Lyrica

Anyone take this med? I called it on Saturday and forgot to pick it up due to child illness. I have been on it for a month or two. I just plain forgot. Kids come first. So, i had been off of it for 2 days, maybe, and I went upstairs to check on my daughter and I felt like a taser-gun like shock in my back and my legs hurt and then went to sleep(numb). I sat down and it went away. I done that all day yesterday but I could sit down before they went numb. Is this because of the Lyrica or id I just reinjure myself?

[DrHeart]

I have taken Lyrica since shortly after it was approved by the FDA as a pain management drug for shingles pain.  The drug does help me in making the pain of shingles more tolerable and I do not receive any side effects of the drug. Before Lyrica was approved by the FDA my pain with shigles was very severe. I was taking Lortab in a high dosage to help manage the pain, which is an addictive drug. Although I still take Lortab but in a much lower dosage and Lyrica my shingles pain is reduced to a tolerable level.  I hope that in time the nerves that were damaged by shingles will heal. Please note, however, Lyrica is filtered through the kidneys and in the beginning of usage of Lyrica I was on the near maximum allowed dosage of Lyrica and it resulted in near kidney shut down as reported to me by my Neptrologist (kidney specialist).  It seems then that a managed dosage of Lyrica to match individual tolerance can help in the management of pain.  It sure helps me with shingles pain management.      DrHeart

[DrHeart]

One additional thing Angel75.  I want you to know, I am not a Doctor of any sorts.  Please do not be misled by my Screen name.  I am but another patient suffering from pain of a different kind than yours but what we do have in common is the use of the drug Lyrica.   DrHeart

[anjel75]

If you go to the dr. and tell them, they don't know because it is too new. I neeeded some feedback from a personal experience. Oh, this drug has definitely been a life-changer! I too, am on Lortab but I have been able to slash my dose in half! I have made a lot of changes in the past few months so I couldn't really pinpoint where the improvement was. I have suffered from tension headaches for years. I was being treated for that when my doc made s startling discovery. I have ADD! I went in to treatment for that. I have started a new job and have been in PT, and of course, the addition of Lyrica. After being off of it for 2 days I have made the discovery, it IS the Lyrica. Not only that, but I have no headaches anymore! I Hvae weaned myself off of the Xanax I take at night and have to take no pain meds for my head! Lyrica is a Godsend! I know there are side effects but I will take them! Not unless one of them is death and then I would have to think about it!...I am just kidding!

[baglady3]

There is a trade off in using Lyrica, like almost any pain medication. I was taking it for severe arthritis in my spine, which causes numbness and pain down my leg but I was taking a lower dose than my dr wanted. Then I developed trigeminal neuritis, which for a year I believed was due to a bad tooth, and my dr increased my dose. This time I complied, because the pain in my face brought me to my knees.

I take 300 mg a day. It makes me feel a little dopey. It slows my response time and makes me clumsy. It makes me sleepy.

However, the face pain is totally gone. The leg pain is much less frequent, now mostly reduced to numbness in my foot. When your pain begins to disable you, you have these choices to make. At least I am on my feet and functioning for my family.

[jdiakiw]

i SUFFER FROM CHRONIC back pain and neck . I take 20 mg of oxycontin  in the am and again in the pm before bed  and a perc or two during the day.  dr suggeste I try  lyrica. . .  what  amount should I try from others practical experience so I can begin weaning myself off oxy   forgot what she suggested to start  when I got hem a few months ago  and didnt take them because I have multicystic kidney disease which is stable and my nephrologist says it is ok to take lyrica jerry

[sarrc]

For the past 4 years I had Trigeminal Neuralgia (pain in my face) I had a little procedure where the Dr put some heat on my facial nerve and burn some of the layers that are sending the pain signal to the brain...well, that was succesful for almost three years but the pain started coming back...The Dr said that because of my age (I'm 31 now) the nerve healed kind of quick. I opted for repeat the procedure but my new insurance did't covered so he put me on Lyrica...and the pain is completly gone!!!!! Amen! to that :o) I have no side effects (except a little weight gain) BUT I was planning on become pregnant and I can't do it under the medication...I have been out of it for about 10 days and I still feel fine but I'm SO scare of the pain that I went and got some more...he prescribed 50mg 3 times a day and that's when the pain stopped and for about 2 months I've been taking it 1 time a day, and is just great!!  I just have to figure out what to do so my husband and Ican have a baby!!!

[billgup]

Lyrica has also helped me alot....I had Guiilain-Barre Syndrome in 1995 and still suffer from residual nerve pain in my legs...sometimes its very bad. I had different medicines for years that didnt really work but I went to a new neuro about 4 months back....she put me on small amount of Vicodin daily and gradually upped me to 300/mg of Lyrica a day....so far it has been a tremendous help. I havent had any of the horrible side effects I heard about. The very sharp pain of water hitting my legs (in a shower or pool) is gone, and alot of the nerve pain has improved.
I am also worried about the pregnancy thing, though...my wife an I are going to try next year. Because I read specifically this is a problem so I actually called the drug company & they said to wait until the Lyrica was out of your system for at least 6 months.....so I am going to have to stop the Lyrica early 2008....hopefully the results wont be to harrowing~!

[Jewell36]

I am new to this medication also.  My doctor won't prescribe pain medication for long periods so he prescribed me Lyrica.  It is definately helping with my pain but I am loopy and drowsy at work.  I hope it's because it's new and my body will adjust.  I was reading the side effects on a different website that said it causes edema usually in the face.
I had neck surgery in 2004, they put in a spacer and a titanium plate.  I had no pain for 6 months and was back to work in 4 days after the surgery.  6 months later the vertabraes above and below are bulging and herniated.  In my low back I have on herniated and one bulging and a tear in the sack of my spinal column.  Lyrica is helping me tremendously right now, I just hope it's not like the pain medication and my build a a tolerance to it.

[djwray]

I took Lyrica for only a couple of days, and my knee swelled couldn't walk, drs didn't know what was wrong. Quit taking it, swelling went down, everything back to normal

[Calmness]

I have been on Lyrica for about 2 months. I have FM  It has been a real life saver for me.  My Dr. started me out on a low dose and then gradually increased it.  I am now on 450mg a day. I do not have any more facial pain and my pain is under control.  I was having to take 5 Vicodin a day, now I take maybe 1 a day and some days none.  I have a little problem with drowsiness in the morning when I am at work but it passes.  I ran out of my medicine for about 4 days and I felt horrible.  I will never do that again. Stay with it.  

[HateThePains]

I hear this is a good med , but ive been put on lyrica , and cymbalta.... honestly after u read the side effect's list compared to the ''opoid med's'' the dea is so scared of it makes me laugh...

Take a moment and look at the number of side effect's on these med's vs ANY opiate based med
( which side effect's include some sedation , constipation , possible dependence)

While these med's have close to 40-50 Side effect's listed , honestly these new med's they call great new fms drugs etc , i wouldnt give them do my dog. ( thoughts of suicide... thats rich.)
And guess what as with any chemical , it has a liability of dependence....imagin that.

To me the newfound drug's of the ''future'' is massive $$$$$ for goverment/docs/ etc etc , collecting on our own blissful ignorence , Until they find the ''Great cure'' .

(Opoid's 3500 year's usage in the medical feild all over the world , lyrica/cymbalta etc what 6 years and running?) One more thing i read today that made me fall over was ''The doctors of the future will not use medicine''  Not in my lifetime!!! lol.... everyone need's there money and that is what drive's them to keep making the Possible Cure for u :)
                      
          P.S i know some of u will see some of this as a level of ignorence , and some of u will understand my point , why heal a person or aliviate all of there pain? Theres no money in it!!!

Karol

[zhoonbug]

Karol a lot of cures will come in the form of drugs. Diseses like what I have (MS) cures would come in a drug that can be absorbed by the brain. It could replace a chemical out of 100s in the brain. This would halt further damage and then lesson or halt the need for pain management and drugs.

Just in recent years they have learned discovered chemicals in the brain and how it works as far as pain receptors. Nobody will lose any money as we will still have to pay out the ying yang.

Im an American Indian that was fortunate to have learned a lot from a cousin who knew much about healing. She was (she passed away) not against modern medicine. She felt man created a lot of diseses so man will have to cure them. I now am old and see she had a good point.

The real cure for a lot of diseases will be preventing them. We still dont know what causes fibro or MS along with a host of ailments. At this point of my life I wonder if its worth living in such pain and trying to up meds again and again. I feel useless. I also am well read and worked in medical related jobs for years. I do see a lot of cures in our near future. They may not be what we dream of but ending pain would be a answer to our prayers. Safer treatment that gets to the cause and not the symptoms.

The ones that do come up with thease miracle drugs will also profit. Some people dedicate there life to one idea that may never pan out. Who are we to judge that person if he profits after a life long work?. Since I know just how important living a quality life is, I can appreciate those who spend there entire life to gain some new understanding that will lead to cure diseses. A lot never get the reconision for there work.

Keep the faith, and by the way, Lyrica has worked very good for me. Its not a cure all for my neuropathic pain but its dependable, has helped me a lot. I take it 45 mins before I get out of bed, I go back to sleep quickly so I dont feel the extreme pain from moving. When my second alarm goes off 45 mins later I can get up and walk to the bathroom without falling, crying, pain from inhaleing deeper and expanding my chest. Instead I just moan a bit LOL till I ajust to amblitory mode.

This in itself was very welcomed since I would be afraid to go to bed just because of waking up in such pain.

[HateThePains]

Not saying the overall effect's of the drug will go on not noticed , but thoughts of suicide.... really.
I think im am so malice over these drug's because my doctor's keep tryin to treat me with it like it's
the Wonder drug and it pisses me off immensly , it does help with my fibro ( on a very small scale)
But , i got ( ddd ) ( bone spurs ) ( sciatic nerves) amond other thing's , as it just seem's they keep tryin to give me anti-deppresents and phsycotic's , IM NOT DEPRESSED!!!! Or i wasnt until the pain in my back and feet almost make me fall over at my job on a daily basis.

As with all med's they say do risk's vs benifit's and to me (personally) , the side effect's are 10x more potent then the benifit's.

( But this doctor i speak of also told me the side of my neck i 100% believe to be infected because of a recent thyroidectomy , he says its a skin irratation ( which makes me lose total confidence in his ability's as a doctor) and as far as my pain he gives me 60x perc 7.5/325's a month which is giving me about half of the month worth of relief , and when i tell him im still in pain 1/2 of the month his exact words were ( Let's pray about it). Are u serious!@@@!!! I want to pray i go to church , i want treatment i go see a doctor , not visa versa.

I know it seem's cruel to redicule something that is possibly working properly in some people , its just i see more side effects then result's from most or atleast 78-80% of the people i ask that have been treated with it and drug's like it for there nuero pain and spinal pain tell me there doctor is a quack and it does absolutly nothing for them , maybe its just in my area who knows :|

Good luck with it though , and that 90-mile side effect list.

       (I.E We found a cure for ur fibro , but the side effect is cancer )    (Not really just trying to prove a point , what good is a drug for curing one thing , and starting up 2-3 other problem's , i say Back to the drawing board.

[HateThePains]

Didn't see the part about ''there life's work'' until now and i totally agree we need to strive for a cure , but if the drug doesnt ''pan out'' ( meaning when u take it , it doesnt cause other ''symptoms'' or they should atleast be limited to the amount of adverse effect's versus benifit). It shouldnt be approved , it just kinda trip's me out the fact the one drug we have been using for over 3500 year's is the one the dea decided to nail on the head , that actually works for most people.

(Addicts/abuser's Will always and forever find there fix no matter how Tough the dea think's they are
that's a fact)

( And some of these miracle ( lyrica ) etc , to my understanding cut out the Opiate receptor's to your brain , then thereafter that will be one more excuse they can add to there long list of ''why not to'' , frankly the neverending scheme's ail me just about as much as my pain mentally.

(May one day our blissful amount of ignorence in this matter be resolved , Then and only then will we recieve Proper pain management and not the never ending ( run-around)

[Anodyne]

Please keep in mind that when the opioids were approved, the process did not involve as thorough a checklist of possible side effects to be run through with the patients they ware being tested on.  So that list of side effects in some ways is a bit misleading.  You have a cold while you are one of the test patients for a drug, and stuffy nose, cough, sore throat get listed as possible side effects.  Imagine the difference between being asked what side effects you notice, and running through a huge list, "Do you have this?" "Oh, well yeah, maybe," etc.  Look at the percentages next to the side effects.  The ones that are reported in say greater than 5 or 10 percent of patients, or the life-threatening ones are the ones to be concerned about.

That being said,  I too had the severe "loopiness," dizziness and incoordination with Lyrica.  It seemed to help a little but the side effects were intolerable

[tammer76]

Yes. The numbness and shooting pain is due to injury, or you wouldn't of been prescribed lycria. I've been on lycria for 6 yrs. I have progressive nueropathy, and a couple of other things. That is probley what you have. Talk to your doctor about nueropathy.

[what2donow]

My dr has prescribed me lyrica and I took it for about 2 weeks but I couldnt handle the side effects.I am off now and to me it is almost eaiser to deal with the actual pain than the med and their side effects.

[Patty878]

I am on Lyrica and it has worked wonderful for me with Fibro. My question is has anyone notice their hair thining. I see more and more hair lost. I am older will be 65 but I had a head full of hair and it is really getting thin. I do take other medicines but this is more then likley the strongest one. I take blood pressure and cholestrol and amitripiline. Just trying to pin point the reason. Thank you PTRC

[scaredmom330]

I take Lyrica for fibromyalgia and arthritis, which helps, the side effect I hate is weight gain... I have been on it for 6 months and gained 30 pounds....

[Ghilly]

The reason doctors prescribe anti-depressants for people with chronic pain from fibromyalgia syndrome is because of the effect it has on the body's pain sensors.  There way it was explained to me is that there is a type of pain sensor that is found in the brain and in the spinal fluid whose numbers are greatly reduced by taking anti-depressants.  So many pain management doctors prescribe anti-depressants in the hope that if these sensors are lessened in number, the body won't feel as much pain.  It's not that they are insisting that you are depressed, they're just trying to get your body to respond by lowering the number of sensors that feel pain.  Hope this explanation helps;

Ghilly

[oceanfamily1992]

I have taken Lyrica, 600mg a day, for a couple years now. I have chronic pain from spinal fusion, and fibromyalgia. It does something for nerve pain that no opiate has ever been able to do for me.  My main side effect is some fluid retention in the hands and feet, and feeling not mentally sharp at times.  I just had to stop taking it as I didn't have money for my copay....normally this would put me flat on my back, but my dr gave me samples of celebrex and I'm doing ok on it and without lyrica. I need to investigate which of the two is the best for me, as celebrex is sooo bad for my stomach.  I'm currently weaning off of methadone - was taking 180mg a day (can you imagine??) and have made it down to 45mg.  It's hard to know what's causing changes with my pain because of these changes.  I say give Lyrica a real try - the max dose for fibromyalgia is 600mg/day.

[Tuckamore]

I have never taken the drug but my concern for your pain. I would begin the lycria as soon as possible and see if the pain is relieved.

However you did not say if this is the type of pain you experienced before the you took the pain med or not. If this is a new pain I would certainly consult with my physician. Pain medications are good to the point that they make the pain tolerable but they have the downside that they can also mask new pain or new symptoms. So again, if this is new I would be concerned and notify my physician.

I am sorry you have had such intrusive pain. I wish you the best of luck in your search for answers. Keep in touch and take care. Tuck

[NurseKristi]

I can only hope that there are numerous class action lawsuits against this drug/drug company for this vile and utterly horrible drug.  I took it from November 2011 to the first week of January 2012 for a shoulder injury...barely two months...jump ahead til October 4th 2012 and I am only NOW starting to feel normal again.  I gained over 30 pounds in two months, my legs and feet swelled horribly (and I have never had a problem with swelling EVER and I am 39 years old), I itched so insanely in random spots at random times that I thought I was going to lose my mind.  But this is the kicker...even months after coming off of it, I am still suffering from the swelling in my legs and feet, insane, sporadic itching episodes...this crap gets in your system and it STAYS in your system.  No doctor will tell you that, and the drug company would NEVER admit to it, but I am telling you that only being on it for two months has kept that mess in my system for over 9 months after the fact.  I was happy, healthy, NO health issues, NO swelling issues, NO weight issues, and now I'm dealing with high blood pressure (that I have NEVER had before), and doing my best to get my life back after this wretched drug.  I would beg anyone who was even remotely thinking about taking it to NOT EVER allow this drug to be in your home and certainly not in your body.

Side note:  The doctor did not tell me to taper ON to it so I ended up in the hospital, after taking 150mg orally the first time, suffereing from an anaphalactic reaction so severe that my throat closed up, my tongue swelled up, I couldn't breathe, and thank God I only live about three minutes from the nearest hospital or I honestly think I would have died.  The doctors were not concerned when told about this (the ortho who prescribed it) and said to cut back to 75mg and then increase to 150mg.  The doctors will not acknowledge that there are effects from this drug MONTHS after you come off of it, not days or weeks, MONTHS...I am living this nightmare so please believe me.  I have heard of some folks taking it and doing ok, but more often than not these forums are filling up with posts and comments about the horrible experiences people are having with this atrocious drug.  I pray that it will be yanked off the market and no one else will ever have to suffer the side effects and bodily changes that take place from taking this drug.  Because trust me, you might gain 30+ pounds in two months but you WON'T lose it in 2 months...it's like my body has shut down and will not respond to any efforts of exercise or diet to lose weight (and I use to work in the weight loss industry in upper management, I know a thing or two about that topic).  Just do yourself a favor and DO NOT EVER go on this drug.

[Weathergirl21]

Hi there...

You are replying to a thread that is 4 years old...

I'm sorry that you had a bad experience but it truly sounds like a bad Dr. and not just the medication.

This medication can be very helpful for many people and for every medication there is in this world...there is someone who has had a bad experience on it. That doesn't mean that everyone has the same experience and that it is a bad drug.

With any type of nerve pain med from Lyrica, Neurontin, or Cymbalta...there are many ways to keep from gaining weight on it. This med makes people crave salt, sugars, and carbs...So it's very important to watch what you (collective you) eat on this med.

As well as make sure you stay away from caffeine, soft drinks (any kind sugar or not) and drink plenty of water each day to flush the system. At least 10-12 glasses a day.

It's also important to continue to exercise when on this medication at least 30-45 minutes each and every day.

As well as not smoking.

So, if every single one of these things are done right from the start of this type of med...along with a Dr. who undertands that it needs to be started slowly and tirated up as needed. (As every single med should be so that is why I say you had a terrible Dr. who started you so high)...and someone still has issues...then slowly tirating off....

Again...just like with any med out there....there are good reviews and bad. People need to realize this and not think that a medication is "evil" just because they didn't have a good experience.