HELP! Im in Hell coming off Lyrica!! Has anyone on here ever got off it?

[SHELLBELL79]

I am having a hell of a time w/d off Lyrica! It is horrible! I was on it for my dental pain and decided to get off of it b/c I gained almost 30lbs in 2 months and its not really helpful! I have read on many other forums about how bad it is to come off Lyrica, it takes a long time. I only saw in one forum that it took 3 to 4 months of w/d. I read a lot of people's stories that they dealt with the withdrawals for 2 to 3 weeks and couldn't take it anymore and got back on the Lyrica b/c the w/d are so bad! I agree, I am going through the same thing! Iv'e been off the Lyrica for 2 weeks now and nothing is better! I feel like I have the full blown flu, achy, joints hurt, can't sleep, nightmares, headache that doesnt go away, very bad GI problems, body temp is messed up, no appetite, lethargic, low grade fever, weak, night sweats every night,etc. I know what its like to w/d from the strongest pain med in the world,(fentanyl) and detoxed off high dosed of Norco and Loratab 10s. Those w/d were really bad, especially the fentanyl but, ended eventually. This Lyrica w/d is hell! I can't do anything. I fell like this will never end. I refuse to get back on the Lyrica but, I also need my life back! I knew taking Lyrica you would have some w/d but, I had no idea it would be this bad and this long! I can't believe no one on medhelp has ever talked about it b/c Lyrica w/d is all over other medical forums and, its all about how bad and long it is and how no one can handle it! There has to be someone on here that got off the drug after taking it reg. for a few months!
Hope someone can help!
Thank you!

[dominosarah]

Is your doctor helping you with this taper?

[avisg]

no i have never heard of wd from lyrica i will have to look into it .

[SHELLBELL79]

I already did the taper 2 weeks ago.

[SHELLBELL79]

Just google ,Lyrica w/d or When does Lyrica w/d end and you will find a bunch of forum and ppl going through hell trying to get off it! Most can't handle it! Im soo trying to be strong and deal with it! I have chronic pain already, so Im used to being in constant pain!

[avisg]

ok i found this on the lyrcia site

Lyrica withdrawal
Lyrica is a prescription drug designed to help deal with epilepsy, nerve pain from things like Shingles, and the pain from fibromyalgia. Although it is not fully understood how the combination of chemicals works to help these problems, it has been shown to be very effective. However, if you've been on Lyrica and now have to go off of it for any reason, there are some things you should know about Lyrica withdrawal. Like most medications, it is advisable to wean off of Lyrica slowly to prevent these withdrawal symptoms or at least mitigate the bulk of them. You should not quit Lyrica cold turkey because this can cause severe withdrawal symptoms and will make it much harder to get off this drug when you need to.

Withdrawal symptoms for Lyrica are as follows:

•Insomnia
•Nausea
•Headaches
•Diarrhea
However, the most worrisome side effect for quitting Lyrica too quickly is the return of seizures you had before going on the medication or the arrival of new seizures that you've never had before. These seizures can occur even if you weren't taking Lyrica for seizures.

Lyrica withdrawal symptoms are generally nothing more than uncomfortable, though if you end up with seizures, it can be very problematic. However, if you have to wean yourself off of Lyrica and you want to avoid, or at least minimize your chances of contacting these side effects, you should allow yourself time to get off the drug and get it out of your system. Generally a week is advised of slowly weaning yourself off of Lyrica and letting your body work the drug out naturally. If you have to stop taking Lyrica because you will be starting another drug, then you should still take Lyrica in smaller and smaller doses until you have reached the full strength of dosages for the other drug you are taking. This will not only minimize your withdrawal symptoms, but also aid in minimizing chances of the two drugs interacting in a negative fashion.

Most withdrawal symptoms should be minor or nonexistent as long as you are careful, but if you are having trouble getting off the drug, then you should talk to your doctor about ways to get rid of the side effects. You should also tell your doctor if you plan to start on a different drug so that he can determine what you should do about your prescription for Lyrica.

However, like all antidepressants, there is a slight chance for worse withdrawal symptoms. In a clinical study done in 2005, an eighty year old patient on Lyrica abruptly went off the drug and developed a swelling in the area of the brain where epilepsy originates. This swelling led to dizziness, headaches, and hallucinations. Although it is not known firmly whether there is a link between these symptoms and quitting Lyrica cold turkey, many researchers agree that the link exists, so although not common, this is a withdrawal symptom that should be watched for.

No one should have to be stuck on a drug forever and Lyrica is a drug that you will not be taking indefinitely. Circumstances may prevent you from continuing the use of this drug (such as a risky pregnancy, or an allergic reaction for example) or you may find you do not need the drug anymore because you have found a better way to handle your problem. No matter what the issue is, the fact is that eventually you will not need to be on Lyrica anymore and it's good to know what to do in order to divest yourself of this drug safely and easily.

[Trissy32]

The withdrawls are like gabapentine in lots of ways gab causes insomnia

[dominosarah]

That is what i found too........

[SHELLBELL79]

Yeah I have read that many times. I saw my doctor yesterday morning and he just told me I had to ride it out since I already weaned. since reading all the other posts from other forums people seem to have all the same Hellish symptoms getting off of it! If I knew this , I would have never touched the drug! I just wanted to know if there is anyone out there that has really been on it for a while and acctually dealt with the wean and withdrawal????? I knew their would be some w/d but, i had no idea it would be this bad and long! I recommend that if you going on this drug, make sure it works and your staying on it b/c 99% of the people that were taking it and trying to get off of it couldn't and had to go back to taking it after dealing with horrible w/d for 2 to 3 weeks! I am hoping to beat this w/d! Thanks for everyones input!

[DaveG77]

I've been on this med for neuropathic pain for about 4 years know, pretty much since it gained popularity. I have tried to quit c/t once with very bad results and then I tried to wean once with near the same results. I was awake for 5 days strait, in bed with excruciating abdominal pain, had hallucinations, was throwing up and many other things. I did manage to cut my dose in half and start Topamax to reverse the weight gain but I'm stuck with Lyrica forever.

Dave
SCI C5/C6

[SHELLBELL79]

Dave I know how you feel! Alot of people can't handle the w/d! I am going trough almighty he11! I haven't slept in over 2 weeks. I haven't had any achyness since fri. I am very, very slowly getting better...I hope! My GI symptoms are through the roof!

[jerri60]

yes i have been on lyrica for more then a year for seizures and my doctor is taking off it cold turkey cause my tongue swells and stays sooo dry. and this real bad stuff get threw this im afried of other meds. from chills,headaches,my whole body feels like a solid pain,nightmares ,confused at times,from my shouldiers to my fingers and legs feel sleepy like and heavy at times and tingley and sometimes feel like its hard to get my arms to work right,hard to sleep when i do im out for hours,sick at my stomach,going on my 5th day i believe things seems jumbled on days and hours ec t... dizzy,feels like my heart goes off rythem,cold chills and hot flashes all night and day. i am going threw menopause as well dont help that at all. different feelins all over my body i cant explain. sometimes i dont know to go to the hospital in the nights or what. i get knots all over my back now like tension knots. this is soooooooooo bad . any answers  ?????

[grampam]

I feel your pain!  I took lyrica for about a year, finally increasing to 450 ml a day.  for fibromyalgia.  I didn't feel it was helping so I began tapering off.  Almost immediately started having hot flashes, weird uterus contractions,(painless Ones) never dreamed that it was from cutting back on lyrica.  The dr. said there wouldn't be any withdrawal syptoms.  I have had blood work everything was fine.  I am 59 and went through menopause 8 or 9 years ago.  Well, it;s back!  along with ibs,nausea, the works.  This has gone on for over 2 months.  I took my last lyrica at thanksgiving.  Today is New Year's!  I'll feel a little better for a couple days, then back to square one!  I am at the end of my rope!

[Dav125]

I don't know how it is I missed this post at the beginning,,probably because the name "lyrica" was not familar to me, but I was introduced to it in August after a surgery flairup starting with gabapentin/neurontin which didn't agree with me so then was switched to the lyrica..I have been on and off of it since then as meds were switched around trying to find something that would work. Two months ago I decided to give it another try. Then all of the sudden started going into a weight gain situation that I was noticing primarily due to more Dr's visits than usual where weight was always being checked..This last round I was at 150mg daily. Been a couple weeks since my last dose which was 75mg's daily for the week prior to putting them down. This weight gain thing added 20 lbs in less than a month which is way abnormal for me. Now I'm really beginning to wonder about a few symptoms I have been noticing based on whats written in this thread..

Think at this point I'll stay away from them..I too was under the impression that this was something that was relatively safe, never saw or heard any warning about possible wd's, but being a couple weird things have happened lately, weght gain being the most pronounce, I believe I need to steer clear of them..There are too many question marks in my head as to whats going on that I reached a point that the process of elimination of med intake is my best course of action..

I fail to believe how the warnings that accompany these pain control meds seem to be so very limited to what extended use of some of these can lead to. This lyrica thread and associated wd's being described certainly were not in anything I had read earlier.

Just glad I didn't get into them any deeper than I did.

[grampam]

My dr. acted like it was the most fantastic thing ever invented!  The thing is, i really didn't have any side effects from it, but after a year I just didn't feel that it was helping anything.  Dr. assured me there wouldn't be any with drawal.  I guess I can never prove it, but from what I have read on the message boards, there are a lot of people feeling like me!  What has me freaking is that I will feel so much better for a few days, them bam the hot flashes and chills and misery start up again.  I posted above that it is like a second menopause, except I didn't feel this bad the first time around!  i have had cbc blood work and urine check, all which came back okay.  My blood pressure is good and I don't have any actual pain or fever or bleeding, so the docs just look at you like you are crazy!  Well, if I wasn't before, I will be soon lol!  Happy New year everyone.

[Jade59]

Hi, I was on Neurontin which is similar.  My doctor had been pushing this idea on me for a few yrs and I finally gave in last Sept.  I stopped it c/t after only being on a few months because my stomach couldn't handle it.  It's been total hell and everything you describe.  The most annoying symptom I still have is loud ringing in my ears.  I know this is getting better since I don't feel aware of it every moment of the day, but still.  The hot flashes were killer, too, but those are better as well.  I finally don't feel so wound up either.  I hope it won't be as you describe...feel better for a few days, then it all comes back, but if it does, I'm ready.  At least now there are Good days instead of every day so terrifying and I hope that's true for you, too.  I SO feel for you and I hope this all goes away for us soon.  

[grampam]

Thanks for the post, Jade.  I think one of the worst things is these awful feelings of doom!  i honestly thought I was dying, and tear up at everything!  this is NOT me!   I know I am driving my family nuts and that they and the docs.  are putting it down to "nerves" and they seem to think I just need to pull myself together.  I wish!  Another symptom which may or may not be related is that I seem to have a lot of sinus/allergy symptoms when I'm having a flareup.  I rarely sneeze, but I've been sneezing my head off!  Thanks for letting me vent!

[Suz888]

I would love to hear from anyone  who know how to come off Lyrica slowly??
I would think I could half the capsule??Any ideas would be helpful
Cheerz Suzanne Australia

[Suz888]

I would love to hear from anyone  who know how to come off Lyrica slowly??
I would think I could half the capsule??Any ideas would be helpful
Cheerz Suzanne Australia

[duped1]

Please tell me how your taper is going.....I have been on 200mg 2x day, for 4 years. I have repeatedly tried to get off of LYRICA, but have not been successful...I am experiencing awful side effects from Lyrica : memory loss, horrible weight gain (50 lbs in 4 years...and not over eating at all), horrible water retention,  major swelling in hands and feet, awful gastrointestinal problems, constant bloating of my stomache (like I am 7-8 months pregnant), complete inability for normal sleep patterns (have had to take high dose ambien every night)....but I have bad spinal pain, and do not know what I can go on to taper.
Lyrica is an awful drug...I NEVER would have taken it had I known. But doctors push it for kickbacks to the drug company I think...When I told the doctor who  perscribed this my symptoms,...he said he never heard of anyone having ANY of these symptoms, AND "HIS rep SAYS THIS IS THE SAFEST DRUG OUT THERE. HA, HA, HA. He obviously NEVER googled "Lyrica Side Effects."

[suzxx]

shellbell79 did you manage to get off lyrica successfully?  i have gone through the weaning stages and now off completely.  it is a living hell, i am confined to bed and cant walk all of those symptoms you have i have as well, your post about safest drug made me laugh as well unbelievable how they think that it is safe.  i am now taking b100 complex alpha lipoic and evening primrose tabs.  they arent working as yet because i am having such a hard time being off the lyrica.  this is my first week off and i wondered if you have managed to get over it and off completely,  i have lost a stone in a week after coming off them and my gp said they dont cause weight gain!!!!

[rockhunter]

I have only been on lyrica for a month an after reading about it and it not helping
alot of people i want to stop taking it. I am only taking 25mg three times a day.
Have i been on it long enough to have side effects when i stop taking it and do i
need to gradually come off it. Any help would be helpful.
Thank you have a good day

[mtgirl108]

Hi there,
Yes definately wean yourself off of it! Since your on a low dose..hopefully your w/d won't be to hard! Wean down slowly to 1 a day for at least a week. I hope it helps! Lots of water!

[gwynzimmer]

I was on Lyrica 75 mg 3 times a day for Fibromyalgia for almost a year.  Was having some vision problems and decided it was time to try getting off it before I had an eye exam and it screwed up my prescription.  I weaned off the Lyrica and decided to try Cymbalta.  Well, I had way too many side effects and went off after a week.  Now I noticed I have constant side stickers and have terrible gas no matter what I eat.  What type of GI problems are you having?  I also have a strange whistle in my right ear when it's quiet.  My pain has subsided which I'm excited about but even after a week I still have the constant side stickers.

[PostTraumatic78]

I took an injury to the head in 99 and about six months later was found comatose in my dorm room. After ruling out several possibilities they (the docs) came to the conclusion that it was post-traumatic epilepsy. Now ever since I've been taken off, I did well for a number of months and eventually had seizures once more. I was putback on dilantin, which I was on before. After about three more tonic-clonic seizures I was put on Lyrica, in combination with Trleptal and Depakote. I was Eventually taken off the Depakote because of complications with a mitochondrial disorder I have, so my Trileptal levels were raised. That only dropped my sodium levels dangerously low, and hospitalized me (no seizures, thankfully). The docs raised my Lyrica levels to 250mg twice a day and dropped my Trileptel levels. After unusual side effects and aura like symptoms, Lamictal, and eventually Klonopin was added. Now, my doctor's plan is to ween me off the Lyrica, and eventually the Klonopin. The schedule for weening me off is practically a nine month event. 25mg every three weeks. I can say that after being off just 25mg of Lyrica for only 1 1/2 weeks I feel horrible. Nausea, stomach cramps, dizziness, and most importantly of all, confusion (which is dangerous for seizure patients like myself). Now I've been weened off drugs before and never has it been so difficult, with exception of Ativan. I should add that I'm 33 years old right now and all of this began when I was 20. It took me 7 years just to get my Bachelors degree from IU, and now it's pretty much useless. So I hope this helps some of you. I'm sorry for the life story, I just thought that some of my past might help other epileptic patients. Good luck to all of you.

[Josephine54]

I tried Lyrica for fibromyalgia starting at 12.5 mg (yes,slicing the capsule) and then by day 9 I moved up to 25 mg.  At day 12, I thought I would skip a day to see if I could take it every other day.  Holy cow !  I take it in the a.m. and by late in the afternoon, all my fibro symptoms were on fire!  I hardly made it through the night and was terrified of the pain.  I resumed a 12.5 mg/day immediately out of fear of having those, could they be withdrawal symptoms in that short of time?  I plan on trying the 12.5 for a few more days but I believe I will not continue.  It's day 16 and I still have not completely recovered from that night.  How did this drug get by testing?

[maryisdead]

stay off of it the w/d is bad your on a low dose maybe if you taper slowly