sufferers.

Mirapex and Fibromyalgia: The Study

Recently, a study evaluating the effectiveness of Mirapex on the symptoms of fibromyalgia was conducted for the National Fibromyalgia Association. Run by Washington rheumatologist, Dr. Andrew Holman, the study’s results were presented in the journal Arthritis and Rheumatism.

How the Study Was Performed
60 fibromyalgia patients were enrolled in this double-blind, placebo-controlled study. One group received increasing doses of Mirapex while another group received a placebo. These groups were evaluated every two weeks, with a final evaluation occurring on the15th week of the trial. Those receiving Mirapex were given an initial dose of 0.5 milligrams, which was gradually increased to a maximum dosage of 4.5 milligrams. Both Mirapex and the placebo were administered in the morning.

The Results
As expected, the Mirapex patients experienced a greater reduction in symptoms than those receiving the placebo. However, the difference between the two groups was much greater than expected.

• 42% of those treated with Mirapex experienced at least a 50% reduction in pain symptoms
• 82% of patients taking Mirapex experienced some type of symptom relief

The most commonly reported Mirapex side effects were nausea and weight loss, with 30% of participants losing between 5 and 35 pounds over the trial period.

How Might Mirapex Help You?
If approved, Mirapex may be able to reduce your fibromyalgia symptoms significantly. In particular, Mirapex may be able to:

• reduce muscle pain
• decrease muscle stiffness
• improve range of motion and mobility

Mirapex has also been used in clinical trials to treat the symptoms of restless leg syndrome. Affecting a large percentage of fibromyalgia patients, in clinical trials Mirapex helped to eliminate symptoms of the syndrome for at least 24 hours. This enabled many sufferers to get more restful sleep, thus reducing fibromyalgia symptoms.

For The Future
Based on the outcomes of this study, future trials using Mirapex for fibromyalgia symptoms are planned. Mirapex is not yet approved for the treatment of fibromyalgia. It is possible that a medication that works similarly to Mirapex may be introduced for the treatment of fibromyalgia. However, more studies need to be done on dopamine receptors and their role in fibromyalgia before it can be introduced.