should I continue taking lyrica?

I cant provide any info on Lyrica as I have not taken that. But I am currently taking Neurontin and was curious what side effects you are so afraid of? The only thing I got when increasing dosages was dizziness and tiredness for a 2-3 days after the increase, then everything went back to normal again.

Hi Eva, i have had alot of reactions to meds before also. i take neurontin with no problems. if you are having pain while taking lyrica-then why are you taking it? neurontin isn’t the same med neurontin is an anti-seizure drug. it comes in a generic form that is the same as the brand name. lyrica is newer, more costly and can cause more problems. i would go to one of the med sites and do a drug look up of both meds and read up on the differences. your dr isn’t up to date if he can’t tell you the differences or any other type of meds to try for the pain. over the counter, opiods or morphine will not control nerve pain. some people take anti-depressants instead of neurontin also. it is really an individual thing , what works well for one person might not work for the next person. its a trial and error type of practice. take care.

eva, lyrica takes less time to get into your system then neurontin does. usually anywhere from 1 day to 2 weeks. you should be feeling relief really fast. i know what you mean about the memory stuff, thats a common residual also, although you won’t hear that from the drs. lyrica works much in the same way as neurontin, but faster. i like neurontin because i have not had any bad side effects like i had when i tried lyrica. but like i said before everyone is different and what works for one might not work for another. i am allergic to soo many drugs its easier to list what i can take!;) i understand your reluctance when it comes to meds. keep an open mind when it comes to what your body is feeling and what your dr tells you what is normal-drs don’t always think outside the box when it comes to residuals or effects gbs has on a person-they for the most part go by the book-which doesn’t say much.:rolleyes: take care.

when i first started taking neurontin, the very 1st pill hit me 3 1/2 hours after i took it & gave me the blessed relief that only us w gbs pain can understand. after 8 months of excruciating pain, i fell asleep in seconds after the pill took effect. this lasted several months. after that the pain was diminished, but never totally gone again. even today [completely off pain meds] i am not as pain free as i was when first starting neurontin. if that is how drug addicts feel, i can see why some do it. i was floating on a carefree cloud. take care. be well.

gene gbs 8-99
in numbers there is strength

For the record neurontin is the generic version of gabapentin. The daughter of gabapentin is pregabalin, otherwise known as lyrica. Both are anti-epileptic drugs.:o

eva,

i wish you luck. take care. be well.

gene gbs 8-99
in numbers there is strength

Eva, Remember what Gene says about the max doses. Don’t let them just keep you at 1200 if it is not working. Bump it up and give yourself time with it. If and when I start the neurontin ( I have the script) I am taking Gene’s lessons to heart!

Lyrica commonly causes fatigue, weight gain, pereipheral edema, memory problems, among other potential side effects- but so can neurontin- which can also causes headaches. Both are strong, good medications- they are created to perform a very specific, very powerful job. If a medication is strong enough to work, you can only imagine that it will have strong potential side effects. Often backing down the dose of a medication will make some side effects go away, then resume upward titration. That being said, both are good meds- some people do well on one and not on the otherl Good luck with whichever you choose 🙂

So exciting Eva! Hoepfully you will get the relief that you seek and Gene raves of!!!!

Give it time too… when I started Neurontin I was too afraid to increase the dosage thinking it just took a long time to get into my system. After I finally made it up to 1800mg I was able to get out of be in the morning without having extreme back pain. I still am working on the dosage and actually go see my neuro today but I cant believe how great I feel right now even with the existing pain. That sharp back and leg pain is finally gone! Just the cramping, tired, strectched, fatigued aching feeling… I cant really describe it but its not contributed to overdoing it or fatigue it just feels like it and its of course only in the back side of my body (calves, hamstrings, back, triceps, forearms) but this is awsome so far!

For me, I attempted taking 1 dose of Lyrica….

HORRIBLE MISTAKE!

About 2 hours later, my entire body started rapidly shaking which I couldn’t stop, I got very very dizzy!

That was the first and last dose of Lyrica I took. =)
I went back to Neurontin.

Scott

Why not try Topamax, Eva? Following the onset of GBS, I took Neurontin until Lyrica was approved for use. Then, I started taking Lyrica but within a few months I discovered that I was among the 25% of people who take Lyrica for whom the drug causes a dramatic appetite increase and subsequent weight gain. I told my neurologist about my weight gain and he suggested the switch to Topamax. Within five weeks, I’d lost the sixteen pounds I’d gained on Lyrica. With Topamax, the pain relief is comparable to Lyrica and there are no additional side affects.

Joe

Eva,

How are you doing? I’m a little slow on reading this thread… I just wanted to say that I take amitrtyptiline (elavil???) and it does help. I tried Cymbalta and that turned into hell after a couple of months.