Aa
Aa
A
A
A
Close
Avatar universal

Lyrica - please help

I have written a post (14 July) in the pain man section.  Ihave had a number of severe and life threatening symptoms and illnesses.  I also suffer from fibro/cfs, chronic migraines, complete loss of taste, tinnitus, abdominable pain, oesphageal spasms, acid reflux, severe pain in back and legs and TMJ.  (I have had other additional health probs, see post 14 July).  I take lyrica, morphine and omeprazole amongst other medication.  The lyrica is driving me a bit nuts - I am sleepy, sick, dizzy and cannot do very much.  Sometimes, the pain goes away in my legs, but comes as soon as the lyrica wears off (which is about 3 hours, I take 75mg x 3 daily).  I have not worked for over 3 years and am desperate to get better and return to work.  I have tried B12 injections, vits and minerals, acupuncture (and even spiritual healing) - nothing helps.  Recently a friend suggested drinking aloe vera gel and taking propolis bee pills - I have such a bad reaction to these and was violently ill and had acute stomach pains for 3 days and was bed ridden with the pain.  I will not take this again.  Does anyone have any advice?  I am not really happy with the lyrica as I think it is masking the pain and the side effects are unbearable.  Is there any other treatments/medication that anyone can suggest please?  Thank you.
3 Responses
Sort by: Helpful Oldest Newest
908504 tn?1269103899
I have had fibro for a number of years and tried every medication. Cymbalta almost killed me.
Nothing really helps very much. I find I feel better now since I an not taking the dozen meds and supplemments they had me on. All those drugs etc, compounded my pain and suffering by causing all kinds of other side effects like bowel problems, memory, depression and just feeling worse and not realizing it was all the meds. Look online for a better diet maybe. I have been following a plan by DR. John Mcdougall. I take vicodin and soma when the pain is bad. I am starting to get my life back and would never take all those meds again.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
I take lyrica 100 mg in morning and 100 at night and if needed  at may take another 100. Yes it can cause weight gain but it does help me
some
Helpful - 0
681148 tn?1437661591
Hi, my doctor just recently confirmed that I have fibromyalgia.  Is the kind of pain you're talking about that you take the Lyrica for peripheral neuropathy?  I know that is a common symptom of fibromyalgia and peripheral neuropathy has caused me some problems.

Another member told me about some supplements that do help with neuropathy.  I haven't tried all of them, but the one that I did try does seem to help cut down the severity of the peripheral neuropathy so that I don't get such debilitating waves of the neuropathy, 'til it's time to take the supplement again.  My conventional doctor is fine with me taking this supplement and actually knows what it is, too.  It's called Alpha Lipoic Acid.  I still get some breakthrough neuropathy even while taking this supplement, but, like I said, it prevents the debilitating waves.

As for the other kind of FMS pain, I'm still looking into that one myself, but I have seen others post about a medication called Savella.  You might want to look on the forum for these posts with the name Savella in the titles.  If I weren't already on Nortriptyline for migraines, I would ask my doctors about trying this one.  People have been talking about good success even at low doses.  Some have mentioned problems with higher doses, but others at the same higher doses have been doing well with it.  I know a common problem for people with FMS is sensitivity to the medications.  I know from personal experience that this is the case for me, too.  If my migraines still don't improve by the time I see my neurologist, he will probably want to increase the dosage of the medication I'm already taking, since I'm not having any bad side effects as of yet.  I don't know if it's wise to take the two medications together or not.  For me, probably not.  So, I can't talk about the new drug, Savella, from personal experience.  I can only say to read the posts on the FMS forum that mention Savella, so you have a little better idea what this stuff might be like.  

There is another supplement the other member mentioned that is meant for the neuropathy, but I haven't tried it yet.  It's a little bit on the expensive side, but she said that she has had some good success with it.  I think if my doctors are fine with it that I will try it myself.  It's called Acetyl L Carnitine.  There is a website that I saw the supplement sold on that mentioned capsules at 500 mg, but the member mentioned specifically the dosage of 750 mg.  I'm not familiar with this supplement yet myself, so I'm going to ask my doctor before I decide to try it.  I would advise the same thing for other people, too.
Helpful - 0
Have an Answer?

You are reading content posted in the Fibromyalgia Community

Didn't find the answer you were looking for?
Ask a question
Popular Resources
A list of national and international resources and hotlines to help connect you to needed health and medical services.
Herpes sores blister, then burst, scab and heal.
Herpes spreads by oral, vaginal and anal sex.
STIs are the most common cause of genital sores.
Condoms are the most effective way to prevent HIV and STDs.
PrEP is used by people with high risk to prevent HIV infection.