Does anyone have speech problems after taking horizant?

[EYESWIDEOPEN17]

I’ve been taking Horizant since 2017. I had tried straight gabby and lyrica before switching to Horizant. The reason my doctor tried me on horizant is because the straight gabby would make me feel like I was going crazy. My mind would be thinking one thing but I would say something completely different. I remember telling my pain doc it made me feel stupid. Plus I swole up like I was a huge thigh from my hips down. I looked like you could poke my leg with a pin and it would pop! My speech was so choppy on top of saying things I didn’t mean to say. Lyrica did the same thing to me just not as bad as the gabby. It still was too bad to take it and try to work. I changed doctors and she started me on horizant. I still have some swelling but nothing compared to with gabby and lyrica. My speech is still bad though. I think it’s getting worse and it’s so very frustrating.

So my question is have any of you suffered from a side effect that impedes your speech? Any stuttering or stammering of speech? Any feedback is appreciated. Thanks!

[SueJohnson]

Try Dipyridamole.

[EYESWIDEOPEN17 in reply to SueJohnson]

I will look it up and ask my pain management doctor. Thank you!

[Munroist]

Hi, yes I had some speech problems on Lyrica (pregabalin). I got this sort of stutter when I try to initiate speech in a busy environment such as when talking in a group of friends and there’s a lot going on where you need to listen and then jump in with your bit. Occasionally I would just find I stopped and stalled and it would take a second or two to get going again. It could also happen when talking about something quite emotional. As far as saying things you didn’t intend to then this is also a side effect of pregabalin where you can become a bit disinhibited and say things at the wrong time, or things you might normally think but not say. it can be quite similar to the effects of alcohol on speech. I was on 300 mg Lyrica per day, when I came off it almost all the issues stopped but every now and then (maybe once a month) I get the stutter so it feels like there is some residual effect. After a while on the drug I did get more used to this and managed to avoid some of the situations by being more conscious of what I was saying.

[EYESWIDEOPEN17 in reply to Munroist]

EXACTLY!! I started the pregabalin last night. I guess I will see if my stammering speech continues or lessens.

[BAK524 in reply to EYESWIDEOPEN17]

I've had the same issue with pregabalin, at a much lower dose - 150mg. Not only has it affected my speech, but my gait, and my muscle coordination 9Unable to type on the keyboard for example). Add on to that some brain fog, anxiety, and insomnia. This drug is not for me. I'm at 50 mg now, tapering off very slow.

[EYESWIDEOPEN17 in reply to BAK524]

Well today is day 2. I’ve had a total of three 100mg caps since last night. We shall see what happens. It’s not really helping me at 100mg x 3. Doc said I’d no doubt need to increase my mg but I have to do it slowly. She gave me a weeks worth and then I see her via video on the 29th. I’m gonna keep everyone posted with my drug change journey. I took lyrica several years ago and it did to me what you are describing. I couldn’t work like that at all so she switched me to horizant. I can’t take straight gabapentin. I was taking 900mg a day of it when I first started and holy cow that stuff made me so stupid!!

[EYESWIDEOPEN17 in reply to BAK524]

I took the pregabalin 100mg 3x daily for a week and we increased it to 150mg 3x daily for a week. It gave me thoughts of death, dying, just kinda or ways of death. No suicidal thoughts. I’m stronger than that. So I got off of that and went back to horizant until we figured out the next plan of action.

What I wanted to try was the 100mg 3x daily for two weeks. I didn’t have the flashes or thoughts of death on the 100mg or they just hadn’t started. Did the increase to 150mg do it? That’s what I am finding out right now. I took my first 100mg this morning.

I will follow up with a post as my self test goes.