Lyrica

Description

Side effects

(Don't be unduly alarmed. All drugs cause side effects for some patients)

Warnings

(These are standard cautions but may not apply in your case)

Comments

Remember - RSD/CRPS is rooted in the nervous system. The discovery that epilepsy drugs may have beneficial effects for RSD patients does not imply that they have epilepsy.

After taking Tramadol for approx 6 months I was prescribed Lyrica to which I had an allergic reaction so I stopped taking it on the advice of my pharmacist. I also decided to stop taking Tramadol as well and try natural remedies. Reading your comments was like a light coming on. I have chills, sweats, nausea I ache all over and have had problems breathing which I now think are panic attacks. I now know my instincts were right. It is withdrawal and in fact it is like hell on earth. I have never felt so ill. I will now definitely go on a programmed withdrawal. I was never given any information that these drugs were addictive and am extremely angry that along with my other health problems I need to deal with this. Suzanne - Hallett, Australia

I've been suffering from RSD since 85 after back surgery on two levels for ruptured disks. After the surgery the only pain I had was from the surgery it's self, at first I though this is minimal compared to what I was going through before. That's when things really got out of hand, the legs would take turns and some times they both acted up. I got by with Neurontin for about 8 years. Then life got a lot more painful and both legs started to get so bad that I couldn't sleep at all. The Doc increased the Neurontin to 3600 mg daily, but it just wasn't doing much at all. So he added Oxycontin and by then I was at 80 mg a day. All this was doing much except raising my ability to deal with the pain. So a friend was taking Lyrica and he suggested a as my doctor if I could try it, so I did and it's been about 2 1/2 months now. I'm in heaven; at least it feels like I am. I don't care about the dizzies or as long as the pain is gone. Lyrica has saved my life; I've actually had days with no pain, with the exception of my back. But that is nothing compared to what the legs would do to me. I don't care if I can't walk very well, as I couldn't walk well before I started taking Lyrica. Lyrica is a life saver for me, I was maybe a few days away from ending it all and Lyrica has given me a new lease of pain free days. I actually look forward to the next morning now. I would not want to go back to that kind of pain again. Al - Port Alberni, Canada

Properly done Western style acupuncture is far superior to both gaba (Gabapentin/Neurotin) & pregaba (Pregabalin/Lyrica) for people who have spinal nerve injuries and RSD affecting legs. So is properly designed stretching & exercise routines. Both gaba & pregaba cause issues with stability & gait and reduce one's awareness of oneself & one's surroundings. This only leads to further pain and vicious cramps. Personal experience, and that of one other patient I know, pregaba actually increases neuropathic pain! It seems to be reducing blood flow to areas affected by damaged nerves. "Freezing" sensation in legs is a common intermittent problem for me, as is shooting, burning, gripping pain & cramp. Pregaba increased all these nasty sensations at above 75mg (3x25mg) a day. Pfizer's new claim is that Pregaba is what they thought Gabapentin was(!) Interesting! My advice - if you have nerve damage or RSD affecting lower torso & legs then avoid gaba & pregaba. Gerard - Essex, UK

I have been taking Pregabelin (Lyrica) for a number of weeks now, along with Tramadol. I am very aware that when I take a full dose of both drugs together, 100Mg / 150Mg tramadol and 150Mg of pregabelin. I feel a very strange almost "spaced out" feeling. I certainly feel very unsteady on my feet and find it difficult to walk a few yards without having to hold on to something to steady myself. If I reduce the pregabelin to 75Mg it is a bit better. I would be interested to hear from anyone with similar experiences when using both drugs. Andy - Taunton, Somerset, UK

I have had CRPS type II for 1.5 years and recently added 600 mg of lyrica per day to 3000 mg Neurontin, 150 Topamax, 2 Clonazapam, 40 Fluoxetine, 80 Oxycontin, 16 Dilaudid. I found very little improvement, if any. Mainly more memory loss, fatigue and loss of coordination. CRPS continues to progress. We had a lot of hope for this medication but I cannot recommend Lyrica given my experience. Rich - USA

I have been taking Lyrica for 3 months now and find it amazingly effective. I have had RSDS/CRPS for two and half years and had constant pain in both my hands. Work was out, as were many daily routines and it was only when my Consutant prescibed the 'new' drug Lyrica, that I had the first painfree day for over 2 years. I expected the effects to diminish over the weeks but to my amazement, it is still as effective as when I started. I do have side effects (dizziness, unsteady and feeling slightly 'drunk', which led me to avoid all alcholic drink ) but these are minor to me, compared to the pain relief. Helen - Skerries, Co Dublin, Ireland

I have CRPS Type II and have been on Lyrica since day one. I have had great results from the Lyrica at high doses up to 900mg a day. I also take 60mg of Cymbalta a day and the combo seems to help. I have epilepy so I also take phenobarbital 180mg a day and that is it. Since I still have break through pain and refuse to go on narcotics, I chose becoming a candidate for the Spinal Cord Stimulator. It will reduce my pain up to 50% or a little more and I can reduce the amount of meds I am on. For every patient that reads this, I think you are very brave and good for you that you too are researching the net for RSD answers! Kelly - Medford, Oregon, USA

I have had RSD since 1999 after a dislocated left knee. Outpatient treatment didn't work and I have my first neuro-stimulator implanted in 2001 (TENS unit). I am now on my 3rd implant after the other had "worn out". After my 3rd surgery, the implant controlled the swelling but not the pain. I tried Neurontin in the past but it had little effect. My doctor prescribed Lyrica and the effects are amazing. Pain is 85% gone. But man, the side effects! I can barely walk (and I couldn't walk well anyway due to the RSD in both legs). I have been on it for 3 weeks and thought the side effects would diminish. They haven't. Has anybody else had similar problems? I guess it's better than the horrible pain but I have a 2 year old to take care of and I'm scared because I find myself dozing off and not being able to talk to her coherently. I am on 150 mg twice a day. Is that too much? Denise - Little Rock, Arkansas, USA

I contracted RSD about five months ago after having rotator cuff surgery on my right shoulder. A saline block was used which may or may not be what cause my RSD. When I was removed from my morphine drip after a few days, I noticed numbness, swelling, and color change in my right hand and a burning in my right arm. It took a couple of months (less than most I understand) to diagnose RSD and I was given Lyrica (75mg twice a day) and Cymbalta (60mg once a day). The combination worked well to virtually eliminate all the symptoms but the numbness remains. There is also slight swelling and I find it hard to close my right hand. With therapy things have improved. My problem has been that the Cymbalta makes me very sleepy and so I have stopped taking it. I have not noticed things getting worse since I stopped but my doctor would like me to go back on it because he feels it will help. He has recommended my taking it at night. So that if I feel tired, I just go to sleep and hopefully it won't affect my work during the day-I will try it. Russell - Dallas, Texas, USA

I was diagnosed with CRPS in Dec. 2007, 2 weeks after I sprained my ankle. I was in terrible pain and couldn't walk so, 5 weeks after my injury, I began taking 225 mg of Lyrica daily. The pain was lessened slightly, but not enough, so my doctor had me increase my dosage to 300 mg a day. In the ensuing months I also had 4 nerve blocks, finally was able to begin physical therapy, and did 7 weeks of HBO treatments. By the end of April, I was walking well and felt minimal pain, so I tried decreasing my Lyrica to 225 mg a day. After 3 days I was in terrible pain again, so I increased my dose back to 300 mg a day. I kept doing better and better, and by June was bicycling and golfing again. I just decided to try decreasing my dose again and after 2 days at 225 mg, the pain was increasing terribly, so I am back on 300 mg a day and waiting for the pain to subside. I think it is clear the Lyrica helps me and I feel somewhat nervous, knowing I can't even miss a pill. I have gained some weight on it (about 7 pounds) and was worried about the weight gain, but if I can keep it where it's at, I'm okay. I can't tolerate the pain, so I've decided a few extra pounds is more than worth it. I would like to be drug-free, but for now, Lyrica is my lifesaver. Brenda - Mesa, Arizona, USA

I was never truly diagnosed with RSD until after it was in remission, but we now believe I had it post-arthroscopic surgery in my right foot. Eight months after onset, I was put on Lyrica (after trying many other things) and within three weeks, I went from not being able to walk due to to pain, to running a 5K! I felt a change in my foot literally overnight. A couple of months later I quit taking the Lyrica altogether. This was in early 2006 when Lyrica was very new. Misty - Kansas City, MO, USA