Is Lyrica a safe alternative to hydrocodone & why is it so expensive

[itsmeagainmargaret]

I went to my Dr. and he told me to taper off 2-7.5 hydro's & replace them with 2 -- Lyrica 75mg. I'm still on 3--.5mg xanax  as well as prozac /heart pills and prevacid .I never use more than prescribed .Should I just deal with life without meds .I'm having trouble going to NA & AA  because I still feel like I'm useing.

I have been clean of my addiction drug for 6 months .  Am I fooling myself thinking I won't abuse these new    " "Prescribed "meds. Is Lyrica addictive? it has seemed to help with my nerve twitching and pain.
If I do go to meetings /should I participate or just keep my mouth shut.

I appreciate everyone on this forum as i have gotten some good advice

[flob]

Lyrica is a C-V substance. in a pharmacy, it is counted as though controlled, because it is. C-VI substances are not controlled.

cough meds with codeine are also C-V

i just thought i'd point this out because it does make somewhat of a difference. and even after reading about this drug, i still don't understand why it would fall into this schedule. hmm. as one person said, people will indeed abuse motor oil if they think it will get them high.

i, on the other hand, am like many people here....if i think there's potential for abuse, i don't want to take it unless i have to. thats the only reason i thought i'd point out that it's a c-v. this is also the same class as pseudophedrine, though...and that doesn't really give you a high....it just goes in meth and thats the only reason it's in that schedule.

[worried878]

There r peeps who will abuse anything and everything...nyquil has a potential for abuse..we r all different
Lyrica is not a controlled substance..it is not physically habit forming...and also similar to neurontin/tis the new neurontin so to speak/but with more side effects and more of a potential for abuse than neurontin// more of a stupor/euphoria associated with lyrica so it is abused but is not addictive physically///but the mental aspect of addiction is the tough part..it is not recommended for an addict to use lyrica if they feel the urge to abuse it....listen to ur body..it will tell u alot about what u should or should not take

do u have a prior history that is more than 15 mgs of hydro per day?  15 mgs of hydro is well under the RX-ed dose for a pain patient and if u have stuck to that dose without a problem then I would question worrying//unless I had a prior history//then i would worry hard..the pain relief from 15 mgs per day of hydro just aint worth ur clean time

Ur xanax dose is substantial///not extraordinary but sumpin that can not be stopped CT..and not really sure where ur question is?  replacing 15 mgs of hydro with lyrica is not usually an issue but instead usually a positive move..benzo peeps are different than narc peeps///narc peeps use for a different NT deficiency///lyrica would as a rule be a bit more dangerous for a benzo addict vs a narcotic addict as narc addicts use for nrg as a rule//again we r all different...
dealing with life  without any meds is always the best route...but in reality it is not always the scenario for everyone..only we know what we can and an not tolerate..what will come into our lives/bodies and mess stuff up//only we know this

[bmdad]

I've also heard that lyrica is similar to gabapentin. But I heard that lyrica is gabapentins big bad brother meaning that it is much stronger. I have also heard that lyrica has the potential for abuse. But I have also read of people abusing gabapentin. I'm prescribed gabapentin and I have no idea why anyone would want to abuse it as all it seems to do is make me sleepy and foggy headed. Then again, people would probably try to abuse motor oil if they thought it might alter their brain!
Lyrica is mainly used for nerve pain. So if you are experiencing nerve pain that could be why your doctor wants you to try it. Since gabapentin is similar and there is a generic form you could talk to your doctor about trying it first. With my insurance I pay $5 for 90 of the 600mg gabapentin. Without insurance it costs $120 for the 90. That is at Wal-Greens and I know there prices are quite a bit higher than many pharmacies. I would talk it over with your doctor to see what he/she says.

[flob]

lyrica is a controlled substance. from what it looks like, it can have effects similar to a benzo or barbiturate in a small percent of the population. i would say whatever addictive properties it may have, it's very slim compared to hydrocodone. it's a better question for your doctor. what i do know is that i've never actually heard of anyone abusing it. obviously that doesn't mean a whole heck of a lot. you don't often hear of my drug of choice being abused either...although it often is. anyway...it's really expensive because it isn't available in a generic form yet. one website say's it's similar to gabapentin, which is not a controlled drug...but of course, i'm not sure how reliable the source is. perhaps someone here will know more...or you could just ask your doc. it's a good idea to prevent potential for abuse before it ever occures if you have a history of abusing meds.