Lyrica for Fibro ??

Hi Everyone !!! I have fibromylgia (fibromyalgia) with severe muscle aches from head to toe. I tried Gabapentin for 2 months and it didn't help at all (had nightmares at night). Doctor gave me a prescription of Lyrica (25mg) for one week and then slowly go up in mg as the weeks goes. I don't like taking pills, is there any side effects of this medication before I start it, and what the benefits of taking it.........Thank-you kindly :)

[rlafave]

I was diagnosed with Fibromyalgia 8 years ago and it seems the last year the pain has tripled in pain even though I continue to take 1,1,2 75mg tabs of Lyrica. My nightmares have increased as well and one of the main side effects of Lyrica is depression at times I wish it would all disappear and I could look down and say that sure feels good and I could finally laugh and feel no pain.

[hellodian]

Hi Linda~
I haven't taken Lyrica or Cymbalta because I am too afraid of weight gain. Your dr will tell you it isn't a side effect, but google "lyrica weight gain" and you will see people who have gained upwards of 25 pounds. I tried Savella last year and it had the opposite effect ~ I actually lost weight and the pain went away! BUT I had horrible heart palpitations and was hot and sweating and agitated all of the time. I decided I would live with the pain. I am now just taking painkillers 1 or 2 a day and am going to see a new rheumy next week. I also have sjogren's which was dx'd through the schirmer eye test. Hope that helps. ~ Holly

[Jazzi_Kreationz]

I am on 450mg of Lyrica per day and 120mg of Cymbalta per day and it has done absolute wonders for me. I don't think I could survive without the Lyrica to be totally honest.

I didn't have weight gain from it persay because I no longer have a stomach from weight loss surgery gone bad! My diet is and has to be limited or I become quite ill and I am looking at a feeding tube within the next year I'm thinking.

However that being said I must say that I was really shocked to find myself holding water from my knees down 6 months after being on the Lyrica. Since I am already on anti-depressants for chronic major depression and meds for my anxiety; I did NOT notice a change in those things and I was in fact ABLE to take Chantix 2 years ago to successfully stop smoking!

I am on water pills and wear compression stockings to control the water weight from the Lyrica. My blood pressure remains low due to being on a blood pressure medication for migraine prevention so that has not been a huge issue.

The "Brain Trust" (AKA different doctors combined) have mutually decided that the excess water is "worth" it and can be treated with Lasix and support (compression) stockings. I have to admit that the pain is tolerable most days and I have learned to live with the Lasix and the compression stockings.

I have been told that regular weight gain CAN be a problem from Lyrica; however that was not the case for me. As always this is MY experience and your mileage will vary.

[geminigirl1963]

It's important to remember that how a medication affects one person may not be the way it would affect you and vice versa.  And not all people will experience side effects from medications.

While some people do experience weight gain, swelling of legs and ankles and depression (new or worsening) with Lyrica - there are also many who do not have any trouble with it and find the pain relief from it quite beneficial.

A good website that I use for reading about possible side effects is drugs.com.  The other good thing I like about that site is they have an interactions checker where you can enter the list of your meds and see what, if any, interactions there might be.  Yes, of course, this is supposed to be done through the pharmacy when your scripts are filled, but

a) we are all human and mistakes can be made or things missed and
b) if you use more than one pharmacy to get scripts filled, the risk of a missed interaction goes up greatly (another great reason to use only one pharmacy).

When I was first on Lyrica, I didn't experience many side effects - perhaps a little bit of weight gain.  But as my dose increased, so did the side effects (typical with any medication).  At the point when it stopped working for me (for the fibro symptoms) and the side effects got to a disturbing level - is when my doctor and I decided enough was enough and weaned me off.

Another great resource for asking about side effects, interactions, etc., would be your pharmacist - they work with meds all day long, so they usually have a much better knowledge of that type of information than your physician will.

I hope you find that the Lyrica works for you and the benefits far outweight the risks.

[dezzy287]

i would love it. if i was able to take lyrica but i cant do to the side effects. it was helping with the pain from the fybro. all i can say is pay attention to your body. because everyone is different. i thought i had a bad cold or the flu but i wasnt shure. so i stopped taking them until i felt better. so when i went back on them. i felt sick again and wasnt able to use the restroom but every 18 to 24 hrs. no mater how much i drank. so i told my dr and he took me off them right away and sent me for blood work. everything came out ok because i paid attention to what my body was telling me.

[hellodian]

Gemini girl, you are right when you say they all affect us differently. Thank God we have the internet nowadays to check on what is going on with side effects instead of just going on what the doctors tell us. When I used to skip a few days or even hours of my SSRI, whichever one I was on at the time, I would get these awful brain zaps. So now because I am so scared of what it has done to my brain, I am afraid to ever go off of them so take 50 mg a day just because of the withdrawal symptoms.
Also, a few years back, my obgyn put me on nuvaring. I was in my late 30's at the time. I think that maybe it wouldn't affect someone in their early 20's so badly, but for me, I gained almost 20 lbs, and got horrible water retention problems. My dr refused to admit that it was the Nuvaring causing this. It took 6 months to lose the weight and to this day I still have some water retention problems.
Not to mention the horrible side effects of Savella.
I guess what I'm trying to say is, we just have to google these meds before taking them and not rely on what the dr says. And then figure out if the pain or the side effects is more important. It stinks!

[linda555]

I've decided not to take the Lyrica. The side effects are scaring me. It's would help with the fibro but give me other problems. I'm gona continue taking tylenol and advil when needed for pain, also walking and swimming helps. Thanks for the opinions !! :)

[TrudieC]

I did put on 30 pounds and do have the swollen legs and hands.  I have weaned down from 450 mg per day to 150 mg per day (and up that by 75 mg if I am flaring) and am now able to lose weight.  Stress reduction is the thing that worked the best for me.  Got rid of my husband and moved back to my hometown, started a new job working from home and bought my own little house.  Haven't had a real flare since then.  I am happy.

[hellodian]

Good for you Trudie!!!!

[rlafave]

How much are your Lyrica perscriptions, Mine is $380.00 a month.

[rdemain]

I gained a lot of weight and was very bloated and I did become even more depressed.  I took cymbalta but it made me so hungry and the dr said that wasn't even a side effect then, but I changed meds and stopped taking it and it went away.  I take loratab for my back pain, and it works for my fibro, muscle pain just fine.  however it could mean that I don't have fibro, because it supposedly doesn't help but it does.  I wouldn't take the lyrica.  

[k9helper]

Hi,

I have been on Lyrica for a couple of years now and I love it for pain. The only real side effects I've noticed with it are dry mouth and weight gain. I've put on about 30 lbs since I started it...*****. I eat well and I exercise regularly but I've still gained. I'm going to try coming off it and see if I can lose the weight again and maybe do other things for pain. I may have to go back on it because I could barely function without it before but I know the weight gain isn't helping me either. Worth a try anyway. it may also give my liver and kidneys a rest.

[DelN]

I've had a mild to moderate case of FM for years. Controlling my allergies and homeopathy helped make it manageable.

I just started Lyrica (2 days ago). I was suppose to take 75 mg. twice a day. But I started off with just one a day. I've seen no benefit, but am whoozy (feel like I am in a haze), tired, and I notice I make more mistakes in my work which demands a high level of concentration. Will this get better as my body gets use to the med? How long does it take until you notice an improvement?

I tried Neurontin about 6 years ago, had mild side effects, but it seemed to make the FM a little worse. About 10 years ago I tried Dilantin. Within 2 days there was a dramatic improvement and the side effects were mild. Dilantin has been around for decades, so doctors know much more about its side effects. For pain the dosage is between 1/3 and 1/2 of that for epilepsy, so long term side effects, which can be serious, might not be an issue. Yet, doctors are reluctant to prescribe it. Has anyone tried Dilantin and how well did it work for you?

[sara12345]

I wonder if anyone has tried Trazadone.  What a huge difference it made for me.  You need to take it at night since it makes you drowsy.  I started at 25 mg and gradually increased it over 7 years to 150 mg/night.  I went from feeling like a cripple with even getting dressed or moving clothing on the racks at a store were very painful to functioning quite well.  Still can't weed in the garden for long or do handwriting for long and am very sensitive to many things and have a lot of the other diseases commonly associated for those with fibromyalgia.  But what a huge difference the Trazadone made.  It helps me to get right to sleep.  Also have to take it the very last thing before I go to bed, otherwise I get incredible munchies.

[Dianegi1]

I tried Lyrica, but had to stop when I gained a tremendous amount of weight. The med did help a lot with pain.