Does Anyone Taking Lyrica Have Memory Loss? (Top voted first)

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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I take Lyrica, I just came in here and can't remember why!

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Yes, I took Lyrica for fibromyalgia and it was like a magic pill for me. Until, my memory went away, my vocabulary, my ability to spell or to finish a complete sentence. Occasional dyslexia. Inability to keep a job cuz as soon as I got up to go to the filing cabinet, I'd forget why I got up. I am discontinuing the drug. Does anyone know....will all these side effects go away?

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I have to say that I have had the same side effect! I thought it was just middle age coming, but that sounds so much better. I can't remembert alot of things lately. Also, I lose words, and peoples names in conversation, so, you are not alone! But, I'll stay a dummy, because Lyrica has kept me out of the ER for about 6 mos. now.

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Lyrica was a NIGHTMARE for me. I have basically lost 1.5 years of my life(memory loss) from taking it. I am very angry that my doctor did not know enough about this medication and kept giving it to me and tried to tell my family I must have some brain damage or something! I also had severe, painful swelling of my feet and alot of weight gain.Liver enzymes went sky high also..

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Tooth decay comes from the drying that these drugs do to our mouth. This happens from narcotics as well. My cousin is a dentist and says this is very common. There are toothpastes and drops now that you can use to keep your moth better hydrated, but I forgot the name.

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Hi,
I have been reading your comments and I feel for all of you. I have been taking Lyrica for neuropathic pain in the rib cage. It has definitely helped me in that my life had become impossible due the pain. The Lyrica broke the vicious cycle and allowed me to engage again in physical activity which is very important for me as I tend to become very depressed when I can't get out in the fresh air. Most importantly though, it meant I could begin yoga. I joined a hatha yoga class which has had an absolutely amazing effect both on my neuropathic pain and on my general health and well being. If you are having pain in your rib cage, the yogic breathing really stretches that area out. I'm generally a very sceptical person but I would encourage anyone who is dealing with chronic pain, particularly pain in the rib cage area, to try hatha yoga. I hate to think of others out there in the amount of pain that I was in who could benefit if only they knew about this. I'm down to 75mg of Lyrica at night now and should be off it completely within the next few weeks. When you're in severe pain it can be very hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel, but I believe that if hatha yoga helped me escape my pain then it can help other people too. Please don't lose hope.xx

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I'm running into the same problems as you-memory loss, stumbling on words, loss of some vocab, etc. Although it is totally frustrating, I will stay on my meds if they work well enough.

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Yes, this is a common side effect for most people taking this drug, however, these side effects usually do ease or wear off entirely, once your body adjusts to the medication.

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Does anyone know why OUR FDA ever approved this horrible drug? Almost everything I hear about it is one horror story after another! I have heard that some doctors(lawsuit pending- is the rumor) were getting kickbacks for prescribing it, so if this is proven true maybe someone should find out if something similar was going on over at the FDA. Has anyone heard any allegations about this? I just want something done before another unsuspecting, innocent patient ends up like me. I would NEVER wish this on ANYONE!! I want my memory back! Living with a hole in your life is about enough to drive you crazy- trying to remember and you JUST CAN'T...
I do not think anyone can understand the loss and despair I feel unless you have ever had to experience it also.

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I have been on this medication for over a year. Yes there are days when I can't remember simple things. I couldn't remember my previous employer, I got confused and had to stop the car and wait to remember where I was and how to get home. And much much more. I have cut the use to absolute minimum... that is helping some. If my mind doesn't clear up I am stopping this med.

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Just had a question. Is tooth decay-loss a side effect of this also as Vicky stated? I lost all my jaw teeth but never knew why. Can not remember anything from that time period,as stated before. My beautiful teeth just rotted and there was nothing wrong with them before taking this medication.

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I have DBD and neuropathy due to an unsuccessful spine surgery and have been prescribed Lyrica. Since being on Lyrica I have noticed the memory loss, insomnia, weight gain, vision loss, teeth rotting because of dry mouth, loss of words, can't figure out what words to use when talking. This doesn't even touch all of it. I have contacted several attorneys and no one it seems is willing to take the case. This is wrong what this drug is doing to us and the people we trust the most with our health are basically shoving this drug down our throats and don't care that it's not helping. It's making us worse. Someone please help us!!! Please!

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dbryant; do you have all your meds filled at the same pharmacy? It is always important to do so, that way if you are reaching a dangerous dose of something, or a dangerous mix, your pharmacist can let you know right away and consult your doctor about alternatives.

Now this is not an exorbitant amount of meds for some people, but it really depends on the person, your drug tolerance and how your body metabolizes them.

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Hello
I have been on 450mg of Lyrica since last night. I have been on 300 mg of Lyrica for a month now. My vocabulary is terrible since taking Lyrica. I also have really bad short term memory. I forget what I went into a room for. It is a legitamate side effect.

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Yes, it has a way (Lyrica) to damage parts of the brain. There's no case studies as to how Lyrica attacks nerve endings. Depression, weight gain, vision damage and so many more side effects were never mentioned. Most of the people who took Lyrica have went through hell getting this drug out of their system. The widthdrawl is similar to an opioid widthdrawl. Plus, we all have a permanent side effect from Lyrica. This drug made my life so much worse! We need this drug pulled and never put back on the market. We need to protect new, patients!

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Re: Marti (# 432)

I too have insomnia problems. The Dr I have has helped me. I am part of pain management and I wish I could say Lyrica was wonderful, it did more damage to me. I have been put through hell. Surgeries, 29 to be exact. I will never recommend that drug to anyone! It did more harm than Good! I was a very intelligent woman, now I'm lucky if I can remember what transpired yesterday. Please, stay away from this stuff!

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It is a possible rare side effect?I disagree, I started on Lyrica a little over 2 yrs ago, and experienced exactly what you are talking about, plus on and off fluid retention. Digestive problems,etc, I was also told that it was one of my other meds back than and over the next 2 yrs till, I finally ended up in the condition I am in now. No it doesn't get better, it might not always show but it just gets worse. In my case it lead to seizures, blackouts,and eventually a mini stroke.I have suffered also emotionally on this drug, and when I confronted my doctor last week about it, because since then I have had a whole new host of medical problems arise (kidney function, chronic infections, swollen liver,MRSA) he had me stop taking it. After two years of telling him that something wasn't right.And all Lyrica does is mask the pain, it does not heal the damage, nor can it stop it.I would not personally take another anticonvulsant for neuropathy ever again. I was on Neurontion for 5 yrs and the same thing happened, it was just a slower and less noticable process. Than after being off Neurontin for 2 yrs I believed the hype on this new drug and that is all it is. Lyrica and Neurontion are sister drugs, and have no long term studies on accumalative side effects. People are actually dying on these medicines.I am just trying to pick the pieces up and start over, the pain is bad off Lyrica, but I am going to try and approach this from a more nutritional stance now, and not be so quick to jump at these so called wonder pillls..I also ended up with facial twitching which lead to my whole face drooping. Some of the muscles have come back but not all.An as far as staying out of the ER now, better now than later with a stroke to one other person commented. The moderator keeps saying that these side effects are temp., the only thing temporary is that they diminish slightly before they really start to accumalate in your system. Than it is too late.

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I have been on Lyrica for anxiety for 3 years.... It works, but my memory is dreadful. I cant remember short term, long term memory not so bad. I cant remember names, forget vocabulary and its really frustrating! My memory was so sharp. It really helps my anxiety though, so i will continue taking it.

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I have to say I am extremely concerned...something is really wrong with my memory and I don't know if it's Lyrica or not. My doctor recently increased my dose to a whopping 550Mg/day in an attempt to help neuropathy.
I have rather gradually noticed a horrible decrease in memory over the past few months and it's so bad right now I have 'blank-outs' where I do something then seconds later completely forget what I've done. It doesn't happen often but it's happened.
Just wondering if Lyrica can even possibly be the cause.
I've moved my pain care to a specialist and she has actually told me, as of yesterday, to decrease my dose down to 300mg/day and only once per day, at night. I HOPE this helps (not to mention the weight gain I've experienced).

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My 17 year old son took Lyrica for a total of 6 months . He used to be a brilliant student , being able to cram the night before his exams and then blitz it the following day .. Since ceasing his 4 x 75 mg per day ,, he lamments the loss of his cognotive function and complains daily that he " just wants his brain back " he has not taken Lyrica since July 2010 . If i had known this would happen , i would never have allowed him to take this horrible medicine...

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