1. < Depression & Anxiety

Tapering off Lyrica gave me panic, nausea, extreme anxiety

Posted by cdcc @cdcc, Nov 28, 2017

I have been taking Lyrica 150 mg two times a day for four years for trigeminal nerve neuralgia from shingles. Since I am now beginning to loose my teeth from this medication I decided to go off it. Folding my doctors withdrawal program I became very sick. Panic, extreme anxiety, nausea, could not eat and lost 17 pounds in 7 weeks, not good I’m tiny as it is. Ended in the ER for I’ve fluids, nausea medications. Back to the family doctor. He put me back on 50mg a day because he felt I needed a long withdrawal from the medications then also said you may have to go back on your full dosing which after all this suffering I am doing I don’t want to do that. I have even made an appoint with a psychiatrist to help with the anxiety although my family doctor gave me Ativan 0:5mg to take twice daily. I don’t even wan5 to go outside the house, haven’t driven in 7 weeks afraid my anxiety or panic will take over. Has anyone experienced these conditions with coming off this medication. Thank you

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lioness | @lioness | Mar 12, 2019

@eburning Wow so glad you had good friends That's awful what you went through I'm sorry hope your much better now Yes any meds can cause a dramatic change and a slow taper I'd the key for anyone Glad your better Take care

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eburning | @eburning | Mar 12, 2019
In reply to @jfanesi "No cause I moved across country and my doctor now don’t believe in Lyrica and those..." + (show)
@jfanesi

No cause I moved across country and my doctor now don’t believe in Lyrica and those type of meds so I can’t taper off cause today was my last dosage

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Focus on surviving. Your brain is doing awful things to you, but you can seize control back. Focus on self-care. Set reminders on your phone to eat...SOMETHING. Try to be out with your friends or family as much as possible, and if you can't, find places in public you can hang out during the day. Every time you feel something bad, remember: your brain is lying to you. Get your close people on board so they can recognize symptoms - this is not something to be ashamed of. Call in all the help you can get. Snuggle with your pets. I have found that benadryl helps with anxiety (and sleeping)(I am not a doctor and this should not be construed as medical advice). It's okay to be totally selfish right now - you would help your people through anything, and so will they if they understand the issues you're facing. There are a few alternatives to benzos for anxiety - beta blockers, antihistamines, etc. See if your doctor can prescribe some of that, and if he won't, just ask about OTC benadryl.

You can survive it. It's hard work, but it's so worth it.

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cdcc | @cdcc | Mar 12, 2019
In reply to @eburning "This is probably not helpful, but it's my experience trying to taper of Lyrica (200mg once..." + (show)
@eburning

This is probably not helpful, but it's my experience trying to taper of Lyrica (200mg once a day for fibromyalgia)...I wanted to get off Lyrica because I thought it was causing weight gain (like 5 pounds...silly of me). So my doctor said to just take it every other day, and then every three days, and then done. I was taking gabapentin as well, as needed. I had no physical symptoms, but I felt really anxious at the time because I had a lot of work stress, and I never connected it to the Lyrica. Then this happened: a sudden drop off the deep end of depression, two hospitalizations, weeks out of work on FMLA leave, four serious and nearly successful suicide attempts in two months. About 3 months in, I said to my best friend something about "at least I'm not getting fatter" and she gasped, dialed my psychiatrist (I was under strict supervision by friends at this point), who dialed my rheumatologist, who called in a prescription for Lyrica to the distant state where I was trying to convalesce. My best friend drove me to the pharmacy at a highly illegal speed and watched me (still protesting weight gain) take a capsule. The suicidal ideation was gone within 24 hours. The depression lifted to a manageable medium over the course of a week or so. The anxiety took quite a while to improve, but I think I was just born anxious. My psychiatrist and rheumie have agreed that I need to be on Lyrica for the foreseeable future, possibly for the rest of my life (I am only 33). This stuff changed me so dramatically that my brain was not willing to live without it. The advice I have for people weaning off is to pay attention to what your brain is telling you - is it telling you lies? - and remember that it's probably Lyrica withdrawal...and know if your body has had enough and you need to restart Lyrica and figure out another path.

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I’ll be off Lyrica for a year I. Another week. Withdrawal from this horrendous drug did a number on me. It’s worse then heroine withdrawal I’ve been to.d. It put me in a state of severe depression, anxiety, panic and agoraphobia. I ended up in the ER for dehydration and nausea. I wanted to commit suicide all the time, so I knew I needed a therapist, who. I’ve been seeing for a year now. She has helped me so much, even told me they have seen worse off then me coming off this drug. I found that hard to believe since I was so bad off. I don’t want any pharmaceutical drugs anymore. Im Getting better but still suffer with anxiety especially upon awaking. I wish you the best in what you are doing,

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2 replies
lioness | @lioness | Mar 12, 2019
In reply to @cdcc "I’ll be off Lyrica for a year I. Another week. Withdrawal from this horrendous drug did..." + (show)
@cdcc

I’ll be off Lyrica for a year I. Another week. Withdrawal from this horrendous drug did a number on me. It’s worse then heroine withdrawal I’ve been to.d. It put me in a state of severe depression, anxiety, panic and agoraphobia. I ended up in the ER for dehydration and nausea. I wanted to commit suicide all the time, so I knew I needed a therapist, who. I’ve been seeing for a year now. She has helped me so much, even told me they have seen worse off then me coming off this drug. I found that hard to believe since I was so bad off. I don’t want any pharmaceutical drugs anymore. Im Getting better but still suffer with anxiety especially upon awaking. I wish you the best in what you are doing,

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@cdcc That's awful sorry for what you went through Why does the Dr,s put us through these drugs oh yes money in there pockets Be your own advicate about your health research on the internet there,s alot of good information here Here,s some sites I use https:// http://www.WebMD.com type in the search box ,https://www drugs.com ,side effects ,interactions and what it's good for .https:// http://www.nih.gov I wish you well

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lauren123 | @lauren123 | Mar 12, 2019

@lioness, Hi, I have used WebMD.com for years. Information only, no products. Thanks for mentioning nih.gov. We have to be our own advocates.

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yolandaf | @yolandaf | Mar 14, 2019
In reply to @cdcc "I’ll be off Lyrica for a year I. Another week. Withdrawal from this horrendous drug did..." + (show)
@cdcc

I’ll be off Lyrica for a year I. Another week. Withdrawal from this horrendous drug did a number on me. It’s worse then heroine withdrawal I’ve been to.d. It put me in a state of severe depression, anxiety, panic and agoraphobia. I ended up in the ER for dehydration and nausea. I wanted to commit suicide all the time, so I knew I needed a therapist, who. I’ve been seeing for a year now. She has helped me so much, even told me they have seen worse off then me coming off this drug. I found that hard to believe since I was so bad off. I don’t want any pharmaceutical drugs anymore. Im Getting better but still suffer with anxiety especially upon awaking. I wish you the best in what you are doing,

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I'm going through the withdrawals now an it's so awful, the anxiety,chills, muscles aches an contracting the migraine oh Lord, I'm suppose to go from 300 a day to 200 but the withdrawals start all over again n I find myself taken the 3rd one I can't do this. This is so horrible. I'm calling the Dr in the morning cause it's either all or nothing an the withdrawels are so bad I definitely need to be in the hospital. I can hear my heart beating so fast in my ears. I'm on it for fibromyalgia but it makes me dizzy n light headed. This is crazy I can't not take it , get sick for the night until the morning n take it again what the heck are people thinking. Please don't take this medication ever.

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djslevel | @djslevel | Mar 19, 2019

I have been taking Lyrica 225 mg twice a day for 12 years. I want to find ways of discontinuing this medication. I was diagnosed with Fibromyalgia in 1986. I also suffer from Neuropathy. I am 66 yrs old and realizing what the dangers are taking this medication. I would appreciate any input Thank you.

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1 reply
Moderator
Justin McClanahan, Moderator | @JustinMcClanahan | Mar 19, 2019
In reply to @djslevel "I have been taking Lyrica 225 mg twice a day for 12 years. I want to..." + (show)
@djslevel

I have been taking Lyrica 225 mg twice a day for 12 years. I want to find ways of discontinuing this medication. I was diagnosed with Fibromyalgia in 1986. I also suffer from Neuropathy. I am 66 yrs old and realizing what the dangers are taking this medication. I would appreciate any input Thank you.

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Hello @djslevel, welcome to Connect. You may notice that I moved your discussion and combined it with an existing discussion titled, "Tapering off of Lyrica gave me panic, nausea, extreme anxiety." I did this so your message would be seen by all of the members already discussing tapering off of Lyrica and their experiences. If you are replying by email, click on VIEW & REPLY to be brought to the new location of your post and to read through some of the messages shared by other members.

@djslevel, members can offer their experiences with this medication and tapering off of it, but it is always safest and best practice to consult with your provider or pharmacist on how to best taper off of medication. @djslevel, have you consulted with your provider about your long-term concerns with lyrica?

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1 reply
healthytoday | @healthytoday | Mar 21, 2019

People are experimenting with cbd pills. I take 10mg as needed to sooth anxiety. Best of luck.

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lillee | @lillee | May 22, 2019

I am trying to get off Lyrica and having a hard time. No one understands the severe withdrawal. Can't get help from my doctor don't know what to do. Plus I have a 4 year old to take care of

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