Is anyone taking Lyrica for pain..and what is the dose please

[slickaroo]

Im taking Lyrica for neuropathy feet pain my Dr says i can only take 300mg ...anything stronger is for people with shingles...is anyone out there take 300mg or higher?  thanks slickaroo

[BillBd114]

I am on 200mg 3x a day of Lyrica for severe diabetic neuropathy pain.
I was originally on Neurontin - had to taper up over about 2 years to 3200mg a day as symptoms got worse. Then he added anitriptylline at bedtime, tapered that up to 150mg. I was maxed out on those 2 drugs for about a year and the pain gradually got to be unbearable.
That's when I was tapered off Neurontin and started on Lyrica. The difference was, for lack of a better word, magical once I hit 150mg 3 times a day. NO more pain. None. My evenings were no longer hell! Unfortunately it hasn't lasted, over the past 2 years I've had to taper up again to the current 600mg a day. Buit my weight has stayed constant, I am not dizzy - I'm a software engineer so I need to be alert and able to think. (I was a pharmacist for years but couldn't take the standing anymore).I tolerate the Lyrica so well my neuro is talking about possibly going higher if needed. The alternative will be narcotic pain relievers and I don't want to go there!
Thanks for reading - sorry so long-winded. Mine is not a common story I'm afraid.    

[Traycii]

Lyrica to me was a drug from hell. I spent 3 years of extreme dieting and gym time everyday to lose 90 lbs. I was in the best shape of my life until I cracked my heel bone and had to wear a walking cast, somehow while in the cast the Crack in my heel went straight through making it a full break, when healing I had nerves that got trapped inside the Crack and caused severe nerve pain and just walking with an offset gait created bad back pain which quickly lead to a back fracture while unpacking into my new house bc I couldn't life things properly without putting full weight on the damaged heel so I was put on lyrica. In the first 2 months I gained 50lbs and 80lbs all together!! After working so hard at losing 90lbs and just watching it all pile back on, losing my muscle and it all turning to fat was the saddest thing ever! I looked like a big bloated mess and my hands especially my feet would sweet to the point I couldn't walk 1 week out of each month, lost my job ect. I thought my skin was going to rip open from how humongous they would get. Other side effects were brain fog, constant UTI, night sweats, insomnia, increased pain from the weight gain that was bearing down on my spine and feet, low self esteem from the awful bloating, increased appetite that no matter what I ate I never felt full, heat intolerance, sun intolerance, increased anxiety basically had every known side effect out there including really bad hair loss. When you listen to the TV commercials listing all of the side effects trust me you may not have them to the extreme as I do but you will have some and the biggest issue to me is why is it worth taking lyrica to gain soo much weight soo quickly when the first thing that a Dr tells you to do is lose weight in order relieve your pain bc the extra weight you have actually causes you more pain bc it more strain on your body whe the your pain is nerve pain in your feet, back, neck ect or that it's all over like with Fibromyalgia. ..why would taking a medication like Lyrica be a good idea when all it does is start a vicious cycle of gaining the weight which causes more pain which causes you to need a higher dose of lyrica which in turn makes you gain even more weight?? & especially if your taking the lyrica for diabetic nerve pain in your feet the lurica causes your feet to swell up like elephantitist which is super duper painful??? I'm sorry but in my opinion this particular drug company has made so much money over the whole benefit not out weighing the side effects. Right now I'm in the process of coming off lyrica and if I thought the side effects of taking it were bad enough...the WITHDRAWL symptoms of trying to get off of it are 10X worse, making it comparable to opiate pain medication withdrawls. I've seen so many people report that they have had to go back on or go back up in dosage simply bc they can't handle the lyrica withdrawl. If only I had known how hard it would be to come off this drug or even how awful this drugs side effects were going to be I would NEVER had taken it to begin with. I will admit that it did help out with the nerve and Fibromyalgia pain in the beginning but the long term effects are NOT worth the initial relief. Again this is just my personal experience. It may be a wonder drug for someone else but keep in mind and watch out for side effects, once they start piling on be very careful which path you chose to go down!
Tracy

[ElainethePain]

I had Radiation to Rt. lower lung 6 months ago and now have almost untolerable pain in breast, underarm, lower arm and rt. side, back all the way down the spine, and under the rt. wingbone.   Underarm pain and breast pain hurts even when I brush my teeth.  Any movement with rt. side is very painful.  Driving etc.
Dr. has Px['d.   300 mg then 600 then 900 daily Lyrica along with oxecotyn.  Tried 300 first ended up vomiting, loss of bowel control, and felt drunk and dizzy.

Any suggestions .  Has anyone else had this pain after radiation treatment (6 mos. later).  Dr. says it could be permanent.   Don't look forward to that.   and don't like the effects of Lyrica.

[miracle07773]

Ive had 3 brain surgerys due from an AVM in the motor skill area. I have alot of nerve pain in the feet. I was presently taking 450 mg. of Lyrica daily. My body langauge would tell me when it was time for a dosage with out even having to look at the clock.  After being on it for 2 years it only takes the edge off and I fing it hard to get through my day. Ive been increased to max. 600mg. I have found stretching and warmer temps. seem to help some. Good luck princess. miracle 07

[sonya190]

I currently take lyrica 225 mg for cervical radiculopathy. I had it increase to 300mg per day it worked like a charm but i had side effects. Difficulty concentration, slurred speech, unsteadiness on my feet, extremely tired but the pain relief was 100%. I seen my neurosurgeon about the side effects and i let him know i read about lyrica side effects. I felt like my hands were dropping alot.  my Dr decide to reduce the medication back down to 225mg. The neck pain and nerve pain is back. I had to go on temporary disability due to the chronic pain and discomfort. I see a pain management Dr, Physical therapist, neurosurgeon, and my primary care Dr. It's been two years almost since my car accident. I just don't know what to do anymore. I'm only 40 yrs old and can't enjoy life.

[sonya190]

wow! that's a lot. I thought the level dose was 600 mg. Maybe you should see another Dr for a second opinion. I would worry about side effects