Is Lyrica Addictive?

I've been prescribed Lyrica by my doctor. I pinched a nerve in my back 5 months ago and am still in pain. I have told her repeatedly that I am not feeling like myself while I'm taking Lyrica, my moods change drastically (I am normally a very bubbly person) i feel drunk, slur my words, forget things, forget whole conversations, and it's frustrating!!! I lost 15kg in a three week period, then gained it all back in a week and a half. My doctor does not want to listen to me when I tell her that this medication is not helping, in fact, it's making things worse. Some days I'm happy, next day I'll be curled up in bed crying. This has been going on for 5 months..... I've been to other doctors, but they just say keep taking it, it's just a small side effect. Reading the sheet that comes with the medication, that scared the hell out of me...... Some side effects are suicidal thoughts, self harm, depression, anxiety. Shouldn't this be a warning to pharma companies not to keep making this!!!! Doctors refuse to give me Valium because it's addictive...... So is Lyrica. Please, do your homework, sometimes doctors are wrong. I've stopped taking it, and I'm suffering now. It's like sugar, you have a small high, then come crashing down... Hard.

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I know exactly what you're going through. Lyrica can really mess up your system. Please try to find another doctor who knows about the serious side effects it can cause. I was prescribed 300mg a day, just over a year ago now. It worked for about 6 months then things went downhill from there. I was feeling terrible everyday. (Depression, aces & pains, & feeling like I had sunburn all the time) I took an extra tablet one day, & bang, all side effects were gone. Irresponsibly, I started to take more! Then found myself at 900mg a day. By that time, I felt like I was a slave to this drug. I tried to get off lyrica by myself!,, I couldn't! I went to ATODS to seek help! Thank god there were people there that knew about this drug. They contacted my GP & he prescribed Valium to help with the withdrawals. I am now at 575mg a day & tapering of at 25mg a week, & even that is struggle! It can be EXTREMELY dangerous tapering off too fast. I thought I was going to have a heart-attack or seizer when I tried to taper off at 50mg per day! I am having all sorts of other problems now! & I suspect lyrica is the cause of all of them!

I have studied this drug like a maniac for the last few months! & it is horrendous what is happening to some people! I don't want to scare people from trying this medication. It can give some people a better quality of life. But I think it should be a last resort. It can be a tough road, but I do hope you got through this with minimal complications!

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