I recently had my dosage of Lyrica increased from one 50mg capsule 3 times a day to two 50mg capsules three times a day. I have severe pain in the lower part of my back, which also affects my legs; due to damage to the five lower discs in my spine. I wondered if anyone has experienced side effects whilst on this drug. I suffered quite a few of the '1 in 100' people may experience these side effects. The main one was that I 'fell asleep' all the time without any warning. I would be taking part in a conversation. and then say something completely unrelated to the subject. This was quite frightening, both for me and for my family. I will go to see my GP, but wondered how common this side effect is. The double dose has helped my pain, but at a cost. I believe my speech was affected - I sounded drunk and slurred my words.
I would be grateful for any feedback before I see my GP.
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Court
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Wow, this is a coincidence , I am go into see my GP at 10 am today regarding the exact same thing Pregabalin side affects! I mentioned it to my GP last time I saw her (approx 3 weeks ago) . I am currently taking 150mg per day and I am so forgetful, lack concentration and un motivated. I can't continue like this. Also weight gain (this has been happening before I started Prergabalin , but has increased tenfold since) . I too experienced tiredness but this side affect didn't last as my bodies tolerance increased, the other side affects have continued. ( have been taking since May)
I take Amytriptyline too, do you take this? I take only 20mg as it interacts with my antidepressant medication . I believe it does the same thing as Pregabalin but with less side affects? I am just unfortunate I can't take a higher dose.
I am going to ask to be taken off the Pregabablin today, I have read that you can't just stop taking them , I will let you know how I get on . I am going away tomorrow so may start the withdrawal when I get back ( just incase the pain gets too unbearable ) .
I am at a stage now were I am weighing up pain or the side affects from all the medication! I still get pain even with taking the medication .
Hi, i have stopped taking all the meds the GP was offering me as there were so many adverse reactions to them that I went back to co drydamol only. Sadly these are not very good and I am suffering pain every single day. |This whole pain control is becoming a nightmare. I must add that all of Zannas comments are inspiring me to carry on searching for some other way of dealing with this chronic pain that I am going through. ( As are all of us) Good luck in the future. Hope you manage to find something to suit you. Ann
Hi. I choose not to be on medication as well, because of adverse side effects. A combination of three things have helped me tremendously. Any one alone isn't a significant enough improvement to notice. All three combined is significant. Mild, slow movement stretching exercises, biofeedback training & meditation. (1) The mild, slow stretching eases some back pain as you slowly move through the exercise, it improves blood flow & flexibility to eliminate adding joint stiffness pain to my problems, and does not overtax my poor energy levels that are caused by my fibromyalgia. (2) Biofeedback training is usually taught by a trained psychologist, so seek ins approval through your psych benefits. While wired to a machine that senses muscle tension, you are trained to relax specific muscle groups & increase your body temperature for overall relaxation. This has been a savior with my sciatica & neck pain because pain causes tense muscles that increase pressure on the muscle and/or nerves, making more pain. Now I relax that area & it eases my pain instead! (3) Meditation was the tricky one for me, because I am Christian. I as unwilling to "open my mind up" to whatever influence different meditation tapes offered. So, I studied biblical meditation...which is simply meditation on God's Word. Now I can focus on a single scripture or Christian music to the literal exclusion of my pain. That gives me breaks from the pain on a daily basis.
Thanks for all this very interesting information. I will be looking into it. I certainly feel the stretching will be a big help. I do some of my own at the moment. I need to find a path to walk that suits me. I am also having a few problems with weight gain. I think this is down to lack of mobility more than meds as I am not using so many. I shall get to a happy medium at the end of it all. At the moment I am starting to boost my own morale up mentally. Give myself a pat on the back at the end of each day. It is just me and my problems and I need to deal with it. My partner tries but I am coming to realize he really cannot understand what I am going through and I shouldn,t expect him to. Have a relaxing evening. Ann. xx
Hi, I have been taking Lryica for a long time now. I take 75mg morning and night. When I first started taking them I was very tired but now I don't really have any side effects on this dose. I have been suffering with back pain and leg pain for years and this is the only medication that helps.
DO NOT get off Lyrica cold turkey, literally was the worst week of my life. Couldn't eat, sleep, and was throwing up anything I tried to eat. When on Lyrica I also experienced slurred side affects along with feeling out of it. I could not concentrate and I was extremely sleepy. Make sure to talk to your doctor about how to exactly get off the medication, like I said do not just stop taking it. I would not recommend ever taking this medication Lyrica to anyone.
Poor you! I have definitely worn the same tee shirt! The falling asleep at random times was so embarrassing and I felt like a zombie. The dr kept telling me I needed to have my dose increased but with those kind of side effects at 150 mg per day, I wasn't prepared to be even more spaced out.
Please, please, heed the warnings others have given about not coming off Lyrica cold turkey-I did and it was a horrendous week! You really do need to come off gradually under dr supervision.
My pain clinic consultant then out me on to fluoxetine which was later changed to Duloxetine and also gave me Amytriptiline. It does make me sleepy but nothing like as spaced out as the Lyrica. As far as I have found out, most of these meds can have a side effect of putting on weight but in my experience, Lyrica was the worst. I put on 10lb in the first 2weeks of taking it. The dr keeps telling me that any extra weight affects my knee joints so it seems daft to prescribe a med which is going to increase that problem.
Find out as much as you can and go over all the points that concern you with your dr. Most times, they only treat the current problem rather than considering the bigger picture and how one thing will impact on another.
So true KerriJess...on both points. Seek medical supervision to change or come off meds. Regarding a doctor who sees the whole picture...I suggest Pain Management Specialists. They see the whole picture & have far far more training in the meds used ti control all the types of pain.
Hi I have been on 150mg in morning and150mg at night I've been on this med for about 8yrs I've tried comeing off it a few times without success as the pain becomes bad.You do have to tapper off it at a slow pace.At the moment I'm tapering off another tablet with the same type of side effects but I Beleive I've got to feel worse before I feel better.When I've come off this med I intend to try again to come off Pregablin it may be the same you've got to feel worse before you feel better.ill never take another drug if it don't work after a month we put to much trust in our GP instead of taking care of our own health.I hope that makes a bit of sense and I wish you well.
I a also on Lyrica. I take a 100mg pill twice a day, (an increase from 75mg twice a day). I have often mentioned on here and other groups that I am falling asleep at odd times, with no warning!!
I put this down to my COPD making me so tired, as everything is so much harder work, using up so much more energy as I'm so breathless.
However, as you have now mentioned this, I'm wondering if the Lyrica is causing this??
I live alone, and as this is happening so often... when I'm cooking etc!! I'm having to live on a diet of strictly microwave meals ONLY... as veg has boiled dry, and pizzas have become black frisbees!!!
Hi Court, I take it when you say "Lyrica" you are referring to Pegabalin if so I have been on up to 250mg of this medication for over five years now and of course the higher the dose the more side affects you will have and your body will need a few weeks to get used to it what has happened to you falling asleep and not making sense when you speak, happens to me but I bet as this feeling comes over you your pain starts to ease, but you have the choice here, you can either cope with your pain or if you prefere you can sleep though it with your pregabalin. Now you are aware of how your medication affects you, you can put yourself in a safe environment when you take it because within twenty minits it will take affect how you start to feel. Please let me know how you get on I hope you get sorted. Triciaj
I would like to thank everyone who took the time to reply to my post. I was beginning to wonder if I was losing the plot!! My pain is certainly a lot less than it used to be. I have had one session at the pain clinic where I received injections, under sedation. These worked immediately, but did not last and can only be given every six months. I certainly have a lot of thinking to do.
BTW...for everyone taking Lyrica or the other two fibromyalgia medicines, their primary ingredients slow the synapses (reaction time) of the brain. How much varies by dosage & metabolism. While it is a normal side effect it is not always tolerable I individually. Further, and vey important, if you take these meds for Fibromyalgia you need to know that the poor memory recall, lost words or even sentences, and trouble thinking clearly ARE part of fibromyalgia. It is called "fibro fog" and if you surf ER fibro fog these medication can significantly add to the problems. Do your research & God Bless.
Hi I take pregabaline lyrica too I'm on 600mg a day and yes they space me out and make me sleepy but I try and push thru it I've now got to have an pain med infusion soon where I've got to go to hospital and be put on a drip of really strong pain meds so it's straight in my system I can't wait as I'm still in agony all the time nothing seems to work so fingers crossed hope this helps x
I suffer from ongoing back pain & bilateral sciatica daily. Yet, my pain is now manageable without narcotics most of the time & only requires Hydrocodone for brief periods of severe pain. Usually when I have overworked my back or moved stupidly...small smile. How? Proper diagnosis via a discogram & surgery. I knew they couldn't fix my back and I only had a 50% chance of helping my pain. Compared to the writhing, all consuming pain I was in, I chose surgery. IT HELPED A LOT! Please, see a back surgeon, as they may be able to ease a great deal of pain. For medications don't use your GP...they simply are not trained enough in the control of pain. See a Pain Management Specialist for proper care.
Hi, if my experience is of any help then I shall be pleased to have replied.... Similarly I have damage to lower vertebrae with associated leg pain....... I have been taking Lyrica for a number of years (300mg twice daily) Consequently I have been fighting the intense urge to power nap - yes it can be very inconvenient to become so exhausted and drained that you struggle to keep your eyes open!!! My speak is quite often broken with a pause - several times in one sentence and for this I receive very negative response if I am using the phone......the side effects can be very consuming so my advice would be to try and adapt to ways of managing them as best you can..... Take time to make time for your body and mind to cope with the medication.....it may be a small price to pay
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