Does Anyone Taking Lyrica Have Memory Loss? (Page 15)

I have been on Lyrica for about 8 months now and I am having fantastic results. My dr is trying to increase my dosage and I have been doing it in 50 mg increments. I am up 100 more now in a month, for a total dosage of 400mg. I find that I have very bad recall and loss of my vocabulary during conversation. It eventually goes away, but I was wondering if anyone else has this? If it keeps up, I just may have to drop back down 50mg until I get used to it? That seemed to work that last time I had to raise it.BTW, I have nerve pain in my ribcage. (not caused by shingles)

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Yeh, if you can handle drunken behavior, falls, and slurred speech from Lyrica. Even if you stop the drug some of the side effects still remain like a slight lack of balance. I can't ride a bike, not even one of those tricycles at the beach for adults, because I can't balance myself. Heaven help me if a cop pulls me over and wants to have me to walk pigeon toed, because I would fail. After 2-3 steps I fall over and my last date for taking Lyrica was in March, 2007. Lost job, June 30th, because of the effects of Lyrica. I very happy with my Tylenol #3 with codiene. It takes the edge off. Maybe Lyrica works fine for you. I don't know your frequency or dosage. If it is a small amount you may be OK, but for most of us here and in other chat rooms we have a serious problem with Lyrica.

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Thanks Law , yes i am interested please send a list of where we need to be going , this will be much appreciated , Thanks again ....

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Was on lyrics 600mg per day for 2 years but took myself off just over 6 months ago due to speech issues, memory loss and hyper activity. Found it excellent for the nerve damage down the back of both legs and even better for getting everything done at super fast speed but on the down side I have memory loss. When asked "do you remember when?" Or just general things to remember on a daily basis you can forget it even after 6 months without lyrics.

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Hi! I just read your post and wanted respond. I take 150 mgs daily of Lyrica. Everything you described is happening to me! I didn't imagine that it could be the Lyrica (apart from the hyperactivity part). I have hepatitis C also, and thought that the memory and speech problem was due to the famous "brain fog" that goes with HepC. I 'd really like to wish you the best with this! You have helped me.

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Really glad to be of help and sad to hear you are finding out the same way I did about lyrica. I was a restaurant manager until I was hit by a car and ended up with nerve damage to my legs. I was put on a very low dose to start with and increased up to 600mg, which I was told by the doctor that was the max. Lyrica worked amazing well and took away the pain along with other drugs that I had been on for a while helped me to maintain a normal pain free ish life. But I started to find I was slurring my words, not finding the right word mid sentence or totally forgetting what I was talking about. I felt frustrated because it was simple things and I was beginning to feel slightly stupid so I would keep quite while out. Then during conversations family and friends would be like "do you remember when?" I would just laugh it off and say yeah but I knew I couldn't. I also live in a small bungalow but I would move room to room and forget what I was doing. I went to the doctors and he had wanted me to do a few memory evaluations which I couldn't do. Had to say the months of the year backwards and count backwards and just couldn't do it. He took bloods to check for certain levels of some chemical in my brain but that was all fine. So why did I feel like my brain had been wiped clean?! I read all the information leaflets which came with my pills and lyrica states can "cause memory loss". So I started to research lyrica and found this website which opened my eyes greatly. I wouldn't recommend doing what I did but I went cold turkey and came straight off the lyrica. Battled through the dreadful side effects and became clean from it. My speech has improved greatly but my memory just feels like it's been removed. I'm now treating myself by researching natural alternatives, stopping and taking true care of myself knowing when to stop, rest and not over do things. I've battled with the UK benefit system and finally receive personal independence payments and employment and support benefit for my degenerative disc disease which at least takes the financial worry away and helps me to concentrate on looking after myself on a daily basis. I have also received 12 sessions of cognitive behaviour therapy which I have learnt so much from and has allowed me to learn how to take better care of myself which sounds mad at the age of 40 but I'm in a lot of pain all day but was still doing a lot for others and not accepting help back. I was worrying that if I accepted help then it was like admitting I was ill. I have done a lot of research over the past 6 years to find the best paths to take and I know for me lyrica, tramadol and gabapentin were all drugs I have tried and hated. I wouldn't recommend stopping them like I did but I would recommend talking to your doctor about it and seeking help. I have found comfort in treating myself with natural alternatives, mind over matter and taking good care of myself even with 2 active kids a house to run and a husband who is self employed and I deal with all his paperwork. Please feel free to ask any questions, happy to chat with any one xx

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Jennifer- if u just found out about everything don't freak out just yet. I just figured it out a week ago by reading her blog as well. Hang in there. I went to my dr right away and lowered the dose. It looks like it may be a 50% shot that the effects will go away after the medicine is gone. That is only my opinion on everything I have read to this point.
You are not alone though. I'm sure you have read a lot on this page and you are freakjng out- don't. Visit with your dr and family and tell them what is going on. I waited 8 months before I told my family- I waited to long. Don't make the same mistake I did- tell your dr right away. Good luck.

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Thanks! I live in Italy and it's really difficult to see the same neurologist twice if you are on the government health service. I talked to my husband already this afternoon and he agrees with you in that I should see a neurologist in the group of Drs. that prescribed Lyrica, ask them to go down on the dosage and not freak out! I appreciate your help!

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Jennifer -
Well Italy- you are not alone. You did the right thing. It's to bad you can't see the same Doctor. Make sure you document what is going on when it happens. I am in South Dakota and MS is prevelant in the Midwest so I am being tested for that first. I have to mention this- they are going to do an scan of my brain and check for MS. I personally believe- like everyone here- it's the lyrica. Are you tired all the time or take really hard naps for 3 or more hours? There is a lot things that are affected but you are on the right track. Visit with your husband and make sure you tell him everything. I can keep you informed as I go through this right before you. I literally just told my family on Christmas- now instead of pointing out my short comings- everyone is more than willing to help out- especially when you lose track of what your saying in the middle of a sentence.
Anyway- I'm happy to help you in any way I can!

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Thanks , it is nice that everyone is so willing to help. I have actually gotten a lot better, I can't say that I am the old me yet. I am well enough to go back to school . I have noticed with me , once I stopped the meds , which I wouldn't recommend anyone doing it how I did but I am now having the beginning issues that I had before the " Fibromyalgia " took my life over . I am changing my insurance , so this month I have no insurance which is fine. But I have found that you basically pay for the health care that you get through insurance which for me means I will have a doctor that cares and comprehends that we (the human ) are not the same and text books can be wrong. I still think that it is related to thyroid issues as doctors are so full of the " book says" and forgot that the symptoms are. I hope to make it through the next 4 months and then I will have my 3 surgeries this summer. I am still taking my Cymbalta , I have found that I become very worried, scared and depressed when not on it.

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Hi, I have experienced the memory loss, when I was in lyrica, very strong side effects.

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Lyrica is quite simply a lock on your mental file cabinet. You will never regain your proper memory while taking Lyrica. The hesitancy, the stumbling for words, names, etc. will always be with you as long as you take this drug, and you take a lot of Mgs. The decision to be made is whether you can accept this in place of your pain/ discomfort, or is there another drug which will not have this effect and do the job? Most likely not, but you should inquire.
Good luck!

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I was on lyrica for 3 yes. I had those symptoms an also had swelling of my feet legs an ankles and a lot of weight gain. It made me gain 60 PDS in 9months. So I had to stop taking it because for one it wasn't working an the side effects was to much. I didn't no it was a narcotic, so when I stopped taking all at once it was horrible. Was sick in bed for almost 3 weeks. It actually took 3 months to get back to normal an not b sick an tired all the time. Dr didn't tell me anything about the side affects or that I would have withdrawal symptoms for months. After that I look up every new medication any Dr gives me.

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hi karel
yes i myself am on 150mg x2 daily for chronic back pain and although it does work, i forget things and sometimes get lost during basic conversation!! i do not want to stop as it helps my pain but now my family have started to notice which is embarassing but need the pain relief, do u get me?
tommy

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Stopping Lyrica or Cymbalta or any drugs in that class requires a gradual withdrawal or else you can become very ill. By the way, Cymbalta can have memory loss as a side effect as well.
As I have suggested before, it is always best to go to a teaching/ university hospital, where doctors are extremely current on this stuff.

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I recommend you do not increase your dosage. Take the smallest dose you can take to make life livable. There are serious side effects, and some are lasting, long after you stop taking it, if ever the day comes when you can.

Some side effects don't present until you've been taking it a year or 2 or 3.

Read everything you can on MedsChat that relates to lyrica and side effects. When you see many people report the same outcome, pay attention to that.

For myself, I have had amazing pain relief fron neuropathy associated with multiple spine injuries and later development of degenerative disk disease leading ultimately to the more serious condition, spinal stenosis, in 2 regions, cervical (auto accident) and lumbar (sports injury).
By now, I've had triple level laminectomy (L-3, L-4, L-5) which was successful, but I've developed numerous side effects from lyrica ( diagnosed by specialists, not by me or by PC) including incontinence, rapid weight gain (40#s in 1 yr- no, I did not eat more, nor have increased appetite) and exactly the kind of memory problem you described. I'm currently at half the highest dosage I ever had of lyrica, the incontinence has improved dramatically, not the memory problems. Reading on here, many say the memory problems persist long after, maybe permanently, after you d/c lyrica. So be careful.

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LAW,
I go to Stanford University hospital and Clinics. Doctors are not so "up on this stuff" as one would hope!

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Jennifer,
Yes, I decided to stay on Cymbalta too, since I had been suffering devastating, almost incapacitating depression before I went on it, even tho it was a fairly low dose, only 20 mgs. But it makes a lot of difference for me emotionally and is supposed to work synergistically with lyrica.

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Sorry to hear that! We are enthusiastic fans of our Johns Hopkins here in Baltimore, though we all know medicine is an art, not a science.

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No wonder u can't think properly God am on 150 mg and if I take 2 I feel like am in a diffante world I don't stop talk in about shhhiiiittteeeeer so I would say ur on a silly amount and what do u expect

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When carisoprodol got banned in 2007 (practically worldwide bar India - cheap but far poorer than UK NHS Carisoma - & Argentina - Finadiet Listaflex is the best brand on the planet bar NONE but costs a fortune & Pharmacy Act 2010 banned export of ALL medicines - and perhaps two, maybe three other countries, they gave me LYRICA brand pregabalin, raising dosage from 200-600mg/day over 8 weeks. I am unable to use any of the SMRs left on the market because of either drug interaction with something I take long-term; prob either OxyContin or clonazepam, or because of the very high likelihood of my suffering the 'rarer' & 'more serious' side effects as detailed in the PILs for tizanidine and methocarbamol. I did notice that Lyrica's PIL stated it was for NEUROPATHIC and not chronic MUSCULAR pain, but the effects during the four months or maybe five that I was prescribed pregabalin were horrendous. I wondered where all the bruising on my shins came from; why I woke up each day not knowing whether it was Monday or Wednesday or Friday or whatever; missing appointments; and being a non-drinker, why the f*** would my old mother accuse me of being permanently pissed as a newt? On top oc which, my lumbar pain was, if anything, WORSE. I of course reported it to my GP & complained (for which obviouzly thdy took no responsibility despite the Pfizer information never oncs mentioning that my condition was treatable using this absolutely dreadful drug.

It was seven years before I found I had been blatantly lied to; Carisoma 350mg WAS permitted to be prescribed, but only to chronic lumbar pain patients for whom no other available med was suitable, for which I obviously qualified. However over that 7 yrs they have apparently weaned every patient off carisoprodol and now it is completely forbidden and not available anywhere at all in Europe. I have to either spend a fortune for Listaflex or take dodgy pills from India. So yes, I agree that side effects from pregabalin are amongst the worst I have experienced and that amnesia after using it is a whole lot worse than the one used by dentists as first choice sedation for its amnesiac value, IV midazolam 15mg. (Which I take in tablet form for my insomniac bouts, so it does not have auite that full effect on me... anybody who can suggest anything to take before my dental appointments to enhance the midazolam - tried bromazepam and lorazepam with little success - please post here! DEFINITELY the drug with the worst unwanted amnesia preventing normal living that I have ever been prescribed - & WRONGLY at that!

May I add that before that cow Thatcher, the UK had an NHS which was perhaps the finest healthcare available anywhere. This current Cameron Govt (& I never ever thought such a thing were possible) is EVEN WORSE - Roche, Pfizer, GSK, Schering-Plough, even Sanofi Aventis have all withdrawn top class brands (in my case the last straw was the deletion of RIVOTRIL leaving only Auden McKenzie's AWFUL clonazepam - I was always Rx'd Rivotril by BRAND - as pharmacies have been ordered to disprnse the cheapest generics, & many xrugs have simply been removed from the Formulary.) I fear for real OxyContin & OxyNorm now the patents have expired and Actavis have gained Market Autborisation for RELTEBON & LYNLOR respectively which are considerably cheaper and less effective. XANAX is the only alprazolam on the UK market - no generics at all - but only in 0.25 & 0.5mg, so I am spending the majority of my Disability Benefit on efficacious brands from other EU countries. PALFIUM (dextromoramide), King of opioid analgesics, is now, after being deleted in Ireland, only sold in Netherlands and the 10mg strength withdrawn. so I must attempt to fill 5mg tabs in bulk on several EU Private Prescriptions before its rumoured cessation of production all together.

So the NHS has gone from the most admired healthcare anywhere to what I consider an utter joke over the past 20-25 years and is getting worse all the time. The complete refusal of the USA to even consider permitting international web-based pharmacies denies me several meds which I could really be doing with and they also ignore International Laes as they ever have done. And where else does the Pharma Industry regulate ITSELF and not suffer for blatantly bizarre and exceedingly expensive price-fixing even of some of the cheapest drugs available? And deny real Oxycontin to its citizens? A letter to the White House is in the pipeline. Nowhere else would permit a LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCY (DEA) to interfere with a doctor's professional judgement on good prescribing, particularly concerning analgesia. OK some of this is off-topic because Lyrica was prescribed in place of something else QUITE WRONGLY; but needs to be said (& discussed). Anyone who agrees willing to start a relevant thread?

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