Side effects from Lyrica

Posted by westcom @westcom, Aug 13, 2023

Has anyone experienced balance issues as s side effect of Lyrica? I just increased dose to 100 mg 3x/day and suddenly feel weak and unbalanced.

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Profile picture for irr4et @irr4et

Each body is so different. I had opposite experience in which gabapentin did not block PN and Lyrica did. But yes it does conflict with other meds but not medical cannabis.

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@irr4et I have come off all opiates In October I was on them for the last 30 years. I have been trying cannibas for pain relief. What's a good CBD,THC ratio for NP relief?

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Profile picture for auntieqd @auntieqd

I have recently had a rather strange experience with Lyrica. This is a "restricted drug" in my state of California, not sure about other places but have not heard it mentioned here. Was only allowed enough medication for 28 days at a time. Have been taking it for 2-3 years with gradual increases from my doctor over time. Was taking only 50mg 2 at night 1 in daytime and it really helped my pain & functionality a lot! About 6 months after the last increase, I noticed I was hurting more so, on my own, I increased my dosage to 2 in daytime as an experiment & it helped but it meant I would come up short at end of the time period. I thought my doctor would just write another script for what I needed but she refused. Even refused to give me an alternative. Perhaps she was also restricted, I don't know. The result was that I was forced to "cold turkey" rather than taper off this medication for a few days. With the help of lots of Acetaminophen & sleeping pills I made it through. When I finally got my medication back, my doctor did increase it to 200mg per day, but I am still having trouble getting back to feeling very well. I am 85 years old but otherwise in good health, the only other prescription I take is for blood pressure, I do supplement with B12, ALA & magnesium. Hopefully my body will eventually adjust.

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@auntieqd

They don't like you experimenting with controlled substances.

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Profile picture for margaret10 @margaret10

Is anyone experiencing Lyrica or pregabalin "rebound" where, when you go down or off it, the pain is much worse than it was when you first went on it?

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@margaret10
I take generic Lyrica 50 mg only at night. It has helped me a lot with PN, whereas Gabapentin did nothing. I haven’t had any issues if I forget to take it, but it is a small dose.

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If you can make it work for you, great. In my case, I gained 50 lbs, had total brain fog, and even at 300 mg/d, did not get pain control. It took me a long time to get off because of the rebound pain, and withdrawal at too quick a pace triggered seizures (I'm an epileptic). If it's possible for you to find the underlying disease or mechanism, and if there is some way to treat or cure that disease or mechanism, so much the better. Lyrica is believed to work (I think) by boosting GABA (a calming neurotransmitter) activity. Your underlying mechanism may relate to GABA itself, its cell receptor, reuptake mechanisms, etc. Genome testing is how I found that my underlying mechanism had nothing to do with GABA, but is instead likely related to a mutant mitochondrial protein.

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Profile picture for snatwick @snatwick

@irr4et I have come off all opiates In October I was on them for the last 30 years. I have been trying cannibas for pain relief. What's a good CBD,THC ratio for NP relief?

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@snatwick

What wks well for me and allows me to be functional (run errands in daytime) is TruClear Ratio 1gram syringe. I put the amount of 1/2 of one rice grain on the end of a toothpick and put it under my tongue for 7 minutes, twirl it then suck on the toothpick to get all of the serum. It will take effect in 1hr and last 6 hrs. Use Indica TruClear 1gram syringe at 9:30 pm but this time you will need 1 grain of rice (not 1/2) on the end of the toothpick. It helps make you sleepy and also relieves a lot of pain.

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Profile picture for bettyg81pain @bettyg81pain

Very interesting comments!! Am taking Lyrica and its hit or miss if my legs have the stabbing pain or not!! I do have excessive red ankle swelling plus hot feet. I was on gabapentin and maybe did not give it time to work??? I am up to 100 mg on Pregabalin and not feeling wonderful with it
So ya'all (Southern) taking gabapentin not having the stabbing pain?? I am scheduled for mid September to trial the new Saluda Has anyone out there tried it? Also, how many of you have tried the spinal cord stimulators and who found relief with it and who found no relief with it? I, for one, had the Boston Scientific and found NO relief whatsoever! I was reading where Medicare is thinking about not covering them because they feel it is no better than a placebo Would appreciate your comments!! I think its wonderful that we have this website that we can share ideas on how to deal with this life changing problem!!

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@bettyg81pain
I have a spinal stimulator in. When my pain is bad, I have a cold shower, yes in winter too. Then go lie on my back on my bed, turn the stimulator up for a higher pulse. That all works, but without Lyrica and Cannabis oil, the pain comes back sooner. I take 300mg Lyrica in the morning and 12 hours later 300mg again. You have to start on a low dose and work your way up to the dose your dr wants you to be on. In the beginning you do feel sleepy but it eventually goes away.
Good luck yeh all.

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