Lyrica Terrible Side Effects (Page 3) (Top voted first)

Lyrica has ruined my life. It wasn't bad enough with the pain from my back injury. I only took Lyrica for 2 weeks. The weight gain was bad. I lost 1/3 of my hair in 4 months. I have had a rash for over 1 year now. I mean a bad rash. This was my first side effect. And they warn you of this. Get off Lyrica asap if you get a rash. I thought I was having a stroke the first week on Lyrica when they rushed me to the hospital. I had read on the internet of how many young people have died from strokes from taking Lyrica. My vision is so bad now. I can barely drive at night time and I have to were glasses to see the tv. The worst side effect I've had and still have is the terrible, terrible pain in all my joints. My knees are so bad and my hands and fingers & joints pound and throb 24-7. The swelling in my arms and hands was so bad at one time, I thought I would lose my limbs due to non circulation. The pain is so bad in my knees, I can barely walk everyday. I am self employed and I type and write all day. My hands hurt so bad. I can barely hold anything in the mornings to pin my hair up or put on my makeup. As bad as my pain was and is in my back and cyatic nerve the Lyrica did help. It was a miracle. But I only took it 2 weeks and after 1 year I still have all the terrible side effects. I've been looking on the internet for other peoples bad reactions and I was told by my doctor and the hospital, I had a very bad reaction to it. I've seen a lot of people say they have never got rid of the knee pain and joint pain. Very scary. I called the drug company that makes Lyrica. I told them the side effects that I was having and the first question they asked me was how was my eye sight. I had a fit. I told them the double vision and blurry vision was bad. They made the comment to me that Pifzer was doing a study on this side effect. I was in an automobile accident, that was bad enough, but this drug Lyrica has ruined my life and there is no cure. There are numerous law suits against this drug. I will never be the same again!

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Has anyone had issues bladder problems? I have been on lyrica about 2 months. I've had weight gain, but the strangest issue is finding it hard to pee. It started like a shy bladder, but now it is getting worse. Also, I am now getting stomach pain. I take 450 mg. @ night. I want to get off it ASAP, but have heard i need to titrate off or there will be bad side effects . Any thoughts?

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I was on 75mg lyrica for just three weeks as I got severe pain on my knees and elbows. Three months after I stopped taking lyrica my pain is still there. Is there anything I can do or take to relief the pain. How can such a drug be on the market

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This drug is called Pregabalin in the UK and I took it for 7 days for Anxiety. I had 2 days when I nearly jumped out of a window and was very close to suicide. Then my body swelled up until even the touch of clothes was painful. I had to take diuretics for several weeks. 2 months on I am left with a numb arm, a swollen breast on one side and incredible breast pain. This drug shouldn't be on the market... I am appalled.

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You are wise to get off Lyrica....my doctor told me to keep taking this drug, my system will adapt and the symptoms will subside. After taking the drug before bedtime, I could not get out of bed and walk until mid day. I felt drunk and dizzy..would stumble and fall if I tried to go to the bathroom at night. I would see imaginary bugs flying around my head and light spots on the floor. My son in law,(a cardiologist) told me to stop the drug immediately...He monitored my condition daily. I gradually began to feel normal, except for the increased pain in my knees. I was on Lyrica about two weeks...and the effects lasted about three months. I'm exploring other avenues to help with my joint pain...with a specialist...a steriod injection and exercise. I've been almost pain free for four months...flushed the Lyrica down the drain.

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I have chronic nerve pain all through my body from lyrica. Mostly hands and feet and knees but it spreads. It doesn't go away. I don't know what to do.

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Here is a link for a law group suing over the suicidal ideation caused by Lyrica:

yourlawyer.com/topics/overview/Lyrica

I was taking lyrica for 17 months. It was horrible. I couldn't think straight. I was so out of it the first few days on it that I was literally bumping into walls. It affected my vision. I could not concentrate. It made me sick to my stomach, weak, exhausted, dizzy, confused, extremely forgetful, frustrated, hopeless and gave me skin problems (I still have the excema). Worst of all I would have visions of myself dying all the time, bloody terrifying visions. I'm not talking about nightmares mind you. I would be awake and suddenly watching my brains being blown out, or going 'splat' on the sidewalk. My life had become a nightmare. The whole time I was on it my doctor was pushing me to take more in spite of my begging her to take me off of it. I was aware that it is dangerous to take oneself off, so I kept trying to make it work. I finally had to fire the doctor and slowly ween myself, not that I recommend that. A doctor should help you. I couldn't wait any longer since I was going out of my mind. I wish all of you who have taken or are taking Lyrica the best of luck. If you are considering taking it, try everything else first. Make Lyrica your last resort, and make sure your doctor agrees to take you off of it if you are experiencing the terrible side effects that many of us have. I'm doing much better on Cymbalta. You have to find what works for you, but hopefully you can find something other than Lyrica. Much love to all, JCP

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you're e-mail was erased. I hope you post wha you did. I'd love to know.

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I've been off it for 7 months and I still have that side effect. It's not in your head. Ween off it slowly and carefully. Lyrica is very dangerous to go off too quickly. Have someone check in with you daily. Be careful of suicidal thoughts. Ask for help if you need it. Best of luck. Take care.

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48 was for Delta
49 was for Jenni

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Bad long term side affects are finally tollerable. i took lYRICA for three month and on June 20, 2011 realized I was out of it. I Had been cooperative with everything people sugested. Spent about $500 repairing my p/u then the same day sold it for $300. Signed checks totaling over $33,000- to people I did not know, planned hou to donate my body parts when I died, etc. Physical effeccts were blurred vision, dificulty coordinationg what my ears told me re balance with what my vision told me., whenI walked any distance (say over 1/2 mile)
I could not stop walking until iIgrabbed a sign post or telephone pole etc, or I would fall forward. Now, Nov 2013, I can once again walk over 2 miles with no difficulty (but farther than that my symptoms re-apear.) Insured thru Kaiser Prmanente but they have not found any possible causes (ther ruled out stroke). but just referred me from one speciaslist to another with no positive results. I am open to any suggestions and any referals. I started Llyrica for fibromyalgia symptoms, health is otherwise is excellent for my age (now aboiut 75 years). Thanks for this website.

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I started taking Lyrica a couple of months ago. It started out ok. My headaches and neck pain was under control and then out of nowhere I started to get pins and needles in my hands and feet, blurred vision, dizziness and worst of all a feeling of having electricity running through my body. I contacted my Neurologist who told me to stop taking Lyrica (i was on 75mg per day). I have been off the drug for about 2 weeks now and feel TERRIBLE. I constantly shake, have a dry mouth and still have the blurred vision and feel dizzy. I now have pain in my hands, arms and feet which is causing me much concern. I have also had a tight feeling in my neck. Has anyone else had this??? My anxiety is through the roof. I am hoping with time I can get over this awful drug.

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Dear Michelle: I'm very sorry that you had a bad reaction to Lyrica but it's been a god send to me and I've never had any side effects of any kind. You are in my prayers. Good Luck To You.

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Could you please clarify as to how much of the acai berry and vitamin E etc. you are taking now, I know it would be different for me but it would give me a starting point for my research on what to do. I have a condition called lipedema where my skin is extremely painful to the touch and it is on the bottom of my feet so when the Lyrica caused my feet to swell that pain was worse than the nerve pain the Lyrica was supposed to help (which in 2 weeks it never helped that pain anyway). I have had all the swelling, burning, eyesight, joint problems also and am taking myself off the Lyrica and will look into the alternatives you have mentioned. I am very glad I found this website as my doctors reaction to my complaints was to up my dosage and I knew immediately that would not work. He should have discussed sideaffects with me before my taking it but all he said was there should be minimal sideaffects - boy that sure was way off base. But this has taught me to research before taking a new med, not after. Thank you.

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My doctor put me on Lyric a for the burning pain in my feet from CPPD ( pseudogout). I did have dizziness for two weeks but no other side effects. Also, for the first time in 12 years , I do not have painful burning feet 24 hours a day. I am also hypertensive, hyperlipidemic, and hypothyroid. None of these conditions have been exacerbated by this med. I have been on this med for 3 months, so things may change. Right now, though, I am enjoying my grandchildren, gardening, and shopping without a wheelchair!!

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Please report your side effects to the FDA on their web site. You need to fill out a MedWatch form which is online. The only way to get the FDA to take notice is to file official MedWatch Reports.

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I have been taking Lyrica for a couple of months now. My md is weening me off of opioids after being on them for several years after MV accident. I this short time my vision is impaired, weight gain of more than 20 pounds and I feel like total SH**.! I have absolutely no energy, my depression is now so bad I struggle to get out of bed and the joint pain is unbearable and keeps me awake at night. Short term memory also bad. I have never felt this bad in my whole life. Our MD also prescribed Lyrica for my husband for his back pain at the same time (it has only just become available on Australian Medicines listing). He has also had massive weight gain in short period, severe joint pain, psychotic episodes and with both of us on this horrible drug we are pretty close to killing each other. I am furious at our MD using us as guineapigs to see how we reacted to it. I am on 600mg a day and my Hubby is on 450mg a day. I just told him off this website and the other people with same side affects (and worse) and he has sworn to stop taking immediately. I have to stop taking this as well as it has nearly destroyed my life and my marriage.

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I have been taking Lyrica for a couple of months now. My doctor is weening me off of opioids after being on them for several years after MV accident. I this short time my vision is impaired, weight gain of more than 20 pounds and I feel terrible. I have absolutely no energy, my depression is now so bad I struggle to get out of bed and the joint pain is unbearable and keeps me awake at night. Short term memory also bad. I have never felt this bad in my whole life. Our doctor also prescribed Lyrica for my husband for his back pain at the same time (it has only just become available on Medicines listing). He has also had massive weight gain in short period, severe joint pain, psychotic episodes and with both of us on this horrible drug we are pretty close to killing each other. I am furious at our doctor using us as guineapigs to see how we reacted to it. I am on 600mg a day and my Hubby is on 450mg a day. I just told him off this website and the other people with same side affects (and worse) and he has sworn to stop taking immediately. I have to stop taking this as well as it has nearly destroyed my life and my marriage.

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the most lyrica your suppose to take in a 24 hour period is 400mg. no wonder your going bonkers. your over dosing yourself big time.

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Same with me absolutely it has helped with the burning pain of my RSD/CRPS. I have been taking it for ten years.

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I was put on Lyrica for RSD/CRPS and it didn't help. What it did do for me was to change me from a size 8 to a size 18 by putting 60+ lbs on my body in just 6 months. I didn't even recognize myself when looking in the mirror. I had always been petite and suddenly I was LARGE. Oh, did I forget to mention that it put me on the Heart Failure Unit of the hospital? Yes, it did that also. Yet the cardiologist said that I had the healthiest heart he's seen in years and that I should consider myself lucky that as a RN I was able to identify the signs of heart failure and get myself to the hospital as fast as I did and TO NEVER TAKE LYRICA AGAIN. My vision also changed. Now it's blurry all the time but the ophthamologist can't find a cause for the sudden change in my vision. I lost the ability to fall asleep which I had always been soo proud of doing at almost the minute my head hit the pillow. On Lyrica I wouldn't be able to fall asleep for hours and when I did I would wake up in about an hour and stay awake for another 8 hours. And it's still that way. On Lyrica I started feeling overly emotional at the slightest thing...kittens, students graduating on TV whom I didn't even know, pretty flowers, stories of people winning the lottery, all would bring tears of joy to my eyes. It was as if I had no control over my expression of happiness for people, animals, or even inanimate objects...I would have tears of joy for them. I was never like that before Lyrica. I was always a very steady person with my feet firmly planted on the ground. But on Lyrica I was like the stereotype of the girliest of girls who overresponds to joy and happiness by having tears well up in my eyes over the slightest little event in the lives of perfect strangers. And it still happens at times even though I've been off Lyrica for several years now. Strangely though, while on Lyrica I didn't overreact emotionally when seeing or hearing of bad things happening to people...just to their good fortune or cute animals or nice things. Lyrica really screwed up that part of my brain and caused me to overreact emotionally to positive things and events as well as blowing me up like a blimp with an extra 60 lbs in just 6 months. Whatever part of the brain that controls those two things, weight and positive emotions, Lyrica took it over and wreaked havoc with it. It's taken several years to get rid of those 60 lbs and get my body image back to where I recognize myself in the mirror. Thanks Lyrica, for the wild ride you put me through...and it isn't even over yet. I'm still dealing with the inability to think of common, everyday ordinary words while speaking. People have asked me if I had a stroke. What do you call it when a person stops in the middle of a sentence because they can't think of a word such as sofa, ballet, or even giraffe? Thanks again Lyrica for changing my life the way you did and are still doing even years after discontinuing the drug.

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