Lyrica-thoughts?

I have been on lyrica since Oct. 2007. Started taking it 3 x daily, reduced to 2 x daily. Minor vision blurriness at first, not sure if it was from lyrica or GBS but it cleared up. I didn’t have weight gain from it that others have had. It has helped me.

Good luck

Shirley

I had hallucinations, was suicidal, and sicker than I could believe until it wore off 2 days later. Everyone is different, but it did no good for me, and was actually awful. I couldn’t throw it out fast enough. I hope it works for you because I have heard good things about, but the side effects for me were over the top.

I have no problems taking Lyrcia. I’ve been taking the maximum daily dose of (150mg 4 times a day) since February 2007. The only problem I have is if I forget to take it. That’s when my body lets me know that I need to take some soon.

GBS March 2004

I tried Lyrica for approximately one or two months. Unfortunately, the side effects were much worse than the pain. I gained at least 10 pounds in one month, my feet stayed swollen (I couldn’t change from boots to shoes at work without assistance so I wore boots almost every day). I also experienced an odd sort of weakness in my hips, which made my balance issues worse. I can’t recall the dosage, but it was pretty low. My doctor said these issues weren’t caused by Lyrica, however, when I tapered down from the already low dosage and stopped taking Lyrica, the weight came off in a short amount of time and the odd weakness and swelling went away.

However, it worked great for quite a few people here. You may be able to find more info under the search function.

Take care,

Tina

Lyrica works great for me! I had slight increase in blurred vision & was more dizzy than usual, but it went away in a few days. I was having horrible stabbing pain in my feet & legs & violent jerking all over before lyrica.

Lyrica was not offered to me until very late in my disease progression. I don’t recall any particularly good, or bad, response. I would rate my reaction to it at so-so.

On the other hand, my problem is more motor than it is sensory.

So, my rhetorical question is, if you’ve got 3 ayes, 3 nays and 3 undecided what decision will you make?

Go for it, or not?

My own vote on all the meds I’ve tried was go for it. As in the posts above, if it doesn’t work, then stop it.

Let me think, oh it hurts to do that. I was offered Skelaxin (metaxalone) for muscle cramps.

Yuehan I love your attitude & inputs. And you sure do know lots of stuff, I mean the helpful & important information.
smitty

Thank you smitty. I appreciate your feedback.

I’m blessed with time to search the ‘net and apparently have a knack for finding sources of information which leave me yearning to learn more.

Lyrica worked great on relieving my pain. As a matter a fact, of all the medications I have been in, including morphine, Lyrica wins on taking the pain away. On the flip side, I gradually started sleeping more and more. 12 hours, 15, until I slept from a Monday – Wednesday. I knew it was time to stop. Then I stepped ion my scale:eek: I had gained 15 pounds in 1 month!!!!!!! I had to stop it. The last thing I need is additional weight on these Neuropathy stricken feet and I knew I didn’t want to sleep my life away! I missed opening xmas gifts with my children!!! There was no way to wake me up! So, on my scale, I give it a 10 for pain relief, on the side effects scale, I give it a big PPPHHHHHLLLLTTTTTTT DOWNER!!!!I will never take it again. I still haven’t lost the weight and it took about 2 weeks after stopping it to wake from that coma! Let us know how it goes for you. I will give this advise to you………:

You may not notice the effects as they are happening within your body/chemical/hormonal harmony, ask your wife to note any difference in sleeping, mood, eating, and pain relief. Since it is happening to you, you do not notice the difference until they become a problem. Your wife will notice them as they happen gradually to you. It could be something as simple as how you say hello to her that can alert a loved one about changes in mood. Let her know, assure her, and ask her to tell you of these changes without being afraid of hurting your feelings. She is your partner in this and can be a tremendous tool in sounding the alarm if there are any bad emotional reactions. Let er know the role you need her to play in this whole procedure of tweeking your medication. It will take time and it is trial and error. Unfortunatly, the person walking in the shoes of medication is blinded by what the medication does to you, on top of what the disease does to you. It sometimes has to come from someone on the outside. The one who is closest to you. Just asure her that this is something you need and not to be shy. If she does not speak up when you are oblivious to mood changes, you will know of the mood changes when a HUGE fight breaks out and you are told how you’ve changed. (My experience)
Good luck!

😉 I was talking 300 mg a day (100 x 3 times) from the very first day of GBS. Because I was diagnosed within an hour of being first examined in the emergency room, I was lucky to go on Lyrica right away.

I was finding that I was really drowzy in the middle of the day, which is a side effect. If I was engaged (talking, physical therapy, etc.) I wouldn’t nod off, or anything. But if I was sitting alone, or reading…I would get really sleepy.

So I asked to be put back a little and it helped. The pain increased a bit, but it wasn’t unbearable, and it was worth the trade off.

Looks like you’ll just have to jump in and see how the water (lyrica) feels.

Good for you eating healthy! The weight gain usually only affects women.
smitty

I hear that you are supposed to taper off, however I had to go cold turkey due to trouble with the order. It was bad, couldn’t sleep, violent restless legs, increased pain. It happened more than once. Read other posts about going cold turkey.

[QUOTE=northernguitarguy]Poor lasses. i haven’t noticed any gain.

It does seem to take the edge off the pain in my hands. Last night was the first time guitar strings did not feel sharp. I was still too tired to play for long.

Does anybody know how you are supposed to get off Lyrica?:confused:[/QUOTE]

Poor lasses indeed. I reckon it’s our lot in life. :rolleyes:

I’m curious; have you reconsidered taking Lyrica? If the answer is yes, I would suggest taking a lower dosage for a while, which is what I did. I went through the search function as I couldn’t remember the exact mg I’d been taking. I took 75mg twice daily for approx., 2 months. I started taking half of that for about a week or so, then every other day, etc., until I felt enough time elapsed and could stop.

You should also ask your doctor the safest way to wean yourself off.

Take care,

Tina

Can’t wait to hear that song! Love, smitty