Lyrica Is Dangerous / Class Action Suit Anyone? (Page 2) (Top voted first)

I have crps in both hands from carpal tunnel release...after several months, I was worse, not better. My workmens comp dr. said " You will have chronic pain the rest of your life and you will just have to learn to live with it"...oh thanks doc for screwing my hands up, not to mention how it has drastically has changed my life and limitations. I have been seeing a pain specialist ever since and that was back in 2001 when I had the release. I was on lyrica for the last 6 years, I have been off of it for three months. Now that I think back to when my severe depression started was not long since I started taking it. I don't know how many times I said I hate my life and I wish I was dead, I had thoughts of taking all my prescriptions and going to sleep for good! By the grace of god, I had my four nephews to take care of and I truly believe they saved my life! My pain management N.P wanted to keep a close eye on me when I started taking it, so I went from going every six months to every three months and when my depression got worse every two months...nothing was done, I was on 600 mg. a day, why didn't she try to lower my dose? I complained about the swelling and she said she didn't have any other patients complain, I was taking lyrica for the pain in my hands and the whole time it was making them worse! There were many time I would be driving and make a turn and not know where I was...one day I couldn't remember my address, I couldn't remember conversations I had with my boys, I had no brain! When I came off lyrica and I did it slowly...it was one of the hardest things I have ever done. Hot, cold, night sweats, nauseous...I was at the grocery store and literally felt like a monster coming out of me, thank god I am off lyrica! My lawyer is checking on a class action lawsuit, all of us that has had a horrible experience with lyrica, we all need to come together and they need to pay for putting this horrible drug on the market!

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I've been at 600mg/day (200mgx3) for over 11 YEARS!! I don't have time to list all it's done, but I stayed on for the benefits.
I just recently decided to call it quits with Lyrica - my Saving Grace Drug . . . HA! I just read what it was doing to my brain (synapses). My concern now: (aside from the expected pain increase) >Will my brain begin to reproduce new synapses again?<
I made the choice to come off Lyrica because of what it's doing to my brain, BUT if I'm doomed whether I stay on Lyrica or not - I have to seriously reconsider the pain, maybe staying on for relief.
I am SOOO pissed off that I/we were never told of some of these side effects.
Mostly I miss me. She died quite a few years back. If she won't be coming back, at least I can go in peace & without as much pain.
I'm in God's hands now - where I've always been. This decision is crushing me.
For now the plan is to come off. I'm 1/3 of the way down & it's brutal. I'm an emotional wreck. I see my Physiatrist (not Psychiatrist) on Wed. It will be a long appointment. I'm glad I'm the last one of his day (my plan). I'm going to need it.
I pray for all of us that have been relieved of our pain input to have our lives & bodies destroyed in the process. If I had known 11+ years ago, I would not have chosen to try it.
I had been on Neurontin, 3000mg/day for 3 years previous to 11 on Lyrica. I do brain exercises all day on my phone to try to help the situation. I'm not sure how much brain is left.
It has taken me so long to write this, I don't have the strength to list all the side effects & experiences. Maybe another day.
Thank you for listening.

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I been on Lyrica for 6 months i have no balance my eyes get very blury and have migraine because of it. I have gained 40 lbs and now have high blood and heart isdues. This drug needs to come off the market. Dr shouldn't be able to give this medicine

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Lyrica is the worst thing to happen to me as of yet! Dr thought it would be more effective than neurotin only took a few months and started blurry vision, shockey brain, sore burning eyes, dizziness, nausea, cant regulate body temp while sleeping hot/cold all night and off and on all day! On week 4 after weaning and withdrawl symptoms only getting a tiny bit better. Im so scared that i will never be the same again. Gained 40 pounds in the few months on it-been off almost a month and already lost 10 pounds. Why are they still prescribing this? Who do we have to tell? I dont want anyone to have to go through this! This is hell!! I know this has had to have been going on for a while so why??? Why are the doctors not believing their patients when they tell them that this drug is wreaking havoc on us? I feel like im in a bad dream and i cant wake up!

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My husband started out on 75 mg of Lyrica 2x a day and eventually was upped to 300 mg 2x a day. He has a terrible chronic pain issue and is on other pain meds as well. He found no pain relief from the Lyrica but it did affect him terribly in many other ways...one way it affected him is it changed his personality completely. The laid back daddy and husband, my family had always known disappeared and in his place, we lived with a man we barely recognized. He lost his memory to the point that he didn't remember an entire trip that we took to Texas from Oklahoma (7 hour drive) to see our son and his wife. He doesn't even remember being there. On top of that, because of his memory loss, he couldn't recall the last time he had taken his pain meds and so would take more (this was the first and only period of time that he ever self-medicated during the 6 years he has had this condition). I will never forget one weekend when he was so out of his mind and so lethargic (nearly unresponsive) that I finally panicked and started putting 2 and 2 together. I have had 3 different physicians tell me that he could very well have died that weekend from overdosing...all because of his memory loss. I then got in touch with his dr and demanded that he be taken off of Lyrica. He gained over 50 lbs in the 3 months that he was on Lyrica. We are now several months past it and he still struggles with his memory and moods. He has lost almost 25 lbs but still has a way to go. I will say that tho I have seen some improvement, I wonder if I will ever have my hubby back! We have had a wonderful marriage of almost 24 years and The difference in him truly breaks my heart.

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Jennifer, I pray that these people can help you! And I'm sad to hear that this nasty drug did such damage to you. I was on this years ago and it ruined my wedding day. I was so sick. But thankfully I got switched to the Gabapentin before anything serious happened to me! I just pray and I hope that these Lawyers can get you the compensation that you all deserve!! Good luck to you and please keep us informed if you have success.

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Yes we do all need to get together on this. Lyricia has affected my short term memory. I too, was very depressed and had thoughts of leaving this earth while taking that meds. It is horrible

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Mary, I have been looking into the same thing, and just started my quest to hold the makers of this drug responsible for the destruction it has caused in my life. I had been taking it to treat fibromyalgia. Due to losing and gaining different coverage over the years, I was on it a few months twice. This last time led to a suicide attempt a few weeks age and my marriage falling apart, we separated Friday. I will join you. I'm looking for as many more as I can.

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I will join you with a class action law suit. I have great memory loss the medication lyrica and swelling all over my body especially with my hands and feet. And they need to take these medicatiions off the market before they or if they have already kill somebody. I'm in Florida so I don't know if there is a lawyer that would help with class action law suit.

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I have been reading through the latest postings on Lyrica/Pregabalin and have found them all to be very negative. Pregabalin does work well for some people, but not all - this is the case with all medicines. I have been prescribed Lyrica 300mg BID for a few weeks and so far feel that the benefits marginally outweigh the adverse effects. For this reason alone, I shall continue with this medication. I hope that I will gain more benefit as time goes on. If the effects go into reverse, I shall no longer take it. This would obviously require my tapering-off - no 'cold turkey'! I hope it continues to be of benefit because I have now run out of choices for treatment of my somatization illness and anxiety disorder - this 'atypical' drug is the last throw of the dice for me!

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Re: Jill (# 312)

I was on lyrica for 5 years my short term memory is gone forever. I would say get off that junk asap

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There is really no way a doctor can know ahead of time how any medication can affect anyone.

The problems you experienced aren't common, but they have been known to occur with this medication. It is an anticonvulsant, so it does have an effect on brain chemicals.

I am very sorry about what you went through. However, it really seems that your complaints should be more against the doctor, than anyone else, for not doing something, such as lowering your dosage or trying a different medication.

Unfortunately, in any medical situation, a patient has to be their own best advocate. Doctors often prescribe medications according to their experience with how well something has worked for other patients and, when something goes wrong, they are often reluctant to attribute it to the medication.

Are you still seeing the same doctor?

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Three months after starting Lyrica for fibromyalgia I developed severe colon pain. A ct scan showed diverticulosis and the doctors assumed I had inflamation due to diverticulits. After 3 years of constant colon pain I went slowly off the Lyrica suspecting that the drug may be the reason. My fibromyalgia came back full force but my colon healed and I'd like to know if anyone else had/has this side effect.

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Five years ago I was given Lyrica to help stop severe back pain. I took it as presribed starting out at two 75mg per day and working up to 300 mg over two weeks. By my third week I began having extremely severe pain just below my sternum and also through to my back. I was nauseated and any food I ate was coming back up. I called my doctor who prescribed this medication. I got his nurse and explained what was going on. When she called me back she stated she spoke to the doctor and thar this was not a side effect. I told her that the paperwork I got from my pharmacist when I picked up my prescription stated should you have severe abdominal pain call your doctor immediately. The nurse went back to the doctor and told him. He told her he hadn't read that and that I should wean off the Lyrica. The pain was so severe I thought I was having a heart attack and had gone to my personal dr. who did an EKG which came out okay. What happened was that the valve leading from my stomach to the intestine had become so irritated and inflamed that it totally was blocked. It took approximately a year for the pain to totally subside, and a sidebar to that I also have residual heartburn ( never had before and now on meds for). On occasion I will have a flare up and severe pain of the previous magnitude and will last for two to five days. I stll worry because the pain is so severe and so strong that it radiates into my back and shoulders. Hope this helps.

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Bobbie, I'm down for joining your group. Lyrica has been a nightmare for me and I have only taken on and off for 2 weeks. My eyeballs feel swollen and gritty and I have a huge headache at all times. I want to get off of it, but i'm terrified of the withdrawals.

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keep me informeed in class action suit i am right there beside you

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I am taking Lyrica at this present time I did not realize that it is the reason for my memory loss I am very depressed and when I tell my MD they increase my dose I'm on numerous meds for an auto-immune def and fibromyalgia thanks for the info I think I've been taking Lyrica for 5 yrs or more, and memory loss is getting worse.

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My husband was taking Lyrica for one year and ended up with all the same complaints we have all heard . On November 15th 2013 I took my husband to the emergency room. Only 30 minutes later I was told he had a 27% of making it through the surgery. He was diagnosed with fournier's gangrene. Doctors had not seen this for over 20 years. How did he get this? The lyrica lowers you immune system which made him have this problem. He stopped the lycria and went through the depression and sick feeling. This caused a real problem in our marriage. I thing if he never took Lycria he would not have suffered this life changing disease. Please let me know if this happened to you or your loved one.

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i would really like to know if there are any Lyrica Injury Lawsuits anywhere-this is the most dangerous drug i know

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WOW! I don't feel alone anymore after reading all of these posts. I too, was on Lyrica for diabetic neuropathy. I developed a lot of the same symptoms described by many of you. The scariest was the falling down all the time. I lost my job as well. After seeing what this drug was doing to me, my doctor took me off of it. I have gone to a pain specialist to get relief from the pain in my feet. We have tried everything, from topical lotions, TENS, different pain medications and nothing has worked. The worst part now besides the pain is the lingering side affect dyskinesia from taking the Lyrica. I take two pain medications that give me some relief but now I have to realize that I will be on this for the rest of my life. It puts me in a fog and still limits me to what I can do.
I would be very interested to learn of any class action suit. Good luck and God Bless.

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You are not crazy or alone! Seek counseling, as I did, if u can. We need to find someone with BALLS (pardon my lingo, plz.!) to take this on!!!!! Hugs to you!

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