Lyrica Side Effects Results In Loss Of 13 Teeth (Top voted first)

I am the patient of a pain management physician because there is nothing else that can be done for my back other thantry to manage my pain. I have had 19 back surgeries, including rods, broken back and rods on right side. My last surgery was the insertion of two morphine pain pumps, which caused my body to reject the plastic or some component thereof. They also inserted two dual-lead dorsal column stimulators, and even though all four of these pumps worked successfully, my body also rejected come component in the stimulators as well. One of the largest problems, second only to the pain, was the fact that I had 5 deep wound that went all the way down to my rectus muscle in my stomach. I had a staph infection from the pump as well as the stimulator. It took 6 months of wound care from the pain pumo, and now I am left with the most hideous scar. Same problem with my back, Oh well....this was supposed to be about LYRICA! Since January 2005, my doctor placed me on Lyrica and I thank God for it, because it has helped a great deal with my pain, however, after having to make an appointment to see an oral surgeon to remove all my teeth because of the Lyrica, I am LIVID!! No one eluded to the fact that Lyrica cound cause my teeth to rot out of my head, when I had the most wonderful white straight teeth. I just celebrated my 46th birthday a little over a week ago and I am facing dentures right in the mouth! There out to be a disclaimer, of which there were one. I am a label reader, and read instructions implicitly. At any rate, that won't help the halth of my mouth at this point. Is there a class action law suit out there somewhere, that would at the very least pay for any dental work, or at least warn those in the future? BE WARNED! You deserve a right to be informed. Signed, Oh My Missing Teeth in Oklahoma!

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I have been on Lyrica for almost a year and besides a 15 pound weight gain I am most upset over all the fillings in my mouth falling out over a seven week period. I was driving home from work one night when one just fell into my lap. Not eating, drinking-nothing. Woke up another night with one choking me. Others fell out while eating soft food. Bits of teeth with them. I have always taken good care of my teeth-regular checkups etc. My doctor, no one, believes it is the Lyrica except me. I was on 400mg a day. I was relieved to see the post from someone else to prove I'm not crazy. If you find a lawyer to take the case please let me know!

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I had to have all my jaw teeth removed after taking Lyrica. They started crumbling in my mouth!! I am lucky I did not choke on them or something.DENTURES at 45 years of age!! Am REALLY ticked!!!

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OMG...stumbled upon this thread accidentally-was doing a search on lyrica withdrawal. I have been on lyrica for several years now, and I'm getting ready to try tapering off, again. I have tried, unsuccessfully, many times before. Always the same brick wall: Increased pain (I'm already hovering between 7 to 9 on pain scale), depression, apathy...etcetera. My rationale for going off lyrica has always been the same too: Side effects- weight gain, fluid retention/swelling, daytime sleepiness, etcetera. Now, thanks to you all, I have another very annoying symptom to add to the list- tooth decay! I had NO IDEA that lyrica might be responsible for my sudden dental deterioration! I've always had a full set of nice, strong, straight teeth, along with bi-yearly dental hygiene appointments. This time-- to my shock, my dentist found 12 areas of decay. Cavities, crowns, chips, root canals, gum disease...you name it, I have it. Now, at least I have an explanation! Thank you all.

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I am so thankful for finding this site, as I was on LYRICA for only seven months and it DESTROYED all of my teeth! I have had perfect teeth my entire life, then was prescribed LYRICA for Fibromyalgia.

I am extremely familiar with "Dry Mouth Syndrome", as I have been on many medications that cause this. My teeth were not ruined by Dry-Mouth, but Pfizer's LYRICA.

I know this is a direct cause and effect, as I visit my dentist regularly. Approximately two weeks prior to starting Lyrica, I had a Dentist appointment. Everything checked out fine and had my teeth cleaned. Then, after using LYRICA for only seven months, I gained over 100 pounds (160 to 265) and most of my teeth started chipping off. There were no warning signs, I was just in a restaurant, eating and one of my front teeth simply broke in half.

I immediately stopped taking Lyrica and went to the Dentist. I had to have eleven root canals (I am 40 and never had one in my life). I now need an implant, all new crowns and full dental restoration. I have already spent $20,000.00, just to "stop the bleeding" and now have an estimate for $30,000.00 to finalize my restoration.

This is really a very large problem for Pfizer, but they choose to ignore it. My mother is a physician and many patients who have been on Lyrica are now having severe dental problems. Unfortunately, most of these patients never "connect" Lyrica to the severe, dental damage.

I have just started the second stage of my dental work, as I had to wait until I have enough money to pay all of the Dental specialists. I am having the implant done next week and starting on all of the crowns as well.

LYRICA truly almost destroyed my life. When this first happened, most people would look at me like I was a METH-ADDICT! Well, a Meth-Addict doesn't gain over 100 pounds in seven months. It would be the opposite.

I have contacted so many Attorneys, who will not touch this case. I am not sure if they are afraid of Pfizer's deep pockets, or haven't had enough people REALIZE the actual cause of their very serious dental problems; LYRICA. Pfizer is using their customers as guinea pigs and did not do enough quality control and research before releasing this medication.

If anybody knows any Law Firm accepting cases against Pfizer, could you please let me (us) know? Again, I have concrete proof that Lyrica was the actual cause of my very serious dental problems.

Oh, I do have Dental Insurance, but my annual Cap is $3,000.00. Yea, we have "The Best" medical system and care in the world. What a JOKE!

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I am writing to say I have been on lyrica for a few years. My teeth were not perfect as I had the old-fashioned amalgam fillings. I have been experiencing tooth decay and my teeth are breaking off! I wonder if it is the Lyrica? I am now spending a fortune to save my teeth. If anyone hears of compensation (I doubt it), let me know. Good luck and good health to you all!

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I didn't have even a cavity until I was 21. At 24 I fell in my classroom and damaged my back. Quite a few years ago I was placed on Lyrica. Since then I have either had to have teeth pulled, or had root canals. Being a teacher I don't have the option of missing teeth in front. I have had to withdraw money from my retirement in order to repair my teeth. The prescribing doctor told me Lyrica can contribute to tooth decay. I am working hard to go down in dosage to try to hold onto the teeth I still have... went from 300mg a day to 50mg a day over the course of a year. I will tell you that weaning off of the lyrica has been one of the hardest things I have done because it makes you feel horrible when you lower the dosage. However... my mouth will hopefully recover and maintain some kind of integrity. As much as it has helped me... it has been a nightmare.

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I am a 33 yr old woman, with no prior, major illnesses, extremely fit, 174cm, 60 kg.

When i was first prescribed Lyrica (150 mg a day), along with the anti-depressant drug Deprax, i had just come out of 7 day detox clinic for addiction to Diazapam, Stilnox & Tranquimazin (the last 5 months prior to detox, all mixed with alcohol, being martini the drink of my choice).

The withdrawal symptoms from taking a cocktail of these 3 drugs, for a period of more than 3 yrs, up to 180mg a day to sleep were horrific. One of the main withdrawal syptoms for the first 6 weeks was pain; headches, joint aches, muscle aches, interior muscle ache like extremely rapid, frightening heart beat etc. For this pain, i now know that i was prescribed the drug Lyrica.

The withdrawal symptoms from the Benzos, were so acute at the beginning that i couldn't really tell you whether or not i had side effects from starting taking Lyrica to begin with, being as the symptoms mirror each other alot.

I have been taking Lyrica now for the last 3 months & after the initial first 6 weeks of treatment, i started taking only 25mg a day, at night, to help me sleep (all of this was monitored by my doctor). I have now not been taking lyrica for the last 9 days and yes, i have been experiencing the following withdrawal symptoms:

Weight gain; Even though i can't really say i'm eating more, my activity level before was very high, running with my dog in the mornings, 1 hour at the gym every day and a job where i was running around everywhere. At the moment, I am probably doing about half as much as i use to do & have gained over 3 kg in the last 6 weeks (the first 6 weeks don't count, as i was so sick from the Benzo withdrawal, that i didn't even want to eat). I have a constantly bloated stomach & feel swollen (esp. face) as if i am retaining water in a really bad way. At night time i can weigh between 63-64 kilos & then the next day go running in the morning and instantly drop 2 kilos. Very strange.

Diarrhea; I have been constipated (badly) all my life & suddenly i have diarrhea.

Nausea; feeling sick to my stomach - all day.

Neck Pain; My neck feels stiff and the pain runs from the back of my neck down into my shoulders.

Numbness in hands & feet: numbness in right hand more than left, difficulty clenching fingers and complete numbness in lower leg and feet, specially after running.

Blurred vision; resides throughout day and then gets a little worse at night.

Suicidal thoughts; Self explanatory.

Depression; depression is something i have experienced on days, but not this kind, the crying for 4 hours before going to sleep, escalating negative thoughts that start at i feel guilty because i haven't taken the dog out, to my parents are going to die. Depression med deprax doesn't help. Depersonalization thoughts are worse.

High anxiety level.

Headaches: Throughout the day.

Speech; I speak two languages fluently and at the moment i can't seem to speak either. Writing is ok though (i think). Simply can't find the words

Painfull lump under left arm which magically appeared after day 3 (have doc appointment today)

Painfull jaw and mouth as if i had been grinding my teeth non stop for 24 hours. Tension in my lower face.

Mouth, Teeth; Pain all day in my gums and teeth (my teeth have always been perfect, i look after them and don't have one single filling), sensitivity to cold or very hot drinks. Also my throat is tight like i am about to have a panic attack any moment (i have only had one panic attack in my entire life, 2 weeks after coming off the Benzos)

Prickly heat in chest and neck. sweating.

i would also like to add that for for the last 2 months i have been bleeding between periods ( making it every 15 days ). i don't think this is a withdrawal symptom from the Benzo's as in my first withdrawal month from them, my period came like it always has; like clockwork & after 28 days and that was probably the most traumatic month my body has ever experienced.

Fatigue; feeling like a crane couldn't pull me out of bed each morning (and this comes from someone who normally gets up at 6am to run with her dog every morning)

There are other symptoms that i am experiencing as well, but i can't be sure whether or not they are still due to the Benzo withdrawal or the lyrica withdrawal. With benzo withdrawal, the first thing i got were all the physical withdrawal symptoms with hardly any physcological symptoms like depression etc. The physclogical symptoms set in about 2 months after coming off then. Withdrawal symptoms from Lyrica have been the other way around; first i had the incessant crying, depression, not wanting anyone looking at me, suicidal thoughts etc, which have now eased up considerably (this saturday i went out and had a really good time, yesterday i felt up for walking the dog and socialising, etc) and i feel optimistic again, but the physical symptoms have got worse; i have not eaten all day today as i feel sick to my stomach, diarreah , difficulty urinating but frequently feeling the urge to do so etc.

I have tried to give as much information as possible here in my testimony as i really feel for anyone who is going through the same thing that i have been through, or that i am still going through. My heart really goes out to people who have severe depression or illnesses that can only be treated with drugs.

I can only say that i started taking Stilnox when i was 27 yrs old. I had a very stressfull job at the time and spent my time flying between europe and the states and basically the only thing that was wrong with me was that i was tired. Nevertheless, when i went to see my local doctor with what were clearly sleep deprivation and stress symptoms, instead of prescribing me with a natural remedy, she instantly prescribed 5mg of stilnox and waved me home. That was 6 years ago, & what started out as 5mg a day of Stilnox to help me sleep, slowly escalated to 180mg a day of a mixture of Diazapam, Stilnox & Tranquimazin, with alcohol and maybe some ephedra & redbull in the mornings to counter the effects of the night before's excessive dosage. After 3 months of living Benzo withdrawal hell, i now have Lyrica & Deprax withdrawal symptoms to look forward to.

The most important thing that i have learnt from this experience is that in the future i won't be taking any more drugs unless i am literally dying.

With world crisis and rising amounts of people suffering from depression and other stress related illnesses, its just cheaper for the government to hand out pills which put a temporary band aid on the problem and makes the population shut up and not complain.

My advice is that before taking any kind of prescribed drug, seriously ask your doctor "is this really necessary?" & "Is there anything else i can try before having to resort to drugs?"

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Hi Linda P. I am truly sorry for your teeth problems as I am 54 years old and also losing my teeth, however I doubt you will find an attorney to take your case because I tried to sue my dentist (different reason) and there is no money for it..My dentist ripped me off for 15K.+ Anyway, what I am getting at is there is a warning on the label that says a side effect is dry mouth. RED FLAG any drug that causes dry mouth can do damage to your gums. I am on a medication famous for causing dry moouth but I am always carrying a water bottle with me, unfortunatly my tooth loss is a combanation of hereditary and a bad case of TMJ. Unless the FDA comes up with a study proving at lyrica is causing dental problems you are just a number to them, I hate that as much as you do, and I feel your pain because I am living this nightmare..Omly thing I can tell you is to see if there is any proof in lyrica and dental decay and just keep saving for dentures This darn thing has ruined my life. Don't let it ruin yours,,,,Try to find a denal forum where you can talk to people who are going through what you are, I do have a site, and when I find it, I will post it for you..Did you know that dentists have a very high suicide rate?? Everyone hates their dentists...Good luck friend

Pat

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Hi yes the side effect of losing your teeth due to Lyrica
is infact a very sad one Iike you I suffered in the same way but have been lucky enough to save my teeth though I was having a lot of difficulty with my dentist.
I have been spared losing any of my teeth. I think it is appauling that Lyrica will not take any of the responsibility for the painand suffering that this has caused in anyones mouth.
We can only hope that one day in the not too future we may get some help for the terrible pain and humiliation that Lyrica has caused .
I was fifty had perfect teeth then after five years of taking 800 mg of Lyrica per day, my gums and teeth started aching I have have had lots of canal treatment to save my teeth, now my gums are back to normal.
I slowly took myself off Lyrica am in constant terrible pain but would rather put up with this than lose my teeth.

Alexander

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There are many medications that can cause dental problems, because they cause dry mouth and leech the minerals from your body.

I am in similar circumstances from when I was on narcotic pain management for several years. I've lost most of my teeth and have several more than I need to lose, but no insurance to pay for it.

That said, sadly, there is nothing you can do. Such probable side effects are listed, publicly, in the full-prescribing information for these medications. Even though your pharmacy does not give you that much information, it is out there and readily available. So, it is considered your risk upon using these medications.

https:/­/­rxchat.com/­wiki/­Lyrica/­

Are you seeing a good dentist and have you looked into getting implants?

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Someone told me that including the meds I have to take, the TMJ I have which all have contributed to my tooth loss, they said that because I was just diagnoised last year with a low thyroid, and am now on medication, that low thyroid also contributes to tooth loss..Anyone heard of this b4??

Pat

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I was put on Lyrics had to go to down to 50 mlg don't take it i just had all teeth pulled going to get dentures please these drugs are bad

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I have M.S. plus see a pain Dr. for a car accident that resulted in failed back surgery. I also have PTSD for which I am on Workman's comp. I have been on so many drugs for the last 10 yrs for the M.S., pain, major depression. I have always taken good care of my teeth but have ran into the same problem with teeth just falling out and breaking off. The drug co's. will not admit to being at any way responsible. I understand the person who said said she felt like a meth addict. I am a Government emp. and can easily show that I'm not but the way people look at you has confined me to my house as I can't take it. I am making arrangements to fly from AK, where I live, to AZ so I can cross the border and get my teeth fixed. I can't afford the dental prices they charge here. I have had two rel. fly from here to AZ and for $500.00 they had their teeth pulled and temp. dentures, they also put the screws in for the implants to go after healing. So, for slightly under $1000.00 each including air fare they are showing off beautiful teeth after fighting the dental people in the US for years. Most of the dentists in Mexico who do this work were trained here in the US and a lot have offices in the US and Mexico but you can only get the better price by crossing the border. I think that is shameful, one would think that a person could afford dental care here instead of having to go to a country who is supposedly "behind" us in medical and dental care. I also think insurance co. should pay some of the bills as it is related to our health conditions. Drug Co's will never be held responsible, they ALL save themselves by putting "dry mouth" warnings in the small print. I am still at least a year away from being able to afford to go and right now it is a toss up as to whether I can take the dental pain that long or maybe just end it all. Good luck to all.

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Actually this side effect is NOT listed as a side effect of lyrica. This is why the doctors refuse to believe it as of now. I also had 4 teeth break off in chunks and crumble out of my mouth all within a matter of weeks after taking lyrica for a few months. I immediately stopped taking it and of course the doctors dont believe me either even though there are thousands of people describing the exact same thing.

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Loss of my teeth, I've been losing my teeth one right after another. I've been treated terrible by the medical field and I was also on lyrica. my ex-husband slapped me and paralyzed me to where I couldn't use my upper extremities, so they had to take c-5 out of my neck and I just wasn't getting any better, now on disability and homeless, I was also diagnosed with fibromyalgia and carpal tunnel and hypothyroidism and I will be 47 this March and I've tried everything to get help. my pain management doctor put me on somas, xanax, methadone and I always took care of my teeth. I've had a heart attack, a misdiagnosed stroke while at the hospital and there has been nothing I can do!! I never had gum disease and always brushed, flossed, mouthwash, you name it. I've been severely abused and I still can't find anywhere to go and you know how other people treat you, it's so embarrassing and I don't know what to do. my children left me stranded and don't even call me and all my other family members are dead and my moms sister is not giving my brother and I a part of the inheritance and she and her family are millionaires and they're keeping almost all the money and I'm very sick and alone and it is very frustrating to be mistreated by your family and your Drs. and something should be able to be done, because just because some people are disabled we can't afford the Drs. and dentists we have to suffer!! I would rather be dead than to live in constant pain and suffering and losing my teeth makes it even worse!! Life is not worth living if you can't take care of yourself!!

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I too HAVE LOST THE FRONTS OF MY UPPER TEETH BUT MY LOWER LIKE 10 TEETH ARE FINE IT IS FROM THE LYRICA!! Someone needs to help us because if I'd known I WOULD NEVER EVER TAKEN IT AND JUST DEALT WITH MY LEG PAIN ALTHOUGH LYRICA HAS BEEN A GREAT HELP BUT NOT TO THE LOSS OF MY SMILE!! WE NEED HELP. MY TEETH WERE PERFECT AND EVEN HAD THEM WHITENED AND NOW ALL MY TEETH HAVE GONE TO HELL AND ONLY THE FRONTS HAVE JUST COMPLETELY CAME OFF?? PLEASE SOMEONE HELP US AND WARN OTHERS!! I AM SO UPSET ABOUT THIS AND HAVE EVEN SAVED THE CHUNKS THAT BROKE OFF!! IT IS SO EMBARRASSING I CANNOT EVEN SMILE ANYMORE!!

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I lost my teeth also and if if you hear of a class action suit please let me know. My doctor didn’t even know or believe Lyrica did this. She looked it up and was surprised it said mouth problems. They are in so much denial about this horrible product. So sorry it happened to you and so many others.

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I feel your pain, and disappointment too. I broke my cervical spine in 1988. After years of treatment and surgical interventions, Morphine was prescribed to me at the rate of 100 mg tablets, 5 pills every 4 hours. Approx 18 months ago, while waiting to be unloaded in North Carolina ( i drive truck from Ontario Canada) a slight nibble of my pencil while i starred down at my log book, broke a tooth, my right side eye tooth. I dam near s**t myself. I have always been cautious and brushed after every meal, and flossed 2 x a day. I exercised daily and more. Now, some 18 months since the first tooth break, 8 more teeth are gone as they were so rotten i had to have them pulled out at $1100.00 each.
"MORPHINE IS THE CULPRIT" said my dentist and neurologist, and they wrote to the compensation board, because i was taking the morphine because my neck was broken at work in 1988, and "they" can now foot the bill at the comp board. But the buggers there want me to have "tests" done and get more proof the reason for my dental issues is because of the morphine i had to take relative to the 1988 work related injury. But how do i "test" that the morphine did this ? DO YOU KNOW ? Please help me fight these people with anything, any information you may have relative to proving this.

Thank-You sincerely for your support.

Dan

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Has anyone ever found any attorney to take the case against the pharmaceutical companies? I have been taking Lyrica, methadone, Oxycodone, and a lot more medications for my back problems (10+ surgeries), and now I am taking more medications for an injury to my left hand and I am having a lot of surgeries due to that - and while I was in the hospital they gave me Morphine to me in al of the surgeries I have had. And I am going to need to go through a lot more surgeries for both my back and hand. My teeth keep falling out, breaking apart, and crumbling to dust. I was eating corn off the cob and I had two pieces of my teeth chip off. This is getting ridiculous, I had a good set of teeth and took care of my teeth like I was suppose to, and now when I brush - my teeth crumble, break, chip, or other.
It is not fair that all these companies that sell them are not responsible for the medications that they sell especial when they cause damage to someone.

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I never had a cavity until the age of 40. I had a procedure and a tooth was crack while trying to intubate me. Since then I have one dental problem after another! I thought it was from that cracked tooth. During this time I started taking Lyrica. Now I am having dental problems throughout my mouth. I just had two extractions and a root canal. The dentist said I have severe dry mouth. I am constantly sipping on water and use Biotin products, but am still having problems. I tried to do without the medication, but off the medication I realized just how much pain I would be in every day. I tried Neurotin. Just curious if anyone has had success with a different medication.
Just cannot imagine loosing anymore teeth :(
I have always taken good care of them. Any help would be appreciated.

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