Lyrica Terrible Side Effects (Page 4)

Lyrica has ruined my life. It wasn't bad enough with the pain from my back injury. I only took Lyrica for 2 weeks. The weight gain was bad. I lost 1/3 of my hair in 4 months. I have had a rash for over 1 year now. I mean a bad rash. This was my first side effect. And they warn you of this. Get off Lyrica asap if you get a rash. I thought I was having a stroke the first week on Lyrica when they rushed me to the hospital. I had read on the internet of how many young people have died from strokes from taking Lyrica. My vision is so bad now. I can barely drive at night time and I have to were glasses to see the tv. The worst side effect I've had and still have is the terrible, terrible pain in all my joints. My knees are so bad and my hands and fingers & joints pound and throb 24-7. The swelling in my arms and hands was so bad at one time, I thought I would lose my limbs due to non circulation. The pain is so bad in my knees, I can barely walk everyday. I am self employed and I type and write all day. My hands hurt so bad. I can barely hold anything in the mornings to pin my hair up or put on my makeup. As bad as my pain was and is in my back and cyatic nerve the Lyrica did help. It was a miracle. But I only took it 2 weeks and after 1 year I still have all the terrible side effects. I've been looking on the internet for other peoples bad reactions and I was told by my doctor and the hospital, I had a very bad reaction to it. I've seen a lot of people say they have never got rid of the knee pain and joint pain. Very scary. I called the drug company that makes Lyrica. I told them the side effects that I was having and the first question they asked me was how was my eye sight. I had a fit. I told them the double vision and blurry vision was bad. They made the comment to me that Pifzer was doing a study on this side effect. I was in an automobile accident, that was bad enough, but this drug Lyrica has ruined my life and there is no cure. There are numerous law suits against this drug. I will never be the same again!

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REPORT

Please report your side effects to the FDA on their web site. You need to fill out a MedWatch form which is online. The only way to get the FDA to take notice is to file official MedWatch Reports.

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I have been taking Lyrica for a couple of months now. My md is weening me off of opioids after being on them for several years after MV accident. I this short time my vision is impaired, weight gain of more than 20 pounds and I feel like total SH**.! I have absolutely no energy, my depression is now so bad I struggle to get out of bed and the joint pain is unbearable and keeps me awake at night. Short term memory also bad. I have never felt this bad in my whole life. Our MD also prescribed Lyrica for my husband for his back pain at the same time (it has only just become available on Australian Medicines listing). He has also had massive weight gain in short period, severe joint pain, psychotic episodes and with both of us on this horrible drug we are pretty close to killing each other. I am furious at our MD using us as guineapigs to see how we reacted to it. I am on 600mg a day and my Hubby is on 450mg a day. I just told him off this website and the other people with same side affects (and worse) and he has sworn to stop taking immediately. I have to stop taking this as well as it has nearly destroyed my life and my marriage.

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I have been taking Lyrica for a couple of months now. My doctor is weening me off of opioids after being on them for several years after MV accident. I this short time my vision is impaired, weight gain of more than 20 pounds and I feel terrible. I have absolutely no energy, my depression is now so bad I struggle to get out of bed and the joint pain is unbearable and keeps me awake at night. Short term memory also bad. I have never felt this bad in my whole life. Our doctor also prescribed Lyrica for my husband for his back pain at the same time (it has only just become available on Medicines listing). He has also had massive weight gain in short period, severe joint pain, psychotic episodes and with both of us on this horrible drug we are pretty close to killing each other. I am furious at our doctor using us as guineapigs to see how we reacted to it. I am on 600mg a day and my Hubby is on 450mg a day. I just told him off this website and the other people with same side affects (and worse) and he has sworn to stop taking immediately. I have to stop taking this as well as it has nearly destroyed my life and my marriage.

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the most lyrica your suppose to take in a 24 hour period is 400mg. no wonder your going bonkers. your over dosing yourself big time.

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Same with me absolutely it has helped with the burning pain of my RSD/CRPS. I have been taking it for ten years.

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I was put on Lyrica for RSD/CRPS and it didn't help. What it did do for me was to change me from a size 8 to a size 18 by putting 60+ lbs on my body in just 6 months. I didn't even recognize myself when looking in the mirror. I had always been petite and suddenly I was LARGE. Oh, did I forget to mention that it put me on the Heart Failure Unit of the hospital? Yes, it did that also. Yet the cardiologist said that I had the healthiest heart he's seen in years and that I should consider myself lucky that as a RN I was able to identify the signs of heart failure and get myself to the hospital as fast as I did and TO NEVER TAKE LYRICA AGAIN. My vision also changed. Now it's blurry all the time but the ophthamologist can't find a cause for the sudden change in my vision. I lost the ability to fall asleep which I had always been soo proud of doing at almost the minute my head hit the pillow. On Lyrica I wouldn't be able to fall asleep for hours and when I did I would wake up in about an hour and stay awake for another 8 hours. And it's still that way. On Lyrica I started feeling overly emotional at the slightest thing...kittens, students graduating on TV whom I didn't even know, pretty flowers, stories of people winning the lottery, all would bring tears of joy to my eyes. It was as if I had no control over my expression of happiness for people, animals, or even inanimate objects...I would have tears of joy for them. I was never like that before Lyrica. I was always a very steady person with my feet firmly planted on the ground. But on Lyrica I was like the stereotype of the girliest of girls who overresponds to joy and happiness by having tears well up in my eyes over the slightest little event in the lives of perfect strangers. And it still happens at times even though I've been off Lyrica for several years now. Strangely though, while on Lyrica I didn't overreact emotionally when seeing or hearing of bad things happening to people...just to their good fortune or cute animals or nice things. Lyrica really screwed up that part of my brain and caused me to overreact emotionally to positive things and events as well as blowing me up like a blimp with an extra 60 lbs in just 6 months. Whatever part of the brain that controls those two things, weight and positive emotions, Lyrica took it over and wreaked havoc with it. It's taken several years to get rid of those 60 lbs and get my body image back to where I recognize myself in the mirror. Thanks Lyrica, for the wild ride you put me through...and it isn't even over yet. I'm still dealing with the inability to think of common, everyday ordinary words while speaking. People have asked me if I had a stroke. What do you call it when a person stops in the middle of a sentence because they can't think of a word such as sofa, ballet, or even giraffe? Thanks again Lyrica for changing my life the way you did and are still doing even years after discontinuing the drug.

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I know about that driving not knowing when to stop or go on lights.

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Has the medication improved within the past couple of years I have just stared taking this pill and my eyes are going blurry I have severe pain in my lower ribs right in the middle of my body I have had a ct scan and a nuclear X-ray and they can't find anything wrong with my back but I can Hardly move.

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I wrote an extensive email to the FDA today explaining what I've been seeing on this website. Let's hope they look into what we have written here. BUT PLEASE ENTER YOUR ADVERSE EXPERIENCES ON THE FDA WEBSITE... fda.gov/MedWatch

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Well, here's another terrible lyrica story. I'm not even going to bore you with the details. I didn't have too many bad side effects while on the demon drug (450mg per day for RSD). However withdrawals have made me miserable since I started tapering in JANUARY!!! That's right, seven months of hell. I'm so very tired of feeling so exhausted, sweating till I'm soaking wet, then freezing, staying home all the time because I have no energy or desire to do anything. Stabbing stomach pains. I've been able to avoid the worst of it by tapering so slow, but it still sucks big time. I was a busy, fun, THIN person. She's long gone and in her place is a miserable, suicidal shell, thanks to lyrica.

I feel for all of you, and I wish that there was something I could do or say to help you. I can only suggest a super long taper. I went down approximately 25 mg every two weeks or so. I contacted Pfizer, and they sent me a letter asking me about my symptoms. A lot they care. This drug was rushed through clinical trials, and pushed hard by pharmacy reps who encouraged physicians to use it for "off label" illnesses. In other words, even though the drug had not gone through testing for anxiety, it was pushed hard for that use. It's all about dollars, and Pfizer had a major money maker with Lyrica. They have already paid out over 3 billion to settle lawsuits, but that's a drop in the bucket compared to how much money this drug has made for them. The absolute last thing that Pfizer is worried about is our suffering. It's all about the money.

All we can do, and I encourage all of you to do this with me, is to visit every site online that allows you to tell your story about your lyrica suffering. Create a cut and paste version, and let's flood the internet with so many stories that Pfizer may actually feel our anger. We have a unique tool available to us with the internet...your story can reach millions of people. Go to sites that physicians might visit and post...believe me, no doctor wants to prescribe a drug that has this much potential to bring legal action against them. It's all we have, but it's more than people had in the past. Good luck and good health to you all!
Longbeachone

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I was recently given a sample of Lyrica by my Dr. to try. I am super-sensitive to meds so I approach all with a great deal of caution. I took one 50mg cap one night at bedtime for sleep. I had 71/2 hrs. of sleep but when I woke up the nightmare began. I could not walk straight, dizzy, blurred vision, headache, joint pain, tingling and burning feeling over entire body and my mouth felt like I had chewed a jumping cactus. Lord what a trip as I felt like I had been on a 3 week drunk. Will never take it again. For you people that have been bankrupted by the cost but still choose to take it, you can get the generic (Pregabalin) in Canada for about $28 per 100- 50 mg. caps. Hard to believe one cap could do this!!!

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Thank you for the info. I'm sorry you had such problems with the Lyrica. Although, you know that any new med introduced takes time to absorb (so to speak) so there is an adjustment period. I know for me, if I had not found this med, I would never have lasted these last ten years with RSD. It doesn't take all of the burn away, but quite a bit of it.

Do you know if I would be able to order online for the generic? If so, from which site?

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Hello, I am 36 years old & a mother to a 6 year old daughter. I was told I had Fibro & put on Lyrica 75mg. I started my frist dose last night. This moring I woke up to my daughter shaking me trying to wake me to take her to school. While trying to make her breakfast I was confused & couldn't remember how to make her a bowl of cereal or remember how to make my coffee. I was a zombie out of my mind confused and crying uncontrollably. My daughter had to see this. I am not taking this drug ever again. I will find a way to cope with my pain naturally.

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Your post brought me to tears & I am heart-broken for you & your family. I can affirm that I too had dark, scary thoughts of "my family would be better off without me" when I had NEVER had any mental issues - in fact - as a healthy, active, employed 49 yr old mum of 4, was deemed a pretty easy-going, upbeat person. That drug almost cost my job, my family & my life. I weaned myself against doctors wishes (see posts from Rosie) & one year later - I have a life again. There WILL be a lawsuit at some point, but at this time - there is nothing pending. Please document all that you can for possible future reference. Sincere condolences & wishes for peace & strength.

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Now that I'm FINALLY off Lyrica, I thought I would share a few of the things that got me through my taper off the drug. I did crazy research online to find some solutions. I am not in any way recommending anything. Do your own research, and try what you will at your own risk. This is information widely available online, that I found with Google searches. I didn't have blurred vision, so I don't know about that. Also, you won't see a cocktail listed here, because I don't drink, but if I still did, I would've tried it! So here goes...

OVERALL: GABA. GABA is an amino acid available over the counter. I came upon it by accident at GNC, and thought hmmm...gabapentin/GABA. I bought a bottle, brought it home and did some reading before trying it (***-backward, I realize). Web M.D. states that GABA works by inhibiting brain wave signals. Lyrica is believed to work by inhibiting brain signals. GABA is analogous to Lyrica (chemically very similar, also from Web M.D.) While there are many who believe that GABA doesn't cross the blood brain barrier, the consensus is that some of a dosage does cross. I took mine with grapefruit juice, hopefully to potentiate crossing the bbb. GABA is believed to relax you, help you sleep, aid in fat burning, help with PMS, relieve pain and aid in balancing blood pressure. I was concerned about taking another version of Lyrica, even natural, obviously because I was trying to get off it, but could find no evidence that GABA caused any of the problems of Lyrica, especially withdrawal. I took GABA every night (makes you sleepy) and darned if it didn't make everything easier. I wish I had found it at the beginning of withdrawal, because it did help me very much. GABA was the first (and only) thing I tried that made me forget that I didn't feel well, often for hours at a time (and when I'm ill, I have this OCD habit of constantly reevaluating my current state). Everything else helps, but this was the most helpful. It cost around fifteen dollars for 60 at GNC.

Anxiety: Many people suggest a benzo like Valium or Clonopin (sp?). I didn't go that route, because I was afraid of going through withdrawal, which I've heard is brutal. I occasionally used Valerian (tastes terrible) in an oil form. I'm not sure that it really helped. As much as you don't feel like doing it, getting some exercise is good medicine. I tried very hard to walk for 45 minutes every day, and I always felt better after.

Flu-like symptoms: This was pretty obvious with ibuprofen, acetaminophen and aspirin available everywhere. Helped the body aches.

Stabbing stomach pain: I used loperamide occasionally, which is the active ingredient in Immodium, and can be purchased in any drugstore. Opiate users all have this in their cupboards for withdrawal. It's actually an opioid which has a molecular composition too large to pass through the blood brain barrier. That means it doesn't affect your central nervous system (there are many arguments about this, but I'll go with the science). However your body has many opiate receptors, especially in the gut. 4 mg took care of this every time for me. Once again, I took with grapefruit juice. Pepto Bismol also helped.

Sweating: Oh, my most hated symptom! I would break into massive, drenching sweats where water would roll down my face and my clothes would be soaked. I once again found help from those handy opiate users (some of them could be biochemists...and maybe they are!). The biggest help was benedryl, hands down. But it made me so sleepy, I could only take it before bed which kept night sweats away and gave me the added benefit of extra sleep. Afrin nasal spray was helpful during the day. It contains a chemical similar to the blood pressure med Clonidine, commonly prescribed for alcoholic withdrawal. Lots of people get a prescription for Clonidine for withdrawal, but I didn't, so I don't have first hand knowledge. Beware though...Afrin can be highly addictive too. I tried to use it sparingly. There are a number of prescriptions for hyperhidrosis (sweating) which I also did not try. If you have used them, please post and let us know. Finally Sage oil, in tea or capsules, which I got at GNC. I'm not a big natural remedy person, but this did help. I rubbed sage oil on my wrists throughout the day.

Insomnia: I used everything I could find that was available otc. As I mentioned earlier, I took benedryl every night for sweating, great for sleep (but druggy aftereffects in the morning were a price I paid). Variously I tried Unisom, Tylenol PM (especially when my body was aching) and some of the newer preparations like Tylenol PM with no pain reliever, just sleep meds). I can also highly recommend Sleepytime Herbal Tea, which can knock me out if I make it strong (I use 4 tea bags!). There are many other drugs available with a prescription, so go to your Doctor for these. I was scared off Ambien by stories of people driving off of cliffs in their sleep.

Exhaustion/Depression: I KNOW that what I used was not good for me for exhaustion. I drank Monster no calorie energy drinks. There is a ton of evidence that energy drinks are terrible for you. But I'm just being honest. For depression my Dr helped me by switching me from Prozac to Wellbutrin, which gave me energy and had the major added benefit for me of curbing my appetite, which helped me start to lose the weight I gained on Lyrica (this is the hardest I've ever worked to lose weight BTW. It just doesn't want to go away). Wellbutrin does not help with anxiety, however.

I hope that everyone out there going through this miserable experience gets well very soon. I'm sure that any additional advise would be appreciated by all.

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Dear L


































ongbeachone: the most you or anyone is suppose to take of lyrica is 400mg in a 24 hour period.you and all the others that had a bad reaction to lyrica are in my prayers but as for me I can now get out of my fetal position from the pain and live my life and take care of my family as much as a disabled widow can.

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In regard to the extensive letter I wrote to the FDA telling them of the overwhelming number of Adverse Events (AE's) spoken of on this site: I told them I had already filed an Adverse Event Report for myself and have been advocating that everyone on THIS site also file one for themselves. What I received in reply from the FDA was telling me TO FILE AN ADVERSE EVENT REPORT, HOW TO FILE IT, AND WHY IT WAS IMPORTANT TO FILE ONE. DUH!...Somehow they just don't listen. I also told them that over and above all of the adverse events listed in regard to LYRICA on this site that Pfizer could learn much about LYRICA by reading the stories listed here and perhaps get some insight into what LYRICA actually does in the human body (the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of the drug), and MAYBE, just maybe be able to find a legitimate and safe use for the formulation which does not have all of the deleterious effects which we are experiencing. Geez...if nothing else Pfizer could sell it to the Department of Defense for use in germ warfare. It would incapacitate enemy forces without firing a single billion dollar missile. Think of the tax dollars it would save the United States. Maybe then the government could use the money they didn't need to spend on just that one missile to rebuild the infrastructure of the country, rebuild bridges that are ready to fall down, replace leaky dams that are ready to burst, and reopen our steel mills instead of importing it from other countries. WOW....and we thought LYRICA was a BAD DRUG!!! Silly us.We just weren't thinking "outside of the box"!!!...LOL!

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Reply to Longbeachone: I read your comments and I'm sure you mean well in listing all of the possible meds that can alleviate some of the adverse effects of LYRICA but as a RN I would ask that you not share this sort of information. By sharing this information you could possibly cause someone to have even worse adverse effects, including death. The meds you listed, including OTC as well as "natural formulations" have serious side effects by themselves and by combining them you can cause irrepairable damage to organ systems including the brain. A physician can prescribe medication that will ease the withdraw from LYRICA in a safe, yet effective manner. We need to maintain the validity of this site so IF and WHEN the FDA or an ATTORNEY actually reads these posts they will take us seriously and have no reason to say anything that may impune our intention, our veracity, or allow them to have any reason at all to characterize us as less than aboveboard in our intent.

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Just an update about life after LYRICA. Been about a month now of slowly weaning off this poison. My BLURRED VISION has not really improved much. My WEIGHT GAIN dropped off rather rapidly tho still not back to normal. Severe side affects of withdrawal greatly contributed to the weight loss. ITCHING that was totally unbearable over whole body. Severe INSOMNIA. Severe ANXIETY attacks including chest pains etc...the JOINT PAIN is still very bad. In particular my fingers/hands, knees and my hips. There is small signs that the joint pain is improving slightly, but still keeps me awake at night. SWEATS..OMG. I cannot believe how bad they are and there is no sign that they are abating. I am still FATIGUED all of the time and DEPRESSION is really bad. NAUSEA from anxiety and stomach cramps has me too scared to eat in case I put more weight on.
My husband also weaning off and has almost identical side affects. In addition he also now has liver and kidney problems which the doctor is closely monitoring. His weight gain was more severe being on it for a longer period than I, and he has been unable to shift any of it yet. He is really struggling with this additional weight on top of his original spinal injury. His depression is really worrying me as he is still suicidal at times... Doctor now has him trying patches for his pain and I am back on the Opioids....back to where I started from but in much worse shape now than I ever was. Cannot believe LYRICA is still pushed to be subscribed for other conditions that were not included in any of the clinical trials OR for what the medication was originally intended for.

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I am concerned about suggesting all of these unsolicited other meds to others. This whole mess started with doctors prescribing a drug (natural or not) that made matters unbearable in most cases and the withdrawals even worse. Going through this horrible saga myself, still the thought of taking more drugs to cover side affects of other drugs is stupidity at best. Also a fact is that just because a drug/medication is "natural" does not make it a safe alternative and very little if any testing or proper clinical trials is done on these. Natural does not mean no side affects. After what I have been thru with Lyrica the only sound conclusion to make is NOT to put anything in your body that you have not researched beforehand. I normally do, but for some stupid reason I did not before I started taking Lyrica. You do not have to check every available source of information available but I find sites where actual people/patients give feedback is invaluable. Like this site for example. The medical terminology and legal chagrin on most official sites is based on information issued by the drug companies and unless you have a medical degree of some kind it all gets "lost in translation" and is incomplete at best.

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