Hello
Just reading some posts about pain management and began wondering if anyone else is taking Lyrica and what are your experiences. I found it helped better than anti inflammatory medicine but still get a fair amount of break through pain. My hands are giving me jip at the minute!
Hi this is my first time on here. I don't know what you suffer from I have Crohn's disease arthritis and fibromyalgia. Someone suggested I ask my GP for Lyrica . I'm already on dihydracodeine amitryptelene fluoxetine and paracetamol but it's not getting rid of this pain. I describe it as feeling like my skin is fizzy all over my body. Every part of me hurts and anything against my skin feels like its material irritating burns on my skin. I looked up about Lyrica today. Does it make you sleepy xx
Hi Alice -crohns
Good to hear from you' I have Sjogrens with fibromyalgia and joint pains. I have been taking Lyrica for while now it has helped the fibromyalgia as prior to taking it there were times I could not bear to be touched! I thought after course of rituximab that I could try reducing it but as as i reduced by 25g pains go worse- so that was a no no so it must be helping. I still get pain but probably more in joints- does Lyrica have any effect on the hoot pain ?? Anyway I don't find it makes me sleepy even at the beginning so maybe another option for you, although I suppose drugs have different effects on different people. Let me know how you get on as I don't know anyone else who takes it. All the best☀️
I use Lyrica, which gets rid of my pain/nerve pain, but it knocks me out, plus makes it hard to function the next morning! but it does the trick when I can't sleep!
I'm lucky Lyrica doesn't effect me like that as was tired at the best of times with Sjogrens !! You can feel like the walking dead on bad days. It's terrible what we have to pump into our bodies to function !!
My hands are giving me lots of pain at the moment too. I've not heard of Lyrica, I use naproxen but it makes me feel really sick enemy with the stomach tablets. Can you tell me more about Lyrica medication please.
Hi there
From what I know (not a lot! ) Lyrica is generic name for pregalin, it's used to treat fibromyalgia, nerve damage in diabetes also it's an anticonvulsant . It's believed it calms overactive nerves in fibromyalgia . I started it gradually with doctors advice till I got to point where was getting most benefit ie 100mg twice a day. I have not noticed significant side effects . I found the anti inflammatory drugs harder to take so it was a good alternative for me. It may be worth discussing with your doctor. Wish you luck with finding what right for you it's a bit of a juggling act😜
Hi,
I take it lyrica (generic name - pregabalin), for neuropathic pain - nerve damage caused by shingles. It really helps me, especially the deep pain triggered by air movement (oh the nervous system is weird when it goes wrong!). It does affect my brain - ability to think clearly and find the right words, along with occasional dizziness, but what can you do?!
Have you ever tried reducing the dose and if you have do the pains increase again within a day or two? I would like to cut down a bit but when I try it's not good!! Don't know what else to do 🤕
I was given gabapentin which has a similar effect as Lyrica and seems to be used by some doctors interchangeably.
Was to start on 300mg 1x a day and increase to the therapeutic dose of 3 a day but after 2 days my mood dropped alarmingly - but my pain was reduced. I have widespread osteoarthritis.
So it was reduced to 100mg 3x a day for the pain relief. I also have fentanyl patches and codeine for breakthrough. I use diclofenac sparingly due to some surgery I had.
And after another 2 days I sat on the toilet one day and listened to the train whistles as they pass the nearby station. I knew my mood had changed and I felt very very low but suddenly had the thought that the train line would cure my pain 
- so immediately stopped the gabapentin. Although I do read the bumf in medication I have never had such a serious side effect - suicidal thoughts being mentioned as one of them.
I am so glad you realised what was happening to you, very frightening experience. My mum had a similar side effect with BP meds she was put on too high a dose. I hope you have got meds sorted out again and you are feeling better
Hi weathervane
I sincerely hope that you are feeling as well as you possibly can be today? I was prescribed Lyrica by my Neurologist as a migraine suppressant and I have to say it has reduced my migraines by about a third, and it has also reduced the severity of them.
I want to sincerely wish you all the best of luck, and please take care of yourself.
All my hopes and dreams for you
Ken
Thank you ☀️☀️
Hi,
I took it for three days, & felt as though I was falling down drunk, with sunstroke, flu, & migraine. It's contraindicated for people with depression, so I have no idea why the osteo consultant prescribed it, as it made me considerably worse, bith physically & mentally. Not an experience I wish to repeat.
That nasty! It's strange the way drugs effect people so differently. I find it easier to take than naproxen or cuprofen as they irritate my stomach. I hope you found an alternative that works for you.🙂
Hi. I take lyrica. Worked really well then I must have flared but GP added amyltriptiline and so much better.
Does the combination of drugs make you tired and can you drive still while taking them ??
Unfortunately I got no help from Lyrics only side effects.
That's unfortunate 😞 I hope you found a suitable alternative . It has suited me as can take less cuprofen which can hurt my stomach
I had to stop taking it within 3 weeks. I developed nausea vomiting itching and headaches that just seemed to get worse and worse. I hadn't been able to keep anything down, including the meds for a few days when I was told to stop taking them so I guess I had just had about 2 weeks worth.
Hi sally 364
Thats nasty , its weird the way drugs effect different people. I hope you find a good alternative that works . I have tried to reduce the lyrica but the pains increased again really quickly so i suppose it does work for me! Wishing you all the best🙂
Thank you weathervane and hi
Ive not been put on an alternative yet my GP said she wanted the lyrica out of my system first I was only on 1 tab of that a day so unsure if it was a big dose or not. I get given my pills as cannot do the bottles/packets etc. But I can check dose. I see dr again on 27th, you have to wait ages for routine appts and I don't know what to ask for to try next.?? Amytripylene perhaps? I seem to be reacting to a lot of things and already on two lots of antihistamines/day. (Since tramadol reaction/toxicity and urticaria reactions with no pattern)
I have fentynl patch for pain works quite well but have the fibro skin symptoms terrible spasms and jumpy legs, and depression on top. I am very weak exhausted and unmotivated due to low mood. It's hard isn't it to keep going. I seemed to be feeling ? BP drops and so recently started to measure and seen some huge variations!
Whenever I seem to get a small infection/cold/sore throat etc it seems to become a massive deal for my body and takes months/ many weeks to recover.
Currently I have double vision/patchy disturbances in vision which optician says is not eye related?? But is in brain where signals are being mixed up and could be virus related! Just so sick of every body system being in failure of some sort!
If anyone shares anything or can shed any light on things with a suggestion I'd be most happy to consider!!!
Hi there
I started very gradually on lyrica 25g at a time found 100g twice a day worked for me. Ive heard other talk about pain mAnagement clinics maybe worth askind your doc about that ?? Good luck☀️
Saw the chronic pain team, after some fairly useless suggestions I was given a tens machine which did have some affect at first. Trouble is as soon as on, I'd fall asleep as relaxing to feel relief of pain but then unable to turn it off for the 15 mins each hour. Because I said it did help, they discharged me as "fixed" It does not help anymore, in fact it triggers off muscle spasms, restless legs, itchy skin and intolerance to touch. I also developed allergy to the sticky patches so end up covered in red sores. I seem to be developing allergies to loads, no idea what that's all about
my TENS has a timer so it can be set for anything between 2 minutes and an hour. if you found it helped it might be worth seeing if you can one you can afford with a timer
