weaning off lyrica

[trish699]

I am suffering from nerve damage from an angiogram performed last July. I am currently on 50 mg of Lyrica, down from 75. Less pain relief than from 75but somewhat tolerable, as long as I don't do much.When I dropped to 50mg,however, I had a huge spike in my pain. The second night after dropping to 25mg, I suffered the attack of the hot pokers, actually on the top of the thigh which was not subject to acute pain before and also in my right foot (shocking). I had a lot of discomfort before trying Lyrica (severe side effects at 100mg though), but due to the fact that I can't tolerate gabapentin or nortriptyline, Lyrica seemed my only option. Is the spike in pain a temporary adjustment to dose reduction, or has Lyrica totally screwed up my nervous system? Would taking 25mg every other day be an option? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Does anybody else suffer from angiogram related nerve pain???

[trish699]

I'm going to ask my pain specialist on June 28th for something to get me through that day. You're right. It's such an important day for us and it would be nice to be able to actually enjoy it.
I guess I'm just overwhelmed with the relentlessness of this pain. The fact that doctors can inflict this on patients *****, big time.
Thanks for yor thoughts and support. I hope your day goes well.
trish

[jamlws]

Pain is pain no matter how bad it is. we all deal with it different. I can't handle pain very well and my husband can. So people are different.
Is there anyway you can talk to your doctor about giving you something that will help with the pain when you go to your daughters wedding? I mean it will be short term but this is a very important day for you and your daughter and I think you should feel the l least amount of pain that day so you can enjoy your daughters wedding. Just a thought.  I hope the meds start working for you. I deal with nerve pain and it is so hard to treat until you find the meds that work for you.
Let us know how your doing.
Jamie

[trish699]

Thanks for that.
The pain has settled somewhat. When I dropped the dose a bit, I had sharp pains in my hands and wrists. Not as severe as the first attack of the hot pokers, but not pleasant either. I also had sharp pains in my bladder.Considering that my nerve pain is from 2 major nerves in the pelvic area, that was a surprise. Tuck, I now understand that the whole circuitry is affected, so c'est la vie.
I'm now trying to recover from a week-end road trip to my daughter's bridal shower. One and a half hours in the car, even with 3 stops along the way, was too much for me. I'm day 3 on 10mg of celexa and hoping it will help ease my despair, at least a bit. I now have nerve pain in my teeth and hairline from my dentist smoothing down a crown that split in half for no apparent reason.
I know people have more severe pain to deal with, but  I'm burning ot emotionally.. My daughter is getting married in August - a destination wedding, and I really don't know how I'm going to make it.
Thank goodness for the fellowship of this site.
Trish

[Tuckamore]

I did not have night terror on Cymbalta. Hopefully Tanglewood will tell provide you with more information.

As I am sure you know Lyrica is often used to treat nerve pain. That may be in part the reason you had experienced the "hot poker" pain. How is the pain now?

Lyrica is an anti-epileptic drug, also called an anticonvulsant. It works by slowing down impulses in the brain that cause seizures. Lyrica also affects chemicals in the brain that send pain signals across the nervous system.

Cymbalta is an antidepressant in a group of drugs called selective serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SSNRIs). Cymbalta affects chemicals in the brain that may become unbalanced and cause depression. It can also be used for nerve pain.

Lyrica and Cymbalta are not in the same family of drugs. They do not have the same action. Although they can be used in similar instances.

Hope this helps.

~Tuck

[namnam46]

Wow, this is why I love this site so much.You can learn so much just by reading the other posts that you don't have any experiences with!!

I know for sure that I sure don't want to use ANY of the family of meds that Lyrica and  Cymbalta or Gabapentin are in.

I'm so very sorry for the trouble that you are having Trish and I certainly hope that you can get some help for the pain that you are having.

Thinking of you...Sherry

[trish699]

Do you find that you have bad nightmares on Cymbalta? I tried Effexor and had to get off because of night terrors. I've never experienced anything like it before. Since they are similar drugs, I  was just wondering about this.

Also, you said that you've gone on and off Lyrica. How did you proceed to wean down your dose? Did it take long to get off it? Did you experience nerve pain in places you never had it before?

I'd appreciate hearing your experiences, if you have a moment.

Thanks,
Trish