Lyrica side effects

My husband was put on lyrica. He became unable to function, speech slurry, legs would not work right, nightmares, depressed, stomach problems, dehydrated, couldn't wake up when asleep and very confused. Messed up his thinking couldn't remember. It has taken 6 weeks to get over this and is not complete y ok

Oh did i forget to mention my mobility has even helped with my sex life, im actually feeling much better and my sex drive has come back, which my husband is estatic over, im not having night-mares but i dream longer and sleep longer than before..i use to wake up several times a night..before the lyrica, i take it with xxnax and night i sleep great! I have experience a little tighting in the chest it could be the meds or heartburn i will mention it to my doctor within the next week when i see him but it really has helped otherwise a lot!!

I have just started lyrica and read on different sites and its main site before i decided for myself to take it since im in constant pain from multiple accidents i have fbro- and lumbar and disc back problems etc, yo get anyway i have tried a lot of different meds for pain yo name it almost tried it, i found the best thing that worked for me was one vicodin es plus one 75mg lyrica, my pain subsides for hours by at least 50% i can actually do a lot more since i have started it and even lost four pounds since last week. I read a lot of people gain weight, get swollen feet,feel drunkish all that, the only time i feel like that is when i take the lyrica with my xxnax i have anxiety disorder as well very bad. ADHD . If i dint have to take pills believe me i wouldn't..But as all pills narcotic and narcotic they only mask the pain, my brother informed me since i can do more take it a little slow baby steps cause if you over exert your self your pain is 6 times worst.I have lost 89 pounds so far HOORAH! Just 40 more to go, baby steps..lol..anyhow i could talk all day, i try to keep a positive attitude which helps, god and prayer help, and try to walk around without a chip on my shoulder because i don't feel because if im miserable everyone else shouldn't be, ya know ..Its not rgt. Cripe if i was rich i would be waited on hand and foot but unfortunately im not rich and could never afford that unless i won and played the lotto.lol..i had to even get samples from a different doctor other than my regular doctor cause he girls were messing up in the office or Michigan State was, which lately they are changing all there systems and messing alot of low income people up, and that blows too..I will continue will lyrica...It works better than neurontin which gave me headaches, and weigh gain and nausea. I actually on neutrontin gained 10 pounds in 5 days, i quit NEURONTIN! Lyrica is really good, everyones body chemistry is different so, give it a try it might just work as good as it does for me. Thanks for listening and feel free to write me anytime here, thanks! Skully725

i have been taking lyrica 300mg a day for three months now and i still hurt all the time.mostly in my chest it wont stop.i am in pain all the time and nausea.bad dreams cant sleep,and cry all the time.the doctor just tells me to take it and come back in a month.he also found a mass on my right lung that is 2.4 inches.and one on my kidney.and they wont do nothing or give me anything for pain,but lyrica.and i had i 15 pound tumor remover two years ago.i don't know what to do anymore,i cant even work it is so bad.GOD BLESS

I am a 29 year old male, 170 lbs and was very active. I have been on 75mg twice a day for about two weeks now. I was put on it for nerve damage in my knee after an injury 3 years and 3 surgeries ago. It has been the only thing besides cannabis that has even touches the pain. But since our wonderful laws have not changed yet here in Minnesota I have been looking for other alternatives again. Finally my doctor suggested this. So far the shooting pain has all but disappeared. I have been able to push it in physical therapy and recover from my last surgery faster. The only side effect I have had to deal with is really vivid and horrible dreams. I hope they go away soon. I am sick of loosing sleep. Good luck to the rest of you guys and I hope everyone finds a way to become more comfortable.

Trouble breathing, congestive heart failure, spent 72 hours in the hospital and the bill was $9000.00 because of Lyrica. Swelling of hands, feet and face, with fluid on my lungs...it helped the pain, it was totally gone, Also had depression and rapid weight gain.

Are there any law suits pending?

Give it a chance!! I have been taking Lyrica for 2 years now. I take it to help with nerve pain caused from an accident which caused numerous spine fractures and damaged nerves. It has been a life saver. The foot burning, tingling and shooting pains have subsided. Not gone but far better. When I tried to stop taking it the nerve pain increased tremendously. No weird nightmares, no weight gain, no side effects. My limited activity is due to back injury but I have found swimming to be wonderful and it does help with the weight. When you are in pain you don't exercise. Exercise and give Lyrica a chance. It took months to regulate the dosage I am on now. (3oo mg daily) Everyone is different. Most of you sound like you are on plenty of other meds too. Are you sure they aren't causing your side effects??

I have p. neurapathy in my feet and legs and it "may" be happening to my hands. I say "may" for I'm thinking it's ANOTHER side effect from Lyrica (150mgs, twice daily). In aprox. 8 months I've gained about 50 pounds which has cracked bones in both my feet! My fingers hurt and are so swollen it's very difficult to play the guitar, something I've been doing for almost 30 years. I'm also take Tylenol 325 2X daily. AM / PM.
These are the same doctors on the Pain Management clinic I attend who also prescribe 80 mgs. of methadone. Okay, the pain only lasts an hour every morning but all these side effects are making me lethargic from all the extra weight. I'm 240, up from 190 - big difference! I've got to find another way! All contacts welcome. ******

I was prescribed this for disc protrusion sciatica pains it made me feel even more detached, pain remained and further use brought on a frightening upper torso numbness and head fog felt as if sunburn with fan blowing hair around on my chest and wrapped in tape or something very bizarre strange medicine that did not work.

I've been taking Lyrica for around 8 months for neurapathy in my lower legs and feet. Gez, I gained so much weight I fractured my right foot! It does help with the pain but after reading all this negativity I am going to ask for something else. I HAVE been having strange dreams, not very pleasant and I'm very happy I found out the reason. Thanks so much for all the great info everyone has given me!

A.

i have just been prescribed Lyrica, for nerve pain in my leg, whilst I am waiting for an MRI. After reading all the side effects, I have decided not to take it and wish anyone on it GOOD LUCK. Just out of interest has anyone out there had any good experiences with it?

I am in really bad pain from my fibro. The Ultram quit working, lyrica caused weight gain and violent nightmares and did nothing for the pain. My husband was given lyrica for his numbing feet and had the same problem with nightmares and woke up yelling and one night punching the wall. This is stopping now that he has got off the stuff. This lyrica is bad stuff at least for both of us. I need some help for this pain. I don't know what to do.

Nightmares, weight gain, headaches.

been taking Lyrica for 6 months now for fibro, at first it really helped with the pain but now it is not helping, i am taking 600mg per day.
I have swollen legs and hands, always have like a floating feeling and also the weight gain.

I have been taking lyrica for about 6 months and have gained more then 50 pounds...it seems to help with my fibromyalgia symptoms but the weight gain is horrible!!! i don't know what i should do...i am currently looking for an herbal replacement for lyrica...if anyone has in suggestions please let me know thank you

As a Doctor myself I think drugs are NEVER the answer except in EMERGENT issues in Heroic life saving... YOU however and all individuals are and should be MORE accountable for your own health and STOP DEMANDING the Drugs and look to LIFESTYLE changes in DIET and EXERCISE to achieve the GOALS so necessary for quality and quantity of life.... The tools are at your fingertips ... The almighty internet ... And your OWN imaginative mentation is your TRUE limitation... So TAKE control of yourself and BE accountable .... Sorry so blunt but MORE tough love and Educating people is whats needed.... NOT more drugs....

MDG

I just started taking Lyrica 75 mg. last night and 1 this morning for "idiopathic burning feet syndrome". I've have rheumatoid arthritis for 35 years and essential tremor for 27 years. This drug reduces the tremor and I now have a wonderful buzz. I'm wondering how and why is this drug giving me a buzz. I feel as if I've had a "shooter". Carolyn J.

I am writing in regard t my father in law . He says this is a cancer drug to help pain is this true? He is higher then a kite is right to thanks

Have been on Lyrica about 6 months. It does help the nerve pain in my leg, but for the past 3 months I wake up with terrible muscle spasms in that leg. The spasm pulls my foot straight down. I have had to get up as many as 7-9 times a night. Has anyone had this or heard of it???

just read through all the other side effects, and I think I should add weight gain as well -- I'd assumed my extra pounds were just from finally eating 3 meals a day after having gone months barely being able to eat a thing; thought my body was in starvation-mode and just keeping extra weight, but with all the people mentioning weight gain as a side effect I have to wonder if gaining 20 lbs in 4 months is more than my metabolism being out of synch! Lyrica does help for pain (neurological) but not so sure about the side effects.

I have been taking Lyrica for about 4 months (200mg total taken over 2 intervals per day) and have been having a terrible time with insomnia: I fall asleep but only sleep for 3-4 hours, then I either don't sleep, barely doze, or sleep extremely lightly with many awakenings for the rest of the night. I came online to research whether insomnia was a possible side-effect of Lyrica, but the information I am finding suggests the drug is used to *treat* insomnia... I am not certain my insomnia is linked to Lyrica, but in case there are more people out there experiencing similar problems and it's an as-yet undocumented side-effect, I thought I should add my two-cents-worth to mathews1965's comment. (No nausea; definite depression, although it's a bit of a chicken and egg thing considering the prolonged lack of sleep.)

Dizzy and poor peripheral vision for about one week, then gained 14 pounds over the 2 months I took it. Immediately stopped it with doctor's approval because I could not stand the extra weight on arthritic knees. I went from 200 to 214 lbs. I am now beginning on a low regimin of exercise hoping the weight will come off again. I was 170 this time last year but started packing on pounds because of lack of exercise, motivation, and depression. Diagnosed with FMS in 2006, but I'm sure I've had it many years before that

I had some really odd-ball side effects from Lyrica. I was on 150mg twice a day for fibromyalgia, and it seemed to work initially. I was feeling pretty good, and thought I, too, had found an answer to my aches and pains. After about two months, I noticed that my hair was falling out and turning gray (I was 39 at the time). I hadn't had a menstral period that second month, either. I told every doctor I saw about these strange symptoms, but was prompty ignored.

The third month, I began to gain weight like crazy. I ended up gaining a little over 20lbs during the year-long treatment. My skin was dry and thickening around my thumbs and heels. My energy level began to really go down (it was never that high to begin with). My fingernails became brittle and broke with the slightest provocation. The grayer and falling out hair was coarser, too. I also was either sleeping all the time for days, or then couldn't sleep at all for days.

By the sixth month, I noticed that my wounds were also taking longer to heal. Being diabetic for the last 29 years, I thought that maybe neuropathy was starting to set in. Up to that point, I had never had any signs of neuropathy, and always was in good control of my blood sugar levels. Now, I was beginning to get worried.

The eighth month forward brought cracked heels, cracked toes, cracked fingers and thumbs. I began to have pitting edema, which I immediately informed my Rheumatologist about. I have chronic renal insufficiency, though not diabetic related. It was a gift from my OB/GYN during pregnancy when I became eclamptic. The edema was so bad that blisters appeared on my ankles and would not go away, no matter how high up I rested with my legs. My skin hurt all around my legs, and soon started to notice my face also swelling. Still, no comments from any of my numerous doctors.

After a year of all this strange stuff, I took myself off of the Lyrica. It was a hard choice, as the meds helped to silence the strangling pain in my muscles. Within a month after discontinuing the drug, my period came back. Three months later I noticed that both my hair and nails were stronger, and my hair wasn't falling out as much.

Six months later, and I notice now that my wounds heal like they used to. My hair isn't as coarse, and my nails are much stronger. My sleep schedule is still not right, and I still have the deep cracks and crevices to my thumbs and heels, but it is much better than it had been. I have also since tried Lamictal, but am having tachycardia and shortness of breath, along with a marked rise in my blood pressure. This, too, I discontinued and am feeling somewhat better. The muscle aches and pains and fatigue are back with a vengeance, but I will put up with them as long as I can. I am on so many meds anyway, that my body is probably kissing my toes in thanks!

Luck to all who are on this drug, and hope it works for you without all the weird side effects I put up with!

I have experienced a loud pulsating hum in my right ear since taking Lyrica. The doctors tell me to just play "white noise" to sleep. I am on the verge of tears all the time and want it to STOP. Can anyone help me?

sleepiness, groggy

stomach pains blood clots in legs

I forgot to write in my first note that the lyrica has helped me with my pain. It is one of the better medications that I am on.

I have been on lyrica for over a year for the treatment of RSD (Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy). The biggest side effect that I have had has been weight gain. I have gained approx. 55lbs since I was first diagnosed 3 years ago-- At least 30 of those have been in the last year from the lyrica. No matter how healthy I eat, or how much physical therapy I do I still can not seem to shed the pounds

I was taking Lyrica 75 mg twice a day after two weeks my eyes, hands and feet were so swollen that I could not even believe they were mine. By week 3 I could not get my shoes on. My eyes were balloons and I felt horrible. I gained 6 pounds. I called the doctor's office who prescribed it to me and they told me to stop taking it. I'd rather be in pain.

I am a paraplegic and have experienced severe nerve pain in my legs and feet since my spinal cord was severed in 2002. After going through a stringent pain management program,(two months of evaluation, psychological testing, spinal cord stimulation, nerve blocks, etc), my Pain MGT Physician at UT Southwestern Medical School in Dallas, began prescribing me Lyrica. Lyrica was just beginning to be prescribed by physicians. We gradually ramped my dosage to achieve the most pain relief for me. After experiencing excruciating nerve pain for three years, Lyrica was a miracle working medication to me. Finally, finally, I had found some relief in the burning, squeezing, and exploding shocks in my legs and feet. I take 600mg, 5 times a day. After every four hours, I can feel it wearing off and the same screaming pain comes racing back. Nerve pain is so difficult to control. I can't say that I am completely pain free, but at least it is a manageable animal.

I have been on Lyrica for almost 2 years for nerve damage and fibro. I have gained approx. 60 pounds since starting it and now have arthritis in my back. I finally took myself off because the side effects outweighed the benefits. I ha a hard time concentrating at work, dizziness, severe weight gain, bloating and frequent urination. I also have IC (bladder condition), so the frequent urination was also killing me.

I've been on Lyrica 75mg 2x/day for Fibromyalgia for 1 1/2 wks. I was on Neurontin for 4 years before trying this new med. The side effect that I'm hoping goes away soon, is around 3-4AM every night that I take Lyrica I wake up to pee and when I lay back down when I close my eyes the room spins like crazy. It's exactly like a night drinking in college but I haven't touch any alcohol in months. The 1st few days that sensation did not go away until the afternoon, but now it's usually gone by the time I wake up to go to work around 7AM. Hopefully it'll just keeping shorter in duration. Other than that side-effect it does quite a good job controlling FM pain.

I have lived with debilitating migraines for the last 14 years of my life (I'm 33). I had been on heavy duty pain killers that were prescribed monthly to me -- the dulled the pain a little but, really did not help all that much. Almost 2 years ago I got shingles and my doctor put me on lyrica. I thought I had died and gone to heaven at first when I took it I felt really strange like I was dizzy and not really coherent. After the first week or two I did not notice any side effects and my pain had never been so manageable. For some reason my body gets used to the dosages so it has been increased several times -- I currently take 300 mg four times a day. I have gained over 30 pounds in the last year and I am just afraid that I will continue to gain weight. I am considering tapering off the medication but am scared to death that the pain will be unbearable!!

I've been taking Lyrica for almost two years. It has really helped with my pain. I have cronic pain syndrome and still have to take other pain meds but this med has helped alot. I use to cry almost every night because I was so tired of the pain. I have pain still but I can live my life. The only side effect that I have is the weight gain. I've gained 40lbs the last couple years and I hate it. I tried to eat better and watch what I eat but the weight still came on. That part sucks.

I have been taking Lyrica for 2 monthes, and now I.am prescribed Ultram ER 200 mg one time per day. I have had 3 nights of complete insomnia. Of the last night, I was up vomiting and felt terrible. I am not sure if any one else has had this same interaction, but I would be curious to know. The Lyrica dosage is only for 150 mg per day, split in balanced intervals. I really cannot deal with the pain, but I cannot be experiencing insomnia and vomiting.Please help!

I have been taking Lyrica for over a month now. It is awesome controlling the pain. My eyes are blurry. Hopefully this will subside soon. In the morning, afternoon, and evening I take it faithfully.

I've been on it since last July and take 3- 75 mg a day. I take one late afternoon around 4pm and 2 at bed around 10 pm. After having terrible pain down both legs and lower back pain for the last 20 years it has been so good not to have that pain everyday. I have gained 10 lbs and that is the worse side effect I've had that's been long term. At first I felt drunk and could hardly walk but after a couple of weeks all that went away. I sleep so much better and have a lot more energy than I've had for years. I love this drug except for the weight gain. Guess I'll have to use the treadmill more often!

Forgot to note in the first note - lyrica really is helping my shoulder/ neck pain.

Dizziness, feel like I'm drunk (or been drinking), can't think clearly. I've only been on Lyrica for 1 1/2 weeks. I have to type some in my job and that's being affected - fingers don't operate like they should - and my mind is very fuzzy. Jennie

swelling, coma, bad dreams,numbness of legs and hands,cannot move a muscle, cant talk, cannot open eyes, shocking sencations from head to toe, hungry all the time, frequent urinenation, dizzleness, vertigo, cannot move or walk or talk,afraid to shut eyes when you can get them opened because you think it will throw you into a nother coma state of mind. scared, flared my hi hernia up to where i have a lump in my throat,had to go to the ER. 2 times sat. almost died.

none that I can recall