Lyrica

[Littlebit13]

Been using Lyrica for about 2 yrs for nerve pain in my legs and both feet 300mg a day. It doesn't seem to have a great deal of pain relief and has caused me to gain 30 plus pounds! I'm going cold turkey.

[rosewine]

Don't is all I can say it can be really dangerous. Do go to your GP and ask about tapering off gradually there are different strengths of the tablets anything from 25mg to I believe 300mg so gradual reduction should be relatively easy. Often it targets a certain type of pain so you might need something in addition eg I am on Pregablin for the neuropathic and on Ibuprofen for inflammation and Co-codamal for pain. I do have osteo arthritis as well.

I can also understand your worries about the weight gain know I now have quite a sweet tooth which I did not have before but I have only out on a couple of pounds as I have been really watching what I eat. I also exercise even if it is only stretching it a gentle walk as I am sure so much weight gain is because we are low and comfort eat and can't exercise how we used to.

I don't want to discourage you from reducing and eventually not taking the drug at all but having once had a very scary experience going cold turkey when stopping another drug before they realised how addictive it can be to the body I wouldn't want anyone else to go through what I did.

Please let me know what you decide to do and how you are doing.x

[Littlebit13 in reply to rosewine]

I'm on my second day right now.

[Agonyforver in reply to Littlebit13]

I remember the 1st 6mth I was spaced out, tired, etc but once it was in my system it's good

[Littlebit13 in reply to Agonyforver]

It has been 2 years for me.

[BlueMermaid3]

Dear Littlebit13

Please please don't go cold turkey. It's the worst thing you can do.

Wean yourself very slowly off with the help of your GP.

You can get 175mg tablets.

You will highly likely get horrendous withdrawal symptoms if you just stop taking it.

I weaned off it slowly in the summer and even doing it that way I suffered dreadful headaches for weeks and weeks afterwards.

It may be that Gabapentin the sister drug to Lyrica (Pregabalin) may help with your pain.

Fibro sufferers tend to find either one or the other of these drugs good for pain. You can't take both of them at the same time.

Is there a reason you want to go cold turkey? If you think you'll get all the withdrawal symptoms over and done with in one go, you wont. It will be much worse than that.

Wishing you much peace

Lu xx

[Agonyforver in reply to BlueMermaid3]

Oh yeah cold turkey is nasty yyu

Never again will I try to reduce my dose to quickly.

[Janet28]

Hi there Littlebit13 As already mentioned, it's definitely not a good idea to do that. I would just like to say that, a similar thing happened to me and i had been taking for years & when the dose was increased It did help & I have recently had to increase them again, 300mg is half the amount that can be prescribed, I think you can have up to 600mg, so worth checking with doctor. I have gained weight also as they do increase your appetite, as with other drugs of this type but it helps with pain, so it's swings n roundabouts my friend.

Peace, luv n light

Jan x

[bluebell99]

Hello Littlebit13 and welcome to our friendly fibro forum where you can get support, advice, help and information. Have you seen our Mother Site fmauk.org ?

Here you will find out about all things fibro including guides and links.

As others have said it is really not a good idea to go "cold turkey". You have been on this for quite some considerable time and need to do this slowly and carefully. It is likely you will find your pain much worse and have headaches, even hallucinations. You will need to replace Lyrica with a stronger painkiller, so it is not a case of "throw away the Lyrica and that is it"

Even if you don't consult your GP and take his advice, you should still phone the surgery and ask that your intentions be noted in case you have a "crisis".

I know that the weight gain can be troublesome but I never did lose the10 lbs I put on. It is still there, along with the extra weight from trying Gabapentin and other medications. Not taking Lyrica is no guarantee that you will lose weight.

If you look at Pinned Posts to the right in blue, you will find instructions on how to lock your post. We encourage this for your internet security and also you will likely get more replies as if your post is unlocked, replies will also be unlocked.

If you look to the right of your post, you will see Related Posts and can read other members experiences about Lyrica.

Looking forward to seeing you around the forum.

Kay

[Littlebit13 in reply to bluebell99]

Kay I'm on ativan 4mg a day and also trileptal 600 mg and 7.5 hydrocodone up to 2 times a day and trintilex,trizanidine.The lyrica was prescribed for nerve damage in both legs and feet from a back injury caused from a auto acciedent. I don't have diabetes or fybro.

[TheAuthor]

Hi Littlebit13

I really have to agree with your other respondents in that Lyrica is one of those medications that really needs to be tapered down gradually to avoid withdrawal symptoms. I would please urge you to discuss it with your doctor first. Please take care of yourself.

All my hopes and dreams for you

Ken

[Bambamsnan]

I'm on pregabalin I've gained excess weight it's been 12 months now they didn't say rapid weight gain nut I wouldn't go cold turkey for health reasons you don't no what reaction you could have my advice to you is speak to gp DON'T DO IT PLEASE hun think of your health and the pain it can cause you xx

[ednu16]

Agree with a lot of what has been said. From a medical point of you pregabalin (lyrica) and gabapentin are both drugs that affect your central nervous system. This system controls your entire body. The side effects from cold turkey in the extreme can be convulsions and damage to the brain. I recently stopped by gabapentin (1.2g 3x daily, max possible) with Dr advice. We reduced amounts every three days but every one is different. Some people have to reduce dosage weekly. Please consider seeking GP advice as soon as possible in order to achieve your aim in a way that won't potentially cause you more harm.

Much love

[Lydia200]

Hi littlebit

I understand how you feel, but please talk to your doctor first.

I went from lyrica/Pregabalin to Gabapentin which is a related drug.

These try to stop the brain from firing off to much.

And as we know

we need our brains

so please be kind to your brain.

Take good care of yourself

Lydiah

[Agonyforver]

My pain mgt said less than 600mg a day won't do anything as I tried to reduce to 50mg a day and they told it wud be waste of time taking it then

[Littlebit13]

I have tried for three days and it has been a nightmare so i finally started back. Thanks everyone for your advice!!